Chapter 1 The Winter of North River Province

In North River Province, winter dawns late.

At four-thirty in the morning, it was still pitch black outside the window.

The piercingly cold wind howled, producing a uniquely eerie sound.

But Jiang Xiao's small room was as warm as spring, the round bedroom light on the ceiling emitting a white glow.

Jiang Xiao watched Han Jiangxue, who was leaning against the headboard with her eyes closed, resting. He didn't choose to disturb her.

This light was too bright, suitable for studying, not for resting.

Jiang Xiao tiptoed out of bed, walked to the door, and turned the light switch on again.

*Pa! Pa!*

Yellow and white? Still a bit bright.

*Pa! Pa!*

Okay, all yellow, much warmer.

Jiang Xiao thought about it, but still didn't choose to get back into bed. Instead, he sat on the floor again, looking up at Han Jiangxue on the small bed. She slowly opened her eyes.

Jiang Xiao quickly asked, "How is it?"

Han Jiangxue stretched out her fair arm, complementing her pure white nightgown, showcasing the girl's rosy skin. Illuminated by the dim yellow light, this picture of a reclining beauty was so languid and intoxicating.

Suddenly, a spark appeared in her hand, then more and more, like fireflies dancing in the twilight, extremely beautiful.

The tension on Han Jiangxue's face also eased slightly, and she whispered, "Ju Huo Zhu (Torchfire Pillar)."

"Not bad, not bad!" Jiang Xiao looked at the three Ju Huo Xing Zhu (Torchfire Star Beads) on the bed and once again sighed at Han Jiangxue's extraordinary talent.

For this type of advanced fire-type star technique, she had already inlaid the "Ju Huo Zhu" star technique on her Star Map after absorbing only the second Ju Huo Xing Zhu.

Jiang Xiao's success rate in absorbing star techniques was one hundred percent, but it was different for ordinary people; the probability of absorbing star techniques was very low.

A typical example was Xia Yan. She had bought many Xing Zhu (Star Beads) of the Lava Ghost General many times, all for the "Yan Lie (Flame Rend)" star technique. Even though she had a full 28 star slots and was considered exceptionally talented by the world, she had never absorbed that star technique.

"Hey, do you think this has anything to do with your Star Map?" Jiang Xiao asked. "Look, your Star Map indicates that you are suitable for the magic-type route, and doesn't the white flame indicate that you are suitable for the fire-magic route within the magic-type route?"

"It should be." Han Jiangxue was certain that even if she had failed when she absorbed the first Ju Huo Xing Zhu just now, she still felt the faintly surging star power.

It seemed that it wasn't just her unilaterally wanting to obtain the star technique, but the Xing Zhu energy also wanted to be inlaid in her star slot, merging into her empty star slot.

However, when she absorbed the "Shi Ling (Corpse Spirit)" and "Shi Bao (Corpse Explosion)" star techniques of the Savage Witch in the armory, she did not have this kind of "intimate" feeling.

"Let's do it in one go, there's still one star technique left." Jiang Xiao said quickly, signaling Han Jiangxue to strike while the iron was hot.

Han Jiangxue picked up a Ju Huo Xing Zhu with her left hand and whispered, "Li Weiyi invited us to dinner at noon today."

Jiang Xiao: ???

Why mention Li Weiyi again?

This is the second time you've mentioned another man while lying in my bed!

My heart hurts so much.

Also, dinner?

I'm not that old, but I have quite a few dinner invitations...

"He said it was Qingmei's suggestion. He said your Qingmei-jie (older sister Qingmei) misses you very much." Han Jiangxue said, closing her eyes.

Jiang Xiao: ???

Jiang Xiao didn't think his luck with women was very good.

Because these women were all big pig trotters.

Only Han Jiangxue exuded the fragrance of braised pork.

Other women were only trying to get close to him because they wanted something from him.

For example, Li Qingmei, the essence of getting close was to have a good relationship so that he would heal Li Weiyi more. The first time she tried to get close was to take photos and show off her long legs, and the second time was because her face was not good and she wanted blessings.

What does she want to do this time?

Just as Jiang Xiao was thinking, the Xing Zhu in Han Jiangxue's hand turned into starlight and merged into her delicate skin.

A full thirty seconds later, Han Jiangxue opened her eyes, expressionless, and said nothing.

It's okay, failure is the mother of success.

"Continue, strike while the iron is hot, and calm down. You probably can't find anyone in all of North River with higher qualifications than you. If you can't absorb it, no one else can." Jiang Xiao's words were both praise and spur, earning him a glare from Han Jiangxue.

Han Jiangxue stabilized her emotions and picked up another Ju Huo Xing Zhu.

This small Xing Zhu cost thirty thousand yuan.

Although her family didn't have to worry about food and clothing, they were definitely not a wealthy family.

Since some of the other-dimensional training spots in North River were open to her for free, without the pressure of ticket money, she could earn money to support the family.

But she absolutely didn't want to see Jiang Xiao selling Bai Gui Wu (White Ghost Witch) Xing Zhu again.

