"...Miss Song?"

Yun Hao could not help but take in a gulp as he saw the woman standing in front of her house. He thought that it was someone from the workers who got lost or was ordered by Long Yazhu to spy on him, but it turns out it was Song Jian, one of the daughters of the Song family.

Back when Yun Hao managed to take the belt from the champion during the regionals without so much as a scratch, that was the first time that the Song family introduced themselves to him. Of course, the coach of the boxing team was all smiles, quickly forcing Yun Hao to greet them back

Yun Hao, of course, did. The school and the boxing team were the ones paying for his meals, after all. He was used to being introduced to people in the first place, but this time, the coach seemed different, he thought. He almost seemed submissive.

Yun Hao then got dressed, but instead of meeting outside, he was once again taken inside the boxing ring.

30 minutes.

Just 30 minutes passed since he went into the dressing room and there were already no people in to be seen in the arena. The only ones that remained were 5 people that Yun Hao had never met before in his life. He was sure that he hasn't met them yet-- he would definitely remember people that had a set of hair almost as red as blood.

They introduced themselves as the Song family, they were the biggest Cultivator clan in the city that Yun Hao was in right now, and perhaps the biggest clan in the region as well. Yun Hao, of course, tried his best to keep his eyebrows settled.

He was not a big fan of Cultivators, especially those who became one through Immersion. They have always acted like they were better than everyone else when all they achieved in life came from a power not supposed to be theirs in the first place.

But seeing as the Song family seemed to have come from a bloodline of Cultivators, he was not that apprehensive. But still, at the end of their lengthy conversations, Yun Hao said he would think about it.

Both the school and his coach were furious, of course. To put a family such as the Songs on hold was something even their whole school could not do, and yet him, a student being fed by the school had the guts to do so?

The Song family took it better than them, even complimenting him for not thinking too lightly of the situation. Of course, still, at the end, when the Song family once again asked him to join their clan, he finally ultimately refused.

That time, however, the Song was no longer as impressed-- specifically one of their young daughters, Song Jian, who was currently approaching him.

"Yun Hao," the tone of Song Jian's voice was calm, but the stomps of her feet failed to mask the heavy heart she carried.

"...Miss Song, what are you doing here?" Yun Hao could not help but squint his eyes as he looked back and forth between Song Jian and his metal house, "Did… you go inside my house?"

"So that thing really was your house?" Song Jian furrowed her eyebrows, "No, it doesn't matter. I am not here to see that dilapidated house of yours. I am here on an entirely different matter, Yun Hao."

"Oh," Yun Hao let out a sigh of relief as he heard Song Jian's words. That would mean that she still hasn't seen what was inside, and he wasn't in trouble… at least just yet. If there really was a way to cancel out and erase the things he had duplicated, then he wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

Although he would also feel bad, as that would mean the merchants would also suffer since half of his coins were already with them.

Yun Hao could not help but let out a deep sigh at the different thoughts that now pestered his mind. Song Jian, however, took his sigh the wrong way.

"What, you have more important things to do?" Once again, although Song Jian's tone was calm, her foot which was tapping endlessly said otherwise, "A girl visited you in your home and the first thing you do is groan?"

"No… no, not at all, Miss Song. I just remembered something funny," Yun Hao cleared his throat as he shook his head.

"You sighed because you remembered something funny?" Song Jian slightly squinted her eyes, but after a few seconds, she clicked her tongue as she looked Yun Hao straight in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter," she once again said, "I heard from a viable source that you wanted to become a Cultivator?"

"Viable… Huang Yi?"

"It… it doesn't matter where the source came from," Song Jian slightly stuttered as she turned her head to the side. But after a few seconds, she once again looked Yun Hao straight in the eyes and said, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why now?" Song Jian said, "You refused my Song family two times, and now all of a sudden, you want to become a Cultivator."

"People change, Miss Song," Yun Hao could only sigh from Song Jian's words, "It just so happened that being a Cultivator would benefit me now."

"And it didn't before? If you would have chosen to join our family, then the tragedy that befell you wouldn't have happened in the first place. You could have definitely taken that man in a straight fight."

"...You know about what happened to me?" Yun Hao's words were slightly sedated.

"We are always watching potential recruits, especially someone as unique as you, Yun Hao."

"But I have been injured for more than a year now. There is no reason why your family will still have eyes on--"

"!!!"

Yun Hao's breath stopped as a colossal pressure suddenly crawled throughout his skin. He quickly backed away, putting up his hands and looking towards the direction where crippling pressure was coming from-- Song Jian.

"Normal people would have run away already," the tone of Song Jian's voice turned cold as she slowly approached Yun Hao, "That, or they would have been frozen stiff. But you, Yun Hao, the first instinct you have against an opponent you know you can't defeat…

...is to fight."

Yun Hao's eyes did not even blink as he watched Song Jian's every movement; his clothes, slowly drowning from the sweat that was now coming from his body. He was scared, of course. The pressure that Song Jian was emitting was leagues above Long Yazhu's cultivator bodyguard.

"It might be because you're stupid enough to believe that you have a chance against me," Song Jian continued her words, "Or you're brave enough to face an opponent that you know you can't win against… I suppose it doesn't matter. Either way, you have always been suicidal."

As soon as Song Jian's words were finished, Yun Hao found himself finally being able to breathe again. He immediately let go of his stance as he gasped for air. If it wasn't for the scraps behind him, then he would have definitely fallen on his butt.

"What… what did you do that for?" He asked. He also wanted to ask what she meant from her last words, but for some reason, he was afraid to find out how… she knew his tendencies.

"You are wasted in the world of mortals, Yun Hao," Song Jian crossed her arms, lifting up the moderately sized bosom that adorned her torso, "I want to offer you another chance to join the Song family."

"No," Yun Hao quickly answered without even a slight hesitation.

"Why!?" Song Jian could not help but slightly raise her voice, "What do you have to lose, Yun Hao? Is this about pride? Pride will not get you anywhere, Yun Hao. I am offering you a free meal here. Even if you're blind in one eye, it doesn't matter. I am sure my Song family will still provide you with the resources you need to grow stronger. I do not see why you keep refusing us!"

"Yes."

"What?"

"It is about pride," Yun Hao completely dropped his shoulders as he looked Song Jian straight in the eyes, "I… wish to grow stronger on my own, Miss Song."

"That--"

"Thank you."

Before Song Jian could even say anything, Yun Hao suddenly bowed his head towards her, "Thank you for offering me the opportunity to join your family again and again. I will never forget this… faith that you have placed on me."

"You…" Song Jian could only lightly bite her lip as he looked at Yun Hao's head, her words slightly quivering as her eyes slightly turned red,

"...You fool."

Those were the last words that Yun Hao heard before Song Jian quickly disappeared, jumping from one tower of scraps to the next. Yun Hao could not help but let out a long and deep sigh as he watched as Song Jian disappeared from his view.

"...Maybe I am."

***

"Stupid! Stupid!"

"I take it he refused again, madam?"

Inside a luxurious car, Song Jian was lightly hitting the seat that was in front of her, causing the driver's head to lightly bob back and forth.

"He refused because he is stupid!" Song Jian's tone was completely different from when she was talking with Yun Hao just a few minutes ago, "Drive! We're never going back to this dirty place!"

"Perhaps… if you told him that you liked him, he would have accepted the offer this time?" The driver said as he looked at Song Jian through the rearview mirror.

"W… what? What are you-- Ugh… Just…

...drive!"