6.6 - First meeting, unblocking the heart aperture

Chapter 115: First meeting, unblocking the heart aperture

Ding Dong—

No response. After a moment, Lu Heng pressed the doorbell again.

Still no response.

Probably out, Lu Heng thought. He could only take a deep breath, turn around and press the elevator button, mustering up courage to ask the property management for help unlocking the door.

Just then, Lu Heng heard the sound of a door opening behind him. Standing in the doorway was a young man dressed in silk loungewear. His hair was a bit messy, and he looked like he had just been woken up from a nap.

Lu Heng froze for a second.

The man in front of him was really too good-looking, but that wasn't the point. After experiencing several worlds, Lu Heng considered himself somewhat immune to beauty. The reason he was stunned was that, unlike ordinary people who would look groggy after being woken from sleep, this man's gaze was clear and sharp, with an air of coldness.

He seems to be a difficult person to get along with, Lu Heng thought to himself. But since he needed help, there was no other choice.

Lu Heng adjusted his expression, trying hard to look friendly and not some freak: "Hello—"

Bang—

The door was directly slammed shut.

Lu Heng's smile froze on his face. Did I scare my neighbor? Looking down at his current outfit, Lu Heng couldn't help but feel upset. Will the neighbor think I'm a weirdo?

As he pressed the elevator button again, ready to go downstairs, the door behind him opened once more. The young man reappeared, now in a different outfit. Though it was just a simple light gray shirt and casual pants, it made him look even more as tall and straight as a pine tree. His messy hair was now neatly combed, revealing his sharp eyebrows and piercing gaze.

This is a fastidious person, Lu Heng thought. He knew that some people don't like showing a relaxed, homey side to strangers, so unbothered by the cold reception earlier, Lu Heng smiled again, this time even warmer, like a spring breeze: "Hello, my name is Zhou Yiheng. I live next door."

"Gu Lingjun."

"Mr. Gu, here's the situation: I stepped out to grab my takeout, but the wind shut my door. Could I trouble you to contact the property management to get a locksmith for me?" Lu Heng even raised the takeout bag in his hand to make his story more convincing.

Gu Lingjun glanced down at Lu Heng's bare feet on the floor, then stepped aside straightaway: "Come in and sit."

Lu Heng smiled awkwardly. Earlier, to save trouble, he hadn't bothered putting on slippers before running out to grab his takeout, and now standing on the cold floor was indeed uncomfortable. He hadn't expected the other person to notice.

As soon as Lu Heng stepped inside, he saw Gu Lingjun rummaging through the shoe cabinet.

After searching for a while with seemingly no results, Gu Lingjun turned around and said, "There aren't any."

Lu Heng didn't quite understand at first, but then saw Gu Lingjun take off his own slippers and place them in front of him. Only then did he realize that Gu Lingjun meant there were no extra slippers: "Oh, no need, really. Just contact the property management and the locksmith will be here soon."

"They're new, not dirty."

That's not the issue! As a guest, how could he wear the host's slippers and leave the host barefoot? But before Lu Heng could refuse again, Gu Lingjun added, "You go in and sit. I'll contact the property management here."

In this apartment complex, contacting property management was simple—one could communicate directly via the video intercom at the entryway. Seeing the determination in Gu Lingjun's expression, Lu Heng didn't say anything further and went inside.

"Put on the slippers."

Left with no choice, Lu Heng reluctantly put on the slippers and walked into the living room. The decor was minimal yet stylish, and possibly because Gu Lingjun had just moved in, there were no knick-knacks. It felt like a model home—cold and lacking personality.

After a while, Gu Lingjun walked back in, frowning slightly: "The intercom system is broken."

"Huh? That shouldn't be the case. I saw the property manager cleaning here just a couple of days ago. If it was broken, he should have noticed," Lu Heng said.

"It's a friend's place, so I'm not sure," Gu Lingjun replied, though at the same time, he was already thinking about how to buy this apartment.

"What a coincidence, I'm renting too," Lu Heng said with a smile. "Let me take a look."

Gu Lingjun, meanwhile, started considering how to buy both apartments.

Lu Heng went to the door and found that the power light on the intercom system was indeed off. He fiddled with it for a while but couldn't get it to work. Finally, he noticed a few cracks on the side. There was a dent in the center where the cracks converged, likely caused by something hitting it.

The dent was roughly the size of Lu Heng's thumb, though slightly bigger. He wondered what could have caused it. It couldn't possibly be pressed by a thumb, right? That would take an incredible amount of force.

It seemed like the intercom system was completely out of commission. Lu Heng had to turn around and ask helplessly, "Mr. Gu, do you have the property manager's phone number? Looks like I'll need to trouble you to call him."

"No, I don't."

"Ah," Lu Heng said with knitted brows and a doleful look, "I guess I'll have to go down and find the property management myself."

Just as he reached the door, someone grabbed him from behind.

"It..." Gu Lingjun's voice sounded a bit hesitant, "It's not good for people outside to see you dressed like this."

Only then did Lu Heng remember that he was still dressed in women's clothing. The main reason he had forgotten this fact was that Gu Lingjun's expression had been too calm this entire time.

"I'll call my friend and ask."

This new neighbor really is a good guy, Lu Heng thought, deciding he would definitely treat him to a meal as thanks. After Gu Lingjun contacted the property manager, the two sat in the living room waiting for the locksmith to arrive.

Lu Heng glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling a bit hesitant to speak. He had a nagging feeling that his next request was a little too much. But his livestream was about to start, and he had announced two days ago that he would present a visual feast to his fans today. If he stood them up without any notice, he would be scolded to death.

"What's wrong?" Gu Lingjun seemed to sense Lu Heng's anxious mood.

"Could you please lend me your phone to send out a quick late notice? I'm dressed like this because I was going to livestream on the platform soon, and it's not nice to keep my audience waiting without saying anything," Lu Heng said, a little embarrassed.

Gu Lingjun handed his phone over, but just as Lu Heng was about to take it, Gu Lingjun pulled it back. He seemed to be clearing something off the phone, and Lu Heng fully understood. Phones are personal, after all, and it made sense to be cautious when lending one out.

After getting the phone, Lu Heng said anyway, "I might need to download the OhMyMy streaming app, but I'll delete it afterward."

"No need to download. I already have it."

Eh? Lu Heng looked down and, sure enough, the pink icon of the OhMyMy streaming platform was right there on the first page. Gu Lingjun's phone was very clean, with only the system's preinstalled apps and that one live-streaming app. Nothing else.

Lu Heng didn't think much of it, but he found it amusing. Despite Gu Lingjun's seemingly indifferent and I-have-no-desires demeanor, he apparently liked the OhMyMy streaming platform too.

Half an hour later.

The locksmith finally arrived, and Lu Heng thanked his kind neighbor profusely as he said goodbye: "Mr. Gu, thank you so much for today. When you're free, I'll invite you to a meal to express my gratitude."

"Tomorrow."

"..." Lu Heng froze for a second before laughing, "Alright, tomorrow it is."

"Phone," Gu Lingjun said another word.

Lu Heng immediately understood that this person wanted his phone number. He blinked, teasing, "Don't worry, I won't back out of the meal."

