Zhang Yuanqing retreated to the side of the street with the little boy in his arms, while glancing at the sprinting girl. He clearly saw her hair stand on end as if electrocuted, and barely visible electric arcs danced on her skin.

But upon seeing her brother rescued, the girl's hair immediately fell back into place, and the electric arcs on her skin dissipated.

"As expected, a Lightning Mage, but probably not at the Saint stage yet. Her combat awareness and adaptability aren't great," Zhang Yuanqing observed, making a mental assessment.

He then began to scrutinize the girl's appearance. She had beautiful, long black hair, and wore a private school uniform consisting of a light-colored shirt paired with a pristine white V-neck knit sweater, the collar fastened with a black bow tie. Her lower body was adorned with a pleated skirt, and the girl's legs were straight and slender, her skin taut and full of youthful vigor.

Her features were exceptionally delicate, a classic oval face with the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, conveying a sense of bold, sharp beauty. Her temperament was somewhat similar to Jiang Jingwei's, suggesting a personality that wasn't easy to get along with.

But the girl stopped in front of Zhang Yuanqing, snatched her brother without a word, first anxiously checking him over, and after confirming he was unharmed, slapped the boy on the back of the head, her willow brows furrowing: "You forgetful thing, if your brain's not useful, then it's useless. Look at the cars when crossing the street, how many times have I told you? Mom's going to skin you alive."

Although her tone was fierce, the girl's clear, oriole-like voice made it easy to overlook the ferocity in her words.

She punctuated each sentence with a slap to the head, and poor Cao Chao, who hadn't been crying to begin with, was now bawling his eyes out from the beating.

"In such a situation, a child should be given comfort and care, not a beating on the head. Of course, you're a Lightning Mage, which is practically a Fire Mage, so doing this isn't entirely wrong."

Zhang Yuanqing pulled the howling Cao Chao away, saying, "Don't hit him anymore, he's just a kid."

The girl instinctively raised her eyebrows, but forcibly suppressed her temper, looking at Zhang Yuanqing with sincerity: "Thank you! Thank you for saving my brother. I owe you one. If you need any help in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

She had taken her brother out to buy snacks, and in the process, completely forgotten about him.

If it hadn't been for the chivalrous intervention of this good man, her poor brother would have been buried under the car, passing away at a single-digit age.

The tigress at home would have devoured her alive.

"Hmm, I've noticed that Lightning Mages are better at controlling their emotions than Fire Mages. Although they're irritable, they aren't controlled by their emotions."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled: "It was just a small favor. Consider it a return gift for yesterday's afternoon tea. I really liked the candy your mother made."

The girl glanced at Annie wearing sunglasses, then looked at Zhang Yuanqing in sudden realization: "You're the new tenant."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded with a smile, then said in a serious tone, "Those motorcyclists just now seemed to be deliberately targeting Cao Chao."

Hearing this, the girl bit her silver teeth, "I know who they are. A few white-skinned pigs from school who are specifically against our Anti-Black and White Alliance. I gave them a severe beating last time, and they actually came to retaliate against my family. I'm going to skin them alive."

"Here it is again, the escalation of campus conflicts of the Anti-Black and White Alliance to retaliating against family members is a bit excessive." Zhang Yuanqing ruffled Cao Chao's head, comforting him:

"Go to big brother's house later to get some snacks, don't cry anymore." Cao Chao indeed stopped crying, hiccuping and sniffling.

The girl took her brother's hand and said, "I'll take him home to wash his face."

The siblings held hands and entered the red brick apartment building, taking the elevator back to the fourth floor and unlocking the security door with a fingerprint.

As it was close to dinnertime, the landlady was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, and the head of the family, Cao Qing, was sitting at the dining table drinking tea. Seeing his son crying, he frowned, scolding his daughter, "Did you hit him again?"

"No!" Cao Qianxiu retorted, "Your son almost got hit by a car."

Cao Qianxiu then told her parents what had just happened. The landlady grabbed a cleaver and rushed out, her eyebrows raised, her expression fierce: "Where are those bastards? I'll chop them up."

"They're a few rivals from my school. You don't need to chop them up, I'll take care of it myself." Cao Qianxiu knew that saying this would definitely get her scolded by her parents, but she still had to say it. She never made excuses for her mistakes.

Sure enough, the landlady scolded, "I told you not to cause trouble, not to cause trouble, but you didn't listen. If anything happens to your brother, I'll skin you alive."

She glared at her daughter a few times, then lovingly wiped away the tears on her son's face, "Luckily, nothing happened."

