After scrolling through a bunch of photos on her phone, Zhou Suzhi had a clue.
Whether walking, sitting, or going out for a stroll, Xu Qing always snapped a few photos. Even if she wasn't his girlfriend at the moment, the guy was definitely interested in her.
Xu Qing was interested in her—and she was staying at Xu Qing's place.
They were obviously into each other.
"You look quite young, eighteen, right? Which school do you go to?"
"I'm not in school."
"Not in school? With looks like yours, how is that possible?"
"What does being good-looking have to do with going to school?" Xu Qing wondered. "It's not a beauty contest. Isn't it reasonable that a person from poor circumstances can't afford it?"
"If he's a top student, girls will be interested in him, right? Lounging around at home every day, clutching his computer, and not even having a job," Xu Wenbin scoffed.
"Alright, alright, I'm not a freeloader yet. Wait until I start to freeload before you snort at me."
"Snort, as if I'd let you freeload off me."
"How did you two meet?" Zhou Suzhi didn't care to bother with the father and son arguing and was still feeling sorry for the girl who was so young and not in school. "She's not from Jiangcheng?"
"Let's go back to talking about me freeloading," Xu Qing said helplessly, not wanting to delve too much into Jiang He's situation.
This female hero still hadn't figured out how to get by in this world, and here they were, ready to matchmake for her. That shouldn't be the case, it really shouldn't.
After finishing dinner, it was nearly 8:30 p.m. The night was deepening. Zhou Suzhi cleaned up the dishes and went into the kitchen. Xu Wenbin sat on the sofa with a cup of tea, watching TV. Xu Qing stayed for a while, having looked and asked all he needed to. With nothing else to do, he got up to leave.
"I'm heading back now. You guys should go to sleep early. Mom, don't go out to play mahjong every day. You're leaving dad hungry."
"If she didn't play mahjong, she'd be stuck at home more than you," Xu Wenbin had a magical ability to turn the conversation around on Xu Qing.
"Wait, I heard from others that your place is haunted, they described it so vividly—with a woman's crying at midnight, a red-dressed ghost... Everything okay?"
Zhou Suzhi had meant to ask during dinner but got sidetracked by Jiang He's photos and only now remembered.
Xu Qing didn't expect these rumors to become urban legends and scratched his head, pondering for a moment before seriously saying, "It's true, I've heard it too."
"Ah? Really?!"
"Yeah, Dad, you'll have to cut my rent in half, that's a haunted house, or else I'm not renting."
"...Nonsense!"
"There was a mage performing rituals there just a few days ago, you saw it too..."
"Lower it, give him a discount," Zhou Suzhi chimed in. "Regardless of ghosts, having a girlfriend increases expenses."
"He says she's not."
"She is! She's my girlfriend!" Xu Qing asserted definitively.
"..."
...
...
Taking advantage of the night, Xu Qing arrived home to find Jiang He still awake. The living room was brightly lit, and at some point, she had taken out her sword and held it in her arms, turning her head to look at Xu Qing as he entered.
"Why are you holding the sword again? Did you just practice?"
Xu Qing glanced at the computer, which was shut and not turned on.
Jiang He's lips moved slightly but she said nothing. She stood up to go back to her room and shortly afterward, took her clothes to shower.
"Why do you need to bring the sword to the shower?"
"...I want to."
??
Xu Qing was puzzled by her bizarre behavior, "Wait, did something happen while I was out?" He looked back at the door, asking, "Did someone come in?"
"No."
"Then who are you guarding against? Me?"
"No, you are a good person."
"..."
Unable to get to the heart of the matter, Xu Qing didn't dwell on it any further. As long as she wasn't guarding against himself, that was fine.
The great hero Xu Qing couldn't possibly be guarded against like a predator.
Water sounds came from the bathroom; Xu Qing leaned on the sofa and glanced over. At his virile age, it was inevitable for him to think about this and that, but he quickly adjusted himself, silently reciting that he was a hero who might not withstand a punch, and managed to suppress any wayward thoughts.
About ten minutes later.
Jiang He emerged from the bathroom, her face blushing a delicate pink from the steam of her shower, her tender profile looking nothing like that of a female warrior who roamed the martial world.
