As for Xiao Qiang, slipping away under the cover of darkness and dodging the bodyguards was not an issue. As his health improved, the Xiao Family had sent some clothing, which Xiao had neatly put away. As for identification documents, Wang Yue had somehow managed to return Xiao Qiang's previous ID, while his new one was likely still at the Xiao Family's place.
Xiao Qiang quickly packed up, pretending to head out for a stroll, and quietly slipped out of the hospital.
The reason he could leave so easily was thanks to the reporters. Because Xiao Qiang had attracted many journalists, the Xiao Family's bodyguards were all focused on keeping them out of Xiao Wen's ward. They had neglected Xiao Qiang, which provided him with the opportunity to leave the hospital.
As night began to fall, the moon somehow managed to displace the sun and was now looking down upon the world. Xiao Qiang had this feeling, it seemed as though it was mocking him for being such a disgraceful cultivator.
Having merged with the memories of the previous inhabitant of his body, Xiao Qiang knew he was on the outskirts of Mingzhu city, one of the largest cities in Huaxia. Every year, countless young people, much like moths to a flame, flock to this city of millions in pursuit of their dreams.
The previous Xiao Qiang was one of the most invisible inhabitants of this city. He, too, once had dreams. But after countless failures, he realized the stark contrast between romantic dreams and cruel reality. In front of those who held real power, dreams and law were nothing but pitiful jokes.
Standing on the brilliantly lit street, Xiao Qiang felt a surge of anticipation deep within himself. As a cultivator who used to look down upon those of the mortal world from the clouds above, how should he proceed in this strange new world?
Dominating the world, forwarding his ambitions, becoming an immortal....
Such are splendid desires. But for now, even feeding himself has become a problem, not to mention his risk as an illegitimate child of facing life-threatening danger at any time. He barely managed to escape from the hospital unnoticed. Realistically speaking, he should focus on earning money for survival first.
This is Puqing District, which Xiao Qiang didn't have much impression of, except for knowing that it was an administrative district of Mingzhu. As he walked among the busy crowds on the streets, cars were whizzing past him. Without the previous Xiao Qiang's memories, he might have been alarmed by these metal monsters.
Carrying his clothes from the hospital, Xiao Qiang slowly made his way through the crowd, like a boat drifting with the current. He had no idea where he was heading, but he was confident that earning money wouldn't be an issue for him.
Isn't it just for making money? With the wisdom and knowledge he acquired at the Great Perfection stage in his past life, this should be a piece of cake.
When he first stepped into the cultivation world his circumstances were similar to now. He started with a substandard secret rule book, but didn't he still become a Great Perfection grandmaster?
In the words of a character from a movie in Xiao Qiang's memory: "I am a dazzling man who will shine no matter where I am, like a firefly in the dead of night."
Just as he thought this, Xiao Qiang suddenly felt a push from behind. Before he could react, he heard someone yell, "Pickpocket!"
Upon hearing these words, Xiao Qiang was stunned. His hand suddenly felt lighter and the next moment a figure in black vanished right in front of him. An instant later, a woman in a black jacket, blue jeans, and a ponytail appeared before him, sprinting toward him.
Xiao Qiang shrugged his shoulders. Either this woman was a cop or the victim of the theft. After searching his merged memories, he found that the previous Xiao Qiang would have rushed forward to help in situations like these, being a hot-blooded young man with a naive heart.
But the current Xiao Qiang had no such desire. When he was persecuted by practitioners of the Righteous Path, Cai Jin and Bu Zheng, in his previous life, no one had come to his aid.
So, Xiao Qiang cleverly took a step to the left. He didn't want to stir up any trouble that had nothing to do with him. The less the better, at a time like this. Though he wouldn't mind interacting with the police, he was unwilling to waste his precious time on such matters. Considering he had snuck out of the hospital, the Xiao Family was probably in turmoil by now.
His decision was quite normal in the eyes of an average Huaxian. But to Xiao Qiang's shock, his tiny step had an unexpected consequence.
The woman initially intended to dodge Xiao Qiang by passing to his left. But he moved in the same direction at the same time, which resulted in an unintentional collision. Consequently, Xiao Qiang and the woman tumbled together, creating a scene.
The Huaxian audience has always enjoyed such incidents. The crowd, which had dispersed at the cry of "Pickpocket!", quickly came together to form a circle around Xiao Qiang and the woman tangled up in the center.