Cao Chao nestled in his mother's arms and cried, "The big brother next door saved me."

The landlord couple were taken aback, looking at their daughter.

Cao Qianxiu hummed, "That kid next door snatched him back."

The couple exchanged glances, both somewhat surprised. The landlady said gratefully, "We have to thank him."

Cao Qing nodded slightly, his goodwill toward the new tenant greatly increasing: "Daughter, go tell them and invite them over for dinner tonight."

Then he cautioned, "Conflicts between classmates should be resolved if possible, try not to let them escalate. By the way, what's the name of the young man next door?"

"I think it's Zhang Qingyang."

"Ding-dong!"

The doorbell rang. Zhang Yuanqing, who was sitting in the living room chatting with Guan Ya, Xiao Yuan, and the Palace Master, put away his phone and got up to open the door.

Standing at the door was a graceful girl, fair-skinned, with delicate eyebrows and dark, piercing eyes that tilted slightly upward, looking spirited and beautiful.

The girl glanced into the room, then looked at the young tenant's handsome face and said, "My parents would like to invite you over for dinner tonight to thank you for saving my brother."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled, as if he had expected this, "Alright!"

At seven o'clock in the evening, Zhang Yuanqing knocked on the door of room 401 with Annie. Because it was a thank-you dinner, he didn't bring any gifts. The landlady had prepared a table full of delicious food.

The dishes were mainly meat-based, with light flavors, typical of the stewed soup cuisine of [Guangdong].

The light diet of [Guangdong] refers not to vegetarian dishes, but to light cooking methods. All ingredients are required to be fresh, and they are never cooked if they can be eaten raw. If they can be original, they are never heavily seasoned.

The wine served was rice wine brewed in the restaurant.

During the meal, Cao Qing, as the head of the family, chatted warmly. As a businessman, he was very good at socializing. Zhang Yuanqing was equally adept at making connections. After a few cups of wine, the two began to call each other brothers.

But Zhang Yuanqing could sense that this was a sophisticated and experienced man who had been through the ringer in society. Cao Qing's words were inseparable from his homeland, and every sentence was probing into his situation.

Zhang Yuanqing responded with half-truths.

Cao Qianxiu listened attentively, nodding slightly from time to time, and occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression, not knowing what she was thinking.

After dinner, it was already half past nine. He bid farewell to the host family with lingering reluctance, taking Annie back next door.

Cao Qianxiu took the initiative to get up to see them off. Upon leaving the house, she glanced at Annie, who was unlocking the password, approached Zhang Yuanqing, and said softly, "Can I talk to you alone for a moment?" She pointed to the stairwell.

Zhang Yuanqing returned her gaze, "Sure!"

The two immediately entered the quiet stairwell. Cao Qianxiu heard the sound of Annie entering the house, then said:

"You're a Way of the Extraordinary, right?"

As she spoke, her bright, expressive eyes stared into Zhang Yuanqing's eyes, saying, "Don't deny it. The speed you showed during the day has already surpassed the limits of human beings. Of course, to show fairness and sincerity, I'll confess my profession first. I'm a Lightning Mage. This is my biggest secret, even my family doesn't know."

"The only one who doesn't know is your eight-year-old brother. Your parents not only know that you are a Way of the Extraordinary, but they are too." Zhang Yuanqing sighed:

"I didn't want to expose myself. In the Second Federation, it's very dangerous for wild free cultivators to expose their identities. The official only tolerates free cultivators who obey management and explain their background."

Cao Qianxiu nodded lightly: "I've heard my companions say that the wild free cultivators in the Second Federation are quite miserable. The First Federation is relatively free. As long as you don't cause trouble, the Heavenly Retribution won't care. By the way, what's your profession?"

"Scout!" Zhang Yuanqing said.

"A Scout in the transcendent stage's ability is reflected in close combat. As long as your combat power is strong enough, you can impersonate at will. Outsiders can't judge whether it's true or false."

Cao Qianxiu suddenly realized: "No wonder you're so fast, and you weren't surprised when I exposed your identity just now. You had already deduced that I had noticed your identity."

"You thought of all that yourself, I didn't say it." Zhang Yuanqing sighed again and nodded with a wry smile.

Cao Qianxiu said: "I heard that the professional attribute of a Scout is a soldier, who emphasizes discipline and meticulousness. In the Second Federation, the profession I admire most is Scout, and the one I hate the most is Fire Mage. I heard that Fire Mages don't have much brains."

