Peach Blossom Dual Cultivation - Chapter 37: Sensation

That night, Zhou Lang stayed in the Heaven and Earth Palace within the ancestral copper coin. As the night grew quiet, he held Xiaoxi in his arms, lying on the cold jade bed, feeling a wave of emotion.

This treasure had been passed down by his ancestors for hundreds of years, but ever since his great ancestor ascended, none of his descendants had been able to claim it. By sheer chance, after being humiliated by Ye Qianqian and Nie Yuanxiong and beaten until he bled, his blood dripped onto the ancestral copper coin. The coin recognized him as its owner, opening the Heaven and Earth Palace and awakening Xiaoxi.

In truth, Zhou Lang wished his grandfather had been the one to obtain this treasure. If that had happened, his grandfather wouldn’t have died of illness. And if his grandfather had been a cultivator, his parents might not have died so early, and he wouldn’t have become an orphan.

But there are no “what ifs” in this world. Even though he was now a cultivator, he still couldn’t turn back time. Regrets would remain regrets for a lifetime.

…

What Zhou Lang and Ivanova didn’t know was that shortly after they left the scenic riverside, a reporter, scolded by his editor for failing to gather any valuable news in a month, happened to visit the spot where they had sparred.

The dejected reporter gazed at the flowing river, almost wanting to jump in. His editor had made it very clear that if his work didn’t improve soon, he would be fired.

He was at the age where he had both elderly parents and young children to support. Losing his job would put his family in dire straits. The thought twisted his heart with anxiety.

“Sigh!”

The reporter sighed deeply as he mulled over his situation. Suddenly, he stumbled.

“Tripping on flat ground, choking on cold water… I’m down on my luck. How is it that after all this time, I haven’t even stumbled upon a single piece of gossip?” he muttered angrily, nearly falling over. But as he looked down, he was startled to see two deep footprints, about an inch deep, imprinted in the concrete.

“Who could’ve left these? These footprints weren’t made when the riverside was being built! Could these… could these be the footprints of a legendary martial arts master? If that’s true, and this gets reported on TV, wouldn’t it cause a huge sensation?”

The reporter’s professional instincts kicked in. He realized he might have stumbled upon a scoop. Excited, he quickly took out his camera and filmed the footprints.

The next morning, Feiyun City’s news broadcast an explosive story: a martial arts master had left two deep footprints in the concrete along the riverside, likely during a duel!

The Feiyun Morning Post also published articles and photos, and soon the news caused a sensation throughout the city. Many citizens flocked to the riverside early that morning to see the footprints Zhou Lang had left.

Since the footprints weren’t hidden, it didn’t take long for people to find them. Soon, the riverside was teeming with onlookers, and more people kept arriving, each adding their version of the story.

Experts were called in to explain that the footprints were not made when the concrete was still soft during construction, but afterward. Some citizens testified that they had been at the riverside with their families the previous evening and had seen no footprints. This further corroborated the reports—these footprints had been left by a martial arts master.

Some even claimed to have seen two figures flash past the river the previous night. At the time, they thought they were seeing things, but now they believed it must have been two martial arts masters moving at incredible speed!

People often enjoy discussing such topics over tea or meals, and the story soon spread like wildfire, becoming more exaggerated with each retelling. Many tried to find out who had left the footprints, but no one could uncover any clues.

Zhou Lang emerged from the Heaven and Earth Palace in the ancestral copper coin early in the morning and returned to his room. He didn’t want Zhao Xiaorou to wake up and find him missing, as she might question where he had been.

Zhao Xiaorou knew more of his secrets than anyone else, but he wasn’t ready to tell her about the miraculous ancestral copper coin yet. When he saw the news report on TV, he couldn’t help but laugh to himself. He had never imagined that such a small incident would cause such a stir.

What Zhou Lang didn’t expect was that the reporter, thanks to the footprints he had left, managed to keep his job. The Feiyun Morning Post saw a massive surge in sales, and online forums discussing the incident spiked in traffic. The editor was overjoyed, not only refraining from firing the reporter but also giving him a raise and encouraging him to keep up the good work.

At 4 PM, Zhou Lang received a call from Li Mengxue, so he took a taxi to pick her up.

When they arrived at the Lovers’ Bar, it wasn’t yet time to start work.

As soon as they entered the bar, they attracted the attention of the staff, as it seemed everyone knew that Zhou Lang had become Li Mengxue’s bodyguard. It was clear that this news had spread through Zhang Deyuan and Li Yushan.

But when Zhou Lang saw Manager Zhang Deyuan, he was taken aback. Zhang’s head was wrapped in bandages, and his face was swollen like a pig’s head.

