Changsun Qinghe pouted slightly, feeling a bit wronged. She was a very traditional woman, and Zhou Hong's restriction on her using her abilities on other men made her feel hurt, as if she were a woman who lacked virtue.
Zhou Hong quickly got up, dressed, picked up his phone from the bedside table, and made a call.
A dozen seconds later, the call was answered.
"Hello, Zhou Hong." Qiao Zhenhua's voice came from the other end of the line. Zhou Hong had called Qiao Zhenhua.
"Dad, you mentioned yesterday that the Dongguo family was negotiating with the Qiao family. Has there been any outcome yet?" Zhou Hong asked.
"Not yet. Yesterday they demanded that your lower body be crippled and that you compensate them with spiritual medicine. Our family firmly refused, so no settlement was reached, and negotiations are still ongoing. If negotiations fail, we may have to ask the Six Gates to intervene. If the Six Gates get involved, it will be quite troublesome," Qiao Zhenhua said busily.
"Six Gates?" Zhou Hong then remembered hearing about this Six Gates when he last came to Kyoto.
At that time, Zhou Hong and Liu Zhen Feixu were on vacation at a resort outside the city. Coincidentally, there was a haunting, and powerful individuals from the Six Gates went to investigate, but several of them died.
Later, the Six Gates invited Daoist Master Tianhong from the Maoshan Sect. Zhou Hong also met Daoist Master Tianhong on the mountain. Seeing Zhou Hong's powerful Daoist techniques, comparable to their sect's founder, Daoist Master Tianhong immediately became incredibly adoring of Zhou Hong.
"What will happen if the Six Gates intervene?" Zhou Hong asked with a laugh.
Although the Six Gates sounded impressive, Zhou Hong didn't take them seriously at all.
"It will be more complicated. You should not go to work at the Criminal Investigation Bureau for a few days."
"Oh, alright." Zhou Hong nodded. Of course, he wasn't afraid of the Dongguo family, but he also happened to not want to go to work, that was all.
After hanging up, Changsun Qinghe said, "You regret it now, don't you? If you hadn't been so impulsive yesterday, there would have been no trouble. Dongguo Yinhui is a genius disciple of a sixth-rate family. How could they let go after you crippled his vital parts?"
"Haha, don't worry about me. You go to work by yourself today."
"Yes, but I want to go back to the family first." Changsun Qinghe remembered that her strength had reached Martial Master, so she was eager to return to her family to share her joy.
"Indeed, you entered the Martial Master realm overnight. You can rank on the Earthly Ranking. You should indeed go back and show off," Zhou Hong said with a laugh.
Changsun Qinghe couldn't help but glare at Zhou Hong. "You're the one showing off."
"Hahaha, it's natural for people to show off when they go back, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. You are from a ninth-rate family. Now that you've stepped into the Martial Master realm, you should seize this opportunity while you're young and make an appearance on the Earthly Ranking. It can also enhance your family's reputation."
Changsun Qinghe was speechless, but Zhou Hong was right. The Earthly Ranking was the ultimate honor for any cultivator and a symbol of status.
Changsun Qinghe had never dared to dream of it before, but now she had the chance to enter the Earthly Ranking, so she naturally wanted to be listed, becoming an object of envy for countless cultivators.
"Let's go!"
Zhou Hong and Changsun Qinghe left the hotel room and went to the front desk to check out and leave.
"Hello, aren't you Zhou Hong?" The hotel manager quickly greeted Zhou Hong.
"You know me?" Zhou Hong was puzzled. He shouldn't have any fame in Kyoto.
"Senior Zhou Hong, it is our honor to have you stay at our hotel. How could we possibly accept your room fee? If you wish to stay in the future, you are always welcome. We will reserve the best room for you and offer it free of charge," the hotel manager said respectfully.
"That's strange, why would you give me a free stay?" Zhou Hong looked confused.
"Senior Zhou Hong, last night, you were on the imperial news. You defeated Dongguo Yinhui and became the 32nd ranked genius on the Kyoto Earthly Ranking. You are now a genius admired by everyone in the imperial capital."
"Is that so?" Zhou Hong was surprised. He had only been preoccupied with enjoying himself with Changsun Qinghe yesterday and hadn't paid any attention to the news.
"Yes, we wouldn't mistake you."
"Oh, well, thank you."
"You're welcome, please come again."
Zhou Hong and Changsun Qinghe walked out of the hotel. Since they were offered a free stay, there was no reason to refuse.
However, Zhou Hong hadn't expected to become famous in Kyoto overnight. This wasn't what Zhou Hong wanted. Zhou Hong now wished to be an unknown person.
"It seems that gold will shine wherever it goes," Zhou Hong said with a wry smile.
"Stop bragging," Changsun Qinghe said, looking at Zhou Hong speechlessly.
"I truly don't want to be famous. I regret kicking Dongguo Yinhui yesterday," Zhou Hong said, shaking his head with a smile. He didn't want to be ranked, yet he had been placed on the Earthly Ranking.
He wondered if someone ranked higher would find him and challenge him later.
If so, Zhou Hong would directly find the number one ranked person and beat him up, to save trouble.
"Zhou Hong, I'm planning to go home now. Do you want to come with me? You said before that you wanted to meet my parents," Changsun Qinghe asked as they walked out of the hotel.
"Not today. The Dongguo family is still trying to cause trouble for me, and I'm afraid of implicating you. I'll visit your family after I've resolved my conflict with the Dongguo family," Zhou Hong said after some hesitation. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Okay, but be careful. It's best to wear a mask."
"Heh!" Zhou Hong sneered dismissively and waved his hand, leaving.
Changsun Qinghe also hurried back to her family to share her joy. For decades, no disciple from their Changsun family had managed to enter the Earthly Ranking, and now she finally could. She imagined her family would be ecstatic when they found out.
Of course, if her family asked why she had broken through to Martial Master overnight, she would never dare to tell the truth and would have to come up with some excuse. After all, cultivating with Zhou Hong was not something to be openly discussed.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hong walked down the street. Many passersby seemed to recognize him, and some even asked for photos with him.
Zhou Hong did not put on any airs and posed for photos with them generously.
However, Zhou Hong felt helpless. He craved peace, but life wouldn't allow it. He really wanted to find a secluded mountain valley, where no one would bother him.
But then again, hiding in a mountain valley alone to be bitten by mosquitoes to avoid disturbance didn't seem like a good idea either. Zhou Hong could only face it resignedly.
As he walked, Zhou Hong suddenly saw a magnificent gate ahead, with "Kyoto Martial Arts Academy" written on it.
"Haha! I've actually walked to the Kyoto Martial Arts Academy." Zhou Hong remembered that his father, Qiao Zhenhua, was a tutor at this academy.
His sister, Qiao Ying'er, and Huo Ling'er were also here.
Earlier, Zhou Hong had promised Huo Ling'er that he would visit her at school when he had time.