After speaking, she looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a questioning look.

"How can you, a Lightning Mage, have the confidence to complain about Fire Mages? The second brother shouldn't laugh at the elder brother." Zhang Yuanqing said solemnly: "Fire Mages have a volatile and reckless personality. They are indeed unpopular, but Fire Mages are straightforward and don't have so many twists and turns. I think they are better than other professions."

His tone and expression conformed to a rigid and serious Scout.

Cao Qianxiu nodded thoughtfully. "Mom said you plan to stay in New York County for half a year?"

Zhang Yuanqing "Mmm"d.

Cao Qianxiu said: "Although I said just now that the Second Federation is relatively free, the discrimination phenomenon in the Second Federation is very serious. Whether it is Heavenly Retribution, other orderly organizations, or even evil professions, there is serious racial discrimination. If a free cultivator in the First Federation doesn't rely on an organization, once his identity is exposed, evil professions will come to kill you, and orderly professions will also come to blackmail you, taking away your items and money."

Zhang Yuanqing asked back: "What do you want to say?"

Cao Qianxiu was waiting for this sentence, and immediately said: "I want to invite you to join my organization. In Chinatown, there is a folk organization formed by Way of the Extraordinary. Our purpose is to help each other and advance and retreat together. The local forces in New York County organized several encirclements and suppressions against Chinese Way of the Extraordinary two years ago. It was precisely because we were united that we resisted the initial crisis. Later, under the condemnation and intervention of the Five Elements Alliance, Heavenly Retribution called off the conflict."

"That organization is called the Anti-Black and White Alliance?" Zhang Yuanqing understood. This girl was recruiting subordinates.

Cao Qianxiu nodded: "Yes, the Anti-Black and White Alliance is one of the Chinese Way of the Extraordinary organizations in Chinatown. There are many folk organizations formed by Chinese Way of the Extraordinary in New York County. The largest ones are the Black Dragon Hall, Bao Lin Hall, and Hong Gang."

"These three organizations have decades of history and have long been integrated into the local area. They don't care about the life and death of Chinese Way of the Extraordinary, they only pursue interests, and sometimes even collude with local forces to harm our own people."

"Our Anti-Black and White Alliance is an emerging force, younger and more energetic, and at the same time firmly maintains the dignity and bottom line of Chinese Way of the Extraordinary in New York County."

"The folk forces in the First Federation are more numerous and more complex than in the Second Federation. No wonder the boss said that the Free Federation is very deep." Zhang Yuanqing had a more direct feeling.

He said: "Okay, I can join you, but I won't stay in New York County for too long."

He believed that contacting local folk organizations was equivalent to expanding his channels, and there was no harm in it.

Cao Qianxiu breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her pretty face, and then quickly straightened her face, "It's okay, at least for this half year, we are allies. I'll get a form for you tomorrow. After you fill it out, I'll submit it to the higher-ups, and it should be quickly approved. Hmm, can you tell me your level?"

"Level 2 Scout."

Cao Qianxiu proudly raised her chin when she heard this, "I'm also level 2, but my experience points are almost full. I can be promoted to level 3 after entering a copy again."

Zhang Yuanqing was a little surprised. For her age, she was already very talented.

"Xiao Lucha and Asano Ryo are about the same age as her. In the first half of the year, Asano Ryo was level 3 and Xiao Lucha was level 2, and the two were already talented juniors in big organizations."

"With your qualifications, why don't you join Heavenly Retribution?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in surprise. "Heavenly Retribution is happy to accept Lightning Mages."

"Why should I join Heavenly Retribution and accept workplace bullying?" Cao Qianxiu said with disdain.

Because she had lived in New York County since she was a child, she was most aware of the local anti-China sentiments. Her parents' early entrepreneurial experiences had also had a great impact on her.

"Then you can consider returning to your country. The Five Elements Alliance is happy to accept and cultivate talents like you." Zhang Yuanqing said: "It's difficult for free cultivators to get dungeon guides, which is not conducive to development."

Speaking of the Five Elements Alliance, Cao Qianxiu sneered even more, "It's better to join Heavenly Retribution. I don't want to be forced to death like Yuan Shi Tianzun. You are a domestic Scout, you should know Yuan Shi Tianzun, right?"

Zhang Yuanqing said: "I have had the honor to meet him."

Cao Qianxiu asked curiously: "Is he really as powerful as the legend says? What kind of person is he? I heard from inside the Alliance that he was forced to death, but Heavenly Retribution seems to say that he is a fallen person."