Chapter 121: A Slap, A New World's Door, and a Quirky Sister (4K)

Chapter 121: A Slap, A New World's Door, and a Quirky Sister (4K)



"Smack!"

The collision of lips was so intense that it sounded like a round of applause.

Du Mingluan and Kou Chenjian's eyes widened as they stared at each other from inches apart, unable to process what had just happened. Disbelief was written all over their faces.

And so, the kiss lasted for more than a second.

"Click!"

The shutter of a camera snapped nearby, its flash momentarily blinding them and bringing them back to their senses.

In an instant, they pushed each other away with all their might, forcefully breaking free from Xue Jing's grasp on the back of their heads, and putting distance between themselves.

"Ugh—"

They dramatically started dry-heaving, furiously wiping their lips as if they wanted to peel off the top layer of skin.

"Hahahaha."

Xue Wan, holding her phone and looking at the photo she had just taken, covered her mouth with one hand, shaking with laughter.

"Sis, why didn't you dodge? You just stood there like a wooden post."

Xue Jing gave her a look, at a loss for words.

Xue Wan waved her hand, her face beaming, "I was so shocked that my legs turned soft, and I couldn't move!"

Shocked? Xue Jing looked at her sister's cheerful expression as she admired the photo, unable to see any signs of her being scared.

"My silly little bean, you've grown taller again in just a few months."

Xue Wan stood up and reached out to ruffle Xue Jing's hair affectionately.

She had a great figure and was quite tall, at least 5'7" or taller, easily reaching up to ruffle Xue Jing's hair.

Her words were playful, but her eyes held a gentle softness, clearly delighted to see her long-unseen younger brother.

"...Hmm? What happened to your face? Did you get plastic surgery?"

She reached out and pinched Xue Jing's cheeks, puzzled.

"It doesn't seem to have changed... but why does it look so much better?"

"Ouch, my muscles..."

Xue Jing twitched his lips and caught Xue Wan's hand, which had been casually roaming over his body.

At that moment, an annoyed voice piped up from the side.

"Hey, lady."

"Did you just take a picture? Hand over your phone."

The shorter Du Mingluan, his face gloomy, reached out towards Xue Wan.

Xue Wan tilted her head, her expression one of innocent compliance, "Don't worry, we can exchange contact information later, and I'll send you the photo."

Du Mingluan paused, "That's not what I meant."

On the other side, Kou Chenjian, exasperated, said, "Stop wasting time with her! Just grab the phone and smash it! This photo must not be sent out!"

After speaking, he couldn't help but spit again, "Ptoo! So damn disgusting!"

Hearing this, Xue Wan immediately hid behind Xue Jing's shoulder, poking her head out and retorting:

"This is a testament to you two opening the doors to a new world! It's so memorable, it can't be deleted."

Du Mingluan and Kou Chenjian's jaws clenched, their gazes shifting to Xue Wan, who was now shielded by Xue Jing.

That woman, with her beautiful looks but obviously eccentric behavior, was one thing, but this man was the real culprit.

However, this man was no ordinary foe.

Du Mingluan and Kou Chenjian exchanged a glance.

Even though their attention had been focused on each other just now, the fact that they were unable to react in time to someone approaching and accurately grabbing their heads...

Spoke volumes about this person's extraordinary combat skills.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be around the same age as them and was likely also here for the competition.

He was an opponent on par with them!

"What do we do now?"

Du Mingluan asked.

Kou Chenjian's face was dark as he replied, "The most important thing right now is to destroy that photo."

Xue Jing, while they were talking, turned his head slightly, glancing at Xue Wan, who had her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Delete it, even though it's a bit awkward coming from me, the instigator... But as a fellow man, I understand their resistance."

Xue Jing sighed.

Xue Wan shook her index finger, a pleased smile on her face, "People are different. You may truly feel repulsed, but look at these two. They seem like mortal enemies, but as soon as it matters, they immediately start working together. That kind of chemistry..."

"It's a classic 'frenemies' dynamic!"

"This photo might just be the witness to their first step towards something more! It would be a shame to delete it!"

Xue Jing made a sound of acknowledgment.

Du Mingluan and Kou Chenjian, hearing this exchange, clenched their fists, wanting nothing more than to start fighting right then and there to prove that they absolutely did not share that orientation.

Kou Chenjian gritted his teeth, "The photo first!"

