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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