Xiao Qiang found himself lying on the ground with the woman sprawled on top of him. Seeing her lost for words, Xiao Qiang reached out and pushed her a bit, "Listen here, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt something soft under his palms. The woman's face turned beet red and she pushed herself up from him, standing up as if she had seen a ghost.
Xiao Qiang felt quite embarrassed, he had unintentionally touched the woman inappropriately. But in his defense, he was simply walking along, minding his own business, when she suddenly charged at him. Now, they ended up in such an awkward situation with people watching and gossiping around them, Xiao Qiang felt somewhat flustered.
"Excuse me, miss..."
Xiao Qiang hesitated to open his mouth, then was suddenly at a loss for words.
Just moments ago, the woman had charged so fast that he didn't get a chance to see her before she tackled him to the ground. But now that he finally saw her true face, he was genuinely astounded.
A passage from the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" vividly came to mind: Her grace, like startled swans, her elegance, akin to swimming dragons. In one hand, she held a sprinkling of color, and in the other, she basked in the shade of a cassia tree. As she rolled up her sleeves, her jade-like arms glimmered in the mystical sun, as she plucked the luminescent herbs from the tumbling waters.
Translated into modern language, it essentially described a woman as gracefully elegant as a startled goose taking flight, with a decorated flag on her left and a cassia tree casting shade on her right; she gracefully reached into the Luo River with her pure, delicate arms, picking the dark lingzhi from the rushing waters.
At this moment, the woman standing in front of Xiao Qiang could easily rank amongst the most beautiful women he'd encountered in his hundreds of years of spiritual cultivation. With her curvy brows and cherry-like lips, a tall and model-like physique, she would definitely stand out in any movie, if not for her fierce Facial expression interrupting her overall beauty.
Before Xiao Qiang could finish marveling, the woman furrowed her willowy brows and stared bulgingly at him, anger dripping from her lips. "You're the one behaving like a spoiled little rich girl, you jerk."
Xiao Qiang paused, drawing laughter from the crowd. It was then he realized that the term "spoiled-rich-girl" wasn't exactly considered a compliment in this world.
Xiao Qiang awkwardly glanced at her and stammered out an apology. "Miss, I didn't do that on purpose. I'm sorry. I hope you're not mad."
One way or another, he had touched a crucial part of a girl's body; an apology was surely in order. As the old saying goes: "Be at ease in every situation." Although the essence of Xiao Qiang was a soul of a Daoist cultivator, he was influenced by the previous owner of his body and had some understanding of this world's rules.
The woman shot him a fierce glare and coldly rebuked, "Are you out of your mind?"
Xiao Qiang immediately felt the unfairness. Although he mistakenly touched her, she shouldn't have begun with an insult. "Miss," he retorted, "could you please watch your language?"
"Be polite? With someone like you?" The woman's pretty face reddened, and her chest heaved with anger, a sight rather captivating to the eyes.
Xiao Qiang was livid. It was unintentional; he didn't mean to touch her body. Why was she relentlessly berating him? Being cursed at by a woman didn't sit well with a grown man like him.
"To the lady-whose-name-I-don't-know, Altough I tripped you, and we had some unnecessary contact, and even delayed you from catching the thief, these were all accidents. I had no ill intentions. If there's anything that upset you, I already apologized. If there's nothing else, I need to go."
Xiao Qiang said coldly to the woman. A crowd had begun to form around them, and he wasn't particularly fond of the atmosphere.
Now, it was the woman's turn to be confused. She looked at Xiao Qiang and said with a tinge of pity, "Whom do you think I was chasing after the thief for?"
"Huh?"
At this question, Xiao Qiang was taken aback. He followed her gaze to his side, only to find his old wallet, containing his clothes and credentials, missing!
By heavens!
It finally dawned on Xiao Qiang why everyone around was looking at him curiously, why the woman had reacted so strongly when she fell, They must have never seen a victim who not only gets their belongings stolen but also ends up impeding the thief-catcher.
"Oh, oh..." Stuttering incoherently, Xiao Qiang was shell-shocked. He never expected things to turn out this way.
The woman, exasperated, shook her head, "Come on, let's go to the police station."
Xiao Qiang was surprised, "You're a policeman?"
"A policeman, my foot! Can't I take a stand when I see an injustice being done? You are exactly the reason why there will always be thieves roaming around!" She rebuked him violently, an air of contempt in her eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down Xiao Qiang's face. For the first time, he considered the idea that as a great spiritual master, life in this world might not be as easy-going as he had always imagined.
Here is the third update for the day, asking for favorites, clicks, and recommendation tickets, thanks to the support of all! Thanks everyone!