But considering they were practically friends now, Lu Heng walked to the front door, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote down his phone number for him.

The livestream full of twists and turns finally came to an end. His outfit naturally caused quite a stir, and his fan base surged once again. However, what caused an even bigger stir during the livestream was the wealthy fan named Sovereign Gu. At the end of the livestream, some viewers calculated that he had given hundreds of thousands in gifts that night, setting a new record for the highest value of gifts given in a single day. If the livestream hadn't ended, they likely would've kept giving.

After washing up, Lu Heng eagerly sat on his bed to meditate. To his pleasant surprise, he discovered that the thought energy stored in his heart had tripled. He originally thought it would take at least another half month to unblock his heart apertures, just barely meeting the registration deadline for the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference. But this sudden increase meant he now had time to practice before the event.

Is Sister Miao so mighty? Lu Heng briefly wondered, but didn't have time to dwell on it. He wholly focused on attacking the blockages.

Calm and composed with five hearts facing the sky^[1], breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth, directing the energy toward his dantian, inhaling the new, exhaling the old. As Lu Heng gradually immersed his consciousness into his own body, he began to purify the thought power he had absorbed today. To his surprise, nearly 80% of the thought power he'd absorbed today came from the same source, and it was so incredibly pure that there was no need to refine it.

It didn't take much effort for Lu Heng to purify the remaining chaotic thought energy. Once that was done, he concentrated the purified thought energy into a fine but resilient thread and began to slowly clear the impure qi blocking his first heart aperture.

As dawn approached, Lu Heng's eyes snapped open, filled with joy. Success! He could now sense the weak but finally unimpeded flow of thought energy circulating through his body. With his palm facing upward, the prototype of a psychic weapon gradually materialized in mid-air.

Condensing a psychic weapon was the first step on the Martial Path. The shape of a psychic weapon depended on a person's innate talent, and once formed, it would accompany the Martial Artist for life. The road of subsequent practice would involve continuously tempering this psychic weapon to make it more powerful.

Two small scimitars fell into Lu Heng's palm. Their appearance was exactly the same as the silver scimitars he had frequently used in his previous world. Lu Heng looked at the two small scimitars with satisfaction. Although they were a bit too delicate, the size of these weapons would also evolve as his thought power grew stronger. It's said that powerful Martial Artists at the Heaven-tier could manipulate the size and length of their psychic weapons at will.

Just as Lu Heng was sizing up his psychic weapon with satisfaction, even eager to jump up and practice a few moves...

On the balcony next door, Gu Lingjun, who had been meditating and communicating with the world, opened his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, looking toward Lu Heng's apartment: "He is condensing his psychic weapon?"

Gu Lingjun found it odd, because during the time they interacted earlier, he found that Lu Heng was just an ordinary person with no signs of prior training. Condensing a psychic weapon signified that Lu Heng was stepping onto the path of Martial Arts. But this time seems a bit too late? Even in non-martial families, it was common practice to have children tested for aptitude by the Martial Arts Association before the age of three. If a child had potential, they would typically begin formal training around six.

Why is Ah Heng only now starting to condense his psychic weapon?

Ah Heng was the nickname that Gu Lingjun silently gave Zhou Yiheng in his heart. He wasn't sure why, but it felt right, like he should call him that, like he had called him that many times before.

---

[1] 五心朝天: This posture is supposed to be conducive to the unblocking of meridians and the stability of the mind. Looks like Padmasana (yoga: lotus pose) to me.

---

Translator:

Double update thanks to me being cooped up bcoz of a windstorm...

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6.5 - Hey, is that your vest on the ground?

Chapter 114: Hey, is that your vest on the ground?

After dinner, the Zhou family kept Lu Heng around for a while longer to play out a scene of a harmonious family reunion. It goes without saying that Lu Heng didn't want to stay the night at the Zhou house, but Zhou Yishu pointed out that by the time he went back, it would already be past curfew.

Lu Heng didn't want the Zhous to find out that he had rented a place outside, so he didn't say much and stayed.

The room had that dusty smell of a place long untouched. Lying on the bed, Lu Heng couldn't fall asleep, so he simply thought back on what Father Zhou had said at the dinner table tonight.

The National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference is the biggest event in the Martial Arts world. After all, in Martial Arts, isolating oneself won't lead to progress; sparring and exchanging knowledge with peers is necessary. This conference is held once every three years, and participants range from lower-rank Yellow-tier newbies to Earth-tier experts. It can be said to be the most highly anticipated exchange conference.

Now, both Zhou Yishu and him are 18 years old. Although Zhou Yishu has already started hunting some low-level mutated creatures for practice, he hasn't yet started livestreaming on the platform. In the original timeline, his rapid rise to Earth-tier Martial Artist in just two years was largely due to his participation in this National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference.

The minimum age for participation in the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference is 18, and participants between the ages of 18 and 23 are placed in the youth group, also known as the rookie group. Zhou Yishu was the best newcomer in this year's National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference.

At the event, Zhou Yishu was like a dark horse, defeating many young Martial Artists of the new generation carefully cultivated by prestigious Ancient Martial Arts families, and claimed the youth group's championship. In addition, his sunny and handsome appearance instantly made him hugely popular on the Exorcist Martial Artist Livestream platform. Afterward, when Zhou Yishu held his first livestream, a massive number of fans, who had started following him during the tournament, flooded in, launching his meteoric rise to fame.

At the time, public opinion was one-sided in favor of the Zhou family, not only because Zhou Yiheng lacked evidence related to that past incident, but also to a greater extent because of the huge difference in strength and status between Zhou Yishu and Zhou Yiheng. Why would a 20-year-old genius Earth-tier Martial Artist make things difficult for his own trash older brother? Naturally, Zhou Yishu's side of the story seemed more credible.

Therefore, it was crucial that Zhou Yishu not win the youth group championship at this exchange conference. Lu Heng, sensing the thought energy he had absorbed and stored in his body over the past while, couldn't help but sigh. The thought energy gained from ordinary livestreams simply couldn't compare to that from Martial Artist livestreams. The affection earned from these livestreams is too illusory, too easily swayed, and thus had little value or impact on Martial Artists.

"The quality isn't enough, so I'll have to make up for it with quantity," Lu Heng thought to himself. The custom outfit and accessories he had ordered a while ago should be ready by now. All he needed was to choose an auspicious day to start livestreaming. Compared to the modern look he had been sporting these past few months, the alluring and mysterious Miao ethnic costume would surely attract even more attention.

Having silently laid out his next steps, Lu Heng was ready to sleep, but his throat kept itching, making him uncomfortable. The dust in this room was quite thick. Reaching for the glass on the nightstand to moisten his throat, he realized it was already empty.

With the empty glass in hand, Lu Heng groped his way down the stairs in the dark, heading to the first floor to get some water. However, as he descended, he noticed the door to Father Zhou's study, directly opposite the staircase, was slightly ajar, and there seemed to be voices coming from inside.

Since both Father Zhou and Zhou Yishu were Martial Artists, Lu Heng didn't think he could eavesdrop on them or anything, so he simply continued downstairs. But to his surprise, just as he was passing by, the door to the study suddenly opened.