“This was supposed to be just a small lesson, but this is outright abuse! Ivanova is so gentle with me, but with others, she’s a total savage!”

Zhou Lang thought, almost unable to suppress his laughter. If this was just a “small lesson,” then causing someone’s death wouldn’t even be considered a big deal.

“Manager Zhang, what happened to you?”

Li Mengxue asked, concerned as she noticed Zhang Deyuan’s condition.

“Boss, last night I was riding my friend’s motorcycle to get a late-night snack. My friend isn’t very skilled, and he had a few drinks, so we ended up crashing. He wasn’t hurt too badly, but I was in terrible shape,” Zhang Deyuan explained with a pained expression, his mouth twitching from the pain. Noticing that Ivanova hadn’t arrived yet, he made up the story on the spot, not wanting anyone to know that he had been beaten up by her. It would be too embarrassing.

“Manager Zhang, you’re dedicated, not even taking a leave despite being injured. But I can see your injuries are quite serious, so don’t push yourself. Go back to the hospital for a check-up, apply some medication, and take two or three days off. I’ll count it as a work injury, cover your medical expenses, and won’t deduct your salary,” Li Mengxue said after some thought. She was very considerate toward her employees, unlike some bosses who were harsh and unkind.

“Thank you, Boss,” Zhang Deyuan quickly replied, feeling relieved. He was genuinely worried about running into Ivanova later and having his lie exposed.

“I’ll take Manager Zhang to the hospital,” Li Yushan chimed in promptly, showing his close relationship with Zhang Deyuan.

“Alright, be careful on the way,” Li Mengxue nodded before heading upstairs with Zhou Lang to her office.

Zhang Deyuan and Li Yushan quickly left the bar as well.

“You all saw that, right? Manager Zhang and Supervisor Li weren’t lying. Zhou Lang hit the jackpot, becoming the boss’s boy toy,” someone whispered after Zhou Lang left.

“Yeah, this guy’s lucky, striking it rich like that.”

“Why couldn’t something like that happen to me? If I could stay by the boss’s side, eating and even sleeping together, I’d be willing to give up ten years of my life…”

As soon as Zhou Lang left, some of the bar’s staff started gossiping, especially a few female waitresses who seemed to look down on him.

They had no idea that Zhou Lang had become Li Mengxue’s bodyguard because of his abilities. Considering Zhou Lang was a cultivator, being a bodyguard for Li Mengxue was beneath him. However, if these people knew that Zhou Lang was the one who left those footprints by the Long River, they would probably be shocked out of their minds.

Judging by their tone, they all seemed to think Zhou Lang was just living off a woman, and they looked down on him, but in reality, they were envious. After all, Li Mengxue was a stunning beauty, and being her bodyguard was indeed a stroke of luck.

“Zhou Lang isn’t a kept man,” Ivanova said as she walked in, interrupting the gossip.

“The facts are right in front of us, and you’re still defending him? Ivanova, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Zhou Lang too?” one of the female supervisors sneered, rolling her eyes.

“Zhou Lang is the boss’s bodyguard because he has the skills for it,” Ivanova replied. After a night of inner turmoil, she had made up her mind. Since she was a child, she had wanted to find a strong man like her father, and now Zhou Lang surpassed her father by far. So even if Zhou Lang had multiple wives, she was willing to follow him because her heart had already been captured by him.

“Just look at him. Do you think he’s some kind of martial arts master?” someone laughed.

“Exactly, but being able to win the boss’s favor as a kept man is a skill in itself.”

The crowd continued to gossip, mostly making sarcastic remarks about Zhou Lang.

“Shut the door and don’t let anyone in!”

Suddenly, a large group of people wielding iron rods burst into the bar. Leading them was none other than Li Qi, the man who had promised Zhou Lang he would leave Feiyun City.

Behind Li Qi was a burly man in his thirties, wearing sunglasses and playing with a pair of iron balls in his hand, looking every bit the part of a gangster boss.

The bar’s employees, including Ivanova, were still confused about what was happening when the intruders shut the bar’s doors.

Outside the bar, there were over a dozen more thuggish-looking men standing guard. They put up a large sign at the entrance that read “Bar Closed Tonight,” indicating that Li Qi’s group had completely locked down Lovers’ Bar.

“W-What… what are you doing?” one of the female supervisors mustered the courage to step forward and question Li Qi.

Slap!

Li Qi struck her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground. He sneered coldly, “Tell Li Mengxue and Zhou Lang to come out!”

The bar employees were terrified into silence by Li Qi’s aggression, and even Ivanova remained quiet for the moment, uncertain of what was going on.