Chapter Three: The Lady Driver

6:00 PM.

Lin Yi was preparing to head out for his shift at the bar.

The bar where he worked was a quiet lounge, located near the university he attended. Its patrons were mainly students, and Lin Yi much preferred this tranquil atmosphere to the clamor of typical nightclubs.

He descended the stairs and rode his Phoenix-brand bicycle to work.

He hadn’t gone far when his phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was the bar manager.

Lin Yi didn’t care much for this manager—an overbearing man who was fond of meddling and, worse, taking advantage of the female staff. The problem was that the manager had certain connections; he was acquainted with some local punks. Thus, the girls could only swallow their grievances in silence, unwilling to risk trouble by complaining.

Lin Yi answered the call, and the bar manager’s loud voice blared through the receiver: “Hey, Lin Yi, starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come in anymore. Our humble establishment can’t afford a big shot like you!”

Lin Yi didn’t need to think to know that this was the handiwork of Yang Mo and Wang Hongquan.

“I understand,” Lin Yi replied calmly, and hung up.

His job as a bar waiter was just a way to pass the time; with his unnaturally long lifespan, if he didn’t find ways to amuse himself, he might die of sheer boredom. Still, he had half a month’s wages yet to collect. He didn’t care much for the money, but it was his by right and he wouldn’t let the manager pocket it for nothing.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine shattered the quiet.

Lin Yi glanced back to see a red Ferrari speeding toward him, not slowing in the slightest.

It was definitely a woman behind the wheel, mistaking the accelerator for the brake, one hand furiously pressing the horn.

“Surely she won’t hit me?” Lin Yi thought, a line of exasperation creasing his brow. He had no desire to be caught up in an accident for no reason.

With a flick of his finger, a surge of true energy enveloped the out-of-control Ferrari.

The car came to a halt just as it was a fist’s breadth away from him—no, a child’s fist at best.

The door burst open and a striking woman stepped out.

She looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, with an air of innocence and long, flowing hair. Her legs, ivory-like and gleaming with health, were especially eye-catching.

“I’m so sorry—are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Should we go to the hospital?” Wang Ke, clearly aware of her mistake, apologized earnestly.

“No need, I’m fine. Just be more careful next time,” Lin Yi replied.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get checked? It’s better to be safe,” Wang Ke pressed, still uneasy.

“Really, it’s not necessary.” With that, Lin Yi got back on his bike and rode off.

Timely Rain Bar—that was where Lin Yi worked.

He had just parked his bicycle when several swaggering punks approached, each gripping an iron rod. It was clear they were here to cause trouble.

“Lin Yi, that’s you, right?”

The leader, a brash blond with a punkish air, rested his iron rod on his shoulder, striking a pose.

Lin Yi didn’t respond; he recognized the man—Huang San, a notorious local hoodlum and the bar manager’s accomplice.

He was infamous in the area for extorting protection money and acting as a hired thug.

“Silent, eh? Fine, come with us,” Huang San said, gesturing toward a nearby alley with his iron rod.

“Alright,” Lin Yi agreed without hesitation.

This earned him a second look from Huang San, who nodded approvingly. “You’ve got guts, kid.”

Most people would have been scared out of their wits by now. This one, though, walked calmly into the tiger’s den—either a fool or a man of real ability.

But if he really was so capable, why would he settle for being a bar waiter?

They entered the alley.

“Kid, someone’s offering two hundred thousand for your leg. Which one will it be?” Huang San said coldly.

“I’ll give you a choice, too,” Lin Yi replied, expressionless. “Leave now, before I get angry.”

“Well, look at you!” Huang San laughed, pointing his rod at Lin Yi.

His followers snickered. Did this kid not see the situation? Did he think he was some martial arts master who could take on ten men at once?

“Why waste time, Third Brother? Let’s pick for him—left leg!” said a youth with earrings, swinging his rod toward Lin Yi.

A blow like that would surely break a bone.

Lin Yi sneered. With his cultivation at the Golden Core stage, he could stand there and let them hit him for three days and nights without so much as a scratch.

Just as Lin Yi was about to act, a red Ferrari skidded to a stop at the alley entrance in a spectacular drift.

The driver was none other than Wang Ke.

As she stepped out, she moved with the grace of a hunting leopard.

Bang!

The earringed youth’s iron rod never landed. Instead, it collided with the crystal heel of Wang Ke’s sandal.

“Ow, that hurts,” Wang Ke winced. Her body strengthening technique was only at the first layer, so her strength had just reached the early stage of inner power.

Bare-handed, she could take on four or five grown men by herself; if they had weapons, three was her limit.

Fortunately, these were just thugs with no real training. Otherwise, she might have been in trouble today.

With a few swift punches and kicks, Wang Ke knocked the punks to the ground. Feeling a rush of pride, she raised an eyebrow at Lin Yi. “Hey, so, how about that? Pretty impressive, aren’t I?”

“Not bad. But you lift your leg too high—leaves you open. And your stance isn’t steady. If you faced a real expert, you’d lose in one move,” Lin Yi critiqued.

Wang Ke pouted, unconvinced. “Oh, please. If I hadn’t shown up, you’d be on the ground with them.”

She gave Huang San an extra kick for good measure, annoyed that her efforts were being dismissed. “I saved you, you know. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

“I never asked you to save me. Besides, you scared me earlier—let’s call it even,” Lin Yi replied with a smile.

“You—you…!” Wang Ke was fuming.

People usually fawned over her, but today she’d helped Lin Yi and got nothing in return. It was infuriating; she even considered giving him a beating just to vent her frustration.

But then she remembered her grandfather’s warning and forced herself to calm down. “Wang Ke, you’re a lady, a little fairy. Don’t lose your temper,” she reminded herself.

She then noticed Lin Yi glancing at her with interest and scowled. “What are you staring at?”

“I’m looking openly,” Lin Yi replied, amused. He was simply curious about the moves she’d used.

“Scoundrel!” Wang Ke’s anger soared.

Sensing she was near her breaking point, Lin Yi asked, “Wang Yang—what is he to you?”

Wang Ke’s brows knitted. Wang Yang was her grandfather, but only a handful of old monsters in the city would dare call him by name.

“He’s my grandfather. Why do you ask?” she replied, puzzled but not hiding it. Most people in the city knew she was the Wang family’s little princess.

Lin Yi’s gaze deepened. “I have some history with him. The Nine-Step Breathing Technique and the body strengthening method you practice—were they taught to you by Wang Yang?”

The Nine-Step Breathing Technique and the body strengthening method were a complementary set, designed to maximize human potential—and Lin Yi had created the body strengthening method himself out of boredom.

Back when foreign invaders threatened the land, Lin Yi, as a son of China, had not stood idly by. He’d selected a few promising individuals from the common folk, taking them as registered disciples and teaching each a cultivation method.

Wang Ke’s eyes grew sharp. “Who told you that?”

She had no recollection of Lin Yi, and very few outsiders knew about her family’s secret techniques.

“No one told me,” Lin Yi replied, not elaborating—she wouldn’t believe him anyway.

He glanced at her car, surmising that Wang Yang had done well for himself over the years. “Take me to see your grandfather later. There’s something I need to discuss with him.”

Since he’d encountered a disciple, it was only right to pay a visit.

“And if I say no?” Wang Ke raised an eyebrow, body tensed as if ready to fight.

Lin Yi shot her a cool look. “You can’t beat me.”

“Damn it!” Wang Ke’s veins bulged with fury. Just as she prepared to give him a good thrashing, she saw he was already leaving the alley and heading toward the Timely Rain Bar.

“Just you wait!” she snarled, biting down hard on her lower lip.