Chapter 78

Ma Le gave his family a call, telling his parents that he would be out for two days. Then he boarded the train. On the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were quite a few people on the train. Ma Le didn't manage to get a seat and had to stand against the wall the whole way. On the surface, he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was continuously practicing the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Whenever Ma Le had free time, he would either sleep or practice his internal skills.

He stood like this all night. The next morning, the train finally arrived at the station. Ma Le, relying on Zhao Renfan's memory, found the school where Xia Yingying was studying. Since Xia Yingying had seen his true appearance, Ma Le always appeared in the form of Zhao Renfan.

At the school gate, Ma Le introduced himself as Xia Yingying's relative and asked the staff about her class. However, the old man in the guardhouse shook his head and told him that he couldn't find her. He suggested either calling the students or checking at the academic affairs office of each department. Ma Le thought it would take forever to find her that way, so he asked the old man to broadcast a message, specifically mentioning that a relative named "Zhao Renfan" was looking for her. The message was broadcast seven times, and Ma Le waited for two hours, but Xia Yingying never showed up. Just as Ma Le was about to leave in disappointment, a girl came to the guardhouse.

"Excuse me, did you broadcast the message?" the girl asked Ma Le. This girl had an ordinary appearance and a slightly short and plump figure, clearly not Xia Yingying. Ma Le nodded and said, "Yes, I did. Who are you?" The girl replied, "I'm Xia Yingying's classmate and roommate. You don't need to wait anymore. Xia Yingying... can't come."

Ma Le asked in confusion, "Why? Did something happen to her?" The girl shook her head and said, "I don't know. She took a day off from school last week, but she hasn't come back since."

Ma Le took a deep breath. This was the day after he had killed Zhao Renfan. Now, thinking about it, it was impossible that her teammates hadn't sensed anything. The reason they didn't come to Zhao Renfan's city to investigate must be because they were involved in a team battle. It seemed that Kukulkan had done Ma Le a big favor.

Ma Le then asked the girl where Xia Yingying lived, but she wasn't very clear. She only knew that Xia Yingying was from the local area. Xia Yingying was a freshman who had just started in October, which meant she was already an adventurer when she entered the school. As a seasoned adventurer, she wouldn't easily reveal her personal information, so even the school records were likely tampered with.

It seemed that this trip was destined to be fruitless. Ma Le returned to the train station, deciding to buy a ticket home. However, when he got to the window, he realized that the money for his ticket had already drained his last savings. He now had only 12 yuan left.

As the saying goes, a hero can be brought down by a single coin. Ma Le, who had been through so much in Miracle City and the mission worlds, had subconsciously ignored the role of real-world currency. Now, when he needed it, he realized that, in the real world, even with his incredible abilities, he was still helpless without money.

With no other choice, Ma Le sat on a bench in the square in front of the station, lost in thought. He watched the bustling train station, pondering ways to earn money. "Maybe I should do some manual labor? I don't have to worry about food and lodging. The energy I gained from absorbing the regenerative beast can last me at least three more days. That should be enough time to earn the money for a ticket," Ma Le muttered to himself.

Just then, a familiar face appeared in the crowd of people leaving the station. The short and plump figure, the oily forehead, the thick lips, the annoying expression, and the distinctive balding head—there was no mistaking it, it was him! Ma Le called out, "Boss Wang, what are you doing here?"

Indeed, this was Wang Zekai, the antique shop owner who had almost been beaten to death by Ma Le!

When Boss Wang heard someone calling him, he instinctively turned around. When he saw Ma Le waving at him, his legs almost gave out, and he nearly fell to his knees. Now, his feelings towards Ma Le were very complex, a mix of fear from being beaten and awe from being saved by a "mysterious person"... In short, in Boss Wang's eyes, Ma Le was someone he absolutely couldn't and shouldn't provoke.

So, when Ma Le called him, Boss Wang first took a deep breath to steady himself, then hurriedly came to Ma Le and said, "Mr. Ma... Mr. Ma, you called me?"

Ma Le didn't stand up, instead, he nodded with a deep and mysterious air, "Yes, why aren't you doing business in Shen City? What are you doing here?"

Boss Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said nervously, "Well, this... this is my hometown. Since it's the Mid-Autumn Festival, I came back to celebrate with my family..."

Ma Le laughed, "What a coincidence! I didn't expect that you and Xia Yingying are from the same place." Seeing the nervous Boss Wang, Ma Le's eyes twinkled, and he asked in a drawn-out tone, "Boss Wang, how are you feeling? Have you recovered well?"

