The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

Time flies.

Just as the school bell rang, Wu You had finished reviewing the Phantom Flowing Cloud Sword Technique in his mind. He opened his eyes, packed his schoolbag, and got up to leave.

People came and went at the school gate, and students poured out in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.

Hua Linlin stood under a sycamore tree next to the school gate, her hands gripping the straps of her schoolbag, her eyes scanning the crowd.

She was dressed casually today—a light blue floral dress, with her hair down, giving her a different vibe than when she wore her school uniform.

When she saw Wu You come out, her eyes lit up, but she quickly suppressed them again.

She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before taking two steps forward and standing next to Wu You, but deliberately keeping a distance.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat and explained expressionlessly, "This shop was recommended by my cousin, don't overthink it."

Think too much?

What are you thinking about?

Wu You glanced at her, somewhat puzzled.

"Where exactly is that shop? How do we get there?" he asked.

"It's in the city center, a bit far," Hua Linlin said. "You can take a bus, but you'll need to transfer; there's no direct route. Or—"

She paused, trying to sound as natural as possible.

"Taking a taxi is fine too."

If we take a taxi, won't the two of us be in the same car? Will we both have to sit in the back? Won't that be too close?

No, no, I need to be reserved.

Wu You thought for a moment and said, "Let's take a taxi then; transferring is quite troublesome."

If the bus doesn't go directly there, it's a waste of time. He was thinking of buying the sword and then going to Fengxiang Martial Arts School to practice swordsmanship for a while.

Hua Linlin's ears turned red.

This is what he requested.

"Okay, if you don't know the address, I'll call it." She took out her phone, opened the ride-hailing app, and started entering the destination.

. . .

Neither of them noticed.

Two pairs of eyes in the crowd were fixed on this side.

"Ming-ge, look!" a tall, thin boy whispered, "Someone dares to get this close to the school beauty!"

He rolled up his sleeves.

"I'll go teach him a lesson!"

Li Ming stood beside him, his expression complex, and reached out to grab him.

"Stop, stop, stop!" he gritted his teeth. "We're not a gang!"

"But Ming-ge, the school beauty from Hua Campus, she..."

Li Ming sighed.

"Do I, Li Ming, look like the kind of person who can't accept defeat?"

He looked at the two figures, his gaze settling on Wu You. He recognized him—the one Hua Linlin had stared at at the school gate last time, the one carrying a long cloth bag.

Although he understood that the fact that his goddess had lost her composure so much last time meant that this person held a much more important place in her heart than he did.

But today, he could see the distance between the two of them standing together very clearly.

They were at least half a meter apart.

That means they're not together yet!

As long as you're not together yet, there's still a chance!

In terms of family background, his family was quite wealthy, while judging from the material of the boy's clothes, they were probably from an ordinary family. In terms of academic performance, he was always on the honor roll, while he had never seen the other boy on it. In terms of appearance... although he was slightly inferior, he felt he was not bad either.

Therefore, Li Ming has not lost yet!

"No," Li Ming murmured, "we need to take some more action."

He stared at the two figures, his gaze hardening.

. . .

ding ding-

Just as Wu You was about to get into the car with Hua Linlin, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He took out his pure black work phone.

The investigation tooltip alerts you: Respected Torchbearer LH-36, a dark energy field fluctuation has been detected 1.5 kilometers away. Energy Level: First Order. Status: The fluctuation is weak and has not fully erupted. The exact location has been sent to your device.

Wu You was stunned for a moment.

Is this the time for a task?

He put away his phone and looked somewhat embarrassed at Hua Linlin, who was typing in an address.

"Ahem, Hua Linlin."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Hua Linlin looked up, her finger still hovering above the screen.

"I'm sorry, something came up," Wu You said apologetically. "I probably won't be able to go today."

Hua Linlin: "..."

She stood there, frozen, her phone still held up, the ride-hailing app interface still lit up.

Wu You nodded apologetically to her and turned to leave.

He walked very fast, and within seconds he had completely disappeared into the crowd.

Hua Linlin stood still, holding up her phone, looking like a stone statue.

This is……

Did I get stood up again?

This is the second time.

She slowly put down her phone, staring at the direction where Wu You disappeared, clenching her fists tightly.

For some reason, she felt like crying.

. . . . . .

Even with his current speed, Wu You only took a few minutes to reach the mission location, even if he tried to slow down.

A secluded alleyway, surrounded by old buildings slated for demolition, with vines climbing the walls and construction debris piled on the ground, exudes a familiar chill.

Wu You did not hesitate. He calmed the cold air in his body and let the force pull him in.

Black mist surged.

Dark Realm.

A grotesque corpse with distorted features stood not far away. Upon seeing him, it swayed and walked over.

Wu You drew his sword.

Just as he was about to finish him off with a single sword strike, he suddenly paused.

wrong.

It's not the aura of a first-tier being.

That fluctuation... it's somewhat like a second-order fluctuation.

He squinted and observed carefully.

There was a slightly different feeling emanating from that corpse creature. Unlike the ordinary first-tier pseudo-human corpse creatures before, this one had a hint of... intelligence in its eyes.

It is a seed of lustful folly.

Wu You immediately realized what was happening.

No more hesitation.

A flash of grayish-white sword light passed by.

Before the corpse could even bare its fangs, it turned into black smoke and vanished.

Allocable experience points +50.

50 points, not 60 points.

Wu You glanced at the panel and confirmed that only 50 points had been added, while the 10 points for the Tier 1 pseudo-human corpse had not been added.

So... the parasitized zombies are actually all dead?

The parasitized corpses are merely shells controlled by the lustful corpses.

He thoughtfully sheathed his sword.

The surrounding black fog dissipated, and he returned to the alley. He glanced at the time; from receiving the task to resolving it, less than ten minutes had passed.

It's still early.

Should I ask Hua Linlin if she's still going?

He took out his phone, glanced at the chat interface, and saw that the last message was still stuck on the word "okay".

After thinking for a moment, he put his phone away again.

Forget it.

Let's do it another day.

He turned and walked towards the Fengxiang Martial Arts School.

. . .

Fengxiang Martial Arts School.

When Wu You pushed open the door, the young man at the front desk saw him immediately, stood up abruptly, and beamed with a smile.

"My lord! You've arrived!"

He strode forward, bending at the perfect angle.

"Is it still the quiet room for sword practice today? I'll take you there right away!"

Wu You nodded.

The two walked through the corridor toward the owner's private room.

Beside him, a young man in a white martial arts uniform was walking from another direction carrying a training sword. He paused for a moment when he saw the receptionist leading people in that direction.

That was the owner's private quiet room.

Who can get in there?

He glanced at the figure being led away—not very old, with a straight back, his face obscured, but the respectful manner he was being treated could be felt from a distance.

He stood still, waiting for the receptionist to return after seeing everyone off, and then went to greet her.

"Xiao Li, who was that just now?" he asked in a low voice.

The receptionist glanced at him and lowered her voice, "Brother Hui, that's an important guest of the owner. The owner personally ordered that he be treated with the highest level of hospitality."

Important guest?

The young man raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully.

Thanks.

He turned and left, his mind still replaying that figure from behind.

The clothes that person was wearing... seem a little familiar.

He thought for a moment, and then suddenly remembered.

Lanhe No.5 Middle School.

Isn't that his cousin's high school uniform?

He was stunned.

No way?

Their owner's most important guest was a high school student?

He shook his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

But he was sure he hadn't misjudged the clothes.

I'll have to ask my cousin next time I see her.