"Ah, so it's my gege," Zhou Yishu smiled at Lu Heng before turning back and saying, "Dad, gege's here."

With that, Zhou Yishu dragged Lu Heng into the study without any explanation and pressed him down onto the sofa.

"Dad, I think we should have gege come with me on this. Since he's going to be involved in this circle, we should let gege get familiar with it gradually, right?"

Father Zhou glanced at Lu Heng, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Xiao Heng, we've kept things about the martial arts circle from you, mainly because we didn't want you to overthink things. But now that you've decided to support Yishu on this path going forward, it's time for you to start getting in touch with this circle."

"Exactly, there's a big shot coming to S City soon. It's a rare opportunity, you know," Zhou Yishu added, winking at Lu Heng.

Father Zhou, who had always overindulged this son, wasn't the least bit displeased by Zhou Yishu's interruption. Instead, he added, "The judging panel somehow managed to invite that person from the Gu family for the upcoming national conference. I asked a friend of mine on the council to get Xiao Shu a spot in the reception team, even if it's just doing odd jobs. It's always beneficial to show your face in front of bigshots and get familiar."

"I'll make a call to that friend later and see if I can secure another spot. Since Xiao Shu has one, I'll naturally prepare one for you as well," Father Zhou said with a kind smile.

Zhou Yishu appeared to be the epitome of brotherly affection, always making sure his older brother was included in the good opportunities. But as Lu Heng sifted through his memories, he quickly realized the true motive behind it. Wasn't it just another trick? By having his brother's mediocrity and incompetence on display, Zhou Yishu could make his own exceptional talent shine even brighter in comparison.

This was just like the time when they were children attending the Martial Arts foundation class. Zhou Yiheng had always known his own aptitude and never intended to follow the path of a Martial Artist. It was Zhou Yishu who had cried and insisted that his older brother go with him. The result? Zhou Yishu looked even more dazzling in contrast to Zhou Yiheng, leading to him receiving the full support and training from the beginner class.

Lu Heng replied, "There's a very famous guest professor coming to give a lecture these days. They say he used to be the chief director of a Heaven-tier Martial Artist team, and I don't want to miss it."

"Ah, well, then your studies are definitely more important." Just as he expected, Father Zhou quickly changed his mind upon hearing that it involved a Heaven-tier Martial Artist.

The next day.

When Lu Heng returned home, he saw that the house across from his, which had always been quiet, now had its door wide open. Worried that something might be wrong, he glanced inside, only to see a uniformed property manager directing a cleaning crew.

"Ah, Mr. Zhou," the property manager greeted him, wearing a professional smile.

"Hello, is someone moving in?"

"Yes. I hope you get along well with your new neighbor. If there are any disagreements or concerns, feel free to contact the property management office," the property manager nodded and politely added, "If you don't have any other questions, I'll get back to work."

Lu Heng said his goodbyes to the property manager and turned to unlock his door. Considering what he needed to do, he rented a unit in a high-end residential complex. With two apartments per floor and two elevators, the place offered excellent privacy.

When he first rented the apartment, the owner had mentioned that it was essentially like living alone on the floor. The unit across from him had been sold years ago but had remained unoccupied, likely purchased as an investment. Lu Heng hadn't expected that within just a few months, someone would move in.

Two more days passed.

The owner of the house next door was anxiously waiting at the entrance of the VIP channel of the airport with a group of people. Cui Zihang, the new generation leader of the Cui family in S City, had been tasked with welcoming an important figure from the Gu family today. As a low-rank Earth-tier Martial Artist, Cui Zihang had this opportunity land in his lap solely because of a bit of friendship he had made with this Gu family bigshot in his youth.

"Hey, Little Uncle Gu, over here!" Cui Zihang waved, calling out. Although he and Gu Lingjun were kind of friends, in terms of seniority, Cui Zihang was a full generation younger. And given Gu Lingjun's personality, Cui Zihang never dared to address him by name directly, so he simply followed the younger members of the Gu family in calling him "Little Uncle Gu."

At the far end of the welcoming group, Zhou Yishu looked with excitement at the figure walking out of the VIP channel—a strikingly handsome young man whose commanding aura made people cannot but overlook his appearance. This was the legendary figure, Gu Lingjun, the youngest Heaven-tier Martial Artist in history!

Finally seeing Lord Junlin in person, Zhou Yishu secretly clenched his fists. He was determined to perform well at the upcoming tournament, at least well enough for Lord Junlin to remember his name. That's right—Zhou Yishu was a die-hard fan of Junlin, i.e. Gu Lingjun, and had always regarded him as the guiding star in his heart.

"Little Uncle Gu, what are you looking at?" Cui Zihang asked curiously, following Gu Lingjun's gaze. He noticed it was that young man from the Zhou family. What was his name again? Did Gu Lingjun know this youngster from the Zhou family?

"Should I call him over?" Cui Zihang asked.

"No need. It's not him," Gu Lingjun shook his head and continued walking forward.

"Oh, by the way, your accommodation is all set. I know you don't like staying in hotels, so I arranged for one of my properties. I bought it a while ago, but no one's ever lived in it. The furniture and everything else is all brand new, and it's in a quiet area near S University," Cui Zihang, fully aware of Gu Lingjun's preferences, hurriedly added as he caught up.

"That works."

***

The custom outfit Lu Heng had ordered was finally delivered. He had already called for takeout, planning to quickly finish his dinner and then go live on stream.

Unfortunately, while waiting for his food, he received a call from the delivery guy.

"I'm so sorry," the delivery guy said anxiously, "I'm still at Chunhua Community. The elevator broke down and I'm stuck inside. I have no idea when it'll be fixed, and if I can't deliver the order, we'll get points deducted from our evaluations, no matter the reason. Could I ask a favor? If I transfer the money to you, could you confirm receipt of the order for me?"

Lu Heng wasn't sure who was having worse luck—him or the delivery guy—but knowing how tough their job could be, he responded kindly, "The takeaway isn't that expensive, so consider it on me. You're stuck in the elevator, and who knows when you'll get out. Eat something to fill your stomach while you're waiting."

After hanging up to the sound of the delivery guy's grateful thanks, Lu Heng realized that ordering again would mean missing his planned stream time. So, he quickly grabbed whatever he could find at home, ate a quick meal, and began preparing for his live stream.

Lu Heng had invested a significant amount into this outfit and accessories. He had meticulously sketched out the clothes and jewelry he used to wear in his previous world, commissioning a high-end custom shop to recreate them exactly. Even the accessories were made of pure silver, all to ensure a stunning and eye-catching effect for today's livestream. His goal was to attract a wave of new fans and try to break through a blocked aperture as soon as possible.

Just as he finished getting himself ready, his phone rang again. It was the delivery guy.

"Hello, the elevator's fixed, and I'm at your door now, but no one answered when I rang the bell."

"Ah, hold on a moment," Lu Heng said as he stood up, ready to open the door. But then he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, fully dressed in his intricate female costume. He quickly changed his mind, "I'm a bit tied up right now. Can you just leave it at the door? I'll grab it in a bit."

