"How's that?" Lu Zheng looked at Lin Wan with smug satisfaction.
They had arrived at an old street bookstore selling scroll art. After purchasing a framed blank scroll, Lu Zheng spread it out over the store's large writing desk and effortlessly penned a piece.
"Great writing, buddy!" The shop owner, a young man, remarked, possibly continuing his father's trade.
"Not bad, you've got a good eye!" Lu Zheng raised a thumbs-up, "My cursive writing definitely surpasses Yan Zhenqing and rivals Wang Xizhi, don't you think?"
The shop owner laughed along, "Exactly, if you lived in ancient times, you'd be a saint of calligraphy!"
From that statement, Lu Zheng knew the guy could differentiate between mere good writing and extraordinary calligraphy art.
"Enough already!" Lin Wan sighed, not because Lu Zheng's writing was bad, but rather because of the content.
"Do you think this is a scene from Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu' or something? Nemesis of Evil—how can I use this for the competition?" Lin Wan complained, "This is a serious contest."
"Oh! Isn't it allowed?" Lu Zheng rubbed his chin, "I wrote something quite serious, are you sure you don't want it? To liven up the atmosphere, do you really aim to win first place?"
"Impossible." Lin Wan pouted, "But writing this means I'll be laughed at."
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, "Who will laugh at you, can they beat you?"
"Right, whoever dares to laugh at me, I'll drag them to the ring!" Lin Wan's eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands, "That's settled then!"
Lu Zheng laughed heartily, feeling as though he had influenced Lin Wan for the worse, which felt rather nice.
The two lingered in the shop for a while, waiting for the ink to dry. The shop owner rolled it up into a presentation box, marking the task completed.
"Where to for lunch?" Lin Wan asked.
"To the City God Temple for crab roe buns?" Lu Zheng suggested.
"No need to pay the IQ tax even if you're wealthy." Lin Wan resignedly replied, "Let's just find a place to grab a bite and head home in the afternoon."
Lu Zheng blinked, "Such a rush?"
Lin Wan was briefly stunned before realizing what he meant, promptly giving Lu Zheng a hard smack, "What are you fantasizing about? I've already practiced up to the eighth form of the 'Eighteen Mountain-Carrying Techniques,' you'll come this afternoon to check if I'm doing it right!"
Amidst dodging her hits, Lu Zheng chuckled, "That's exactly what I meant! We talked about it on the phone yesterday, wasn't that what you were thinking too?"
Lin Wan gritted her teeth, torn between wanting payback and realizing she always ended up begging for mercy herself. This made her blush when remembering the boasting she did to Huang Xiumin.
If a cow were the Demon King, ordinary fields truly wouldn't withstand it.
That's partly why Lin Wan put such effort into her cultivation, hoping to soon cultivate Martial Dao Blood Qi to spar equally with Lu Zheng.
"Singing about royal wealth—what fear of commandments—" Lu Zheng's phone rang.
"Why this ringtone? Didn't you have 'Dream Chaser' before?" Lin Wan asked.
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, "Chased down my dream goddess, so naturally had to switch to 'Daughter's Love'."
"Pfft!" Lin Wan poked Lu Zheng's chest, her expression feigning disdain, but couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips.
"Brother Lu, it's me, He Feixiang!" He Feixiang's voice—the street magician—came from the other end.
"Hey, Brother Lu, remember that livestream we did, getting quite popular? Later when we dined and you allowed it, I edited the clips for overseas upload." He Feixiang stated, "It got over three million views on that network. Brother Lu, you've gained some international fame."
A sociable man, He Feixiang became friends with Lu Zheng following the theme park adventure, meeting again for meals afterward. This call was both catching up and sharing good news.
However, Lu Zheng clearly picked up on He Feixiang's real motive and directly asked, "So, what's the matter?"
"Ah!" He Feixiang quickly spilled out, "A Japanese magician saw the video, got in touch wanting to meet you, to get acquainted."
"Not interested." Lu Zheng immediately replied.
"I expected as much…" He Feixiang scratched his head, "Brother Lu, hear me out—this fellow is an emerging magician in Japan, quite renowned, attending an event in Hai City with a day reserved to meet me. It's just a meal, I'll accompany you and you can leave right after, okay?"
Lu Zheng shook his head, "Still not interested. If you're calling to eat with me, we can chat, but introducing Japanese magicians? I'm not into the magic scene, have no interest in Japanese friends, nor do I need a meal. Just tell them I'm busy."
"Sigh... Fair enough, I'll decline then." He Feixiang resignedly said, aware of Lu Zheng's resolute determination. If he's interested, all it takes is once; if he's not, even eloquence falls short.
After hanging up, Lin Wan chuckled, "Someone from the magic circle seeking you out?"
"Not going, Japanese magicians can't compare to you!" Lu Zheng declared earnestly.
Lin Wan blinked, "I heard Japan has many female magicians, didn't you ask if they're male or female?"
Lu Zheng waved dismissively, "Certainly male. If she were a beauty, He Feixiang would've mentioned it first thing."
"Ahem..." Lu Zheng cleared his throat, "Let's go to Fulong Plaza and grab Japanese cuisine at Akai."
"Why eat that stuff? It's pricey and raw." Lin Wan voiced her distaste, "Let's find a Northwest-style place for beef."
Discussing this, Lin Wan brightened, eyes gleaming with joy, "Hey, since I started martial arts, I've been eating whatever I want while my figure's gotten even better."
Lu Zheng chuckled, "Do you think that's solely because of martial arts?"
"What else..." Lin Wan hesitated before throwing a playful punch.
Lu Zheng caught it with ease, laughing heartily, "Just me, others couldn't handle your punch!"
... Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel·fire·net
Having cabbed to Fulong Plaza, Lu Zheng held Lin Wan's hand while checking his mobile, "Tayar is on the third floor, let's head up then."
The couple stood by the express lift to wait when "ding," the door slid open.
"Brother Lu?" He Feixiang exclaimed in surprise.
"No way?" Lu Zheng stared, agog.
Next to He Feixiang, a young man spotted Lu Zheng and raised his right eyebrow, "You?"
Alongside them was a sultry woman clad in civilian dress scoring at least ninety points—witnessing the scene, she curved her lips into a smile.
Standing by Lu Zheng, Lin Wan, brows furrowing, asked, "Such a coincidence?"
Yet it wasn't the moment for astonishment, so Lu Zheng and Lin Wan headed into the elevator as others did.