Chapter Forty: The Bronze Gorge

Zhao Bai looked at Xiao Zhang’s expression, then reached out and patted his cheek. “Hmm, with skin this thick, you’d rate at S-class!”

“You—!” Xiao Zhang, fuming, made as if to lock Zhao Bai in a chokehold.

“I’m serious! Really!” Zhao Bai pushed Xiao Zhang’s hand away. “I’m talking about your recovery ability!”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhang was doubtful. “You… You’re sure? You think that counts as an S-class skill?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re telling me… a normal person, after taking a beating from Momo the berserker, wouldn’t get out of bed for ten days or half a month!”

“Last year, I bought a watch!” Xiao Zhang let out a muffled sigh, as if suppressing a storm inside. “This has to be my own attribute!”

“Don’t be mad, don’t be mad!” Zhao Bai patted him gently. “I’ll stop teasing.”

Suddenly, inspiration struck Xiao Zhang. He fixed Zhao Bai with a look. “Then what level do you reckon my skill is?”

Xiao Zhang tried his Big Burn. With a boom, a massive fireball materialized in his hands!

The brightness lit up the area around them. “Damn! That’s insane!” Zhao Bai was visibly startled by Xiao Zhang’s display.

Looking at the fireball in his hand, Xiao Zhang realized he could control it—shrinking it smaller and smaller, until it was the size of an egg, flickering on his fingertip.

“Whoa, it can do that too?” Zhao Bai gaped in amazement. “Aren’t you worried about running out of mana? Just moving a bicycle earlier left me dead tired!”

Xiao Zhang hesitated, then replied, “I don’t have a mana bar. This thing burns health instead!”

“Incredible! At the very least, the growth potential is S-class!” Zhao Bai exclaimed.

Xiao Zhang blew out his fireball in a breath, pondering. “So do you know how this thing upgrades?”

Could leveling up the skill mean purifying the flame?

“You exchange points for materials in the upgrade system,” Zhao Bai replied, glancing at Xiao Zhang with some confusion. “All kinds of skills can get their upgrade materials through the system. But the higher the skill level, the rarer or more expensive the materials get—or sometimes, they only drop in certain instances.”

Upgrade system? Xiao Zhang nearly coughed up blood—damn it, finally got a skill, but the very upgrade system he needed was missing! Maybe Bai Bai could help…

Seeing Xiao Zhang’s twitching face, Zhao Bai said, “Hey, what’s wrong? You seem a bit off. Sure, your skill’s a little useless, but don’t take it so hard!”

“Get lost!” Xiao Zhang’s expression was caught between laughter and tears. “Yours is the useless skill!”

…

“But the system says all blood-cost skills are trash!” Zhao Bai gave Xiao Zhang a friendly punch. “Still, with a hide as thick as yours, maybe you can turn it into a legendary move!”

“Hah, I’ll take that as a blessing from Brother Tang!”

Zhao Bai smiled, holding out his fist. “Whatever comes, we’ll face it together!”

Xiao Zhang paused, then bumped his fist against Zhao Bai’s.

The two of them talked on for almost two hours.

“Hey, it’s too early for all this!” Just then, Mo Xiaoxiao came downstairs with Tu Shanbai. “Go keep your girl company. You, come with me!”

It was obviously a pretext for Zhao Bai to leave them alone—he caught on immediately. “Alright, but Mo, don’t bully my brother!”

Mo Xiaoxiao waved him off impatiently, then beckoned to Xiao Zhang. “Come here, let’s talk!”

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here!” Xiao Zhang took a step back—if this woman lost it again, he might get another beating.

“Look at you, scared stiff!” Mo Xiaoxiao just patted Tu Shanbai’s little head. “Bai Bai, are you really going to keep following him around?”

“What else would I do?” Xiao Zhang found the question odd.

“Tsk, you’re hopeless!” Mo Xiaoxiao shook her head at his obliviousness. “Don’t you think it’s inconvenient for a little girl to be tagging along with you?”

Thinking it over, Xiao Zhang realized she had a point. “So what do you suggest?”

At that moment, Tu Shanbai, who had been watching Xiao Zhang closely, spoke up. “Brother, Sister wants me to stay with her.”

What the hell? That can’t happen! After all, Tu Shanbai’s system was meant to patch his own system’s flaws—if she went with Mo Xiaoxiao…

Seeing Xiao Zhang’s troubled expression, Mo Xiaoxiao added, “Bai Bai’s told me everything.”

Xiao Zhang: (⊙﹏⊙)

“So I’ve decided to join your group.” Mo Xiaoxiao didn’t look much different, but there was a new, unreadable depth in her eyes.

“Really?” Xiao Zhang asked.

She nodded. “I’m not leaving Bai Bai with some perverted old creep like you!”

Xiao Zhang forced a laugh. “Please, you’re the real creep here! But—”

“Brother isn’t a creep at all! If not for him, I’d have been destroyed with my world!” Tu Shanbai tugged at Mo Xiaoxiao’s sleeve, her voice trembling with the threat of tears.

This left both Mo Xiaoxiao and Xiao Zhang at a loss.

…

In the end, Xiao Zhang solved it all with a packet of spicy sticks.

Finally, Mo Xiaoxiao explained that Tu Shanbai would just be living with her—since she was a girl, it would be much less awkward than following a grown man around. Xiao Zhang agreed to the arrangement.

At dawn, Xiao Zhang packed his things, got the property manager to unlock his door, and put everything in place. After breakfast at Li Shiwan’s house, the group decided to go shopping.

All their phones had been smashed, so buying new ones and replacing the SIM cards was the first order of business.

Walking down the street, Xiao Zhang couldn’t help but marvel: yesterday S City had been under lockdown, but today everything was back in order, as if nothing had happened.

No police had come looking for him, either. It looked like Haonan had handled everything. If the chance came, he’d have to thank him properly.

Just then, Mo Xiaoxiao, who was buying clothes for Tu Shanbai, suddenly frowned and muttered, “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Zhang asked, noting her expression.

“Didn’t you get a message?”

“What message?”

“So it’s just me?” Mo Xiaoxiao’s face darkened. “I just got a system notification.”

At that moment, Xiao Zhang’s phone rang—Zhao Bai was calling.

“Xiao Zhang, I just got a notification!”