Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?-Chapter 26: Hubby, Are You Impressive?

Gaa gaa—
The Coal Boss, who had been sleeping soundly beside him, rolled over and flew onto Ji Qinglin’s shoulder.
Ji Qinglin stretched lazily as he stood up, only to realize that after a whole day of tidying up yesterday, his clothes were now a complete mess. Tugging at his shirt, he turned to the Coal Boss and said:
“Fly out and take a look, see if there’s any place nearby that sells things.”
Gaa gaa—
Understanding his command, the Coal Boss flew straight out while Ji Qinglin continued searching the bookshelf.
Now that he had found a method, he could continue cultivating when he got back. What really mattered was the information here. If just a single old book hidden in an adult magazine could bring him this much benefit, he couldn't afford to overlook any potential clues.
Unfortunately, after another search, he found nothing new. Even after pulling out every adult magazine separately, there was still nothing of value.
Time passed, and before he knew it, evening was approaching. The Coal Boss returned from outside.
Ji Qinglin locked the door and followed the Coal Boss a few kilometers away to a small general store. After grabbing some food and buying a few new sets of clothes, he also chatted with the store owner to gather information about the recent situation in the old district of Xindong Street.
Technically, this place still fell under Xindong Street’s territory, but since there wasn’t much profit to be made and the management costs were too high, there were no major Commerce Guild shops around.
By nightfall, after changing into his new clothes, Ji Qinglin and the Coal Boss—one person, two birds—headed back to the small courtyard.
Compared to the cumbersome outfits worn in the city’s general stores, his light brown short-sleeved shirt and work shorts looked a bit simple but blended well with the old district’s atmosphere. With all the old goods in the courtyard and the black crow perched on his shoulder, if not for his excessively handsome appearance, he could easily be mistaken for a street rat who grew up here, relying on crows for company.
“You really can’t bother to fly a little more? Always perched on my shoulder. You've been eating well these past few days in the city—aren't you afraid someone might mistake you for a chicken and stew you?”
“Gaa gaa.”
Ji Qinglin carried his clothes and food into the house, placing them on the sofa. He hadn't even had time to turn on the lights when—
Plop—
A faint noise came from the bedroom, as if something had fallen to the floor.
Both man and birds fell silent, turning their heads toward the pitch-dark bedroom just a few steps away.
Ji Qinglin had just cleaned the room yesterday. Since the main house only had a bedroom and a living room, the bedroom was quite spacious. Aside from the bed, there wasn’t much furniture—something Ji Qinglin was very sure of.
Sensing that something was off, he felt as if someone had broken in. Suppressing his doubt, he slowly backed toward the door.
But he had only taken two steps when—
Click—
The small bedside lamp in the bedroom was turned on.
Bathed in the yellowish glow of the light, Ji Qinglin saw that there was actually someone lying diagonally on the bed.
More precisely, a girl in her early twenties.
Her messy black curls framed a face with sword-like eyebrows and striking red eyes. Her aura was extraordinary, and even from a few steps away, Ji Qinglin could feel the intimidating force behind her piercing gaze. She lightly bit her lip, her breathing slightly rapid, forehead dotted with sweat, and her fair, delicate face tinged with tension.
What stood out even more was her attire. She wore a military green short-sleeved shirt on top, but on the bottom, she had only a pair of extremely short safety shorts. Her long, pale legs stretched across the bed, while her shoes and a pair of torn pants lay discarded to the side.
…Was Bangkok’s service industry so advanced now that they just waited inside the house?
But something was off—her right hand was raised, gripping a gun, and the barrel was pointed directly at him.
Ji Qinglin’s first thought was that someone had discovered his search for Old Era clues. Was that medical pod and all the information here just bait to capture remnants of the Old Era like him?
But on second thought, that didn't make sense. If they wanted to capture him, they could just use guns—why would she take off her pants and lie on the bed? Were they planning to let him leave some descendants before taking him away?
Realizing his thoughts were going off track, Ji Qinglin cautiously asked in a low voice:
“Uh… Miss, I don’t think I walked into the wrong house, right? What’s going on here?”
Seeing that Ji Qinglin was unarmed, with only a crow on his shoulder, and dressed like a scavenger, the girl’s expression eased slightly.
“I got hurt. I’m just borrowing your place to treat my wounds. I’ll leave money behind when I go.”
Her words were firm, and even her clear voice carried a commanding tone, though under these circumstances, it seemed a bit weak.
An injured person seeking temporary shelter? Ji Qinglin let out a breath of relief. Of all places, she just had to pick his home. Then again, it made sense—his house was the only one without neighbors, and the lights were off.
“It's just a night, so of course, that’s no problem. But… can you put the gun down first?”
The girl frowned slightly but didn’t lower the gun. She parted her lips as if about to say something else—
When suddenly, noise erupted from outside the courtyard.
“Check over there.”
Hearing the commotion, the girl tensed up, gripping the gun tighter. She whispered urgently:
“I can’t let them catch me. You have to help me get out.”
Ji Qinglin let out a bitter chuckle.
“I’m just a small-time scavenger. This has nothing to do with me. Besides, my place has no secret passages, no windows to escape from. Even if I wanted to help—”
The girl pressed the gun against him coldly.
“So you’d rather die here first?”
Ji Qinglin quickly shook his head, though his mind was already racing to figure out an escape plan.
Did she have any prosthetic implants? If so, his phone’s defense system probably wouldn’t be able to subdue her—let alone deal with the gun in her hand.
The safest method would be using Beidou Maps to teleport away. But with his current movement skills, dodging bullets was out of the question—hell, even dodging a slingshot might be tough.
Just as he was weighing his options, he saw the girl lift her military green shirt, revealing her enticing waist—and the portable bomb attached to her belt.
Ji Qinglin had taken apart enough gadgets under Old Hu’s guidance to recognize danger when he saw it. He was certain he wasn’t mistaken.
That portable bomb wasn’t large, but it wasn’t some cheap knockoff either. Flattening his small courtyard wouldn’t be an issue.
Holy sh*t, was she planning to go out in a blaze of glory? But what did that have to do with him?
At this point, his only choices were to risk getting shot while trying to escape, or stay and get blown up. He couldn't afford to lose the valuable information he had just found.
Thud, thud—
Two heavy bootsteps landed in the courtyard. It was clear someone had climbed over the locked iron gate.
Left with no choice, Ji Qinglin clenched his jaw, gently pushed the bedroom door closed until only a sliver remained, and whispered in a barely audible voice:
“I’ll help you escape. Just don’t do anything stupid.”
The girl’s brows eased, but before she could respond, the sound of boots outside made her tense up again, as if losing hope.
Just as she was wondering how Ji Qinglin planned to get her out, she watched in shock as he quickly stripped off his short-sleeved shirt and work shorts, tossed them aside, climbed onto the bed, and pressed her beneath him.
Then, as he rocked the bed to create noise, he called out toward the door:
“Hubby, are you impressive?”