At the end of a quiet alley outside Fuzhi Temple Plaza.
The sun, soon to set, cast its warm rays over Greenfield City, illuminating Andrew Han's conflicted face.
"Uncle, I've already eaten," he replied with a smile.
At this moment, no matter how steadfast Andrew Han's temperament, he couldn't suppress the embarrassment welling up inside... He thought, if someone asked him ten years from now about his most awkward moment, it would surely be this very time and place.
The next moment.
"It's fine, don't feel embarrassed, just take it." The middle-aged man kept extending the money with his left hand, while his right adjusted the hood of his casual sweatshirt.
...
Andrew Han pressed his lips together, at a loss for words.
Heaven above, I'm still just a kid!
And besides.
Andrew Han asked himself: I have a kind heart, and I’m not exactly poor—how did I get mistaken for a beggar coming to ask for food? Isn’t the world being a bit too cruel to me?
Stay calm!
You must keep your cool!
Andrew Han silently urged himself, stepping back and earnestly declining: "Uncle, I’m just strolling around Fuzhi Temple Plaza and found these door knockers interesting, so I wanted to study them a bit. That’s all—no other intentions."
As soon as he finished speaking.
The casually dressed middle-aged couple exchanged glances.
The woman smiled but said nothing; the steady-faced man’s eyes flashed, and he smiled gently: "You’re interested in door knockers? What, do you like archaeology?"
"Yes, I’m a student at Southland University."
Andrew Han replied reservedly... The Southland University name was sure to clear up this misunderstanding.
As expected.
The middle-aged couple were a bit surprised at the mention of Southland University, giving Andrew Han a once-over—they clearly understood what that name meant.
It’s a top-tier institution of higher learning!
Even in all of Sinovera, it’s among the very best, producing countless entrepreneurs, high officials, and literary giants over the years.
"You’re a student at Southland University?"
The man in the sweatshirt adjusted his hood again: "So it was just a misunderstanding—sorry, I truly didn’t mean to offend you. My apologies."
"It’s fine," Andrew Han waved it off.
But as he tried to leave, the man in the sweatshirt followed, speaking with interest: "These door knockers are meaningful, but in terms of historical depth, they’re less than a century old."
"Look at these two rows of houses."
"These buildings date back over eighty years. They’ve been renovated several times, with many owners, but the door knockers are the one thing that’s never changed. These seemingly worn knockers have witnessed more than eighty years of change."
The man explained with a calm smile, unhurried and relaxed.
The middle-aged woman followed behind, glancing at Andrew Han with a flicker of caution in her eyes, but still said nothing.
"The passage of time?"
"The changing world?"
Andrew Han listened quietly, muttering to himself. A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.
But he wasn’t in a hurry at all.
As time passed and evidence accumulated, one day, the truth behind the Graywhite Aura would surely be revealed to him.
After a while.
Just as they were about to leave the alley, the man in the sweatshirt suddenly changed the topic, smiling: "What do you think of radiocarbon dating? It’s a widely used technique that can date organic material from the past hundred years. Really exciting, isn’t it?"
"Oh, it’s alright," Andrew Han replied with a forced smile.
Radiocarbon dating?
What on earth is that? Is it some kind of archaeological jargon?
Although he’d once pretended to be interested in antiques and relics, it was just a cover—he’d only skimmed a few basics and never studied them in depth.
After all,
His true path was martial arts.
Once they exited the alley, the man in the sweatshirt grinned: "Heh, not bad, kid... Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Andrew Han was a bit confused but turned to leave.
He really couldn’t figure out what the man’s strange question was supposed to mean. But it didn’t matter.
What mattered was—he was hungry.
"Hey, Kevin Lin, let’s head back to campus." Andrew Han called Kevin Lin and confirmed the pickup spot.
...
Meanwhile, at the alley’s exit.
The man in the sweatshirt frowned, watching Andrew Han disappear into the noisy crowd before speaking in a low voice: "He’s not a student at Southland University."
"Oh?" The woman’s expression grew cautious.
Cough, cough.
