Chapter 68

Meng Xiaowen had never really thought about what the future would hold with Ding Ning. She was simply expressing her gratitude and felt that Ding Ning was a genuinely nice person, and being a good friend was enough.

As for the matters of associating with high-ranking people, which her family often thought about, Meng Xiaowen had never taken them to heart.

Gently touching the talisman paper worn close to her chest, Meng Xiaowen smiled. She had been frail since childhood, even encountering some strange spirits. She also had a genetic predisposition to insomnia, often having trouble sleeping at night. However, after wearing this talisman paper, all those troubles disappeared.

She no longer felt anxious for no reason, no longer had terrifying dreams, and no longer suffered from insomnia. She could walk at night without any worry. These real changes made her increasingly believe that Ding Ning was an extraordinary person.

"Being friends with him must be very interesting."

Meng Xiaowen thought as she arrived at the small house where Ding Ning was, and gently knocked on the door.

Ding Ning responded, and Meng Xiaowen opened the door and entered the room.

Ding Ning was sitting alone at a small table, with four dishes laid out in front of him.

A large plate of braised beef, a steamed grouper, boiled river crabs, and a dish of stir-fried vegetables.

"You really know how to pick dishes," Meng Xiaowen said, standing in front of Ding Ning with a smile like an angel.

"Would you like to try some?" Ding Ning gestured for Meng Xiaowen to sit down.

Meng Xiaowen sat down opposite Ding Ning without any hesitation, picked up her chopsticks, and immediately took a bite of the braised beef.

Watching her small, cherry lips elegantly and quickly eat the beef, Ding Ning's mood improved.

Meng Xiaowen was completely unpretentious, and this attitude was something Ding Ning liked. He was genuinely worried that Meng Xiaowen might be a overly reserved lady, which would make him uncomfortable.

Picking up his chopsticks, Ding Ning began to eat.

At first, Meng Xiaowen was somewhat embarrassed, but then she saw Ding Ning's chopsticks moving like a whirlwind, devouring the food like a storm. If she didn't eat faster, there would be nothing left.

Her playful nature was aroused, and she seemed to deliberately oppose Ding Ning. She put aside all her reserve and competed with him for the dishes.

Sometimes their chopsticks would clash in the air, causing Meng Xiaowen to burst into clear, ringing laughter.

The two of them didn't talk much, but the meal lasted for a full hour.

After finishing the last crab leg, Meng Xiaowen leaned back in her chair, touched her slightly bulging stomach, and said with a blush, "From childhood to now, this is the most and the happiest meal I've ever had."

Ding Ning not only ate the dishes but also ordered a basket of crab roe buns, which he finished off. He then drank a large glass of juice and said, "I've had many meals larger than this since childhood, but this one was the most expensive."

"Ding Ning, thank you," Meng Xiaowen finally said, addressing the main topic.

To her surprise, Ding Ning just waved his hand lightly, "No need to thank me. Good people will surely be rewarded, and I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Meng Xiaowen immediately perked up, hoping to help Ding Ning with something.

"Wang Ruo, the boy, wants to run for class president. I hope you can help him."

"Sure, I'll support him wholeheartedly," Meng Xiaowen wanted to pat her chest to guarantee it, but as she raised her hand, she saw her prominent chest and thought it would be unseemly for a girl to do this, so she blushed and put her hand down.

"Don't you want to ask why I'm asking you to do this?" Ding Ning was curious.

"Why should I ask so many questions?" Meng Xiaowen asked in surprise.

Ding Ning was momentarily speechless but felt that Meng Xiaowen was particularly sincere, which he appreciated. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "I might not be at school much, and having a class president to help with leave requests would be very convenient. Also, I need to ask you to help me explain to the teachers if the class president can't handle it."

"Don't worry about that. For most things, the class president can decide. If the teacher really asks, I'll say you're out helping me with something."

Meng Xiaowen spoke with confidence, and as the daughter of a prominent family in Haibin, she had the right to be confident, not out of arrogance.

With Meng Xiaowen's agreement, Ding Ning felt relieved.

The main reason he agreed to have dinner with Meng Xiaowen was for this purpose.

As a cultivator who had inherited the wealth of a god, he couldn't stay in school for long. Pursuing the elusive path of immortality was his ideal.

However, attending school was a long-held expectation of his mother, and Ding Ning didn't want to disappoint her.

Registering at school while being able to go out to handle his own affairs was the best choice, and Meng Xiaowen undoubtedly had the capability to help.