Lu Heng pressed his ear to the door, listening intently. After confirming there was no sound outside, he cautiously opened the door like a thief. The delivery guy had been quite considerate, placing a napkin on the ground to neatly set down the takeout. Lu Heng bent down to pick up the food, and just as he was about to grab the napkin, a gust of wind swept it up. Instinctively, he stepped forward to catch it.

Bang!

Lu Heng now stood there—takeout in his left hand, the culprit napkin in his right—dressed in an exaggerated Miao women's tribal costume, staring at his locked front door in silence.

So it was my bad luck that brought trouble to the delivery guy... No, wait, this isn't the time to be thinking about that. What do I do now?!

At this suffocating moment, Lu Heng suddenly remembered the noise he'd heard earlier in the afternoon—someone had moved into the apartment next door.

Faced with the choice of either walking downstairs in full Miao women's attire to find the property management or asking his new neighbor for help contacting them, Lu Heng chose the latter. After all, it was easier to explain his situation to one person rather than a crowd.

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6.4 - Idol Wears Women's Clothes, not bad

Chapter 113: Idol Wears Women's Clothes, not bad

After finishing his livestream on the platform, Lu Heng washed, scrubbed and bathed, then curled up in bed and logged onto the Exorcist livestream platform. A high-profile announcement had been posted on the platform a day earlier, stating that Heaven-tier Martial Artist Junlin would start livestreaming tonight at 11, which is midnight^[1].

Heaven-tier Martial Artists don't livestream often because they already have a stable fan base and thus, a steady source of thought power, even without livestreaming. Furthermore, once a Martial Artist reaches the Heaven tier, progress depends more on communicating with the universe and cultivating their own state of mind.

Simply put, before reaching the Heaven tier, the focus is on cultivating the body, while after reaching it, the focus is on cultivating the mind.

For these reasons, Heaven-tier Martial Artists typically only take action when extremely powerful mutated creatures appear, giving their eager fans rare glimpses of the Heaven-tier Martial Artists' svelte.

This would be Junlin's first livestream after advancing to the Heaven tier, making everyone especially excited.

As someone planning to embark on the path of a Martial Artist soon, Lu Heng naturally couldn't miss the livestream of such a master. However, it was only around ten o'clock now, and this streamer, Junlin, was known for his elegantly indifferent style. He never warmed up the audience or did pre-show banter, always starting the livestream once he'd located his prey and calling it a day after the fight.

The waiting time was a bit boring, so Lu Heng clicked on Junlin's official profile and started reading.

Junlin, entry-level Heaven-tier Martial Artist.

Age: Unknown.

Real name: Unknown.

Psychic Weapon: Tang Sword^[2].

In the section for the streamer's photo, there was a half-body shot of someone wearing a half silver-black mask, obscuring their face.

It seemed that this Junlin was a low-profile Martial Artist, choosing to hide his appearance from the public. For ordinary people, the world of Martial Artists was shrouded in mystery, except for the glimpses they could catch through platforms like this one.

Take Junlin, for instance. Such a young Heaven-tier Martial Artist should be known to everybody in the Martial Artists circle. Yet the general public didn't even know what he really looked like. For Lu Heng, who had been marginalized by the Zhou family, Junlin's true identity was naturally a mystery.

This system worked in Lu Heng's favor for his upcoming plan, because it would not be good for the Zhou family to discover he was practicing Martial Arts before his strength reaches a certain level.

[Have you decided to wear women's clothing on the Martial Artists Livestream platform as well?] Little Assistant suddenly asked.

[You're overthinking it. I only cross-dress so that the viewers can't see my true appearance. Why would I fight to the death wearing women's clothing?]

[Oh, I thought after decades of doing it, you'd discovered the beauty of cross-dressing and wanted to revive your former glory days in this world.]

[I'm just using my work experience rationally to speed up the task progress.]

[Oh, bravo! You're awesome!]

[……]

Thinking of prepping for the livestream, Lu Heng immediately opened his personal profile. Accounts were tied to a person's ID on the Exorcist Martial Artists Livestream platform, and each person could only have one. Lu Heng had no choice but to directly take over the original owner's account.

The original owner's account name was "A Stroke Across and Down, Both With Heart^[3]." To anyone in the know, it was an easy giveaway, and besides, Lu Heng found the name truly a bit nauseous. Without hesitation, he clicked the rename button, only to find that every new name he entered was already taken.

In a fit of pique, he typed in "Idol," thinking self-deprecatingly that this name would bring its own fan traffic. But once again, the username was already taken.

The system responded with: This username already exists. The user is advised to add a relevant suffix.

You've got to be kidding me. Lu Heng remembered his earlier conversation with Little Assistant. On a whim, he added the words "Wears Men's Clothes" after it, then hit enter in a particularly dashing manner.

Congratulations! Username 'Idol Wears Women's Clothes' has been successfully changed!

What! Lu Heng finally realized that he had just typed the abbreviation for "men's clothes" and then just hit space and enter. However, in his input method, the first word was "women's clothes" by default^[4].

To make matters worse, when Lu Heng clicked the rename button again, a prompt popped up stating that he could only change his name once every three months.

At worst, I'll just lurk and not post any comments. This is how Lu Heng, who had a suffocating name, comforted himself.

As soon as it turned 11 pm, the moment Junlin's livestream room opened, hundreds of thousands of viewers poured in. This number swelled to a million within a minute and kept climbing crazily.

Even though the screen was still dark, the scrolling comments were going wild.

After a moment, the screen began showing scenes of streets and landscapes rushing past, as if the person carrying the camera equipment was in a vehicle. A voiceover chimed in at the right time: "Junlin is currently looking for prey, but he's too fast, and we've lost track of him. But don't worry folks, Junlin has a positioning system on him, and now we're speeding over to rejoin him."

"Hahaha, another episode of the livestream team losing track of Lord Junlin."

"I propose we crowdfund a supercar for the livestream team!"

"Seconded!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, you mortals think a supercar can catch up with Lord Junlin? So naive."

Due to the overwhelming number of scrolling comments, the system had automatically switched the chat to a random display mode to prevent it from interfering with the viewing experience. As Lu Heng skimmed the barrage full of reverence, he couldn't help but compare them to phrases like "kiss, hug, lift me high" that crowded his own livestream room. He was envious.

I really need to unblock my heart apertures and get onto the Martial Artists Livestream platform. That's the true path.

At that moment, the screen shook violently before finally stabilizing. The now somewhat blurry image showed an empty small park.

There are such small parks in every corner of the city. They were specially designed for Martial Artists to get rid of mutated creatures, so as to prevent damage to city infrastructure or harm to innocent populace. Experienced Martial Artists would skillfully lure mutated creatures into these parks before starting the battle.

The livestream team expertly turned on the lighting equipment provided in the small park, instantly bringing the scene into focus. The most shocking thing in the picture was the giant mutated mantis, standing as tall as a person. Mutated insects generally don't grow too big in size, but when they do, they become incredibly difficult to deal with.

Especially since the creature before their eyes was a mantis, which was well-known for its attack power among insects. No wonder a Heaven-tier Martial Artist was called in to deal with it! Before this, several Earth-tier Martial Artists had already been injured by the mutated mantis's massive, blade-like forelimbs. The most severely injured person had his left arm severed cleanly at the base.

