"Jiji's… mother?"

Yun Hao once again looked at the name of the caller, and as he confirmed that it was indeed Song Jian's number, he once again placed the phone near his ear… still as confused as to when he woke up, "Song Jian's mother?"

[Yes, that's what I said. Seriously, have you truly just woken up? What did you do last night?]

There was a certain pace in Song Ming's voice that made Yun Hao doubt that the one he was talking to was Song Jian's mother. But still, since she was calling from Song Jian's phone, the only thing that Yun Hao could do was believe her.

But still, why does she talk… so quirky?

"I absorbed a few Beast Cores," Yun Hao said as he stared at the almost hundred empty cores outside his room.

[...Suspicious, are you sure you weren't doing something dirty?]

"...Are you really Song Jian's mother?"

[Is that a way to talk to your elders!?]

Yun Hao could not help but slightly remove the phone from his ear, before letting out a sigh and returning it, "Sorry, Miss Song. What can I do for you? Is Song Jian alright?"

[Please, I am not that old, just call me sister Ming]

"..."

[And my daughter is alright, she's just a bit gloomy since she is banned from leaving the house for a few days. I called you for another reason. I'm just here to remind you of the schedule of the Treasure Hunt.]

"...Right."

Yun Hao almost forgot all about that because of what he did last night. Truly an enthralling experience, absorbing cores.

"Are your disciples still injured? I am sure they can--"

[You still owe our family a Phoenix Pill, Hao. Please don't forget that,] the previous playful demeanor in Song Ming's voice turned cold, [And you caused my daughter to go under painful punishment. Do you know how much it hurts to get whipped by old Baba? It hurts, I got hit by her many times when I was younger.]

"...I'm truly sorry for getting your daughter in trouble, sister Ming."

[Good, as long as you know it,] the joy in Song Ming's tone quickly returned, [Anyway, go to the Hengyang Safe Zone exit 4 days from now, 13:00 flat.]

"Heng...yang?"

[Yes.]

Yun Hao could not help but repeat his words to see if he heard right. Although Hengyang wasn't the farthest province from the current city he was living in, it was still a ways away. Even with Huang Yi's motorcycle, it would probably take a full 16-hour ride… and he couldn't just take a motorcycle he doesn't exactly own there.

[Don't worry, you're in the Monarch hotel, right?]

"...Yes?"

[I heard you liked motorcycles, so I decided to give you one.]

"What did you say?"

[I gave you a motorcycle, one of the latest models.]

"W… why?" Although there was a certain excitement in Yun Hao's tone, the disbelief and confusion drowned it. He already owed the Song family a Phoenix Pill, but now, all of a sudden, Song Jian's mother gave him a motorcycle?

"But… I still owe you--"

[It's a gift. If you haven't noticed yet, my daughter doesn't really have any friends other than Yiyi. And for one of her new friends to even go as far as standing up to my stupid Uncle? If that doesn't deserve a gift, I don't know what is.]

"I don't know what to say, sister Ming,' Yun Hao could not help but let out a somewhat awkward chuckle.

[You don't need to say anything, just accept it. I exchanged Yiyi's keys from the valet, you don't have to worry about anything since it's already registered under your name. I also rode Yiyi's motorcycle, so don't be surprised it's not there anymore.]

"Okay..." Although Yun Hao was truly excited, once again, he felt that something was amiss. And after a few seconds, he finally knew what it was. Song Ming knew where he was staying, and if what she was saying was true, then she was even in the hotel early this morning.

"How did you know I was he--"

[Alright, that's all. Please pick a good team to go outside since it is your first time out in the Danger Zone.]

"Wai--"

Before Yun Hao could even get in a word, the beeping of the phone welcomed him as Song Ming hung up the phone.

"..." It would seem that the mother and daughter duo were more alike than he imagined. How on earth do they always seem to know where he is? And how was she even allowed to exchange the motorcycle in the first place!?

Yun Hao then looked around him, once again checking the scattered empty beast cores in his terrace. Song Ming didn't go inside his room, did she? If she did, then there was a chance that she saw the almost hundred beast cores.

Yun Hao could only hope that Song Ming still had an ounce of respect for his privacy, if not, he had some serious explaining to do. He thought about it for a while, but after a few seconds of silence, he shook his head and just decided to take a bath to start his day.

But first...

Yun Hao grabbed the original beast core from the bed, before duplicating it and absorbing the copy. Doing all in a very nonchalant manner.

"..." It would seem that one of his fears have materialized-- he was a beast core addict now. But he could not help but furrow his eyebrows as there was something missing-- he could no longer sense the feeling of his body getting stronger.

It was as if the only thing the beast core did was recover his fatigue and strength. Was his power waning? Or did he already reach the point where the low-rank beast core was no longer effective?

He tried to do it again, but to no avail-- he truly was not getting stronger. But still, he could not say there wasn't any improvement. He reckoned with the way he felt after duplicating the beast core, he could probably make two copies before his exhaustion eats him away.

"Weird," Yun Hao muttered. But he couldn't do anything about it now, so he just threw the beast core back onto the bed and just decided to take a bath. This time, since the hotel provided hair products, he decided to pull up his hair, completely revealing the huge scar on his face. Since he was going to be testing out his new motorcycle, it just seemed proper to have a new hairstyle, Yun Hao thought.

And finally, after scooping the beast cores in the terrace and hiding them beneath a sofa, Yun Hao headed down to the reception. The staff immediately greeted him upon seeing him, he wasn't really used to this kind of treatment so he just nodded his head, garnering small giggles from the female staff.

"..." Was there something in his face? Yun Hao momentarily thought before heading to the valet, handing out the ticket excitedly. Just what kind of motorcycle did Song Ming give him? Although he could probably buy any motorcycle he wanted now if he wanted to…

...free things are still the most fulfilling things in life.

"Please wait inside the lounge for a few minutes, master Yun. We have prepared a beverage for you."

"Right, thank you."

Yun Hao was trying his best to hide the excited laughter that wanted to burst out from his mouth as he headed back inside the hotel. He could not help but act like a child as he was about to see the motorcycle he got for free.

"What do you mean the penthouse is already booked? Don't you know who I am!?"

"We truly apologize, but the guest has booked it for a month. May we recommend you the presidential suite instead?"

"No! I want the penthouse! Don't you know who I am!? I own the other hotel near here!"

"...Then why don't you stay there, sir?"

Penthouse? Wasn't that the room he was currently staying in? Was something happening? Yun Hao could not help but turn his head towards the reception counter, only to see someone arguing with the staff.

Spoiled brats exist everywhere, it would seem-- Yun Hao thought as he shook his head before heading to the lounge. But before he could take 3 steps, his eye suddenly met the eyes of someone he knew dearly.

"Yun… Yun Hao?"

It was none other than Zhang Angela. Yun Hao blinked a couple of times in disbelief, before looking back towards the spoiled brat that was arguing with the reception lady.

And, as a matter of course, it was also none other than Long Yazhu.