She knew better than anyone else that although Jiang Xiao had Blessing and Bait, he needed Bai Gui Wu Xing Zhu more than anyone else.

Jiang Xiao looked at Han Jiangxue expectantly, watching the surging starlight merge into her body. He was also preparing himself mentally. After all, the probability of humans extracting star techniques from Xing Zhu was very low. She wasn't a god, and she wasn't...

Another failure?

There's only one left.

Jiang Xiao didn't show any disappointment, and suddenly said, "You know, this Xing Zhu was selected and ordered by Xia Yan."

"Yeah." Han Jiangxue was still an 18-year-old girl after all, and couldn't adjust her mental state very well. After failing twice in a row, her mood was not high.

Jiang Xiao smiled and said, "I guess Xia Yan prepared it for herself."

Han Jiangxue raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "How do you say that?"

"Ju Huo Bian (Torchfire Whip)." Jiang Xiao shrugged. "She probably dreams of you whipping her."

Han Jiangxue was slightly stunned, and then a blush appeared on her face. She glared at Jiang Xiao.

"Hehe." Jiang Xiao watched Han Jiangxue walk out of her low mood. He stood up and said, "I'll go cook porridge. It's almost time for class."

Jiang Xiao figured that maybe he was putting too much pressure on her by being by her side. Let her absorb the last Xing Zhu by herself.

With that said, Jiang Xiao picked up his phone from the bedside table and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Wouldn't it be great to watch short videos while cooking?

Walking into the kitchen, preparing to wash the rice and cook porridge, Jiang Xiao first looked at the empty refrigerator, took out a celery stalk, looked at it, and threw it into the trash bag.

Sigh...

Drink porridge and eat pickled vegetables?

There aren't even any eggs.

This life,

Doesn't seem like what a ten-thousand-yuan household should have.

Should I go downstairs to buy breakfast?

Then he remembered that his clothes were still in his bedroom.

Uh...

Never mind, Jiang Xiao wore his pajamas and cotton slippers, picked up Han Jiangxue's white down jacket from the clothes rack at the door, rummaged through his pockets, found a few dozen yuan, took his phone with him, and then opened the door and walked out with peace of mind.

Han Jiangxue was taller than Jiang Xiao, and the down jacket was already large, so it fit well.

Breakfast shops open very early. Even if they're not open, the owners get up at 3 or 4 in the morning to steam buns, so you can definitely buy some.

However, when Jiang Xiao was waiting for the elevator, he suddenly realized a problem:

Am I cross-dressing?

People say that cross-dressing only happens zero times or countless times.

However, although this down jacket has male and female styles, they look almost the same, right?

Does this even count as cross-dressing?

Jiang Xiao smoothed his buzz cut. As soon as he left the building, a gust of cold wind hit him, freezing him so that he directly put on the hood of the down jacket.

When Jiang Xiao returned with two bags of tofu pudding, two fried dough sticks, ten buns, and four bags of side dishes, he stopped in his tracks downstairs.

Because the sky was still not bright, the light above was indeed a bit conspicuous.

Jiang Xiao carried breakfast and looked up at the 7th floor.

That was his small bedroom, and a beautiful figure was standing in front of the window, experiencing her newly acquired star technique.

She succeeded!?

Ju Huo Bian (Torchfire Whip)!?

This was a good star technique, suitable for close combat and ranged attacks. It could be used as a weapon and as a tool. As long as it was used well, it could have unexpected effects in battle.

Perhaps Han Jiangxue was afraid of damaging the furniture, so the flaming whip was directly thrown out of the window, lashing out under the dark night sky.

In this dim sky, the flaming whip was so dazzling...

Jiang Xiao swallowed, took out his phone from his pocket, aimed it at the person in the window waving the flaming whip, and recorded a 10-second video.

"Hong Yan, Hong Yan, where are you..." Jiang Xiao found Xia Yan's WeChat and directly sent the video over.

Jiang Xiao casually sent a voice message: "Xia Yan, it's... 4:55 in the morning. I've already confessed the Xing Zhu thing to my sister and told her that it was all your idea. You can see, she's very angry now."

Jiang Xiao continued sending voice messages: "She's trying to whip me from the 7th floor, but I'm not panicked at all. It's so dark, she can't find me."

Jiang Xiao thought for a while and sent another message: "I'm standing guard downstairs at my house now. You don't have to worry about me. Hurry up and pack your things and run away. Go out and avoid the limelight."

Accompanied by gusts of cold wind and Jiang Xiao's shivering voice, these messages really sounded like the real deal.

Jiang Xiao put away his phone with satisfaction and hurried into the building.

At the same time, in a villa in China's famous city.

A series of "buzzing" sounds rang out in the large bedroom.

On the soft bed, Xia Yan grabbed her chestnut-colored short hair in annoyance, groggily picked up the phone next to her pillow, and saw a ten-second video.

The next moment,

Xia Yan was wide awake.

Listening to Jiang Xiao's voice message,

Her face instantly turned pale...