Dressed in a black Martial Arts uniform and wearing a silver-black mask, Junlin stood with his hands behind his back, facing off against the mutated mantis. Even with its mutation, the mantis retained its natural hunting habits. Its large compound eyes were fixed on the living thing before it, forelimbs drawn back and hind legs tense, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and deliver a fatal blow.

Seeing that the livestream team had arrived, Junlin extended his right hand, and a pitch-black Tang sword slowly materialized in midair.

The appearance of the psychic weapon instantly triggered a sense of danger in the mutated mantis. This hunter that typically relied on ambush tactics, finally made its move—its hind legs snapped with explosive force, launching its body forward, and its lethal forelimbs slashed down with deadly precision.

But Junlin was even faster. With a swift thrust of his Tang sword, he perfectly wedged it into the joint of the mantis's forelimbs, stopping its vicious attack dead in its tracks, leaving those deadly weapons unable to move even an inch further.

"Junlin's speed has increased again. Good thing we just spent money on the latest high-speed camera, or we wouldn't have been able to capture it at all," the commentator sounded a bit thankful.

The livestream team wasn't at all worried about the fierce battle affecting them. Any Martial Artist confident enough to bring a livestream team along had to first ensure that their team wouldn't be harmed during combat. Martial Artists who couldn't guarantee this were lone fighters. Thus, having a dedicated livestream team became a unique measure of a Martial Artist's strength.

On scene, the battle was drawing to a close. While the mutated mantis was as fast as lightning, its endurance was lacking. Faced with an equally fast Junlin, its advantage was completely suppressed. Before long, Junlin spotted a flaw in its defense, and with a swift strike, the Tang sword pierced through the mantis's compound eyes. It collapsed to the ground, dead beyond any doubt.

"It's over?"

"That was only a few minutes! Not enough, not enough! We need more!"

"Lord Junlin, don't leave yet! Let us catch one more glimpse!"

Seeing that Junlin had dispersed his psychic weapon and was about to leave, the commentator hurriedly called out, "Junlin! Wait!"

For the first time during the entire livestream, Junlin turned his gaze toward the camera. His eyes were as calm as a lake frozen for a thousand years, without any fluctuation. To him, the fierce battle moments earlier seemed like he had simply squashed a bug.

"This is your first livestream since advancing to the Heaven-tier. How about saying a few words to your fans?"

Out of view of the camera, the commentator desperately mouthed: Your esteemed father insisted!

Junlin stood in place for a few seconds before finally walking over. The commentator, whose heart had been in his throat, finally breathed a partial sigh of relief. After all, this was the revered Martial Great Uncle of the Gu family, who had never once interacted with fans during a livestream. He always left immediately after the fight, never saying a word.

The moment Junlin moved, the barrage exploded. Everyone was frantically posting comments, hoping to catch his attention and become the first person ever to interact with him.

Gu Lingjun glanced at the rapidly scrolling comments on the screen and still felt reluctant to speak. He was about to ignore the commentator's desperate, pleading eyes and turn to leave, but then something caught his eye—a name.

Idol Wears Women's Clothes: Lord Junlin, please grace me with your presence!

Lu Heng, his fingers just lifted from the keyboard, had been caught up in the frenzied atmosphere of the comment section. On impulse, he copied and sent one of the comments, figuring that with the bullet screen scrolling so fast, no one would notice his eyesore of a username.

However, what you fear most always comes to pass.

On screen, Junlin spoke: "Idol Wears Women's Clothes, not bad."

With that, he turned and swiftly vanished from view, leaving behind a wild barrage spree.

That ID, Idol Wears Women's Clothes, became an overnight sensation.

#NationalLoveRival, Idol Wears Women's Clothes#

#LuckSoGoodLightningWillStrikeYouDown, Idol Wears Women's Clothes#

Hashtags centered around this magical ID dominated the trending topics on the Exorcist Martial Artist Livestream platform.

At that moment, Lu Heng sorrowfully closed the in-app message, rejecting the suicide application for his ID. Sighing, he prepared to attend the Zhou family's Hongmen Feast^[5].

Zhou Family.

"Not long from now, it's the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference. The event will be exclusively livestreamed during prime time on the platform. Xiao Shu, our family managed to secure a spot for you to compete. You have to perform well and make sure you get some screen time to build a fan base..." After perfunctorily asking Lu Heng a few questions about his living situation, Father Zhou quickly shifted to giving detailed advice to Zhou Yishu.

Lu Heng kept his head down, eating his meal, utterly bored as he listened to the father and son put on their display of familial affection. He still had no idea why they had called him back—was it just to watch them pave the way for Zhou Yishu's Martial Path?

At that moment, a pair of chopsticks served jade shrimp in Lu Heng's bowl. He looked up and saw Mother Zhou smiling gently: "Xiao Heng, don't just focus on eating. This jade shrimp is your favorite dish, and I made it myself today. Eat up."

Lu Heng obediently picked up the shrimp and took a bite, while mentally rummaging through his memories. He couldn't recall the original owner having any particular fondness for jade shrimp. If anything, it was Zhou Yishu who always devoured an entire plate.

"Oh, and Xiao Heng, when your brother competes, you should go along to observe and get familiar with the process. Your brother will be fully focused on Martial Arts in the future, so the logistical work will fall on you as the older brother. You know, brothers of one mind can accomplish anything." Mother Zhou added another piece of shrimp to his bowl, all smiles. 

---

Footnotes:

[1] Feeling confused? Remember in the arc intro chapter when it mentioned creatures mutating around midnight? In English, we say "midnight," but the author used the word 子时, which refers to the time between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

[2] The Tang sword refers to a specific type of sword from the Tang dynasty in China, known for its straight, double-edged blade.

[3] 一 横 一 竖 皆 有心: yi heng yi shu jie you xin. The twins are named 一 恒 (Yiheng) and 一 树(Yishu). The original owner used homophones to disguise his identity while simultaneously conveying a deeper meaning. 一 横 一 竖 皆 有心 suggests Yiheng and Yishu are "of one mind" or share a deep connection.

[4] 男装 and 女装 respectively. Who hasn't been left red-faced by autofill or autocorrect, right?

[5] social gathering (e.g. a party or meeting) with conspiracy against its guest; malicious invitation; trap.

---

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6.3 - Livestream room's No. 1 fan

Chapter 112: Livestream room's No. 1 fan

City A, the capital of China, is densely populated and has sky-high real estate prices. In this sprawling metropolis, where skyscrapers dominate the skyline, real estate developers are eager to acquire even the smallest plot of land in prime locations and build structures reaching the sky. However, right in the heart of City A, where land should be most coveted, there stands a large ancient building that appears utterly out of place.

Changping Road, originally called Zhanlong Path^[1], was renamed after the founding of China due to its ominous connotations. Despite the name change, those in the Martial Arts community still refer to it by its original name. But what was beheaded on Zhanlong Path wasn't actually a dragon, but a serpent.

In the time long before modern civilization, when people still believed in gods and ghosts, everyone's thoughts were purer and stronger. Therefore, although the population density was far lower than in today's cities, the higher quality of belief gave rise to mutated creatures that were considerably stronger than those of modern times.

