"Thank you…" Ling Xuan quickly took the wallet from his hand, clutching it tightly.
Later, at a lavishly decorated restaurant, Ling Xuan watched in astonishment as the man devoured his food like a starving beast. She still couldn't believe that this same person had knocked a man out with one punch just moments ago.
"Thanks again for earlier," she said.
"No problem…" He seemed uninterested in conversation, his focus entirely on the meal before him.
After a long silence, the vagrant wiped his mouth with a flourish and shouted, "Ahh… I haven't eaten this well in ages! Thanks a lot, sister!"
Ling Xuan felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her back. The amount of food he consumed could've easily fed her for two days! She had no idea how he managed to eat so much.
Once he was finished, Ling Xuan repeated her thanks. "Really, thank you for what you did earlier. If it weren't for you, I might've…"
The vagrant waved it off. "No need to thank me. My dad always taught me: A man should never let a woman face danger alone. That's just what a man's supposed to do."
"Huh… he's kind of cute," Ling Xuan thought. She then asked, "What's your name? Where do you live? I can give you a ride home." As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Who sits by the roadside like this if they have a home? In a big city like GZ, people like him were far too common.
As expected, the man's face clouded over slightly. "My parents passed a long time ago… it's just me now."
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring up sad memories," Ling Xuan apologized, feeling guilty. A person with no parents wouldn't have a home.
"It's fine… my name's Bang Zhi. And you, sister?"
"Ah… Brother Bang Zhi, just call me Youqin," Ling Xuan replied. Although she'd grown up in the city and lacked the rural folks' straightforwardness, she had never looked down on anyone. After all, this man had saved her life, and he was older than her—calling him "brother" was only natural.
The two sat there chatting, with Bang Zhi showing great interest in conversation. Out of a sense of gratitude, Ling Xuan didn't want to interrupt him. Before long, she learned a bit about his background.
Bang Zhi had grown up in the mountains. Two years ago, his father fell ill and passed away shortly after. His mother, heartbroken, soon followed, leaving the family in ruins. Forced to leave the mountains, Bang Zhi had wandered from city to city, surviving by begging and scavenging. He had only recently arrived in GZ. Due to modern policies, even scavenging had become a competitive job, and with the city cracking down on beggars, he had fallen into such dire straits that he hadn't eaten for three days by the time Ling Xuan encountered him.
It was hard not to feel sorry for him—his story exposed some of the darker sides of China's booming prosperity. Ling Xuan felt sadness in her heart, but mostly relief. At least he had his health and strength; with some luck, he could still find work and wouldn't starve to death.
"By the way, your strength is incredible! You sent someone flying… how did you train for that?" Ling Xuan couldn't help but stare at his arm. It was skinny, with nothing remarkable about it.
"I dunno… I've had this strength since I was a kid. And I can go anywhere I want, too!" Bang Zhi said, his face still innocent and straightforward.
"Go anywhere you want?" Ling Xuan paused, recalling how he had retrieved her wallet so quickly. She had seen some unusual things in her life, so this wasn't too surprising. Testing the waters, she asked, "You mean, you can teleport? Like instant movement?"
"I don't know what you'd call it, but I never lie. I can go wherever I want," Bang Zhi replied, his expression serious.
"Then… could you take me to ST?" she asked hesitantly. She wasn't really expecting it to be possible, but she figured there was no harm in asking. She didn't want me to pick her up—she'd rather show up quietly and surprise me.
"ST? I've never been there, but I think it's doable," Bang Zhi replied, sounding less certain than before.
This piqued her curiosity. She quickly settled the bill, then grabbed Bang Zhi's hand. "Alright, Brother Bang Zhi. First, let me find you a place to stay. Then, if you have time, can you take me to ST?" she said, smiling as they walked toward a nearby hotel.
As evening fell, the sun set in a blood-red sky.
In a quiet park, surrounded by trees, Ling Xuan stood with a blue backpack slung over her shoulder. Bang Zhi was beside her. She pulled something out of her bag and spread it on the ground, pointing to a specific spot. "Brother Bang Zhi, can you take me here?"
Bang Zhi followed her finger with his gaze until it landed on the far right side of the map, in GZ. He thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Really?" Ling Xuan's face lit up with excitement. "You can really take me there?"
He replied, "It's just something I've been able to do since I was little. If you want to go, I can take you. Don't worry, sister, I've got this." He patted his chest confidently.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ling Xuan grasped his hand, her heart racing with excitement. Bang Zhi's face turned slightly red, as if he'd never been this close to a girl before. He glanced at the map again and said, "Ready, sister? I'm going!"
Ling Xuan's face showed a hint of nervousness as she gripped his hand tightly.
With a flash of white light, she felt a gust of wind brush past her ears. When she opened her eyes, the scenery had changed.
"We're here," Bang Zhi's voice said.
Ling Xuan blinked and found herself standing in a bustling street, far from the quiet woods. Pedestrians filled the sidewalks, oblivious to the fact that two people had just appeared out of nowhere.
Ling Xuan's face reflected her disbelief. This boy from the mountains had already surprised her so many times. She even considered whether he might be some kind of alien or supernatural being, but then quickly dismissed the thought. That would mean admitting I was the same.
Whether or not this was really ST didn't matter—he'd just transported them in an instant. Such an ability was astonishing enough. She felt a deep respect for him now, and her curiosity about me grew even stronger.
"Sister, where to next?" Bang Zhi asked, looking at Ling Xuan. She had asked him to bring her here, but now that they'd arrived, she didn't have a plan.
Ling Xuan glanced around. Just this morning, she had been so excited about coming, but now that she was here, she felt lost. She didn't know where I lived, and she wasn't familiar with this part of town. Without me by her side, she felt uncertain.
After thinking for a moment, she pointed ahead and said, "Let's just walk around for a bit." Inside, she debated whether to call me.
At around seven o'clock, the sky had already gone completely dark. A group of six people, five men and one woman, walked into a roadside restaurant.
The five men were familiar to me: Lao Ba, Jing Wen, Lazy Kid, Xiao Rui, and Lao Lu. The woman was named Wen Ning, a year younger than me. True to her name, she had a face as cute as a doll's. She was well-liked in Qingcheng, with many people being fond of her. She was especially close to us and frequently addressed me as "Brother Hongkeng" with a cheerful tone.
The six of them casually found a large round table and sat down, ordering some food. Lao Lu lit a cigarette and began smoking quietly.
Lao Ba glanced around at the others and asked, "So, everyone, any leads yet?"
The others exchanged glances. Jing Wen shook his head and said, "It seems that Hongkeng's actions have already caused some ripples with the Mayans. While it hasn't exactly tipped them off, it's stirred things up a bit. Moving forward won't be easy."
Jing Wen was telling the truth. The entire afternoon had been spent searching all over ST and the surrounding areas, but they hadn't found a single clue.
On the surface, the Mayans looked no different from humans, which had always made it difficult to devise any effective methods for tracking them down. Many of the Mayans they'd encountered before had been found by pure accident or through speculative analysis, much like how I came to know about Lei—pure coincidence.
Of course, no matter how much the Mayans resembled humans, there was always something a bit off about them. They gave off an aura that didn't quite harmonize with the world around them. Relying on these subtle differences, it was possible to barely distinguish a Mayan. But noticing these signs required considerable skill, as the Mayans were, after all, descendants of gods—or so they claimed.