Chapter 23

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Chapter 23: Long Aotian Living in a Repeated Storyline

Why is it familiar? The reason is simple; Long Aotian had another heated argument with a man, seemingly over a girl. But this time it was different; Long Aotian wasn’t arguing for Tang Jiaorong but for another girl, arguing with a young man who had an arrogant demeanor and spoke quite sharply.

Seeing this reminiscent scene, Bai Qige’s pupils slightly shrank because he felt that the proud-looking young man and the girl at the center of the argument were not so simple.

In Middle-earth World, a person’s strength cannot be read from their face. You never really know how capable someone is until a fight breaks out. Bai Qige had seen many bold individuals who thought they were stronger than they really were, causing trouble everywhere, only to find themselves hitting a tough opponent who looked ordinary and ending up defeated. Because of this, Bai Qige had worked hard to sharpen his perception to avoid mistaking a powerful yet reclusive master for an easy target and accidentally getting himself hurt.

If someone is powerful and accomplished, it will show in their words, actions, and demeanor. If someone is constantly strengthening their life essence through training, it brings a profound change that creates an aura around them, full of mysterious power. Even a single glance or movement can create a sense of intimidation. In simple terms, this person seems a bit arrogant, as if they are impressive, yet if they were to hold back, traces of their strength would still show.

With careful practice to sharpen his perception, Bai Qige has now begun to faintly sense the life energy of others, like a life force or magnetic field, using it as his primary guide to judge their strength or weakness. Although he wouldn’t claim to be one hundred percent correct, it’s still somewhat useful. This ability leads him to believe that Ye Xiao is not an ordinary person. At this moment, he perceives both the proud man and woman as quite remarkable, their life energy much stronger than that of normal people.

"Are they Psychic? But if they are Psychic, then this man and woman have a vibe like court dogs!"

The proud man’s air of authority and his strong, commanding presence remind Bai Qige of a government official; perhaps even a skilled one. The woman has a somewhat similar aura as well.

However, this speculation cannot fully explain the facts. Right now, the argument between the proud man and Long Aotian gives Bai Qige a strong sense of déjà vu. It’s about things like, "You worthless fool don’t deserve the talented and beautiful Ye Hui. Just because Ye Hui is polite to you doesn’t mean she likes you, so you should know to step away from her."

This conversation, if you replace Ye Hui’s name with Tang Jiaorong, mirrors the argument Long Aotian had with that young nobleman some time ago. The following events are also remarkably similar: they exchange harsh words, and then Long Aotian and the proud man begin to fight. After mastering the Heart Sutra, Long Aotian’s physical abilities greatly improved, giving him an advantage over ordinary people. But the proud man showed impressive fighting skills and some strange methods, easily landing two punches on Long Aotian and knocking him down. However, he also took a punch from Long Aotian, and just as the proud man was about to press his advantage, Ye Hui stepped in, looking helpless, to stop their fight.

"How dare you treat me this way! I, Long Aotian, am a true man, and I will reclaim the honor I lost today!"

"Hmph, why wait? Don’t you think you’re good at basketball? How about a bet? We play a game in a week, and if you lose, you must publicly vow to stay away from Ye Hui and hand over your belongings."

"Hmph! I will show you what unbeatable despair feels like!"

Long Aotian, are you a man living in a repeating story? Why do I feel like this situation with you and the young nobleman is just a copy-and-paste with different names?

More importantly, why is it that every time there’s jealousy, the result is a basketball showdown? Are you living in some basketball anime as sporty characters? Can’t there be something new, like using a watermelon knife and fighting like a man until one of you is defeated?

Also, Tang Jiaorong, weren’t you developing feelings for Long Aotian? Why do you stand by while Long Aotian fights for another woman? You look like you’re on his side! Has Long Aotian’s charm completely swept away your brains?

As he grumbled in his mind, Bai Qige felt a sense of helplessness about what was happening to Long Aotian, but in the next moment, he perked up.

[Detected a causal entanglement point, starting to materialize a task to help Long Aotian win the basketball game. Reward: 500 Experience Points! Do you accept?]

"Long Aotian, you really live in a repeating story; I love this sports anime basketball showdown!" Bai Qige murmured, and without hesitation, he accepted the task, feeling that Long Aotian was his lucky star, always bringing him good fortune when they met.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Qige slipped into the locker room, using his usual trick to open Long Aotian’s locker with a little wire. He was quite skilled at picking locks, then he put a note in his pants pocket, asking him to meet up, and changed his clothes before leaving!

When he arrived at the spot, he transformed into Monk Wet Dream using Myriad Illusions Sky Slash and waited for Long Aotian. Just a little over an hour passed, and Long Aotian arrived. Seeing Monk Wet Dream, he looked conflicted and hesitant to approach, clearly still haunted by the last time he was hugged by the mighty body that sent him to the hospital.