Boss Wang hurriedly smiled and said, "Please don't call me boss, I'm just an antique dealer... Thanks to you, I'm not only fully recovered, but I'm in better shape than before, able to run and jump like an athlete!"

"Thanks to me?" Ma Le knew the truth but pretended to be surprised, then changed his expression to one of regret and dissatisfaction, and clicked his tongue, "Tsk, I told Anderson, save the person and leave, don't mention me. We've worked together for months, and our relationship is so close. This will just make things awkward... Sigh, this Anderson, I'll have to talk to him when I get back!"

Boss Wang quickly waved his hands, "No, no, it's not that gentleman's fault, I was just being nosy, nosy, hehe..." Ma Le saw Boss Wang's reaction and inwardly laughed, but on the surface, he sighed, "Sigh, it's not your fault, it's all my incompetent subordinate's fault. I actually wanted to ask you for a favor, but now it's awkward to bring it up!"

Boss Wang, hearing that he could help the all-powerful "Mr. Ma," was overjoyed and eagerly said, "Oh, just say it! As you said, we have such a good relationship, helping each other is only natural!"

Ma Le was inwardly delighted but still put on a reluctant face, "Oh, it's not a big deal, but it's hard to bring up... I came to meet a friend, but I spent too much money and now I don't have enough to buy a ticket home. I don't want to ask my friend for money, it's embarrassing, you see..."

Boss Wang, hearing that it was just a small matter, immediately took out a bank card and handed it to Ma Le, "Mr. Ma, there's over 100,000 yuan here. I was planning to use it to buy local specialties, but since you're in a bind, I'll give it to you. The password is 012581, a small token of my appreciation!"

Ma Le's original plan was to extort a few thousand yuan, but he didn't expect Boss Wang to be so generous, offering 100,000 yuan. Ma Le knew that Boss Wang was rich but also very stingy. This 100,000 yuan represented not just money but also a significant sacrifice for Boss Wang. However, Boss Wang, though stingy, was not stupid. In his eyes, Ma Le was a mysterious and powerful figure, and if he could curry favor with him, 100,000 yuan was nothing.

Although he wanted the money, Ma Le still put on a show of reluctance. After a few rounds of polite refusal, he finally "reluctantly" accepted the bank card. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and just as they were about to part ways, Ma Le suddenly remembered something and said to Boss Wang, "By the way, I'm looking for someone. She's from around here, her name is Xia Yingying, a girl, about 18 or 19 years old, a freshman at the University of Finance and Economics, about 1.70 meters tall, very pretty. Please keep an eye out for her for me." Boss Wang nodded in agreement, and Ma Le gave him his new phone number.

After Boss Wang left, Ma Le checked the balance on the card at a nearby ATM. Sure enough, there was over 100,000 yuan. He clenched his fist in excitement. With this money, he could rent a place and live comfortably for a while even without working.

After another ten-hour train ride, Ma Le finally returned home late at night. As soon as he entered the house, his father was pacing back and forth, clearly bored. His mother was busy with housework. Ma Le smiled and approached his parents, presenting them with the travel vouchers. His parents were clearly taken aback and asked Ma Le several times if it was real. After getting a firm confirmation from Ma Le, they were moved to tears. It wasn't just the travel vouchers that moved them; it was the filial piety behind them.

They immediately called the reservation number on the vouchers but were told that for international travel, they needed to apply for a passport and visa, which would take at least half a month to process. Upon hearing this, Ma Le slapped his forehead, realizing that all his efforts were in vain. However, his parents were still very happy and decided to go to the passport office the next day to start the process. His mother would buy all the necessary items and prepare for the trip.

With the 100,000 yuan from Boss Wang, Ma Le also bought some gifts for Ma Xiao Xiao as a thank you for helping take care of his father. However, no matter how long he knocked, there was no response. His mother told him that Ma Xiao Xiao had returned to school in the evening, as she had many things to handle and her Mid-Autumn Festival break was shortened. In the morning, Ma Xiao Xiao had come to find Ma Le to go shopping, but at that time, Ma Le was at the guardhouse of Xia Yingying's school.

In the following days, his mother was busy with shopping, his father was idle at home, and Ma Le continued to practice the Nine Yang Divine Skill. As he steadily consolidated the first level, he felt that a breakthrough was imminent, but it was just a matter of a small gap. This small gap, though seemingly easy to overcome, was stubborn and resilient, repeatedly blocking Ma Le's attempts to break through.

Thus, in the midst of continuous practice, Ma Le once again received the call from Miracle City.