"Old Qin, want to go to Platinum Han for karaoke tonight?"
Arriving at the cafeteria, the two of them got their favorite dishes and sat down at a table.
At the mention of Platinum Han, Xia He's eyes lit up. "They've got some real lookers there, you know. Don't tell me you're not going—you'll regret it!"
"Not going."
Qin Yang shook his head, his eyes only for the braised pork on his plate.
As a man, he knew perfectly well what kind of place Platinum Han was.
But he had always prided himself on his integrity and was unmoved by feminine wiles. How could he possibly…
Well, fine.
Qin Yang had to admit he couldn't afford a place like that anyway.
With his meager monthly salary of three thousand, he wondered if it would even be enough for one night at Platinum Han.
As for letting Xia He treat him?
Not having to pay would certainly be nice.
It was basically freeloading, after all.
'But I'd definitely have to repay the favor, right?'
Qin Yang didn't want to owe anyone a favor over something like this.
If he really got desperate, he could take matters into his own hands.
And it still wouldn't cost any money!
"You, man… are you even a real man?"
Xia He had long expected Qin Yang's refusal and was already used to it.
This wasn't the first time he had invited Qin Yang.
But the guy refused every single time.
That, combined with Qin Yang's usual reaction to their female colleagues at the library…
…made Xia He start to wonder if there was something up with Qin Yang's sexual orientation.
"I'm afraid of catching something."
Qin Yang put on the air of a perfect gentleman. "Take a word of advice from your brother: it's best to stay away from places like that."
"Here we go again…"
Xia He looked exasperated. "How are you more of a nag than my parents? Fine, if you're not going, I'll go by myself."
"If I'm not here tomorrow, remember to cover Area 2 for me, okay?"
Qin Yang nodded. Area 1 and Area 2 were right next to each other.
Besides, the library had been pretty empty lately, so managing two areas at once wouldn't be a problem.
This wasn't the first time Qin Yang had done this for Xia He.
After their meal, the two went out behind the cafeteria, squatting by the door to smoke and chat.
"Old Qin, have you heard? A Grandmaster from the Imperial Capital is coming to our Jianghai City soon. I heard this expert is actually from around here."
"A Grandmaster?"
Qin Yang was a little surprised. The Grandmaster Realm was above the Innate Realm.
Figures like that were usually as elusive as a dragon showing its head but hiding its tail.
All his recent reading had allowed Qin Yang to cram on information about this world's Martial Arts.
Once one's Cultivation reached the Grandmaster Realm, they could traverse the void. They were also protected by Protective Gang Qi, making them impervious to even cannon fire.
Such power was already beyond the scope of mortals, practically a god on earth.
'A figure like that is coming to Jianghai City?'
"That's right. I heard this Grandmaster used to be a student at the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. They're coming back to visit their alma mater, and to give back, they're going to give a public lecture."
"This is a Martial Arts lecture from a Grandmaster. Don't you want to go see it?"
A look of reverence appeared on Xia He's face. In a world where the strong were respected, a Grandmaster was an existence revered by all.
"But we're not from the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. Can we still go?"
Qin Yang was instantly tempted. He was currently stuck at the Half-step Innate Realm.
With his aptitude, there was no telling when he would be able to break through to the Innate Realm.
If he could listen to a Grandmaster's Martial Arts lecture, he might find the opportunity he needed to break through to the Innate Realm.
"Don't you worry about that. My dad is on good terms with the dean of the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. If you want to go, just leave it to your brother here."
Xia He promised readily. It seemed his family's connections were indeed solid.
After work, Qin Yang didn't go straight home. Instead, as usual, he found a secluded, empty spot to practice his Swordsmanship.
After memorizing all the moves of the Qingfeng Sword Technique, Qin Yang had splurged five hundred yuan on an Iron Sword he bought online to practice his Swordsmanship.
After more than half a month of practice, supported by his Half-step Innate Cultivation, Qin Yang had achieved a preliminary grasp of this Swordsmanship.
「The next day.」
Qin Yang arrived at the library on time.
That guy Xia He must have partied hard last night; sure enough, he didn't show up.
'That guy will be the death of himself, sleeping around like that!'
Qin Yang muttered a jealous curse and went to find a book, as he usually did.
'I've learned the Qingfeng Sword Technique, so now I should find a Body Technique to learn.'
'After all, being a Swordsman is the dream, but a Body Technique is what's crucial for escaping when your life is on the line.'
'If I can't win a fight, at least I can still run, right?'
After careful selection, Qin Yang picked a manual titled Seven-Star Movement Technique from the bookshelf.
'The name sounds impressive, but anything placed on the first floor of the library is definitely not high-grade stuff.'
'Of course, there are cases of finding gold in a trash heap.'
'But that's the kind of treatment reserved for novel protagonists, and I know I don't have that kind of luck.'
Holding the Seven-Star Movement Technique manual, Qin Yang went to Area 2 to read.
Since he'd promised Xia He, he had to watch over the area for him as well.
Just as Qin Yang was immersed in the Seven-Star Movement Technique, a silk thread slowly descended from the library's ceiling.
At the end of the thread dangled a small, purple spider, now hanging directly above Qin Yang.
A crimson light seemed to flash for an instant in the purple spider's tiny eyes as it gazed down at Qin Yang.
No!
To be precise, its gaze was fixed on the Seven-Star Movement Technique manual in Qin Yang's hands.
If someone were to observe closely at this moment, they would be shocked to discover something.
Within the purple spider's crimson eyes flickered a hint of human-like intelligence.
It stared at Qin Yang's manual as if it could actually understand the words, a thoughtful look passing through its eyes.
"Ding! Beast Emperor aura detected. Extreme danger!"
"Host is advised to flee immediately, or your life will be forfeit!"
"Host is advised to flee immediately!"
Qin Yang was completely absorbed in his book when the sudden voice in his mind nearly scared him to death on the spot.
"Damn it!"
When Qin Yang snapped out of it, a look of annoyance crossed his face.
'Scaring people like that can really give them a heart attack, you know?'
'System, you may not be human, but you're a real piece of shit!'
'Shitty system!'
However, despite his irritation…
…the fact that the long-silent system had suddenly spoken made Qin Yang take the situation seriously.
"Ding! Presence of a Beast Emperor has been detected. Host is advised to heed this warning and flee this location immediately, or you will not even leave a complete corpse behind!"
Hearing the system's repeated urging, Qin Yang quickly put down the manual and stood up to survey his surroundings.
Qin Yang's gaze swept over rows of bookshelves and the few scattered people who had come to read.
At the moment, they were all reading quietly.
Remembering the cockroach he had squashed into paste with one stomp last time, Qin Yang's eyes lit up, and he quickly lowered his head to search the floor.
'Could the Beast Emperor the system is talking about be another small animal?'
'If I squash another one into paste, will the system give me a generous reward again?'
With this thought in mind, Qin Yang was suddenly motivated and began to search the library.
But the library floor was very clean; Qin Yang couldn't find so much as an ant.
'Beast Emperor?'
'How could there possibly be a Beast Emperor in this library?'
'This damn system is acting up again!'