"Disciple, it’s been a few days since we last met, and your skills have improved!"

Bai Qige tried to look kind and gentle to ease Long Aotian’s tension. It seemed to work a bit; Long Aotian, feeling nervous, came forward to pay his respects, "Greetings, Master! I was in a hurry last time, and I thank you for rescuing me."

"It’s okay, my student has trouble, so I naturally must help. I have been observing the stars these past two days and have noticed that you seem to be facing some difficulties again. To be more specific, it seems there are some people with bad intentions approaching you, which could lead to trouble. Do you have any idea about this?"

Bai Qige asked knowingly, as Long Aotian grew stronger, but his intelligence seemed to dip due to the mutated Heart Sutra. At this moment, Long Aotian didn’t suspect anything unusual and was amazed, truly believing that Bai Qige had the ability of foresight. He quickly replied, "Indeed, some things have happened these past few days. I wanted to tell you, Master, but ever since we last parted, I haven’t been able to find you, which is why it was delayed. Here’s what happened…"

The cause of this matter was also related to Bai Qige. Last time, he took the stage and became the talk of the town, showcasing the old monk defeating NBA players in modern urban legend, all happening in front of many witnesses. At that time, he called Long Aotian his apprentice. After Bai Qige had his fun, he left, but Long Aotian couldn’t escape. Many people became curious and approached Long Aotian to ask about his relationship with Bai Qige. Long Aotian, however, was not foolish and didn’t reveal everything. After all, he also didn’t want to share how he had met Master Wet Dream for less than ten minutes before being sent to the hospital by the monk’s impressive strength. Still, he did hint a bit, admitting he was Master Wet Dream’s apprentice.

And so it happened that some people who claimed to be from the Ninth Bureau of Extreme Weather Response in Yanhuang came to inquire about Master Wet Dream and his whereabouts, saying they wanted to enlist Master Wet Dream to serve the country. Long Aotian had no idea where Bai Qige was. Naturally, he couldn’t say anything, which made the Meteorological Bureau people think that Long Aotian was unwilling to talk. As a result, they sent a staff member to follow Long Aotian day and night, and that staff member was Ye Hui.

"Just persuading? Such a gentle approach, this doesn’t seem like the Meteorological Bureau?" Bai Qige murmured, feeling some doubt, but he couldn’t reach a conclusion. He had never truly interacted with the Meteorological Bureau, and all his knowledge came from Ye Xiao’s memories. It was hard to say how accurate that knowledge really was.

"When I observed the stars, I noticed that while you have trouble, you are also favored by the Red Star. I fear that Ye Hui has a deep connection with you!"

Based on what he knew, and pretending to be a trickster, Long Aotian felt a bit awkward but still stated the truth. When Ye Hui first arrived, she had an overbearing attitude, completely convinced that it was only right for the Meteorological Bureau to enlist his master for the country. When Long Aotian showed any hesitation, it seemed utterly defiant. Long Aotian had a bit of a rebellious nature, clashed with Ye Hui a few times, and managed to diminish her arrogance. Over time, surprisingly, they developed feelings for each other. However, this situation didn’t last long. Another member of the Meteorological Bureau, a man named Li Huaian, who was fervently pursuing Ye Hui, appeared. He tried every means to make things difficult for Long Aotian and even arrogantly demanded that Long Aotian hand over the martial arts taught to him by the Wet Dream monk. Naturally, Long Aotian refused, leading to repeated conflicts. Although Ye Hui supported Long Aotian, Li Huaian was her colleague, making it difficult for her to take sides. She only advised Long Aotian not to oppose the Meteorological Bureau too strongly.

"Haha, so the Meteorological Bureau wants my martial arts?" Bai Qige chuckled, but his eyes showed a hint of coldness. He didn’t care about disclosing the Basic Heart Sutra; that didn’t matter to him. But he understood that the Meteorological Bureau was not after his Heart Sutra; they wanted Long Aotian’s mutated Heart Sutra.

When Ye Hui approached Long Aotian, he had just learned the Heart Sutra and started to experience its mutation. Now, Long Aotian’s Heart Sutra had successfully mutated, greatly enhancing his strength. According to Long Aotian, at first, he and Ye Hui had a few small conflicts. If Ye Hui truly was a member of the Meteorological Bureau, she certainly couldn’t have overlooked Long Aotian’s changes during this time. It was impossible she hadn’t reported it.

What does the full attribute +20 in the Long Aotian Heart Sutra mean? An ordinary person can barely walk a few steps while carrying something heavy and will start to breathe hard; this is probably the basic display of 10 points of attributes. With an additional 20 points, carrying over 100 pounds would feel as light as straw, and climbing walls would slowly become possible. It might be unrealistic to cover one’s face and go out to fight little monsters, but fighting evil and becoming a superhero in the city would pose no problem. Of course, Long Aotian isn’t that powerful yet; he hasn’t trained long enough. The 20 points of total attribute increase are just displayed on paper; he must solidify his training to truly command the power it brings.

