342: Outsmarting the ceiling

Zhou Yan watched as the other party crossed the cordon line and walked straight toward him, yet no one stopped him.

"Damn it, why is nobody stopping him!"

His gaze quickly swept through the crowd and soon found the Floor Manager standing behind a few onlookers, her face sporting an undisguised 'maternal smile.'

"What the heck! What's with that expression?"

"He's already crossed the cordon, aren't you going to do something?"

"Ma'am, why are you just watching!"

At this moment, the Floor Manager was thinking to herself.

"This must be the person the girl was waiting for. They really are a well-matched couple, like a pair of immortals." Holding her face in her hands, she smiled kindly and contentedly, completely unconcerned about Zhou Yan's predicament.

Seeing that the manager couldn't be relied upon, Zhou Yan could only quickly think of a solution himself.

If an acquaintance discovered he had a 'female persona,' it would be all over. Zhou Yan was quite confident in his female disguise and felt that fooling Ma Hao would be no problem, but he didn't think he could easily hide it from Long Tianxing.

There was no other way; the 'gold content' of a Child of Destiny was too high, so he couldn't afford not to be cautious.

"Hello, you look a lot like a friend of mine."

Long Tianxing had his hands behind his back, standing tall, with only his head slightly lowered. In Zhou Yan's eyes, this posture looked exactly like a glitched character model where only the head was rotating like an idiot.

Fortunately, it was this kind of generic opening line, which meant Zhou Yan had a way to deal with it.

She simply tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and spoke with a cold and distant tone.

"Is this your way of hitting on someone?"

"It's really cliché."

After saying that, she lowered her head, rose slightly, and moved a bit further away on the seat. That demeanor and action clearly had the words 'please leave' written all over her face.

However, Long Tianxing instead took the opportunity to sit down, staring at Zhou Yan with wide eyes.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to tell him to get lost, he heard Long Tianxing suddenly speak.

"You are Zhou Yan, right?"

As the words fell, Zhou Yan felt as if a surge of intense background music played in his Sea of Consciousness. Combined with this sudden questioning, it made his heart tremble.

Holy crap! You've got to be kidding me!

There's no way he could have seen through it!

This isn't right. I even changed accounts. Even if there's some resemblance, it's impossible to be so certain so easily. This guy must be bluffing!

Zhou Yan quickly suppressed his nervous emotions, then frowned and looked coldly at Long Tianxing.

"I said, your pickup line is very cliché."

"Please leave."

Long Tianxing's eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled into a faint, knowing smile.

Heh, an interesting woman.

In fact, he didn't know the person in front of him was Zhou Yan; his intuition just told him that the other party wasn't simple and might be related to Zhou Yan.

So, he simply used the most direct method to test her reaction. Although the other party's response was flawless, she still revealed a flaw.

As for what that flaw was?

Naturally, it was that as a woman, she was completely unmoved by his domineering aura and handsome looks.

One must know that in this Northern Frontier, there were very few female peers who weren't captivated by him—they could be counted on two hands—and all of them were extraordinary individuals.

At this time and place, a woman who wasn't charmed by his charisma yet appeared here was most likely a Prodigy heading to the Eastern Extreme Secret Realm.

This piqued his interest even more.

Regardless of whether she had any connection to Zhou Yan or whether she planned to venture into the Eastern Territory alone, he wanted to find out more.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yan's heart was practically collapsing.

Seeing that familiar expression reappear in the other's eyes—the one that could be divided into 'thirty percent coldness, thirty percent mockery, and forty percent indifference'—and that slight upward curve of the lips that seemed like it would overflow with grease at any moment.

This relapsed 'CEO-syndrome' look really grossed him out again.

Flashing back to the awkwardness of their first meeting, Zhou Yan wanted to do what he did then: get away from him as quickly as possible.

"Heading to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains right now will be very troublesome. It's quite dangerous to go alone; do you need a companion?"

Long Tianxing turned his head back and spoke again, intending to continue observing Zhou Yan's reaction.

At this moment, Zhou Yan's mind was only filled with the thought of getting him to leave quickly.

"I can go to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains by myself; I don't need you. Besides, I'm waiting for someone. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave in a bit."

Long Tianxing suddenly turned his head again, his eyes widening once more.

"Isn't this the way to the Eastern Territory? Why are you going to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains? Don't tell me you're also going to the Eastern Extreme Secret Realm?"

Another burst of intense BGM seemed to explode in his head!

Zhou Yan's scalp felt numb.

Crap! I fell into a trap!