The man coughed and lowered his voice: "Radiocarbon dating is a technique for measuring the decay rate of radioactive isotopes, and its range is far more than just a hundred years. If he were really an archaeology major, he’d know that."
"Besides."
"He claimed to be a student at Southland University."
They’d assumed Andrew was an archaeology student, which led to this misunderstanding in the first place.
After a moment of silence.
The middle-aged woman glanced at the bustling scene in the distance, worry in her voice: "Could that guy be sending someone to give us trouble because he failed to strong-arm a sale?"
"It’s possible."
The man sighed. They hurried out of the Fuzhi Temple Plaza tourist area and started their car.
Vroom, vroom.
Their car merged into the busy street traffic.
It was a silver-gray Audi A6L, with decent soundproofing. The cabin was filled with a quiet, tense atmosphere; neither spoke, both lost in thought.
Strong-arm tactics—they weren’t afraid of that.
What worried them were other illegal methods, which could be far more dangerous.
Suddenly.
The woman in the passenger seat froze, looking ahead at the roadside some thirty meters away, uncertain: "Isn’t that the kid from earlier?"
"Is he riding in a silver-gray Audi too?"
The man in the sweatshirt looked over as well, surprised. Ignoring the honking cars behind him, he slowed down slightly and drove past.
Vroom, vroom.
The car passed by and continued down the road.
The man’s face was a picture, left hand on the wheel, right hand rubbing his temple, letting out a sigh: "He’s in a silver-gray Audi too, but it’s an Audi A8L—the top model. That’s a whole different league from our car."
Whew.
The woman let out a breath, both amused and exasperated.
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Please click ‘Next Page’ to keep reading the exciting story!)
Turns out the couple had been overthinking things... Someone riding in a car like that, with a chauffeur opening the door for him, must have a distinguished background—he’s not even in the same league as that troublemaker.
——
At the main gate of Southland University.
Bang.
Andrew Han gently closed the car door and walked toward the cafeteria with Kevin Lin.
As the silver-gray car pulled away, it drew the attention of students coming and going at the gate—this was Kevin Lin’s family car, driven by a dedicated chauffeur.
In terms of family background, Kevin Lin is definitely a second-generation.
His father is an important leader in Southvale Province, and his mother owns three companies. Kevin Lin lacks for neither power nor money.
However.
No matter how distinguished one’s family is, in the presence of a peerless talent, it’s all just fleeting smoke—hardly worth mentioning.
"Good thing I chatted with Ethan Tang for a bit."
"And luckily I advanced to First Rank, or I wouldn’t even be qualified to understand what ‘peerless’ means... The martial arts world really is fascinating."
Kevin Lin was quietly reflecting.
In terms of potential, among all martial arts students in Sinovera, Andrew Han is either first or second... because right now, there are only two ‘peerless’ talents enrolled.
A peerless one is destined to reach the Martial Lord realm!
Even with Kevin Lin’s knowledge and courage, he didn’t dare dream too big—he could only hope to reach the Martial General level, like their teacher Carter Yan. Martial Lord? That was beyond imagination.
The city guardian of Greenfield City was probably a Martial Lord.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
Andrew Han clapped his hands, pointing to the cafeteria closest to the dorm: "Let’s have curry pork ribs and potato barrel rice today—what do you think?"
"Sounds good," Kevin Lin replied quickly.
By now, the two were fairly familiar with each other. Laughing and chatting, they strode toward the cafeteria in the golden light of dusk.
As they reached the cafeteria entrance, they exchanged a glance.
At that moment,
Both their faces grew serious.
It was military training break time, and countless students in uniform filled the cafeteria, creating a surging crowd. Some students who wanted to eat turned and left without hesitation.
Cough, cough.
Kevin Lin coughed: "What do we do?"
Exhaling, Andrew Han walked into the cafeteria: "Kevin, the all-important task of finding a seat is yours—don’t even think of refusing."
???
Kevin Lin looked bewildered and followed after him.
Soon after.
After persistent effort, Kevin Lin finally ran into some acquaintances and found a seat—a plastic table for four, with Zhang Meng and Xu Jiawei sitting across from them.