Xiaorui silently confirmed it, while Ling Xuan turned beet red. The group gave her a thorough once-over, making her feel both uneasy and embarrassed.
Jingwen, being more polite, was the first to extend his hand. "Hello, we're all friends of Hongkeng. I'm Jingwen."
Ling Xuan nodded, shook his hand, and then greeted the others, quickly picking up on everyone's names. Xiaorui glanced at Bang Zhi and asked curiously, "Youqin-jie, who's this?"
Ling Xuan smiled. "Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This is my friend, Bang Zhi. He's the one who brought me here."
"He brought you here? You guys drove?"
"No," Ling Xuan looked at Bang Zhi and, with a hint of mystery, told the group, "He's just like you... knows a lot of strange skills. He's the one who transported me here."
The group exchanged glances, their expressions growing more serious as they looked at Bang Zhi. Xiaorui extended his hand, his tone somewhat frosty. "Hello, I'm Xiaorui."
Bang Zhi, still looking as simple as ever, grasped Xiaorui's hand and said, "I'm Bang Zhi."
Xiaorui frowned slightly but soon invited the two to sit down.
"Youqin-jie, feel free to order anything. Tonight's on Ba-ge," Wen Ning smiled at Ling Xuan, handing her the menu.
Ling Xuan didn't seem particularly hungry, so she passed the menu to Bang Zhi. His stomach had long been rumbling, and hearing that someone was treating them, he ordered without hesitation, pointing out several more dishes to the waiter.
"Alright... eat up first. Once we're done, I'll take you both to Qingcheng." Xiaorui looked at Ling Xuan and Bang Zhi, stating calmly.
The others were stunned. Lao Lu, surprised, asked, "Are you serious? You're really taking them to Qingcheng?"
Jingwen chimed in, "Yeah, Qingcheng isn't just a place anyone can enter. You should think this through."
Xiaorui stayed silent, and seeing this, Jingwen added, "I'm not saying Youqin can't go—she's Hongkeng's girlfriend, of course she can. But..." He glanced at Bang Zhi, who was still eating without a care in the world, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
Xiaorui took a quick look at Bang Zhi as well, seemingly recalling something. "Don't worry, I'll talk to Sister Zhong. I believe it won't be a big deal. In fact, it's probably something you'll be pleased to see."
The others fell silent, casting strange looks at Bang Zhi as he stuffed himself. Unaware of the tension, Bang Zhi, with food still in his mouth, grinned and asked, "What's up, everyone? Not full yet? There's more food..."
The meal finished quickly. Despite eating a lot, Bang Zhi didn't slow the pace, leaving the group dumbfounded as they watched him polish off his sixth bowl of rice. In the end, Lao Ba had to foot the bill, costing him quite a bit. Though the amount wasn't much for him, he couldn't help grumbling a few words and casting a somewhat altered look at Bang Zhi.
"Xiaorui, are we heading to Qingcheng now?" Ling Xuan asked excitedly, unable to contain herself.
"Yes, Qingcheng is in the center of ST. It's not far from here, but we'll fly over—it won't take long." Since there was no longer any need to hide, Xiaorui said it outright.
Seeing Ling Xuan's surprised expression, Lao Ba teased, "Heh, Youqin, don't be scared later. None of us here are ordinary folks, you'll get used to it..."
Lanhai joined in, joking, "Yeah, yeah, don't freak out like Wen Ning did back then—so scared she almost wet herself..."
"You...! Lanhai, when did I ever do that!" Wen Ning protested, her little fists flying towards Lanhai, her face flushed with anger, making her look adorably upset.
Jingwen glanced at Bang Zhi and said, "Hey, Iron Brother, can you fly? If not, I'll carry you."
Bang Zhi looked at Ling Xuan, then at Jingwen, before finally scratching his head and awkwardly replying, "I... I'll skip my little tricks... Jingwen-bro, I'll rely on you."
Jingwen smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Since each person had different abilities, everyone used their own unique methods to fly. For me, flying by sword is the fastest. Lanhai flew, leaving behind a trail of pale yellow light. Lao Lu couldn't fly, so Lao Ba carried him. Lao Ba sprouted two silver, transparent wings on his back and moved quickly. The strangest one was Jingwen—he summoned a giant beast with wings, covered in feathers, its face twisted and ferocious. It almost scared Youqin and Bang Zhi out of their wits, but Jingwen assured them the beast, called Luke, was his ride. Luke seemed to have a mind of its own but had no choice but to follow Jingwen's orders. It was spacious enough for Jingwen, Wen Ning, and Tie Dan to ride on, flying no slower than the others. As for Xiaorui, his posture remained as eerie as ever.
Ling Xuan clung to Xiaorui, watching the landscape below speed by, feeling a wave of envy. She had often dreamed of flying freely in the sky, though it always seemed beyond the realm of possibility. Yet now, that dream was coming true, albeit with someone else's help. Overjoyed, she asked, "Xiaorui, can Hongkeng do this too?"
Xiaorui nodded, "For him, it's effortless."
Imagining him soaring through the skies, Ling Xuan couldn't help but smile. Looking back at the others trailing behind, she turned to Bang Zhi and asked with a grin, "Bang Zhi-ge, are you scared?"
Bang Zhi seemed a bit anxious, his eyes avoiding looking down, but hearing Ling Xuan's voice, he mustered up his courage, "If Youqin's not scared... then I... I'm not scared either!" He even puffed out his chest as he spoke.
Wen Ning burst into laughter. "Oh, Bang Zhi-ge, just stop looking down. You'll get used to it eventually..."
"I... I wasn't scared..." Bang Zhi blushed, managing to blurt out the words after a long pause.
"Hey Lao Lu, why didn't you bring your T-50? It'd save Lao Ba some effort..." Lanhai remarked.
Lao Lu shot him a glare. "That's government property. You think I can just take it out whenever I want? Without orders, I can't even if I wanted to."
Lanhai thought for a moment and said, "Then how come you could take it out so easily before?"
"That was different. Do you have any idea how strategically important this area is to the government? Flying a plane here is pure fantasy. Even the commander wouldn't dare order it out."
Jingwen looked at Lanhai and said, "Lao Lu, don't bother explaining. Lanhai just wants to slack off and ride in your plane..."
Lanhai didn't respond, glaring at Jingwen.
Lao Lu suddenly asked, "Hey, Xiaorui, are you sure we're okay bringing Bang Zhi to Qingcheng? We don't even know him that well."
"He saved Youqin-jie. We'll leave it to Sister Zhong to decide. Besides, with me around, what's there to worry about?" Xiaorui said confidently.
"Alright, since you've said so..." Lao Lu remained unconvinced but didn't argue further.
As the group soared through the skies, Qingcheng gradually came into view. To outsiders, it looked like a heavily guarded, modern fortress. But to those familiar with it, it was the heart of an extraordinary world—a sanctuary of power and secrets waiting to be revealed.