Conversely, communication in ancient times relied solely on word of mouth, nowhere near the reach of modern social networks. However, the faith of the ancients was more sincere and enduring. For powerful Martial Artists who protected the peace of a region, the local people in every household would enshrine their names and sincerely offer prayers every morning and evening. Folklore has it that Martial Artists who had reached the peak of their abilities could even move mountains and overturn seas.

This Zhanlong Path is where a Martial Artist of supreme skill once slayed a mutated serpent that took the form of an evil dragon. According to legend, this evil dragon wreaked havoc in the ancient capital every night, devouring nearly half the city's population, and causing panic among the people. Even many Martial Artists who heard the news and came to vanquish the beast were swallowed by it. Eventually, a Martial Artist surnamed Gu fought the evil dragon for ten days and ten nights, finally slaying it.

However, the evil dragon's overwhelming malice^[2] did not dissipate, so the Martial Artist Gu settled in the city and practiced at the site where the evil dragon died, using his own thoughts to suppress the evil dragon's malice.

That's the origin of the Gu family on Changping Road. Today, the Gu family has grown into a vast and powerful clan, with only the main family still residing on Changping Road, using the thoughts of their Martial Artists to continue suppressing the evil dragon's malice. While the current Gu family is the most low-key of the five major Ancient Martial Clans in China, the fact is their strength is the most inscrutable.

The Gu family has a tradition: each year, they select exceptionally talented young Martial Artists from their various branches, and even from outside the family, to study at the Gu family's main estate. This is not only to cultivate talents, but also to suppress the evil dragon's malice with the thoughts of these prodigies.

In the Gu family's martial arts academy, under a long, intricately carved corridor, two boys, about seventeen or eighteen years old, were huddled together, whispering to each other.

"Let me show you something good," said the boy with dyed yellow hair.

"You actually smuggled your phone in?" replied the other boy, wearing a black wrist guard.

"I have advanced cell phone cancer^[3]. A whole week in this closed training camp without phone access will kill me! Cut the crap. I'm only sharing this with you 'cause we're bros. You wanna see or not?"

"Of course I wanna look! I miss my precious phone so much," said the boy with the wrist guard, equally excited.

"I'm gonna share my goddess with you. My forever love!" The yellow-haired boy had a dreamy, lovestruck expression on his face.

"Come on, you said the exact same thing a month ago."

"It's different this time. I'll be loyal to him 'til death..." The yellow-haired boy rolled his eyes, thinking his friend would understand once he saw the goddess for himself.

"Wait… Isn't this… a guy?!" The boy with the wristguard stared in disbelief.

"Gu Thirteen, Gu Fourteen."

Gu Thirteen and Gu Fourteen were certainly not the real names of the two boys; they were just their code names in the closed training camp.

"Little…little great uncle^[4]!" The two boys jumped up in a panic, and in their rush, they even bumped their heads together. But they didn't even dare rub their heads, instead standing up straight and stiffly turning to face the person who had just arrived.

The person the two boys called "little great uncle" wasn't actually old—he looked about twenty or so. He was Gu Lingjun, the youngest son of the Gu family patriarch, born when the patriarch was already fifty. So even though Gu Lingjun was young, his seniority in the clan was extremely high. The fathers of the two boys, both in their forties or fifties, still had to respectfully call him "little uncle."

In the Ancient Martial Arts world, where seniority was strictly observed, the Gu family patriarch was already a great master of legendary^[5] status. Most high-ranking Martial Artists in the Ancient Martial Arts world would address Gu Lingjun with respect as Gu family's "little martial uncle." And those of lower rank or standing would even have to call him Gu family's "martial great uncle."

Moreover, Gu Lingjun truly lived up to his father's esteemed reputation. Despite his young age, he was already a lower-rank Heaven-tier Martial Artist. The gap between Heaven-tier and Earth-tier is like a vast chasm, and some Martial Artists spend their entire lives stuck at the upper Earth-tier, unable to make any progress.

From a young age, Gu Lingjun had a calm and aloof personality. His chiseled face always carried a serene expression, devoid of any unnecessary emotion. Coupled with his high seniority and exceptional talent, he had left his peers far behind. By the time his family realized this, Gu Lingjun already behaved like a little old man, always calm and composed, no matter the situation.

The Gu family patriarch grew concerned that if his youngest son continued on this path, he might develop social difficulties. To help him break out of his shell, the patriarch assigned Gu Lingjun to the martial training grounds to mentor the talented youth of the family. He hoped that being around others his age might liven up his youngest son's reserved personality.

But things didn't go as planned. These youngsters treated Gu Lingjun like mice before a cat, fearing him even more than any elder in the family. None of them dared to play or joke around with him.

"Bringing a phone into camp—twenty kilometers," came a voice, as melodious as jade striking jade, yet devoid of any emotion.

"Yes!" The two boys responded immediately, too scared to even breathe too loudly.

Gu Lingjun watched them scurry away without any change in expression, then he calmly turned to leave. As he took his first step, his foot hit something—the boy's phone left behind on the ground.

He glanced down, bent over, and picked it up, accidentally touching the replay button on the screen.

What appeared on the screen was a slim back figure of someone between a boy and a young man. His posture was as straight as a poplar. He then moved to adjust the camera, making sure only the graceful curve of his chin was visible.

"Today, I'll show you how to perfectly transform into a young lady."

So inappropriate. Young people nowadays all like playing to the gallery, Gu Lingjun thought to himself, though his hand didn't put the phone down. Instead, he found himself watching intently.

As the video neared its end, a gorgeous yet quite aggressive face appeared on the screen. Gu Lingjun's pupils contracted, and the hand holding the phone trembled ever so slightly.

Gu Thirteen only got his beloved phone back when the closed training camp ended. He took the phone out of the brown paper bag, casually shoved the bag into Gu Fourteen's hands, and immediately logged onto the OhMyMy platform, eager to send a gift to his beloved goddess.

"F*ck me! Laozi's account has been hacked!" Gu Thirteen roared.

"What happened?"

"All my balance is gone! I just topped up my account, and that was two months' worth of pocket money!" Gu Thirteen was so angry his hands were shaking, barely able to hold onto his phone. "Let me check the transaction history. I need to find out which uploader my gifts went to. I'm gonna spam their comment section with hundreds of complaints to show my anger!"

"..." Gu Fourteen was speechless at his misguided wrath.

"Huh? I can't believe all the gifts went to my goddess. The hacker has good taste. But hold on! I was going to give this money to my goddess so that he could kiss me, hug me and lift me high. Damn hacker dog, give me back my goddess' kisses, hugs and high lifts!" Gu Thirteen was so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe when he thought of this scene.

"Hey, there's still money in the envelope." Gu Fourteen felt the brown paper bag in his hand was heavy, so he took a look inside while Thirteen was busy venting.

Gu Thirteen took the bag and counted the money, surprised to find that the amount inside was actually more than what had been spent from his account. "Weird... Could someone have found my phone and been so enchanted by my goddess that they impulsively sent gifts? Then, after realizing they used someone else's account, they put the cash in the bag to return it to me?"

"Hey, do you think it could be our little great uncle?!" Gu Fourteen said.