This mutation in the Heart Sutra left even Bai Qige stunned. However, the Meteorological Bureau wasn’t aware of the details; they only saw Long Aotian practicing the "divine skills" taught by the Wet Dream monk. In a short period, Long Aotian changed from an ordinary person to a physically enhanced Psychic.

Facing such "divine skills," it’s not hard to guess what the Meteorological Bureau thinks. Bai Qige even felt that Long Aotian’s mention of romantic feelings for Ye Hui was one-sided; it was possible that Ye Hui was working with Li Huaian, each playing their part to force out Bai Qige or make Long Aotian surrender the Heart Sutra.

Bai Qige believed that sooner or later he would have some connection with the Meteorological Bureau, but he never expected it to be through Long Aotian. However, he didn’t quite understand; if the Meteorological Bureau truly had an interest in those so-called "divine skills," their weak approach and slow actions didn’t seem like what one would expect from the Imperial Blade.

"Disciple, these are all small matters. But I have one thing I don’t understand. I see your noble destiny and extraordinary aura; you must be from a prestigious family, and this disaster seems related to your family and relatives. Are you willing to help me understand this mystery?"

At that moment, Long Aotian was truly amazed. He never thought that Bai Qige would know his deepest secret. Little did he realize that being the eldest son of the Long family was plainly visible on the Fate Interface for Bai Qige to see.

Long Aotian did not hide anything and, upon hearing Bai Qige mention a possible connection to his relatives, he felt even more open. Bai Qige listened, his expression unchanged, a kind smile fixed on his face, but his eyelids kept twitching, unable to refrain from thinking…

Wow, the Long family is too impressive! Are you living as the main character in some ancient fantasy novel?

Looking back, throughout history, there have always been legacies—scholarly families, business elites, and many distinguished figures who entered the court and gained recognition from the people. This lineage even has blood ties to the current emperor of the Yanhuang Empire, making them royal relatives. The family has produced founding generals and influential statesmen who kept a low profile. They possess vast hidden power both within and outside the empire, with roots stretching deep into both political and economic spheres, making them one of the top aristocratic families. And Long Aotian is the legitimate heir of this family. However, the family has rules that the legitimate descendants must leave the family after graduating from elementary school to fend for themselves—referred to as the adult trial. Only after passing this trial can they return to the family and wield that extraordinary authority.

Bai Qige understood why the Meteorological Bureau was so indecisive and weak this time. The powerful Imperial Blade is held in the hands of the empire, and it must be controlled. An uncontrolled blade is known as the Eastern Factory or the Jinyiwei. Since the Yanhuang Empire was founded, the weather has been flourishing, and they are still clear-headed in this matter. The Long family is the only one qualified to wield that blade. In this situation, if the Meteorological Bureau dared to act against the young master of the Long family, it would show that the leaders of the Meteorological Bureau have some courage.

Bai Qige now felt that it was truly the right decision to convince Long Aotian to become his disciple; a person with such an impressive family background must be utilized well. Therefore, Bai Qige’s smile became even more kind and warm.

"My dear disciple, I understand now. I am an outsider, seeing worldly fame and fortune as dust, and I do not care about your background. I just heard you say that you made a basketball bet with Mu Huai An? Don’t worry, I will definitely help you! However, my disciple, you need to focus on your training for now, because strength is the ultimate way to overcome all challenges! As the saying goes, as long as your fists are strong, there is no trouble you cannot solve. Even if gods or demons descend from the heavens, they can be defeated. As long as your muscles are strong, there is no difficulty you cannot overcome. Hmm…"

Bai Qige realized he was starting to babble and suddenly woke up, feeling a bit muddled. He knew he had probably been affected by Long Aotian’s Imbecility Aura, but that wasn’t the problem. The real trouble was that once this kicked in, the invasion of his mind by the Myriad Illusions Sky Slash would come along to join the chaos, causing him to fall into complete mental confusion.

However, Bai Qige had prepared himself. If he had to deal with Long Aotian for a long time, then his Imbecility Aura was an unavoidable hurdle. If he had to run away after just a couple of sentences every time, then he wouldn’t be able to accomplish many things. So…

"Hey, Master, what’s wrong?" Long Aotian saw Bai Qige suddenly fall silent and curiously walked over. Then he saw Bai Qige, who had been looking slightly down, suddenly raise his head with bright eyes, standing tall and waving his arm.

With a loud whoosh, the monk’s robes shattered and flew apart, his fists powerful, his body like a finely carved metal statue, the Muscular Monk radiating like gold had returned to the world.

"This refreshing feeling of liberation is simply irresistible! Disciple, why do you look so terrified? That is not manly enough! Come, as a man, how can you be so timid? Join me on the quest for ultimate strength!"