C10 Young Master

At 7:30 in the evening, Nie Feng had gotten permission from the Third Master to take a leave and made his way to the entrance of the residential complex to meet Zhang Menglin. Shortly thereafter, a sleek, new pink Porsche pulled up in front of him, with Zhang Menglin beckoning to Nie Feng from inside the vehicle.

Nie Feng hurriedly opened the door and climbed in, asking tentatively, "Miss Zhang, where are we headed?"

"The destination is my choice. Let's hit the road!" Zhang Menglin declared, pressing the accelerator to the floor as the sports car shot forward.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the Celestial Pavilion. "Here we are. Time to get out!" Zhang Menglin announced cheerfully.

"Ah, the Celestial Pavilion? It's quite pricey here. Maybe we could go somewhere else?" Nie Feng suggested timidly.

"Why worry? I told you it's my treat. Just enjoy the meal. Now, out of the car!" Zhang Menglin insisted, pulling Nie Feng from the vehicle and tossing the keys with a flourish to the valet.

"Ah, Miss Zhang, welcome! Your private room is ready. Please follow me," greeted the lobby manager, promptly escorting them upstairs.

At mealtime, the Celestial Pavilion was bustling with no empty seats in sight. Despite its steep prices, the establishment's exquisite cuisine was lauded by the elite, making it a favorite among high society.

Nie Feng was taken aback, recalling that just a few days ago, Zhao Dahai had been gunned down right here. Yet, the Celestial Pavilion operated as if nothing had happened, a testament to its powerful connections.

Upon entering the private room, Nie Feng's jaw nearly dropped. The space was enormous, easily over a hundred square meters, with a table larger than his entire rental apartment, laden with an array of delectable dishes that filled the air with their enticing aroma. Nie Feng couldn't help but wonder at the cost of such a feast.

"Miss Zhang, please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just let me know," the lobby manager said before excusing himself from the room.

"Make yourself comfortable. There's no need for formalities with me," Zhang Menglin said, settling in at the table and nonchalantly cracking open a large crab, paying no mind to Nie Feng.

Nie Feng settled himself to one side, swallowing hard as he eyed the feast laid out before him, yet he couldn't bring himself to dig in.

"What's gotten into you? This isn't like you at all. Come on, eat! Are you worried it's poisoned or something?" Zhang Menglin chided, noticing Nie Feng's hesitation.

There's an old saying: unsolicited favors often spell trouble. Nie Feng wasn't about to be duped by this unexpected invitation to dine. There had to be a catch.

"Let's cut to the chase, Miss Zhang. What's the real reason you asked me here today?" Nie Feng inquired directly.

"It's nothing, really. I just wanted to treat you to a meal. Is it so wrong for a girl with money to spare to spend it?" Zhang Menglin replied earnestly.

"Are you serious? I'm not well-read, so please, no tricks," Nie Feng said, taken aback. Could this be how the wealthy live?

"I'm telling the truth. I'm well-educated and have no reason to deceive you," Zhang Menglin assured him with sincerity.

With that, Nie Feng dropped the pretense and grabbed a hefty pork knuckle, tearing into it with gusto. It had been ages since he'd enjoyed such a lavish spread, and he nearly teared up. To think that he, once a respected soldier, had fallen on such hard times—it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Take it easy, there's no rush. If you choke, no one's here to compete with you. And if that's not enough, I can always order more," Zhang Menglin urged, watching Nie Feng devour his meal.

"No worries, I've got a wide throat; I won't choke," Nie Feng reassured her between bites. "By the way, coming to the Celestial Pavilion reminded me of something. Why were you with Zhao Dahai that time..."

"I owe you a big thank you for that! I was out shopping when that jerk set his sights on me. He abducted me and took me straight to the Celestial Pavilion. Grandpa Bai wasn't with me that day, and if it hadn't been for you, who knows what might have happened..." Zhang Menglin's voice trailed off, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Hey, no tears now. Zhao Dahai was a scourge; taking him out was a service to the people," Nie Feng consoled her quickly.

Although Nie Feng was still in the dark about Zhang Menglin's true identity, the fact that she had a powerful cultivator for protection spoke volumes about her not being an ordinary person. Zhao Dahai, on the other hand, was nothing more than a thug. Captivated by Zhang Menglin's beauty, he harbored malicious intentions. But if he had any inkling of her true status, he wouldn't dare act on them, not even if he had the audacity tenfold!

"By the way, why did you go after Zhao Dahai? Do you have some kind of beef with him?" Zhang Menglin inquired with curiosity.

"No beef at all. I was just after the money, but that didn't pan out. Ended up making an enemy instead. Ugh, let's drop it. Just thinking about it gets me riled up," Nie Feng lamented with a heavy sigh.

"Are you in desperate need of money?" Zhang Menglin asked, taken aback.

"Absolutely. In today's world, you're powerless without money. I'm not like you, born into wealth and privilege," Nie Feng responded candidly.

"Here, take this for now. If it's not enough, just let me know," Zhang Menglin said, sliding a black card across to Nie Feng in one swift motion.

Nie Feng was floored. A black card like this had to contain at least a million yuan. She was throwing around that kind of money without batting an eye? It was beyond generous, especially considering they were practically strangers. Why would she offer him a million just like that?

