3: Chapter 003 I treated you like a brother, and you actually...

"Qing... Qinglan, why are you here?!"

Looking at the girl who had suddenly appeared, feeling the cold, biting aura rushing towards him—the inherent pressure of a Martial Artist in the Acquired Realm.

Bai Yifan's body stiffened. The arrogance and Evil Qi he had just displayed vanished in an instant. His tone became stuttering, and he even unconsciously hunched over.

He hurriedly restrained the residual Evil Qi around him, forcing a stiff and ingratiating smile onto his face. His eyes darted away, not daring to look directly into Shen Qinglan's cold gaze, and he explained at a loss: "Qinglan, I... I was just chatting with Chen An, nothing else."

As he spoke, he subconsciously took half a step back. His gaze swept quickly over the two money bags on the ground, a flash of panic in his eyes. He hurriedly lifted his foot, wanting to kick the money bags aside, but fearing that too large a movement would displease Shen Qinglan, he could only freeze in place.

The lackeys around him were even more terrified, their previous arrogance completely gone. One by one, they lowered their heads and averted their eyes, not daring to even breathe loudly, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of Shen Qinglan's anger.

Shen Qinglan did not look at him at all. Her gaze passed over him and fell on Chen An behind him. Although her tone remained cold, it lacked some of the previous hostility. She asked softly: "Chen An, did he give you any trouble?"

A breeze blew past, carrying the girl's faint, refreshing fragrance, which lingered lightly at the tip of his nose.

Looking at the slender figure deliberately shielding him, then glancing at the two glaring money bags on the ground, a trace of helplessness flickered in Chen An's eyes.

"I'm fine."

He shook his head lightly, looking at the somewhat uneasy Bai Yifan with a playful smile, and shrugged: "It's just that Young Master Bai was too generous and insisted on giving me money. I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to!"

"Bai Yifan!!!"

Shen Qinglan naturally saw the two money bags on the ground as well. Hearing Chen An's words, she immediately knew what had happened. Her willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, the cold aura around her intensified, and the pressure of a Acquired Realm Martial Artist surged toward Bai Yifan like a tidal wave, causing him to choke on his breath and involuntarily step back twice.

"You have some nerve!"

Shen Qinglan's voice was as cold as ice, every word filled with anger. Her gaze pierced toward Bai Yifan like a cold blade, and her blood and Qi surged slightly with anger.

"Qing, Qinglan, listen to my explanation..."

Facing the furious Shen Qinglan, Bai Yifan had lost all of his previous arrogance and bluster. Under the pressure of a Acquired Realm Martial Artist, his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Bai Yifan, are we that close? Who gave you permission to call me that?!" Shen Qinglan interrupted him mercilessly.

Hearing Shen Qinglan's words, a flash of embarrassment crossed Bai Yifan's face. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms, forcibly suppressing the shame and unwillingness in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, he barely suppressed his panic and forced himself to calm down. Looking at Chen An hiding behind Shen Qinglan, a flash of jealousy flickered in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Classmate Shen, Chen An is not worthy of you!"

"He is merely a person with a Mid-grade Martial Bone, an orphan without parents. You are a Prodigy of the Acquired Realm with a boundless future. Your statuses are as different as clouds and mud!"

"How can I watch you degenerate and associate with such a person?!"

"Whether he is worthy or not, is that for you to judge?"

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan sneered, her eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness. Her blood and Qi stirred slightly, and the pressure of the Acquired Realm pressed down on Bai Yifan.

She tilted her body slightly, shielding Chen An behind her, and looked coldly at Bai Yifan, saying: "The path of the Dao depends on one's original heart and perseverance, never on family background or the grade of one's Martial Bone."

"If I find out you are giving him trouble again in the future, don't blame me for not considering our schoolmate relationship!"

"Get lost!!!"

