The classroom suddenly erupted in giggles as a short-haired girl named Su Ran, trotted over holding a pink box tied with a ribbon.
"Huan Chen!" she called, hesitating only slightly before placing the box on his desk. "I baked this for you! It's strawberry shortcake!"
Several girls immediately gasped while others whispered fiercely. Fang Chen looked down at the box, then at her trembling hands.
He smiled. Slowly.
> "Ah… strawberry shortcake," he voiced with a smooth tone. "You made this yourself?"
Su Ran's cheeks flushed crimson. "Y-yes! I—"
"Then it must be sweet enough to corrupt the soul," his eyes glinted mischievously.
The classroom exploded as nalf the girls squealed. Su Ran nearly dropped her bag. Even the teacher from the next room peeked in to see what was happening.
Meanwhile, Huan Chen screamed internally.
> "Stop flirting with everyone! This is school!"
"Correction," Fang Chen replied smugly. "This is paradise. I was sealed for twenty thousand years surrounded by silence and despair — and now I'm surrounded by soft voices, warm eyes, and sweets."
> "As an introvert, I am not used to this sort of attention!"
"Well, get used to it. Fang Chen was never bound to be mediocre,"
He grinned faintly as Su Ran fled back to her seat, giggling uncontrollably.
---
By lunch break, Fang Chen sat in the courtyard surrounded by admirers.
Some pretended to study nearby while others were bold enough to actually approach him. He leaned back lazily, taking a bite from a piece of modern chocolate someone had offered earlier.
His expression froze mid-bite.
Then slowly, his eyes widened.
> "By the heavens…" he whispered. "What is this divine flavor?"
"Chocolate," Huan Chen replied dryly. "You've had ten pieces already."
"This—this melts in the mouth like spiritual essence!" Fang Chen exclaimed internally. "If I had this back in the Immortal Realm, I'd have declared war just to monopolize it!"
> "You're addicted already."
"Don't interrupt my enlightenment. I'm grasping the Dao of Cocoa."
He savored another bite with an expression of pure transcendence that made two nearby girls swoon.
But beneath the calm facade, Fang Chen's composure wavered.
Twenty thousand years without a woman. Twenty thousand years of suppressed indulgence.
His immortal body might have been sealed, but his urges were still very, very human.
Every giggle, every shy glance, every flash of exposed skin when a girl leaned forward, they all tested his self-control like torture.
> "So many flowers, and yet all of them too fragile," he muttered under his breath.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Huan Chen asked.
"If I bedded even one of these young mortals," Fang Chen sighed dramatically, "she'd combust from the force of my yang essence before we even reached the second position."
"Wha—stop saying that! You're insane!"
"No. Just considerate."
He chuckled to himself, earning even more dreamy looks from nearby students who mistook it for confidence.
"If I am going to bed anyone, she has to be mature with a good cultivation base."
> "Well good luck finding that... I hope you like wrinkles and flaps."
...
...
Later in the afternoon, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, marched in with a clipboard.
The students scrambled back to their seats like frightened pigeons. Fang Chen yawned and leaned casually on one hand, unbothered.
Mr. Li adjusted his glasses before speaking.
"Alright, listen up. The administration's approved an excursion next week to the Ancient History Museum in downtown Pekking."
Immediately, the class buzzed with excitement.
"The museum?" someone asked. "Isn't that the one with all the old relics from the early cultivation eras?"
"Yeah! My dad said it has artifacts that even predate the system age."
Hearing that, Fang Chen's lazy demeanor shifted slightly. His golden-brown eyes flickered with interest.
> "Artifacts, you say…" he murmured.
"Don't even think about it," Huan Chen warned internally.
> "Think about what?"
"Stealing anything!"
> "Borrowing. Besides, some of them might even bear my seal!"
Fang Chen's excitement grew as the teacher continued explaining the schedule... the ancient relics exhibit, the spiritual fossil archives, and the "Unknown Immortal" statue that even modern historians couldn't identify.
"Unknown Immortal," Fang Chen repeated quietly, lips curving into a smirk. "I have a suspicion I know that one quite well."
> "You mean you?"
"Who else?"
...
...
In the heart of the Pekking City Police Department, the tension was high. Officers scrambled between desks, phones rang nonstop, and spiritual energy filled the air as cultivator-officers synchronized their communication talismans.
Suddenly, the door to Lieutenant Xiomei's office burst open.
> "Lieutenant! The Xiao Demons have struck again!"
The young officer's voice trembled with panic.
The moment those words hit her ears, Lieutenant Xiomei's sharp amber eyes snapped open. She rose from behind her desk, radiating authority that made even seasoned cultivators stand straighter.
She was breathtaking with a long raven hair, tied into a sleek ponytail that swayed like a whip behind her as she moved.
Her uniform which was a deep navy jacket lined with golden trims, hugged her perfectly, emphasizing the curve of her hips and the tight firmness of her waist.
The two melon sized massive located at the center of her chest, jiggled upwards with every step as a faint scent of spiritual lotus essence followed her.
She was both soothing and dangerously distracting.
> "Mobilize the first and second spiritual task forces. Lock down the city's southern district," she ordered with a calm tone.
"If those masked pests think they can mock us again… they're sorely mistaken."
Within moments, the station was a whirlwind of activity. Dozens of cultivator officers took flight on their spiritual weapons ranging from blades to fans, and even talismans.
They streaked through the skies in trails of glowing qi.
Xiomei stepped out onto the open balcony and drew her four feet long sword with a black-edged frizzling with restrained lightning.
> "Destination: Golden Pavilion Jewels," her voice echoed. "Move!"
Then she threw her sword into the air and leapt onto the smooth side of its blade.
Her sword ignited with a soft roar, and in a blink, it left an azure and violet streak across the sky as it sliced through the clouds.
Her long coat flared behind her like wings as she flew across the cityscape.
---
Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, it was too late.
Golden Pavilion Jewels, the most luxurious jewelry store in Pekking City, had been gutted.
The massive crystalline doors were shattered with its spiritual wards broken like glass threads. Two bodies lay beneath silver sheets, and the faint metallic tang of blood mingled with the scent of burnt spirit stones.
Xiomei landed gracefully beside the wreckage. Cameras flashed. Civilians whispered her name.
-"Its Lieutenant Xiomei!"
-"She came down here personally?"
-"The one and only goddess of Pekking City!"
-"She's so breathtaking!"
Lieutenant Xiomei ignored them all.
"Same pattern," she muttered while crouching beside a shattered display. "Qi residue — demonic, faint, and… taunting."
She stood up with her eyes narrowing. "They're getting bolder."
A sergeant jogged up behind her.
> "Lieutenant, there's a new video on their page. Uploaded just five minutes ago."
Xiomei's jaw tightened.
> "Show me."