"I can't accept this. I haven't earned it. Please, take it back," Nie Feng implored, pushing the black card back towards Zhang Menglin, his throat dry.

"Why make such distinctions? What's mine is yours, isn't it?" Zhang Menglin said with a furrowed brow.

Nie Feng was taken aback. What in the world was happening? What did she mean by 'what's mine is yours'? Was this girl trying to... keep him?

Realizing how her words might have come across, Zhang Menglin's face flushed with embarrassment. Even if Nie Feng was actually her husband, they had only just met. Surely, she had overstepped.

Nie Feng was clueless about the nature of his relationship with Zhang Menglin, and her intentions were now under his scrutiny.

"Look... you're quite skilled in combat. How about you work as my bodyguard? Consider this money your salary," Zhang Menglin quickly offered, trying to find a reasonable explanation.

This salary is way too high, isn't it? Plus, being a bodyguard for a knockout? That's got to be a step up from Nie Feng's gig as a lowly security guard. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted, but Nie Feng knew all too well that a pie falling from the sky could be deadly.

Let's not even get into the fact that some shadowy organization was after Zhang Menglin's life. This girl was clearly not as innocent as she seemed; she had an agenda. Whether her motives were in Nie Feng's favor or not, that remained a mystery.

"Miss Zhang, let's just drop it. I'm flattered by your offer, but I'm pretty content with my job as a security guard," Nie Feng said with a smile, uttering words he couldn't quite believe himself.

"Oh, really?" Zhang Menglin responded, her disappointment evident as she nodded and fell silent.

Relieved to have dodged that bullet, Nie Feng let out a sigh and went back to feasting. With all these delicacies in front of him, not indulging would be an injustice to himself.

"Listen, I have something really important to ask you, and you need to be straight with me," Zhang Menglin said after a while, her face serious as she fixed her gaze on Nie Feng.

Nie Feng's heart skipped a beat. There was definitely a catch. He just knew this meal wouldn't come free.

"Spit it out!" Since he had accepted her hospitality, he owed her that much. That's just how things worked in their world.

"What's the name of the cultivation technique you practice?" Zhang Menglin inquired.

Nie Feng set down his chopsticks and furrowed his brow. It didn't shock him that she knew he was a cultivator; after all, Grandpa Bai was a formidable one himself. But why was she probing about his cultivation technique? Did she have some ulterior motive? Should he disclose it to her?

After a moment's pause, Nie Feng replied, "I practice the Azure Dragon Technique. Yeah, that's the one."

The Azure Dragon Technique was a fabrication, a figment of Nie Feng's imagination. Whether it actually existed was anybody's guess.

"It's not really you, is it?" Zhang Menglin murmured, her voice tinged with disappointment upon hearing Nie Feng's answer.

"What do you mean, 'not me'?" Nie Feng asked, taken aback and puzzled.

"Ah? No... it's nothing. Let's just focus on our meal," Zhang Menglin said with a forced smile, quickly averting her gaze.

Nie Feng was left scratching his head in bewilderment. This girl had been all smiles just moments ago, and now she was downcast. Truly, understanding a woman's heart was like searching for a needle in the ocean – they could turn on you faster than the pages of a book.

In the blink of an eye, Nie Feng had polished off an entire table of delectable dishes all by himself. Wiping his mouth with satisfaction, he said, "Thanks for the meal—it was absolutely delicious. If there's nothing else, I should be on my way. Farewell!"

With that, Nie Feng walked briskly out of the private room. Once he was gone, Bai Fu emerged from the adjoining chamber and approached Zhang Menglin.

Each private room at the Celestial Pavilion came with such a chamber, complete with a bed and bathroom—its intended uses, well, you can imagine.

"Grandpa Bai, are you sure it's not him?" Zhang Menglin asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Bai Fu shook his head, replying, "I'm not certain. According to the old master, the Young Master should be practicing the Dark Night Spell, which has no connection to the Azure Dragon Spell. It doesn't seem to be this young man. But we can't dismiss the possibility he's deceiving us. We should look into it further."

Zhang Menglin nodded in agreement. She truly wanted Nie Feng to be the one. Her marriage had been arranged since birth, and the thought of the stranger she was to wed filled her heart with anxiety.

Meeting someone as exceptional as Nie Feng had sparked hope in her, but his words had dashed her expectations.

What neither of them realized was that Nie Feng hadn't actually left. He was standing just outside the door, eavesdropping. Hearing the term "Young Master," his eyes widened in shock.

He was Zhang Menglin's husband? What the hell was happening? If the old man knew about the Dark Night Spell, he probably wasn't lying. Could he really be Zhang Menglin's husband? This stroke of luck seemed too good to be true. Was he about to embrace a life of luxury with a rich and beautiful wife?

No, that couldn't be right. Nie Feng couldn't believe such fortune would come his way, not even if he were beaten to death. The Dark Night Spell had been with him since childhood, but its origins were a mystery. What if there had been a mistake?

Moreover, taking on Zhang Menglin's adversaries was no simple feat, as evidenced by their choice of weaponry. If he truly became her partner, wouldn't he be constantly at risk? There's a saying that goes, 'It's not the theft but the thief's intent that's to be feared.' Nie Feng had no desire to live with such a threat hanging over him.

With that thought, Nie Feng lost all interest in staying any longer. He promptly turned on his heel and exited the Celestial Pavilion.