"Have you become stupid from all that training? It's that little great uncle. Can you even imagine him sending gifts while asking for kisses, hugs, and high lifts?" Gu Thirteen rolled his eyes.

"..." Hearing this, Gu Fourteen also felt that what he just said was moronic.

Lu Heng's streaming career was thriving. With the experience in the previous world, his makeup skills were almost godly. He could transform into any look he wanted with ease. Recently, "Idol^[6]" has practically become the leading actress—bah! I mean—the leading anchor of the OhMyMy streaming platform.

In Idol's livestream room, one fan is particularly eye-catching. In the words of other fans, this fan named SovereignGu^[7] was simply a rich but inhumane loyal tyrant. Some fans even calculated that the total value of the gifts SovereignGu smashed in Idol's livestream had already surpassed a million.

What's even more ridiculous was that this account was just a newly registered alternate account, and all of its gift-giving history was tied solely to the Idol's stream. This led some haters to speculate that Idol was using a second account to hype himself, causing hubbub across the platform.

The situation got so heated that the platform's official team had to step in to clarify. They revealed that the IP addresses of Idol and SovereignGu were not even in the same city, finally quelling the uproar. Despite all the accusations flying around, SovereignGu never stopped his gift-smashing spree, even during the height of the controversy.

One day, Lu Heng received a call from the Zhou family when he was halfway through his livestream. Apologizing briefly to his fans, he got up to take the call, unaware that the indicator light on the microphone was still on.

On the other end of the call was Mother Zhou. She said tenderly that she had been missing Lu Heng and asked him to come home for dinner over the weekend.

Lu Heng agreed politely, but inside, he was wondering what kind of trouble the Zhou family might be stirring up this time. It had been nearly three months since he had moved out, and the Zhou family had ignored him, so why were they suddenly inviting him home for dinner?

After hanging up the phone, Lu Heng returned to his study. The moment he sat down in front of his computer, he found that the barrage was crowding the screen.

"Oh~ Idol is from S city! His soft accent is so cute~"

"When Idol speaks in his hometown dialect, it's totally different from his super aggressive female attire~"

"I am also a native of City S. Idol, please grace me with your presence^[8]."

Suddenly, all the chatter was wiped away by a long stream of gifts flooding the screen, followed by a single message:

SovereignGu: You're in S City?

Thinking that admitting it wasn't a big deal since S City had millions of residents and there was no real risk of being exposed, Lu Heng calmly replied to his No. 1 fan's question: "That's right, I'm a native of S City."

---

Footnotes:

[1] 斩龙道: Zhan means beheading/chopping. Zhanlong Path = Beheading Dragon Path. Dragons are a big deal in Chinese culture, a symbol of strength and magnanimity. China is often referred to as “red dragon,” so it's obvious why the street was renamed.

[2] 戾气: murderous aura; evil energy.

[3] Phone addiction.

[4] 叔公: great uncle; little great uncle sounds hilarious but that's what it is.

[5] 泰山北斗: as weighty as Mt Tai, as brilliant as the Big Dipper. Meaning: a giant among men; eminent and accomplished figure in a field.

[6] 教主: Jiaozhu is the head of a religious sect (modern title: cult leader). It's also a title for a pop or film star worshiped by fans. I'm translating "jiaozhu daren" simply as Idol.  

[7] 君临一顾 roughly means "a single glance that commands the world" or "a glance from the sovereign." I'm using SovereignGu as it's easy to remember.

[8] 临幸: (of emperor) to spend the night with (a concubine) and also (of emperor) to visit (a place) personally. It's a double meaning.

---

Translator:

A certain Gu is gonna dash to S city~

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6.2 - Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart

Chapter 111: Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart

When Lu Heng opened his eyes, he was holding a pen in his hand, and on the table in front of him was a form indicating his accommodation preference. The tip of his pen paused briefly before he unhesitatingly chose to stay in the dormitory.

This entry time point was something the original owner of the body had requested. In his opinion, when he first entered university as a freshman, choosing to live off-campus to stay close to the hypocritical Zhou family was the worst decision he had made.

Zhou Yiheng's major was directing. When he was selecting his major, the Zhou family said that since he couldn't follow the path of an Ancient Martial Artist anyway, he might as well wholeheartedly assist his younger brother in becoming a Heaven-tier Martial Artist.

Living with the Zhou family came with many restrictions. First of all, secretly practicing thought techniques was next to impossible, let alone doing any live streaming.

Just as Lu Heng checked the box for dormitory accommodation, someone pulled the form out of his hand.

"Gege, why did you choose dormitory accommodation? Didn't we agree to live off-campus together?"

Lu Heng turned around and saw the person standing behind him.

Aura is a fascinating thing. Standing behind him was Zhou Yishu, whose facial features were obviously identical to Zhou Yiheng's. Yet, when Zhou Yishu stood there, he was like a dazzling little sun, attracting everyone's attention. Young, handsome, and full of energy, no matter who met him, they couldn't help but feel a genuine fondness for this young man.

When Zhou Yishu had made some progress in thought skills, he became an internet celebrity with his very first live stream due to his agile moves and excellent image. He attracted a large number of loyal viewers, and their admiration greatly boosted his mental power. From then on, Zhou Yishu's rise was meteoric.

As for his twin brother, Zhou Yiheng, he wore black-framed glasses with bangs so long they almost covered his eyes. Perhaps because he had been overshadowed by his younger brother's brilliance since childhood, he subconsciously always avoided the gaze of others. If no one mentioned it, no one would ever guess that he was the older brother of the radiant Zhou Yishu.

"Xiao Shu, it's too wasteful to spend time going back and forth every day. I want to focus on learning more about directing," Lu Heng's tone was soft, but he firmly pulled the form out of Zhou Yishu's hand. "That way, I can help you better in the future, right?"

"What's there to worry about? The family has specially arranged a car to pick us up and drop us off every day. It won't waste that much time."

Unlike Lu Heng, Zhou Yishu had chosen the Art Appreciation major, a course essentially designed for the special class to kill time. It was laid-back and easy. Zhou Yishu's goal was to become a Heaven-tier Martial Artist, so naturally he wouldn't spend too much time on his studies. Going to university was just something he wanted to experience.

Many Martial Artists live like this—leading an ordinary life during the day and becoming revered exorcist Martial Artists by night. Due to their unique physical constitution, Martial Artists need much less sleep than regular people, usually just one or two hours a day.

"But our class schedules are completely different. Are you going to wait for me to finish class every day before going home together?" Lu Heng asked.

Zhou Yishu opened his mouth as if to argue, but in the end, he closed it reluctantly. After all, idling at school every day foolishly waiting for Lu Heng to finish classes would be a huge waste of time. For Zhou Yishu, attending university was just a way to relax; if it started taking up too much time, it would no longer be worth it.

Seeing that Zhou Yishu no longer objected, Lu Heng handed the form to the senior in charge of collecting them, then joined him to head to the school gate to catch a ride home. If it weren't for the need to maintain his persona, Lu Heng wouldn't have bothered spending so much effort convincing him.