Du Mingluan's hands were clasped so tightly his knuckles were popping, "You take the left, I'll take the right!"

Xue Wan's eyes lit up, "See, the chemistry!"

The two didn't say another word. Instead, they stepped forward and vanished from the spot.

Du Mingluan appeared on the left, reaching for the phone Xue Wan was holding.

Kou Chenjian appeared on the right, throwing a punch. The thick knuckles of his fist created a ring-shaped wave of air as he aimed for Xue Jing, intending to distract him and prevent him from protecting Xue Wan.

At the same time, almost unnoticed, countless cracks appeared in the marble floor beneath their feet, which then bulged slightly as if something was about to emerge from the fissures.

Xue Jing's expression remained unchanged as he assessed his attackers, gauging their level from the force of their attacks.

"Their strength is probably on par with Li Chenxuan, or maybe a little stronger."

"Is this the standard for seventeen or eighteen-year-old prodigies in the outer ring?"

He pondered as his hands moved swiftly.

He activated both Twin Defense and Twin Speed.

With a surge of energy, the true dragon within him stirred.

His entire skeletal structure vibrated, emitting a low, rumbling thunder.

His left hand shot out, precisely grabbing Kou Chenjian's wrist as he swung his punch. The force of Kou Chenjian's punch was completely absorbed by the Cloud-sealing Tail and channeled into Xue Jing's bones.

His right hand did the same, seizing Du Mingluan's wrist as he reached for Xue Wan.

Xue Jing's speed was astonishing, acting after his opponents but arriving first, as if he existed in a different time flow than them.

The force carried by their attacks was entirely dissipated by the Cloud-sealing Tail and absorbed into his skeleton. By the time they realized what was happening and tried to muster more energy, it was too late.

An unstoppable surge of power emanated from their wrists, and once again, they could only watch helplessly as they drew closer to each other...

Xue Jing grasped their wrists and, using the force converted by the Cloud-sealing Tail, flung them forward like noodles, their bodies whipping through the air.

"Bang!"

The two figures collided, erupting into a circle of air waves.

This time, their mouths didn't meet, but their cheeks unavoidably pressed together, their bodies clinging tightly like they were in an embrace.

"Ah?"

Xue Jing was taken aback.

He hadn't meant to do that; it was just an instinctive, impromptu move that he thought would inflict damage on both of them...

"You motherfcker!"

"Damn it!"

Seeing the disbelief and anger on their faces, Xue Jing knew they had misunderstood.

"Never mind, let's go."

Xue Jing let go and slapped them on the head like swatting mosquitoes.

"Pa—"

With a surge of energy and the activation of the Star-shaking Fire, his palms made contact with their heads, and his gentle yet powerful force caused their skulls to shake violently, knocking them out instantly.

The two lay on the ground, still tightly pressed together.

"Click, click, click, click—"

The sound of camera shutters filled the air, and the flash of lights blinked as Xue Jing looked around, noticing several people with long guns and the attire of journalists taking photos and filming.

Xue Wan looked at Xue Jing with a strange expression:

"You're really into this, aren't you... I never expected you to be like this, Ah Jing."

Silently, the bulging cracks in the floor returned to normal, except for some additional fracture lines, as if nothing had happened.

Xue Jing sighed, "It wasn't intentional... Let's get out of here."

...

"Woo—"

On a sea-facing platform at the pier, Xue Jing and Xue Wan gazed at the massive cruise ship approaching.

The sea breeze blew through Xue Wan's smooth black hair, and she tucked it behind her ear, musing:

"I never expected you to embark on the path of martial arts... And to have such talent. How come we never noticed it before?"

"I always thought you'd end up being kept by some rich lady..."

She looked at Xue Jing, her expression a mix of gentleness and complexity.

"It's just that this path seems to involve a lot of fighting, which worries me."

Leaning his elbow on the railing, Xue Jing gazed at the sea and casually replied:

"You're the one who should be worrying, sister."

Xue Wan tilted her head, "Me?"

Xue Jing turned to look at her, his eyes full of meaning, "Earlier, under the floor... There seemed to be something down there. It has nothing to do with you, does it?"

His powers of observation were exceptional; even in the heat of battle, he didn't overlook what his peripheral vision had glimpsed.

A confused, adorable expression appeared on Xue Wan's pretty face, "Huh? Are you talking nonsense?"

Xue Jing stared at her for a while, his suspicions rising, but he didn't press for answers. Instead, he changed the subject, "By the way, I've adopted a cat, and I brought it with me this time."

