Chapter 25

After lunch, Xu Qiao left Lu Yang at home to adapt to his newly awakened spiritual entity, while she and Qin Chi had to continue their work.

The unit door was half open, and the glaring sunlight and scorching heat poured in. The vegetables in the small courtyard looked wilted and lifeless.

As Xu Qiao was about to push her bicycle, Qin Chi said, “It’s too hot; should I give you a ride?”

Xu Qiao glanced outside and accepted his kindness.

Qin Chi first stored her bicycle in his space and then took out a sun umbrella.

Xu Qiao: “…”

To be honest, she had never been this pampered in her twenty years of life. Did she really need sun protection for just a few meters from the door to the street?

But she still cooperated and walked under Qin Chi’s umbrella.

Once they reached the roadside, Qin Chi released his car, helped Xu Qiao open the passenger door, and only after she got in did he put away the umbrella and walk around to the driver’s seat.

The air conditioning hadn’t been turned on yet, but the car was cool and filled with a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Xu Qiao comfortably leaned back in her seat and joked, “It’s easy to get used to luxury; if I ride in your car a few more times, I’ll start disliking my bicycle.”

Qin Chi laughed, “Speaking of which, I’ve never ridden a bicycle. You seem to enjoy it.”

Xu Qiao was surprised and looked over at him. “Did you have a car to take you everywhere when you were a kid?”

Qin Chi nodded as he started the car.

Xu Qiao said, “Forget it. Riding a bicycle isn’t that extraordinary of an experience or skill. I envy your lifestyle of being driven around.”

Qin Chi replied, “Being driven around saves time. Besides three meals a day, it’s all about studying nonstop. You wouldn’t envy that.”

Xu Qiao commented, “It sounds a bit like the heirs in TV dramas, where they have strict family education, and every second must be spent on meaningful activities.”

Qin Chi asked, “Are there such characters? What’s their ending?”

Xu Qiao thought of those cold heirs whom Lu Yang deeply despised, and the dramatic romantic entanglements with various female leads, chuckling to herself as she summarized, “They all end up very happy.”

Qin Chi looked a bit skeptical and glanced at her, “Really?”

Xu Qiao nodded, “Really, achieving success in both career and love.”

Qin Chi remarked, “So, my future is worth looking forward to.”

Xu Qiao responded, “You’re already quite happy now, right? Your job is easy, and you have time to do what you enjoy.”

If she had to compare him to a character from a TV show, Qin Chi seemed more like a carefree old man who had retired after living comfortably, offering timely advice when the heir faced romantic setbacks.

Qin Chi said, “Well, after all, this is the result of ten years of hard work.”

Xu Qiao politely didn’t pry into what kind of job he had done before, surprised that he had accumulated enough points to last several lifetimes at such a young age.

The clinic was nearby, and before long, the black car had stopped at the intersection beside it.

Qin Chi got out, placed Xu Qiao’s bicycle beside him, so she wouldn’t have to walk back after her shift.

“Thanks, see you later.”

As a patient walked out of the consultation room, Xu Qiao’s colleague Zhao Lu sneakily came over when it wasn’t busy and asked Xu Qiao, “So, what did your little Yang awaken?”

Xu Qiao couldn’t help but smile, “A long sword.”

Zhao Lu grinned, “With that smile, he must be at least B-level.”

Xu Qiao’s eyes sparkled, “It could be even higher.”

Zhao Lu: “…”

Suddenly, a female therapist’s scream echoed in the quiet consultation room: “A-level! It’s actually A-level!”

There are only a few A-level abilities emerging from the second ring each year, and unexpectedly, Xu Qiao’s neighbor’s younger brother had one!

Xu Qiao glanced down the hallway, signaling for her to keep her voice down.

Zhao Lu was too excited; none of her relatives or neighbors, spanning several generations, had even a B-level ability, let alone an A-level.