Along the way, girls kept casting admiring glances their way—there was no doubt they were all looking at Zhou Yishu. Lu Heng noticed the faint smile tugging at the corner of Zhou Yishu's lips as they walked side by side. While others might not see it, as a twin brother who knew Zhou Yishu inside and out, Lu Heng could tell that Zhou Yishu was in a very good mood at the moment.

Lu Heng was a bit puzzled. Zhou Yishu had been popular with girls since childhood, so it didn't seem likely that just a few glances from them would brighten his mood this much.

"Xiao Shu," Lu Heng said with a smile, "are you thinking about dating? I remember you used to have little patience for the girls who clung to you before. Now that you've started uni, have thoughts of love sprung up?"

Zhou Yishu, with his pride and arrogance, couldn't tolerate Lu Heng speaking about him like that. In his view, ordinary people and Martial Artists lived in entirely different worlds, and his future partner could only be a fellow Martial Artist. He immediately retorted, "No way. Right now, my mind is completely focused on the Martial Path. I'm not thinking about those things."

After returning to the Zhou family and finishing dinner, Lu Heng went back to his room.

Lu Heng's and Zhou Yishu's rooms were located on the east and west sides of the third floor respectively, identical in size, layout, and structure. In the Ancient Martial Arts world, the Zhou family was widely praised for their virtue. Even though the elder of the twins was trash, they never treated him unfairly. When they were younger, the twins had even attended the same Martial Arts foundation class together. What a pity this eldest child showed zero talent. After three years of study, he still couldn't grasp the basics, eventually being sent back by the instructor.

And by that time, his younger brother Zhou Yishu had already advanced to the intermediate class.

After making such a fool of himself, the Zhou family still didn't give up on this "trash" eldest son. They sought out renowned teachers, hoping one could guide him onto the path of a Martial Artist, but each attempt ended in failure due to his mediocre aptitude.

In the end, it was Zhou Yiheng who couldn't bear watching his elders go out of their way to beg others for his sake. He voluntarily proposed to give up the Martial Path and focus entirely on assisting his younger brother from that point onward.

The Zhou family's strategy was truly brilliant, conning the original owner into being obedient. If Zhou Yishu hadn't framed and drove the original owner out of the Zhou family out of guilt, the original owner might have continued working tirelessly for the Zhou family, even feeling grateful to them the whole time.

However, the original owner was indeed the child of destiny, possessing exceptional insight. His "product recall" from the foundation class wasn't due to complete lack of talent, but because of a specific limitation—he couldn't construct a thought energy cycle in his mind. The thought energy cycle is the key to entering the Martial Arts Path.

After being kicked out of the Zhou family, the original owner didn't give up. Relying on the basic knowledge he had gained in those years of study, he continued to train relentlessly. He even risked his life every night to hunt and fight the weakest mutated creatures, and eventually, in a life-or-death moment, he successfully constructed the thought energy cycle and broke through the threshold of Martial Cultivation.

It turned out that his heart, which originally belonged to Zhou Yishu, couldn't cultivate the Martial Path for a reason. How could it be that twin brothers like Zhou Yiheng and Zhou Yishu would have such vastly different aptitudes?

The real reason lay in their birth. On the day the twins were born, Mother Zhou fainted after giving birth to Zhou Yiheng due to exhaustion. Zhou Yishu had to remain in the womb for a while longer, and during this time, his originally perfect Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart was mostly blocked by impure qi. This was what caused his seemingly mediocre aptitude.

Had the Zhou family not acted so hastily, believing in a prophecy and carelessly deciding Zhou Yiheng's fate, they could have discovered the truth. All they needed to do was seek out a Heaven-tier Martial Artist to use thought power to investigate, and they would have identified the critical issue. Unfortunately, with the Zhou family's declining status, they no longer had the clout to invite a Martial Artist of such rank.

Later, at that critical life-or-death moment, thanks to the original owner's survival instinct surging like a tsunami, he broke through a blocked heart aperture and took his first step into Martial Cultivation. Unfortunately, by that time, his reputation had been ruined, and without further external sources of thought energy to break through the remaining heart blockages, his progress stagnated.

So now, the first thing Lu Heng needed to do was figure out how to clear one of those blocked heart apertures and firmly walk on the Martial Path.

But where could he find the necessary thought energy? Was he supposed to follow in the original owner's footsteps and seek death? Lu Heng thought about it and decided that this method was too unreliable. It required a perfect alignment of circumstances, and even the slightest mistake could result in a disaster. Since this was his first mission after joining the Special Commissions Team, he'd better handle things with caution.

Suddenly, Lu Heng recalled Zhou Yishu's behavior at school earlier, particularly his reaction to the admiring and adoring glances. The original owner had carefully kept the textbooks from his time in the Martial Arts foundation class on his bookshelf, and after rummaging through them, Lu Heng confirmed his guess.

Emotions like pure appreciation, admiration and so on can generate thought power for Martial Artists, though the effect is minimal compared to the powerful emotions evoked during a live stream of hunting mutated creatures, where the viewers' intense emotions provide much stronger energy. For Martial Artists with advanced cultivation, the energy from such mild admiration might just bring a fleeting sense of pleasure.

But this was it! Though paltry, ants are still meat!

While ordinary people's hearts cannot store thought energy, the heart inside Lu Heng was different. It was an innate Martial Artist's heart. The only reason it couldn't establish a thought energy cycle was due to the blocked heart apertures, but storing thought energy was no problem. Many little drops make an ocean, and there will inevitably be a day when he gathers enough thought energy to break through the blockage.

However, the original Zhou Yiheng had a low-key personality that avoided drawing attention. To not be OOC or attract the Zhou family's attention, Lu Heng naturally couldn't shine brightly in the school to attract everyone's attention and collect thought energy.

This wasn't a problem for Lu Heng—the perfect path was already laid out before him.

What was the hottest fad in this world? Live streaming. The entertainment industry in this world is completely built on livestreaming platforms. The live streams of Martial Artists' hunting are like Hollywood blockbusters in Lu Heng's world. In addition to this, there are also all kinds of ordinary people's livestreams, which constitute the daily entertainment of the masses in this world.

After officially moving out of the Zhou family and into his dorm, Lu Heng quietly rented an apartment on the side, ready to start his own streaming career.

However, to rise to fame quickly, he needed a unique and eye-catching strategy. Time was not on his side, and Lu Heng couldn't afford to waste any of it on trial and error for his first step.

I have to stake it all for the sake of the mission, Lu Heng convinced himself.

The OhMyMy live streaming platform was the largest site for ordinary people's livestreams. One particular streaming room suddenly skyrocketed in popularity overnight.

#CheeringTheCrossdressingKing#

#I actually lost to a boy in beauty contest, I'm so ashamed of my gender#

#Streamer, I'm bent for you. I'm willing to pay any price as long as you dress in women's clothing for our dates#

Similar trending topics dominated the headlines of the OhMyMy livestreaming platform.

---

Translator:

Hiya! Just a quick note: I'll be translating 古武者 as "Ancient Martial Artist" instead of "Ancient Warrior" from now on. With the Seven-Aperture heart, thought power cycling, and breakthroughs, this setting feels a lot like cultivation but with some tweaks, so a more literal translation seems best.

I'm really happy to see your comments! Keep them coming!

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