He had his own secrets that he didn't want to share with his family, so he didn't feel entitled to interrogate Xue Wan about hers.

Upon seeing each other again, Xue Jing confirmed that his sister was in good spirits and didn't seem to be discouraged by any particularly terrible events, which put him at ease.

As for the rest, well, he decided to let things unfold naturally.

"A cat? What cat?" Xue Wan's eyes lit up at the mention of a cat.

"I picked it up along the way. I don't know what breed it is, but it's quite pretty. You'll see when you meet it," Xue Jing casually replied.

Ning Fengwan had talked to him about this on the ship.

She said that based on various considerations, it would be better if she didn't meet Xue Jing's family in human form for the time being.

It would be better to be treated as a cat for now.

"Hmm? Are cats allowed on cruise ships?" Xue Wan asked, puzzled.

Xue Jing smiled faintly, nonchalantly saying, "Technically, they're not... but your brother here has a lot of pull."

Xue Wan raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking him in an armlock under her armpit. "I don't know about your pull, but your face is definitely big!"

With his head locked in place, Xue Jing's face was pressed against Xue Wan's slender waist, "Let go! Haven't you heard of boundaries between men and women?"

Due to their position, his voice sounded a little muffled.

"You've peed in front of me, and now you're talking about boundaries?"

...

As the cruise ship slowly docked, Cat sat on the railing, yawning.

"Where's Ah Jing? I don't see him—"

She suddenly froze, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

On a platform not far from the pier, Xue Jing was lying on the ground with a lifeless expression, his right hand trapped in a perfect cross armbar by a woman who bore a striking resemblance to him.

"That must be his sister, she's... very energetic."

Cat's face contorted into a very human-like quirky expression.

"Just because you've made progress in martial arts, don't go getting a big head. Understand what bloodline suppression means?"

Xue Wan looked at Xue Jing, who was lying on the ground, and said proudly, "See? I told you I've been practicing at university. Now let me go."

"A fully locked-in cross armbar is inescapable! By the way, I want to try another move—ah!"

Before Xue Wan could finish her sentence, Xue Jing stood up as if he had nothing holding him down.

Xue Wan found herself dangling in the air, much like someone carrying a bag of groceries.

"That's enough fooling around."

Xue Jing shifted Xue Wan to the front of his body and slapped her on the head with his free hand, emitting a loud and crisp "Pa".

"Ouch—that hurt! Why did you slap me so hard?"

As they played and joked, time flew by, and the cruise ship officially docked.

Crew members threw mooring ropes to the dock workers, who secured the ropes to the mooring posts.

With everyone's cooperation, the cruise ship docked successfully and connected to the aerial gangway.

Xue Jing and Xue Wan boarded the ship through the gangway and encountered many disembarking passengers along the way. When they saw Xue Jing, they all greeted him respectfully:

"Mr. Xue."

"Mr. Xue..."

Xue Jing responded with a smile and a nod, looking like a visiting dignitary.

"Looks like you really do have a lot of pull," Xue Wan commented with a smile as she patted Xue Jing on the shoulder.

"Meow~"

As they reached the deck, a black cat with four white mittens meowed and strolled elegantly towards Xue Jing.

"Wow~ It's so cute!"

Xue Wan covered her heart, her eyes sparkling with delight. "How can there be such a beautiful cat!"

"Have I been single for too long? Even a cat looks handsome to me now."

Xue Wan took a few quick steps forward and gently picked up the cat, her face full of adoration.

"It's so well-behaved... and it smells so nice."

Xue Wan nuzzled her face against the cat, completely smitten.

"Hey, why didn't I think of getting a cat earlier? I should've gotten one a long time ago!"

"By the way, have you named it yet? What's its name?"

Xue Wan turned to Xue Jing.

"Name?"

Xue Jing thought for a moment and said casually, "Call it Fengwan."

"Huh? Which 'fengwan'? Like the white phoenix pill in Journey to the West?"

Xue Wan tilted her head.

Hearing this, the cat seemed to be triggered by some unpleasant memory and scowled.

"No, it's Wang Xifeng's 'Feng' and Li Wan's 'Wan' from Dream of the Red Chamber," Xue Jing explained with a smile.

"Why would you name a cat after characters who were both married... Are you into that, little brother?" Xue Wan found this amusing.

"...Anyway, let's go."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end