After her excitement subsided, Zhao Lu sat next to Xu Qiao, raising her eyebrows mischievously. “Good things shouldn’t go to outsiders. Since you two are close in age, have you ever thought about dating this fresh meat?”
—-
In the New Era, having an A-level ability partner is far more desirable than a second-generation rich kid with millions of points, especially since Lu Yang was quite handsome.

Xu Qiao replied, “I see him as a little brother.”

Zhao Lu said, “I’m just looking out for you. Right now, he thinks of you as an older sister, but once he finishes three years of military school and is surrounded by high-level ability users, if there are no other ties, his relationship with you will naturally fade. If he moves to the center district, it’ll be far away, and you won’t be able to count on him if you run into any trouble.”

Xu Qiao countered, “If sibling bonds can fade, then romantic relationships are even less reliable. It’s better to not rely on anyone from the start.”

Zhao Lu sighed, “You really have a clear mind. Well, having an A-level little brother is still nice—what a joyous occasion! Don’t forget to treat us this weekend!”

Xu Qiao laughed and agreed.
—-
After seeing another patient, the “Silence is Golden” group chat, which had been quiet for a while, came alive again.

Sun Fushan: 【Today, the college entrance exam students awakened their spiritual entities, and the center district has produced an S-level—the Lin family’s little phoenix, the first S-level phoenix of our generation.】

Spiritual entities have hereditary traits, but the higher the level, the harder they are to fully inherit. For example, in the family of Marshal Lin from the Southeast Base, almost every generation produces only one S-level phoenix spiritual entity, while other children may also be phoenixes but at lower levels, like A or even B.

Of course, there are also cases where low-level parents give birth to high-level children, known as genetic mutations.

Xu Qiao was so caught up in her excitement for her little brother that she almost missed this big news and quickly messaged Sun Fushan: 【That’s amazing! Is it a boy or a girl?】

Sun Fushan: 【A girl! She was already proud enough; now her tail will be waving up to the sky.】

Xu Qiao: 【By the way, she’s four years younger than us; she’s no longer in the same generation.】

Sun Fushan: 【But the last S-level phoenix from the Lin family was already twenty-eight, eight years older than us. Standing next to us, she looks even less like someone from the same generation.】

Xu Qiao hadn’t realized the implications yet when Qin Chi chimed in: 【I’m honored to team up with three young teammates.】

Sun Fushan: 【No, Qin Ge is different! Qin Ge looks like he’s only twenty-one! 】

Xu Qiao sent a smiley face: 【I now call him Teacher Qin. 】

Sun Fushan replied: 【I remembered, yesterday a primary school student came to the library and called me ‘uncle’! Maybe I look older than Teacher Qin!】

Xu Qiao: 【Elementary students are careless with their words. You still have baby fat on your face, looking even more like a middle school student than my brother. 】
—-
At the central district library, an administrator, who had been looking down at their communication wristband, suddenly blushed, glanced around, and discreetly pinched one chubby cheek.

In the second military school office, a teacher lingered for a few seconds on the phrase “older than Teacher Qin.”

By the time Qin Chi’s attention returned to the group chat, the young teammates were already discussing something else.

Sun Fushan: 【Before we know it, it’s June again. When do you plan to do the basic tasks for the second half of the year?】

Qin Chi: 【I’m fine with anything; you all decide.】

Xu Qiao: 【It’s too hot lately. With the frequent activities of the beast during this heatwave, how about October? 】
—-
The military school starts in late August, and Xu Qiao wanted to wait until Lu Yang adjusted to school life before going out.

Sun Fushan: 【Sure! @Meng Li, is October convenient for you?】

Three minutes passed, and Meng Li hadn’t replied.

Xu Qiao: 【She might be busy. It’s still early; no need to rush.】

Before clocking out, Xu Qiao checked the group chat again, but there was still no news from Meng Li.

She felt a bit puzzled.

Sun Fushan might think she was close with Meng Li, but in reality, Xu Qiao had only interacted with Meng Li a couple of times—once for a graduation practice collaboration and once during treatment at the clinic.

