Happy Birthday

A single cry of "Shiniang!" (Master's Wife)

Made the air freeze for a moment.

Sweat beaded on An Yi's forehead.

He still needed to borrow 200 million!

This clueless disciple was practically shoving him toward disaster!

Lin Chen glanced at Fang Jueming with approval.

Though the master was a scoundrel, the disciple seemed quite decent.

Shen Muxuan flushed red, waving her hands shyly. "I—I—I'm not..."

Fang Jueming looked puzzled, turning to Qin Yao. "Then..."

Qin Yao lifted her chin haughtily and snorted. "I'm not either!"

Sweat dripped from An Yi's chin as he forced a smile. "Well, uh, it's already midnight. Qin Yao, happy birthday!"

"Eleven forty-five! You're early!" Qin Yao held up her phone, deadpan.

The topic shift was painfully awkward.

"Early wishes count too! You know, birthdays these days cost a fortune. Speaking of money, it reminds me—"

Truly, An Yi was a man who never forgot his original purpose.

Despite the night's chaos, he still remembered why he came—to borrow money!

"Ah! This destruction—what happened?! What happened?!"

Uncle Fu let out a mournful sigh, his eyes brimming with tears as he surveyed the ruined villa garden. "I've tended this garden for over a decade! And now... ruined!"

An Yi: "..."

Qin Yao quickly comforted him. "It's alright, Uncle Fu. Just a broken wall and some cracked tiles. We can replace them."

"Yao Yao, I'm sorry... Your birthday turned into such a mess."

"Don't worry, Uncle Fu. I'm still happy. Is Little Fu okay?"

"Oh, he's already been taken to the hospital."

That old man is definitely doing this on purpose!

An Yi's face darkened.

The birthday party was undoubtedly ruined.

But for most guests, it had been an unbelievable night—except for Qiu Xu, whose arms were dislocated, and Gu Hongyun, who still hadn't snapped out of his daze.

Most were ordinary people—how could they ever expect to witness martial artists battling up close?

Still, they should be grateful to An Yi and the others.

If the Dark Taoist had truly descended upon the Qin villa, none of them would have survived.

"Master, I'm at the Wu Family Martial Arts School now. Here's my contact info!"

Only as Fang Jueming was leaving did he finally add An Yi on messaging.

"Good. Keep in touch, and train hard!" An Yi waved him off.

"Little Ming, did that scoundrel teach you some pickup artist tricks? Listen, don’t learn from him! He’s a womanizer, a shameless playboy who relies on his looks..."

"Little Ming, as your elder, let me teach you some life principles. A martial artist must have integrity—no cheap tricks..."

Watching the three figures retreat into the distance, An Yi's lips twitched.

They weren't even out of earshot, and already they were slandering his noble character!

How could he rest easy leaving his top disciple under their care?

"Mr. An, if you please!"

Uncle Fu smiled at An Yi, his arm in a sling, yet still managing to gesture for him to scram.

"Those three were dark practitioners. What if—"

An Yi scrambled for an excuse to stay.

Lin Chen cut in coolly, "Relax. We’ll report them to the Law Enforcement Bureau. Besides, they’re critically injured—they might not even survive."

An Yi: "..."

"Give me back my crutches!"

An Yi studied Lin Chen thoughtfully.

Now that he thought about it...

His favorability with this soldier had finally hit zero, unlocking his main questline.

But with no clues yet, how was he supposed to proceed?

"Why are you staring at me?"

Lin Chen felt uneasy under An Yi's scrutiny.

An Yi stroked his chin. "Old Lin, what’s your dream? Maybe I can help make it come true."

He admired his own genius.

Everyone had desires—some dreamed of being billionaires, making wealth their life’s mission.

But life wasn’t a game. Quests might be set, but completion wasn’t guaranteed.

Starting from dreams, desires, or obsessions might be the key to uncovering clues.

"Really?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Anything within my power!" An Yi said eagerly.

The breakthrough was coming!

Lin Chen nodded. "My greatest wish is for you to stay away from Qin Yao."

An Yi: "..."

He was ready to abandon this questline.

"An Yi, can we talk? There’s something I need to say." Qin Yao’s tone was serious.

"Of course!" An Yi hurried over.

Lin Chen watched like a hawk, gripping his crutch.

One wrong move from that brat, and he’d swing.

"Don’t worry, Yao Yao. You two are a match made in heaven. That An Yi doesn’t stand a chance against you."

Qin Zhengwei patted Lin Chen’s shoulder reassuringly.

Lin Chen stiffened, shaking his head. "Mr. Qin, you misunderstand. I’ve always seen Qin Yao as a younger sister."

"Ah, I get it. Young people these days—‘brother’ and ‘sister,’ all very normal." Qin Zhengwei chuckled knowingly.

Lin Chen: "..."

The villa garden, ravaged by battle, lay in ruins under the pale moonlight.

Silence stretched between them, lonely and still.

"Hey... you weren’t hurt earlier, were you?"

Qin Yao clasped her hands behind her back, feigning indifference as she glanced at An Yi.

When the Dark Taoist struck his chest, her heart had nearly stopped.

An Yi grinned. "I’ll live."

The quiet lingered.

After a few steps, Qin Yao murmured, "Do you... really need money that badly?"

An Yi coughed. "Not desperately. Just a temporary shortage..."

"Here’s 50 million. You can take it."

She handed him a bank card.

An Yi froze.

50 million?!

How did she have that much?!

Even if her father was Jiangbei City’s richest man, he wouldn’t give her that much as pocket money!

She wasn’t starting a business!

"Password’s my birthday."

She shoved it into his hand.

"Wait, this is too much—"

An Yi fumbled, overwhelmed.

50 million—enough to change social classes, to let an ordinary person live lavishly for life.

Holding it now, it felt surreal.

"It’s my dowry. My mother left it for me." Qin Yao met his gaze steadily.

An Yi: "..."

"Why so nervous? It’s a loan! You have to pay me back!"

She walked ahead, then turned, smiling. "Muxuan’s a good girl. Don’t bully her."

"Qin Yao!"

An Yi called out to her retreating figure.

She looked back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hmm?"

An Yi pointed to his phone—exactly midnight.

"Happy birthday!"