Xu Qing wasn't seeing her for the first time, yet he still found himself a bit startled, "Does practicing martial arts also have a beautifying effect?"
"Hmm?" Jiang He, while searching for a hairdryer, turned to look at him.
"You were exposed to sun and wind before, and even if your skin wasn't rough, it shouldn't be this delicate, right? And you say you don't know Inner Strength?!"
"I wanted to teach you, but you didn't want to learn."
"...Standing post?"
"Of course."
Xu Qing felt troubled. Others just have to snap their fingers, or clap their hands together to learn all kinds of peerless martial arts, but when it was his turn, why did he have to go through the grueling practice of something like standing post?!
"Maybe in the future you could start a martial arts beauty class, I guess... wait, no."
He had just begun to form an idea about Jiang He's future career plans when he dismissed it—considering how many people bought gym memberships and hardly went all year, let alone managed to lose weight, practice martial arts?
Practice my ass.
"Let me help you, blow-drying long hair is quite a hassle, just sit."
Seeing Jiang He take out the hair dryer and start drying her hair awkwardly, Xu Qing went over to lend a hand, and Jiang He hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.
"Did that mage catch a ghost a few days ago?" She sat quietly on the chair for a moment before speaking up.
"No, it's all a scam."
"He didn't catch one?"
"Where would he catch it?"
Xu Qing found it amusing inside. The person pretending to be a ghost was asking if a ghost had been caught—truly fantastical.
"You sneaking out in the middle of the night and being mistaken for a ghost, where in the world are there any ghosts... If someone's going to catch ghosts, they would need to catch you first."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Impossible, I'm a human."
"Yeah, you're human. The key is that no one has ever seen martial arts like yours. Jumping around like that in the middle of the night, of course, you'd be mistaken for a ghost. Just don't go climbing over walls at midnight and you'll be fine."
"Why don't you practice martial arts?"
"Maybe... because it's too hard," Xu Qing didn't really have an answer to this question, but that didn't prevent him from trying to instill a concept in Jiang He, "Now that living standards have improved, people have stood up. There's no need to train hard in martial arts for self-defense. Everyone is thinking about how to enjoy themselves, and being highly skilled in martial arts isn't very useful. Then, all those martial arts naturally fade away—
In short, the more people are content with their lives, the fewer martial artists there are. Those who obsess over perfecting their martial arts in order to go out and fight and bully others are just crazy. Don't pick up that bad habit."
"Practicing martial arts is for strengthening the body and maintaining health. Who would enjoy fighting and killing?"
"Strength and health aren't that useful either. I heard practicing martial arts leaves a lot of hidden injuries, is that true?"
"External martial arts can cause this problem, but internal martial arts focus on cultivating energy and do not leave hidden injuries."
"Well, most people here who don't practice martial arts live to their seventies or eighties. What about those who practice internal martial arts over there?"
"..."
Jiang He fell silent.
As Xu Qing helped her blow-dry her hair with the hair dryer, he said, "The better the living conditions, the fewer people there are practicing martial arts, because people enjoy comfort. If they have a choice, who would endure the hardship of martial arts? So you see, I'm too lazy to learn...
History also shows us this truth. Initially, Aqing with a bamboo sword broke through the ranks of three thousand armored soldiers. Later on, Guo Jing defended a city but couldn't stand against a few hundred men. Then there was someone, Ling Huchong, who could dominate the martial world with just swordsmanship, without the aid of Inner Strength. Then by the time Wei Xiaobao came along, it was all over."
"Why didn't I see these people when I read history?" Jiang He asked, puzzled.
"Uh... This is Sir Jin's version of history. Anyway, martial arts are a thing of the past. To live comfortably today, you've got to rely on technology. If you had today's technology back in your time, with enough food to eat and money to spend, the youth would definitely be playing video games every day—who would bother with lousy martial arts? In a while, put away your sword. What's the point of holding onto it?"
"There's a ghost; I have it with me for self-defense."
"What ghost? You're talking nonsense; it's all your doing."
"I saw it," Jiang He shrank her neck, weakly protesting.
"Huh?"
Xu Qing paused in his action, "What did you see?"
"When you went out, I saw a ghost."
"..."