However, Xu Qiao believed that as long as Meng Li saw the chat, she would respond in time.

What kind of work could keep someone busy for several hours straight?

Xu Qiao decided to wait a bit longer; if Meng Li hadn’t replied before she went to bed, she would give her a call.
—-
After parking her bike, Xu Qiao was about to take out her keys when Lu Yang opened the door from the inside.

Unlike the excitement he had when leaving at noon, the would-be military student now avoided eye contact with her.

Xu Qiao asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Yang’s face flushed slightly: “I couldn’t help it; I practiced sword moves following a video, using my spiritual entity.”

Xu Qiao understood and glanced around the living room. Seeing it looked just as she remembered, she walked calmly to Lu Yang’s room and pushed open the partially ajar door.
—-
In the small room of about ten square meters, there was a sword hole in the wall, a piece of the wardrobe door was missing, and the potted fig plant in the corner had its top completely cut off…

Before she could even feel the heartache, her lotus spiritual entity extended a green leaf and sprayed water at the culprit.

Lu Yang accepted his punishment obediently.

Xu Qiao took a deep breath and asked with a smile, “So you know you were wrong?”

Lu Yang nodded, his face still red.

Xu Qiao said, “Then let’s set a rule. First, practice the sword moves with the sword that Teacher Qin gave you. Once I check and approve, only then can you use your spiritual entity for practice, and it must be outdoors, away from any buildings.”

Lu Yang: “Okay, I promise to do it!”

Xu Qiao shook her head, entered the room, and aimed the broken branch of the fig plant at the cross-section, releasing her healing ability.

As a plant-type spiritual entity, her ability was inherently linked to these plants, so its healing effect was even better than when used on humans.

The broken branches regrew perfectly, leaving no scars.

Xu Qiao then pointed to the damaged wall and wardrobe: “Let’s leave it like this for now; it looks a bit ugly but doesn’t affect usability.”

Lu Yang said, “I’ll figure this out.”

Xu Qiao went to prepare dinner. If Lu Yang’s cooking skills were even a bit better, she would have gladly let him handle all the meals for the summer.

Qin Chi had a habit of taking a walk after meals, and Lu Yang followed him out, possibly to consult Teacher Qin about practicing sword techniques.

Xu Qiao drew the curtains and continued practicing her abilities in the bedroom. Around ten o’clock, she called Meng Li but received no answer. After a futile attempt at guessing why, she went to sleep.

To ensure she got restorative sleep, Xu Qiao had set her communication wristband to silent mode, so she, including her spiritual entity, didn’t notice the wristband flashing several times around one in the morning.

Two minutes later, she was jolted awake by a knock on the door.

She looked dazedly towards the bedroom door: “Lu Yang?”

Lu Yang replied, “Teacher Qin said Meng Li is looking for you.”

Xu Qiao immediately sat up, grabbed her communication wristband, and saw several missed calls from Meng Li. She quickly called back.

It connected in a second.

In her pitch-black and silent bedroom, Meng Li’s deliberately lowered urgent voice seemed to ring in her ears: “Xu Qiao, my mom is sick, very seriously. Can you come over now?”

Xu Qiao replied, “I’m on my way. Send me your address.”

Meng Li responded, “Okay, bring Qin Chi. I need his help.”

Xu Qiao replied, “Alright.”

It seemed chaotic on Meng Li’s end, and as soon as Xu Qiao finished speaking, the call ended.

With no time to think, Xu Qiao quickly changed her clothes, refusing Lu Yang’s offer to accompany her as she opened the entrance door.

The voice-activated light turned on, and when Xu Qiao looked up, she saw Qin Chi standing across from her, dressed in black, with a tall figure.

Noticing Xu Qiao was about to leave, Qin Chi stepped aside to open the entrance door, his voice gentle yet firm: “It’s too late. I’ll drive you.”