Throughout the night, Tie Zhu continued refining the techniques he had received from Wang Yazhu. Although he could not claim to have perfected the Rift Splitting technique, he felt confident in his ability to use it in practical scenarios. In addition, he began practicing the Overlord Lightning Formation technique. However, he was disappointed to find that he had made little progress.
His rigorous training left him constantly in need of replenishing his spiritual essence. Over the course of the night, he absorbed more than a thousand low-grade spirit stones. Had any other cultivator known that he had used so many resources with little to show for it, they would have been driven mad with rage as obtaining even a single low-grade spirit stone for them would be a difficult feat.
* * *
By the time it was already 10 AM, Tie Zhu hurriedly took a shower, before putting on his clothes to pick Tao Keke up. However, before he went to pick up Tao Keke he quickly made his way to the nearest ATM, as he was more used to paying in cash. '200 RMB should be enough for today right?' Tie Zhu asked himself. If this was any other time he may have winced, as 200 RMB would be enough to last him more than a week, however he comforted himself a little as he looked at the card Xiao Ling had given him.
"bzzt"
After dispensing the money, and receipt Tie Zhu quickly put the money in his wallet, however as soon as he looked at the receipt his eyes almost popped out of his head.
'What!!! Am I dreaming? Did she give me the wrong card or something?!' Tie Zhu couldn't help but shout in his head as he saw a five followed by seven zeros. 'No... I must have read it wrong... One, two.... Seven, $! @#&# f.. Fifty million?!' Tie Zhu thought in shock. Although he knew that Bing Meifeng's family was wealthy he did not expect that her mother could give him something so valuable so casually. At most he had expected the card to hold one million RMB, and although he had a treasure trove filled with priceless treasures, he was not only unable to use most of them, but doing so would even cause him unnecessary danger.
While he was still disoriented in having so much money to his name, he made his way to Tao Keke's home as he tried to think of what he could to to make the date more special.
*Knock, knock, knock* The sound of knocking reverberated as Tie Zhu nervously waited in front of Tao Keke's door. Although he had been to Tao Keke's home countless times, he couldn't help but feel that today's situation was completely different.
With a metallic "clank", the door slowly opened, revealing a breathtaking sight. Tao Keke stood there in a loose-fitting white blouse, her curves highlighted by the elegant fabric. The delicate fabric flowed down to her black skirt, which revealed her long, jade-like legs.
Tie Zhu's eyes widened as he took in her stunning appearance. He was speechless, mesmerized by her beauty. His heart raced as he struggled to find the right words to say.
Tao Keke noticed his prolonged stare and blushed, her eyes downcast. "What are you looking at?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tie Zhu stammered, his voice shaky. "No, nothing. It's just that I've never seen you wear those clothes before. You're looking especially beautiful today."
She smiled, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. It was clear that his compliment had made her happy.
"Okay, let's go then," he said, regaining his composure. "I'll take you somewhere different today." He held out his hand, and she took it, their fingers intertwining as they walked towards the car.
"What, where are we going?" Tao Keke asked curiously.
"You will see soon." Tie Zhu replied.
* * *
Two hours later.
"Why did you choose to come here? Isn't it too fancy over here." Tao Keke asked as she was standing next to Tie Zhu in the middle of a high end shopping mall. Because of their appearance they did not stand too much out of place, however Tao Keke could not help but feel somewhat inferior and nervous being surrounded by such high end luxury brand shops.
During the past two hours, Tie Zhu had actually drove all the way to Shanghai, and the place they were at now was Shanghai's luxury IFC shopping mall.
"No, look around, there are plenty of other people around and none of them can compare to you. Since we have come so far let's just enjoy it, we can go and sight see around later too. Let's go find the cinema here, I've read online that there's a really good one here." Tie Zhu said, while he held her hand once again before searching for the cinema.
As they walked through the bustling mall, the bright lights and colorful displays caught their eyes, but Tie Zhu couldn't shake off the excitement of taking Tao Keke out to the cinema and a fancy dinner. Finally, they arrived at the entrance, greeted by the savory aroma of freshly popped popcorn and the flickering lights of movie posters. As they stepped closer, Tie Zhu couldn't help but notice the array of high-class restaurants that surrounded the cinema, each one looking more inviting than the last.
But as they approached the ticket counter, Tie Zhu's excitement faded as he saw the long line of people waiting to get their tickets. "It looks like we will have to wait a while," he sighed, looking down at Tao Keke.
Tao Keke nodded in agreement, "Yeah, hopefully they won't be sold out, I was also looking forward to the movie."
While Tie Zhu and Tao Keke were lining up for their tickets, unknown to both of them someone they knew was nearby! Not far in a nearby restaurant Bing Meifeng was actually sitting at a table with a slightly overweight young man who looked around twenty years old. This was none other than Long Dahai.
Bing Meifeng had been dreading the prospect of meeting Long Dahai all morning. The mere thought of his crude personality and unpleasant demeanor had cast a shadow over her day. To make matters worse, he had insisted on taking her to see the latest Avengers movie, despite her repeated objections. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a dark room with him for several hours. She couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as she sat across from him at the restaurant table, her appetite completely gone.
Bing Meifeng slumped in her seat, trying her best to make herself look as unattractive as possible. Her once smooth, glowing complexion was now hidden behind blotchy, poorly applied makeup. She had piled her hair up into a messy bun and wore a large hoodie and baggy sweatpants that swamped her petite frame. Despite her efforts, her natural beauty still shone through, but it was at least enough to deter unwanted attention from Long Dahai. This however was the reason why she had gone unnoticed by Tie Zhu and Tao Keke.
Long Dahai, however, seemed oblivious to her discomfort. He leaned in, flashing a crooked smile that made Bing Meifeng's skin crawl. "Why don't you just watch the movie with me?" he said, trying to sound charming. "I've already booked the best VIP seats for the movie. You won't regret it!" Bing Meifeng fought the urge to roll her eyes and instead looked out the window, praying for a way out of this situation.
'...Isn't that Tie Zhu.. And Tao Keke? Why are they here?' Bing Meifeng suddenly thought in shock as she noticed two familiar faces. However the next moment her shock was replaced with an uncomfortable feeling as she saw the two of them intimately holding hands.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Bing Meifeng suddenly said, ignoring Long Dahai's incessant bragging. However rather than going to the bathroom she actually stealthily approached the location of Tie Zhu and Tao Keke.