Maybe I'll do it myself

The dispute over who possessed the secret manual raged on.

Some even suspected An Yi had swapped it out himself!

But under the watchful eyes of the crowd, where could he have found a replacement?

Moreover, the martial artists standing close by were almost certain that An Yi had genuinely thrown out the "Nine Swords of Dragon Slaying" manual—it wasn’t a fake.

Now, the question of who had it became shrouded in mystery.

With so many people packed tightly together earlier, who could tell who had snatched it?

"Let’s go, I’m exhausted!"

Extricating himself from the crowd, An Yi stopped wasting time with them. He stretched lazily, yawned, and prepared to leave.

Long and Hu immediately followed him. "Brother Chen, where are we headed?"

An Yi paused and looked at them in surprise. "You two should go wherever you need to. Why follow me? I’m broke—I’m not handing out free meals!"

Long scratched his bald head awkwardly. "We’ve been expelled from the Lantuo Temple by the abbot. Right now, we’ve got nowhere to go..."

"Yan Zhi, what’s for dinner? I’m starving!"

An Yi pretended not to hear and made to slip away.

Expelled from the Buddhist order?

These two monks clearly weren’t the virtuous type—why stick to him?

He was a model citizen, a top student at Donghai University, a pillar of the nation!

Besides, he wasn’t Lin Chen.

Even if these two monks were a bit slow, the truth would come out eventually, and then things would get awkward!

Ding!

[Iron Arhat Long] requests to be recruited. Accept?

Ding!

[Blood Arhat Hu] requests to be recruited. Accept?

Two consecutive notifications echoed in An Yi’s mind.

He stopped in his tracks.

Anyone who triggered the system’s attention was no ordinary person.

For instance, not long ago, the "Gourd Immortal" had also prompted a system notification when requesting recruitment—though An Yi had ended up cutting him down.

"Fine, whatever."

With a resigned sigh, An Yi turned back and pulled out a thick stack of cash from his pocket, handing it to the two men.

The move even left Yan Zhi momentarily stunned.

Who carried that much cash around these days?

"You two, head to Jiangbei City and look for a guy named Ding Renfeng. He’s one of mine—stick with him for now."

An Yi discreetly tapped the confirmation button on the system panel.

He was a reasonable man.

Even if that brute Lin Chen didn’t get along with him, he’d eventually fall under his command.

Since these two monks were Lin Chen’s underlings, didn’t that indirectly make them his as well? So confirming was the right call!

"Holy crap, this much money?!"

Long and Hu were dazzled by the thick wad of cash, their faces burning with excitement.

They even debated whether to visit the Pleasure Sect’s den to "punish evil and uphold justice."

"In that case, till we meet again, Brother Chen!"

Eagerly, Long and Hu waved goodbye and hurried off.

"Go on, we’ll regroup in Jiangbei City!" An Yi smiled as he sent them off.

Yan Zhi frowned. "They’re going the wrong way. That’s not the road to Jiangbei City."

"Doesn’t matter. The planet’s round—they’ll get there eventually."

An Yi then turned his attention to Chen Bing, who had been trailing them. "Glasses, you’ve been following us for a while now."

Chen Bing adjusted his black-framed glasses but didn’t deny it.

Given the commotion from his earlier fight with Zhang Fan, it’d be stranger if An Yi hadn’t noticed.

"I saw how loyally you stepped in to protect me earlier."

An Yi clasped his hands behind his back, oozing self-importance.

Chen Bing: "…?"

What nonsense was this? Loyally protect him?

Him?

An Yi spoke with gravitas. "Glasses, I know you want to acknowledge me as your boss but are too proud to say it. Fine, I’ll give you the chance today."

In his mind, it was only natural for Chen Bing to want to follow him.

After all, he’d just displayed his prowess—his sheer presence alone was enough to attract admirers.

And since Chen Bing had tailed him this long, even intercepting Zhang Fan’s sneak attack, clearly he’d been trying to earn favor by protecting him!

Chen Bing adjusted his glasses again, then turned away. "You’re overthinking it. See you around."

With that, he left without another word.

An Yi sighed. "That guy—always so stubborn. And shy, too."

Yan Zhi: "…"

"It’s late. Where are we sleeping tonight?"

Glancing at Yan Zhi—strikingly valiant yet undeniably alluring—An Yi gulped.

A man and a woman alone together… things could easily get out of hand!

He was this handsome!

And this woman was strong, with terrifying strength—he wouldn’t stand a chance if she made a move!

"Jiangbei City isn’t far. I’ve booked a car—we’re heading back tonight."

Yan Zhi shook her phone dismissively.

An Yi’s enthusiasm deflated instantly. Then his expression twisted in alarm. "Wait—where’s my sword?!"

Earlier, he’d repeatedly reminded Yan Zhi to keep an eye on it during their retreat.

Now she was here, but the sword was missing!

Frantic, he rushed back—only to find his massive broadsword lying abandoned by the roadside.

Yan Zhi rolled her eyes. "You really think anyone would steal this hunk of scrap metal?"

"That’s five million right there! You reckless woman!"

"Who are you calling reckless?!"

---

A one-eyed man leaned out from a car window and activated his communicator. "Dragon Commander, An Yi and Yan Zhi have left by car."

"Mm. Keep a close watch on that Zhang Fan kid. Bring him to me."

"Understood!"

---

Creak—

The shabby door of the rented apartment groaned as An Yi pushed it open.

After rushing back overnight, it was already 1 a.m.

Carefully closing the door, he noticed the TV was still on—though Shen Muxuan had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Such a waste of electricity!"

An Yi frowned and turned it off.

Even though he was now worth millions, old habits died hard—wasting money on power still stung.

"Hey, wake up. Don’t sleep here—it’s uncomfortable."

He gently poked Shen Muxuan’s shoulder.

She blinked drowsily and mumbled, "You’re back so late…"

"I told you not to wait up! A man’s gotta have his nights out." An Yi spoke with mock solemnity.

Shen Muxuan yawned. "There’s food in the pot… kept warm for you…"

Her head drooped back onto the couch as she dozed off again.

"This girl…"

With a resigned chuckle, An Yi scooped her up in a princess carry.

Then he froze.

He’d acted on instinct, intending to take her to her room.

But wasn’t this inappropriate? Men and women shouldn’t be so casual.

If Shen Muxuan had been awake, she’d have glared at him, cheeks puffed in anger, threatening to "punch his stupid head off" for being improper.

Gazing at her cat-like slumbering form, An Yi shook his head with a smile.

He laid her gently on the bed.

Studying her, he rubbed his chin and mused aloud, "Wouldn’t sleeping in so many clothes be uncomfortable?"

The words made Shen Muxuan stiffen, her back tensing.

This jerk! He actually wanted to—while she was asleep—!

So shameless! So shameless!

Her face burned crimson.

Her master was right—men were all the same!

Horny idiots with no self-control!

After a long silence with no movement, she finally exhaled and opened her eyes. "Maybe… I should do it myself—"

Only to realize An Yi was already gone.