After exchanging phone numbers, the meal came to an end.

Although they didn't talk much, the meal, where they both ate without restraint, greatly advanced their relationship.

When they left the restaurant, they found that Chen Mengyao and the others had already gone, and even Ding Ning's roommates had finished eating and returned.

Ding Ning didn't ask how much it cost, as it was meaningless, and Meng Xiaowen didn't mention Chen Mengyao, as it was also meaningless.

The two parted ways at the restaurant entrance, with Ding Ning saying he wouldn't go to school the next day.

Meng Xiaowen agreed and watched as Ding Ning left in a taxi.

A black Mercedes-Benz van slowly pulled up next to Meng Xiaowen.

"Why are you here?" Meng Xiaowen asked the female bodyguard who got out of the car.

"We were worried about Miss, so we informed Young Master, who asked us to secretly protect you."

"Hmph! What a waste of worry. He can barely take care of himself. In the future, you're not allowed to tell him anything about me. I'm going to see Grandpa now."

Meng Xiaowen also wanted to tell her grandfather about Ding Ning's situation and got into the car to leave.

After Meng Xiaowen left, the window of a white Audi A4 parked nearby rolled down, and Chen Mengyao, sitting inside, picked up her phone.

"Baldy! What's going on? You couldn't even keep up with that fat guy Ding Ning? Didn't you always say you came from a special forces unit and that killing was as easy as slaughtering chickens? Don't forget, I paid you. If you fail, you'll have to return the money."

"Alright, I'll wait for your news. I want to hear about that fat guy's misfortune as soon as possible, even if he dies, it's fine!"

*****

Ding Ning didn't return to school; he went straight back to his small courtyard.

With Meng Xiaowen's help, Wang Ruo should be able to become the class president, providing him with a double layer of security for the future.

Back in his courtyard, Ding Ning looked at the two clover plants.

After some time, the courtyard's spiritual energy would be depleted, and the clover plants would lose their living environment. Before that happened, Ding Ning needed to find another place to live.

After returning, Ding Ning prepared enough food to last for several days and then meditated and cultivated in the spirit acupoint.

For five consecutive nights, Ding Ning didn't go to school or leave the courtyard. He ate when he was hungry and slept when he was extremely tired, using the rest of the time for cultivation.

This intense cultivation allowed Ding Ning to make rapid progress. After five days, he had advanced significantly on the path of the second level of Qi induction.

With the help of the technique to open a spiritual acupoint, his realm was even close to the edge of the middle stage of the second level.

Of course, there was still a distance to the middle stage. If he continued to cultivate for another five days, he might enter the middle stage of the second level.

However, the spiritual energy in the courtyard had been severely depleted during this time, and less than half remained, insufficient to support Ding Ning's entry into the middle stage.

Ding Ning didn't dare to completely deplete the spiritual energy, as it would be a problem for the survival of the clover plants.

The advancement in his realm brought a significant benefit: Ding Ning could now release elemental energy at close range to form a remote attack, although the range was limited to one meter, it greatly enhanced his combat power.

After five days, the food was exhausted, and Ding Ning stopped cultivating.

He picked up his phone and saw that San Yan had called again.

He returned the call, and San Yan told him that the old jade shop had been sold a few days ago. Liu Bocheng bought the shop and closed it down. In the past two days, some strange people had entered the shop.

This news made Ding Ning slightly alert. Why didn't Liu Bocheng return to the United States but stay here?

Perhaps he should warn An Xiaoyue to be careful, but thinking about the bracelet he gave her, he believed there shouldn't be any problems, so he didn't take immediate action.

Since there was nothing else to do for now, Ding Ning decided to go to Qingzhou immediately to find the mountain villager and obtain the animal blood, which was a crucial ingredient. Once Yue Ge's matter was resolved and the Green Heart Willow was in hand, he could start the alchemy process.

He hid the large items like the alchemy furnace in the spirit acupoint and packed the essentials: a lighter, salt, and even a dagger, as the mountain villager lived in a remote area and was hard to find.

After packing, Ding Ning left the courtyard.

He took the subway to the bus station and boarded a bus to Qingzhou.

He didn't notice that after he left the courtyard, a small thug who had been loitering nearby followed him, got on the subway with him, and followed him all the way to the bus station, until he boarded the bus to Qingzhou.

The thug called outside, "Brother Baldy, I found that Ding Ning. He's now on the bus to Qingzhou. Yes, yes, we can catch up with the bus."

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