Damn you, Long Tianxing, when did your brain become so sharp? Why didn't I see it before?

Does he have a special bonus against women? Does his brain start working as soon as he faces a woman?

He's trying to play a game of wits with me!

Oh no, oh no. I'm already feeling guilty, and in this state, I can't seem to outplay him. If this continues, I'll definitely be the one at a disadvantage.

It's all because I've rarely used my brain since my cultivation level rose; I've been comfortable for too long. If only this were like those brainless, melodramatic novel plots of 'battles of wits.'

Wait, brainless melodramatic novels?

Long Tianxing was still looking at the woman before him with great interest, waiting for her response.

To his surprise, her aura suddenly changed, making him feel a sense of strangeness and even a faint chill as if facing a 'Great Terror.'

He was now certain that this woman definitely had nothing to do with Zhou Yan; instead, she seemed more like that damned Saintess of the Miechen Sect.

Zhou Yan had already lost his initial panic and simply looked at Long Tianxing expressionlessly. His gaze no longer dodged, meeting his eyes coldly.

Her vermillion lips parted slightly, uttering three words that seemed to carry ten thousand tons of pressure.

"So what?"

Long Tianxing felt as if a strange and intense melody rang out in his Sea of Consciousness. This sound, combined with those words, made his scalp tingle, leaving him unsure of how to respond for a moment.

But the even more exaggerated part was yet to come.

Zhou Yan suddenly stood up and shouted toward the direction of the Floor Manager with the maternal smile.

"Harassment! Help!"

A single cry of alarm startled the audience, and people from all directions rushed to help upon hearing the sound.

The onlookers who were just sighing about the 'heaven-sent couple' instantly switched to their battle faces. Several staff members maintaining order and some enthusiastic citizens flickered over to the steps. Without a word, they pinned Long Tianxing down with dark expressions.

Zhou Yan took the opportunity to step aside, removing himself from the center of the incident.

Before Long Tianxing could recover from his shock, he was already covered in 'brawny men.'

At this moment, how could he possibly have the mind to think about the relationship between this woman and Zhou Yan, or the time to ponder her background? He only wanted to quickly defend himself and break free.

"Wait! Let me explain! I didn't do anything! This woman is framing me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the brawny men paused for a split second before pinning him down even harder. The suffocating sensation, like being coiled by a python, made Long Tianxing unable to speak for a moment.

The man who was choking his neck shouted angrily at this moment.

"You bastard! What kind of girl would use her own reputation to frame someone!"

"Just stay still and accept your 'education'!"

The Floor Manager also rushed out to provide support.

"Exactly! That girl was waiting there perfectly fine, and you suddenly approached her. I thought you knew each other, but it turns out you're just a Lecher!"

"She ignored you, yet you pushed yourself on her. When the girl cried for help, you actually claimed she was framing you. Do you take us for fools!"

"Take him away! Go to the employee break area and 'host' him properly so he remembers the rules of the border!"

After saying that, she glanced at Zhou Yan and was instantly captivated again.

At this moment, Zhou Yan had teary eyes. That pitiable appearance not only made the manager's heart ache but also stirred a protective desire in the surrounding crowd and the brawny men pinning Long Tianxing down.

As a result, the men increased their grip strength even further.

Long Tianxing had grievances but couldn't voice them, so he could only glare fiercely at Zhou Yan.

When Zhou Yan met his gaze, he immediately shrank behind the Floor Manager like a startled fawn.

Seeing this, the manager waved her hand grandly.

"Take him away!"

Long Tianxing was hauled off.

The manager then held Zhou Yan in her arms, gently comforting him, while cheers of "justice prevails" and "well done" rang out from all around.

Only the dragged-away Long Tianxing saw Zhou Yan, in the manager's arms, showing him a sly smile.

Unlucky! Why do I always run into such poisonous women! Next time I see her, I definitely won't let her off easily!

Meanwhile, Zhou Yan already had a 'plan successful' expression on his face.

"It's my win, Long!"

As expected, this kind of pure 'battle of wits' is much more enjoyable.

Not long after this incident, Zhou Yan finally met up with Zhang Wei and his group. Long Tianxing, on the other hand, was lectured for two hours and forced to copy the Border Regulations for another hour. It wasn't until the sky was pitch black that he was finally allowed to cross the border and enter the Eastern Territory.

Standing on the soil of the Eastern Territory, Long Tianxing looked at the bright moon in the sky and secretly swore an oath.

"Thirty years in the East, thirty years in the West—do not bully a youth for being poor!"