Bo Lifen was in no way supposed to be seen by Li Yang himself. She gathered her wits and cleared her throat, making her way out of the closet as she tried to keep her aloofness. She looked him properly in the eye and gave him a confident smile.

In the art of both war and relationships.. the first one to succumb to admitting more interest than the other was the loser! She couldn't risk being on that side of the party.historical

Li Yang raised a brow at her response. "I'm really curious though."

Bo Lifen was too old to be playing around with her feelings like a silly highschooler. She frowned and gave him a look.

"You refused to have dinner with me then in less than thirty minutes you arrived at the same diner that I was in. I thought you.. but anyway, you were looking all frustrated after a private conversation with Mou Gu, that you ran off with him following you in tow. Of course, I would get worried."

"...And to summarize, you followed us all the way to here." Li Yang pointed out. He let out an amused sigh but made sure to hold it back for her sake. It was a terrible decision to follow him, even with the others as company, but it wasn't a lie to say that he appreciated the effort.

More than that actually.

Her presence was a welcome surprise.

"So you got back your secretary. Why isn't she with you?" Bo Lifen crossed her arms over her chest. She was clearly not happy about the man's affections and attention on another woman, but neither had she and him actually made a step forward in their relationship.

It made sense for him to try and get his secretary back from the Lius too.

Li Yang looked at the shorter woman.. and slightly wondered why as well. But then he frowned and shrugged. "She's free to go wherever she likes, I don't have to constantly keep her at my side."

"Even if you just staged a solo and crazy rescue mission?"

"...Yes."

"You're a lot more impulsive than you make yourself out to be.. I'm not sure if I said that before already," Bo Lifen pursed her lips at him. "Someone else might use the word courageous though. A risk taker? Big balls maybe. Forget that last part."

"Impulsive is a good word. Although that diminishes the fact that I do consider and weigh in my options." Li Yang replied and glanced over his shoulder. "Right now, I just wanted to rest but I didn't expect you to be here. So it reminds me, have I thanked you properly, yet?"

"I did nothing to deserve any thanks." Bo Lifen waved him off.

It was difficult to get mad at someone who always accepted the words that you threw at him. Or maybe it was just because it was Li Yang that Bo Lifen was dealing with. While she thought that some of his actions needed more carefulness, it seemed as if the man was operating under some sort of schedule.

Rushed and hurried.. Li Yang just got back but it seemed like there were several things on his plate.

It wasn't everyday that a man would return to the city, meet up with an idol celebrity, sleep with her, find Mou Gu and then launch a visit to one of the hidden cultivation islands in less than twenty four hours, get a girl and then board one of the ancient ships back to Shanghai.

"I'm grateful that you're here. Even if.. I don't say it that much." Li Yang studied her face for a moment. "It's ridiculous to say that I'm not good with words, but I really prefer not to speak too much and simply let my actions and deeds dictate where our relationship will go."

"...By deeds, do you mean, sleeping with me?" Bo Lifen coughed lightly.

"No, not exactly just that." Li Yang didn't had that in his mind when he said that.

"I figured."

A silence emanated between them at that moment. There was no rocking of their ship that could distract them while the two of them both thought of something to say.

Bo Lifen looked down at the floor. "Uh, nice shoes by the way."

Li Yang looked at his feet and quickly started pulling off the rather tacky shoes. Contrary to expectations, it resembled something that didn't fit his robes at all. "This is just something I needed to use earlier. It helps boost my speed."

"Neat. Did you get it in the black market or something?" Bo Lifen asked. "It might be harder to buy things now after the culmination of events today. Heard the explosion and everything."

"There are other places, you know?" Li Yang shrugged.

"Overseas? In another city?" Bo Lifen eyed the footwear with interest. She knew good quality and despite its appearance, she wasn't fooled and could tell that it was high quality material. "I know Shen Society does have ties in other countries too. But ah.. you said you wanted to rest, didn't you? Don't let me bother you anymore."

She caught herself before the two of them divulged into conversation about his clothing just to have them spend time with each other longer. It was a bit too ridiculous for her to do that while she was aware that he needed rest.

Even if a cultivator was physically capable, the mental strength and energy was another thing entirely.

"I'm still good and fine—it won't actually take too long before we get to the city." Li Yang answered. He didn't mind standing around some more if it meant he could chat with her.

"Please don't jinx us with words like that." Bo Lifen made a face. "The Heavens tend to make us swallow our words if we declare to know one thing, then they do the exact opposite."

"The Heavens.. when you say that. What exactly do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not thinking of angels and cherubs if that's what you're asking. I mean the ones who probably ascended maybe and have their own vested interest on earth? I'm not so sure myself if there are many that pay attention since even once a cultivator ascends into the higher realms, there are countless realms above it and they need to work hard for it."

It simply meant that only those at the pinnacle of creation and those who could afford to watch in their lofty realms were the ones who watched them right now.

That said a few things or so about immortality.

Li Yang tried to place his hands into his pockets, but his robes had none. "It's because there's not enough resources though, right? That is the conundrum in the cultivators nowadays and even those who are presumably above."

"Right. That's why there's tribulation for those who go against heaven's will." Bo Lifen scratched her cheek. She wasn't the best person to ask about it, when even their matriarch had never actually reached the second stage. "I suppose you're aiming to be an immortal, huh?"

"That's the first course of action." Li Yang nodded. "I'm still in the Qi Condensation stage, so there's a long way to go before I can even think of ascending into that."

He had all the means though because of the so-called granted gift from the Heavens itself.

So it was only a matter of time.

"And after that.."

"Foundation establishment." Li Yang replied. "There are several stages after that."

Bo Lifen already knew those, so she waved him off. "Let's just say that you got what you wanted. Somehow, you manage to become one of the few named individuals here on earth that achieves immortality without being born with it," Bo Lifen said. "What happens next after that?"

"After becoming an immortal, the next step is divinity, isn't it?"

If he needed to give those who provided him the System a piece of his mind, it truly meant that he needed to be on their level. Higher actually.

That was a long way to go.

Li Yang would have preferred not to say it aloud, but it was doubtful that the gods were incapable of foreseeing what he had in mind. Thus, if there were no surprises in his future actions, it only meant that he needed to work harder and take advantage of everything at his disposal.

It was still a wonder why they haven't meddled with the Patch Update either.

Bo Lifen gave the man currently lost in his thoughts a good look, she was fully aware that there were immortals and then gods, but even those in the latter were on another level.

Did he know the difference?

The man was gone in a year and even her lack of cultivation prowess didn't mean she couldn't read or see how he carried himself with difference now. Li Yang even went to Liu's island all by himself and was able to escape.

That spoke volumes to how far he had come.

Whether it was through luck, skill, or simply wit.. all three of them were something that was necessary to reach the Heavens. That was a great contrast when it came to her.

She eventually sighed wistfully. "I would say that if anyone else told me that, I'd think that they're being cocky. I wouldn't be surprised if some 'random' lightning suddenly took you out before you became a threat. But you're being serious.. and based from what I've already seen now, there's no stopping you."

A small rueful smile played on her lips.

It was the kind of expression and tone that made Li Yang pause unsteadily. "What about you?"

"Eh, you know that my ancestors once served gods with tea. That's how Heavenly Jade Pavilion came to be." Bo Lifen tilted her head and then broke out into a grin.. "Maybe I'll brew you a cup in my next life."