Hearing Shen Qinglan's harsh rebuke, which left him no face, Bai Yifan felt as if he had been slapped in the face in public. His cheeks burned with pain, and embarrassment, jealousy, and shame intertwined. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Then, he cast a resentful look at Chen An and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

However, before he could leave, Shen Qinglan's voice came from behind, and then the two money bags were kicked over. "Take your stinking money and leave!"

Bai Yifan looked down at the money bags kicked in front of him. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he did not bend down to pick them up. After a brief pause, he turned and strode away.

It was one of the lackeys nearby who, in fear and trepidation, hurriedly picked up the two money bags and shoved them into his chest, then ran after him in a disheveled manner.

Watching the two money bags being shoved into the lackey's chest, a look of regret flashed across Chen An's face.

That was 5,000 yuan crystals!

If this money were used to top up his System, according to the System, that would be equivalent to him cultivating for 5,000 years without sleep or rest.

"What's wrong? It seems like you're quite sorry you couldn't accept those yuan crystals?!"

Shen Qinglan turned her beautiful head, looking at Chen An's expression. Her clear, lovely eyebrows raised slightly, and a playful, teasing expression appeared on her pretty face.

"Ahem!"

Chen An cleared his throat and said with a straight face, "How is that possible? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would sell out our friendship for yuan crystals?"

Pfft!

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan couldn't help but chuckle. She raised her jade-like hand slightly, curled her slender fingertips, and flicked his forehead lightly, causing Chen An to feel a pain in his head and his mouth to twitch slightly.

"All those little thoughts of yours are written all over your face, yet you still want to pretend to be serious with me?!"

Her eyes curved into crescents, her smile sweet and clear. She then generously extended her hand and naturally rested it on his shoulder. Her posture was casual and familiar, with no distinction between the genders, looking like good best friends or brothers. She tilted her head and asked softly: "What, are you really lacking yuan crystals?"

"No... no!"

Suddenly touched on the shoulder by her, the warm and soft sensation came through his clothes. Chen An's body stiffened abruptly, and he tensed up.

He subconsciously shrank his shoulders slightly, his whole body exuding an awkwardness, and his earlobes instantly turned a faint crimson.

Although he had undergone Fusion with the memories and knew that Shen Qinglan was unrestrained in her dealings with him, now that the Soul was his own, he really wasn't used to such intimate and natural physical contact at first.

The faint, elegant fragrance on her body lingered at the tip of his nose. The two were too close, and his heartbeat involuntarily lost its rhythm.

"Eh, you..."

Shen Qinglan keenly sensed that he was stiff and his earlobes were red. The hand on his shoulder paused slightly. She blinked her clear eyes and immediately caught this subtle abnormality.

She tilted her head slightly, leaning closer, and looked at Chen An's red earlobes with curiosity. Her tone was full of surprise, mixed with a bit of teasing: "Are you... shy?!"

"No way, I treat you like a brother, and you actually want to sleep with me?!"

Chen An reached out and pushed her away, forcibly suppressing the abnormality in his heart, and stubbornly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Go away, I just suddenly felt a bit hot!"

"Alright, I'm heading back first!" Chen An didn't say anything more, waved his hand, and intended to leave.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Shen Qinglan called out to stop him. She quickly came to his front, then stuffed an exquisite money pouch and a white jade bottle into his hand, saying, "Take it. This bottle of qi condensing pill was specially asked by Old Yue for me to give to you. He wants you to take advantage of these few days to Cultivate well and see if you can open another Meridians and get a good grade!"

"This is mine. There are over a hundred yuan crystals in it. You are not allowed to refuse!" Following that, Shen Qinglan looked at him domineeringly again.

Looking at the two items in his palm, Chen An was slightly stunned. He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but meeting Shen Qinglan's gaze, he couldn't help but waver slightly, and then nodded heavily, saying, "Okay, thank you!"

Seeing Chen An accept it, Shen Qinglan's eyebrows immediately relaxed, and she instantly bloomed with a bright and beautiful smile...