The dim yellow light diffused down from the hallway between the wooden planks.
Walking through this old, ancient building, the wooden boards and the soles of the shoes interacted intimately, the creaking sound as if transporting one back to ancient times.
There was no one guarding the Ji family's ancient building. After all, this was the forbidden Red Zone of Yun Jin City, a place ordinary people would shun, let alone dare to trespass.
The footsteps of the two people tapped out a particularly pleasing thudding sound on the floorboards, and in a short while, they reached the top floor.
The access control on the top floor appeared extremely advanced, requiring fingerprint and iris verification to unlock.
After Ji Xueyan brought her eyes close and then pressed her fingerprint, a crisp sound suddenly erupted between the mechanism and the bolt, and the heavy wooden door swung open.
Just then, the system's萝莉 voice sounded like heavenly music.
"Beep beep, congratulations to the host for completing the order. Intimacy exceeded the limit, an additional 500 points have been awarded. Balance: 1500. Remaining turns for the lucky draw: 2."
"Hoo, finally debt-free. By the way, you showing up all of a sudden must mean something is up, right?"
"Something is up? Can you speak properly?"
"Isn't it just that I'm trying to adjust the atmosphere in this gloomy and dark ancient building? Tell me, have you discovered something good again?"
The system hesitated for a moment, then said, "Of course. Do you remember the bamboo slip testament?"
Ren Yuanhao certainly couldn't forget it for his entire life. He, Yang Lingxue, and Shen Lan Ni had almost died trapped in that cave.
"Of course, I remember. What's up? Don't tell me there's another fragment here?"
"Bingo. Good for you for being smart for once."
Ren Yuanhao sighed, "I don't actually expect much from that thing. After all, quite some time has passed since the bamboo slip testament, and its authenticity is yet to be verified. Moreover, even if we have a general location, what then?"
"Hey, aren't you speaking from a position of abundance? Are you satisfied just because you have a few points in your pocket? Getting carried away, aren't you?"
"How could I be? The items in your black shop are outrageously expensive. These points disappear in a flash."
"Good that you know. So, hurry up and see if we can make a big profit. Perhaps the location indicated by the bamboo slip testament not only holds vast wealth but even a genuine S-class unclaimed ability core!"
—Good grief, keep on fooling me, will you.
With a flicker of thought, Ren Yuanhao returned from the illusion to reality.
At this moment, he saw Ji Xueyan carefully opening layer after layer of the treasure box mechanism, her movements appearing nimble and meticulous, indicating how precious the contents must be.
"Young man, have you ever thought about marrying our Fu'er?"
Ji Xueyan suddenly stopped what she was doing, and this sentence seemed to have been brewing for a long time.
"This~"
"It's alright. I know you have three beautiful fiancées. However, every mother, deep down, hopes her daughter can find a suitable partner. So, I've shamelessly asked. I want to hear your honest answer."
Ji Xueyan began fiddling with the treasure box again, waiting for Ren Yuanhao's reply.
—Good grief, do I have the talent for a harem protagonist? Or perhaps it's because of the 'ten lifetimes of a single dog' buff that my luck has suddenly reversed?
Ren Yuanhao pondered for a moment, and then stammered his reply, "Auntie, actually, there's one thing you said that I strongly agree with. With greater ability comes greater responsibility. Since I carry things that ordinary people don't, I must learn to bear what ordinary people cannot. To be honest, I don't have such intentions."
"It's admirable that you dare to be the first, dare to place yourself at the forefront. Just based on this, young man, you are truly respectable. However, a lifetime has many processes to go through. It doesn't mean that after choosing another less-traveled path, you can't experience an ordinary, mundane life. These two things are not mutually exclusive."
Ji Xueyan was advising him from the perspective of someone experienced, unaware that she herself had never experienced true love, and how could she convince others with that?
Ren Yuanhao remained silent, perhaps pondering Ji Xueyan's words, or perhaps contemplating tomorrow's combat plan. However, regarding Ji Xueyan's question, he couldn't reveal his true situation.
"By the way, may I ask, the ability Ji Fu possesses should be some kind of powerful eye technique, which usually has severe backlash. I wonder if her body has any abnormalities now?"
Ren Yuanhao was still somewhat shaken by that mysterious eye technique.
If Zhu Qingfeng's eye technique, the first he encountered, could be considered an E-class ability, then the aura Ji Fu displayed just now was completely at B-class, or even higher!
"She's fine. It's probably because her meager true qi was depleted, so her body became weak. After all, this girl is accustomed to being lazy. Apart from reciting a lot of messy incantations, she has never apprenticed to learn. Her true qi is naturally very poor. She should be fine after a rest."
As she spoke, the tightly closed boxes were opened one by one. In the end, a sheepskin scroll, only as big as half a palm, was revealed inside. The cover was somewhat creased, and it was inscribed with "Drunken Heart Moon Gazing Steps"!
"Drunken Heart Moon Gazing Steps?"
When Ren Yuanhao took it from Ji Xueyan, he felt the sheepskin scroll was heavier than he had imagined.
"This was left by an ancient person. However, the movement technique described within is very special. At first glance, you might think this secret manual was written by a bored fellow detailing his wanderings. The content is quite messy. For instance, there are scenes of the author dancing with a sword under the moon while drunk, playing the zither and whistling alone in a secluded bamboo forest when drunk, and teasing monkeys on the mountaintop when drunk. In short, every page of the manual is inseparable from alcohol."
Ji Xueyan solemnly handed the secret manual to Ren Yuanhao. As he took this weighty gift, he felt a sense of being entrusted with a lifetime.
—Damn, could it be written by a drunkard?
Ren Yuanhao grabbed a futon from the ground and sat down. Ji Xueyan didn't disturb him and went into the adjacent room to rest.
"The so-called 'drunken heart' is for the 'drunken soul.' The soul does not leave, the wine does not intoxicate the person; the person is self-intoxicated. Wine can be drunk in company or alone. When heartbroken, one can drink; when joyful, one can toast. It is always beneficial. Therefore, those who drink good wine are often unrestrained and unrestrained. Whenever they are joyful and relieved, they must drink good wine. Even when settling scores with enemies, they drink good wine. Wine can bring friends together, so those who drink good wine often have many friends..."
After reading only a few passages, Ren Yuanhao felt that the person who wrote this secret manual was definitely a wine fanatic. The writing was completely unreadable...
"Damn it? Unreadable? Dispersed in form but not in spirit? Prose?"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly seemed to have grasped a key point and continued to read excitedly. Unconsciously, the eastern sky began to show the pale white of dawn.