On the other side, Central District, Shen Martial Arts Hall.
"Couldn't find him?"
In the main hall, Shen Qingyue looked at the dozen martial arts disciples who were hanging their heads in silence, feeling frustrated but unable to act out, she suppressed her anger and said, "Keep searching, until you find him!"
"Yes~!"
They responded weakly, some even drew out their voices, vaguely revealing dissatisfaction.
Shen Qingyue furrowed her brows and looked at them, her eyes cold and sharp, "What's with your attitude?"
They heard her but didn't respond, just stood there with their heads down, engaged in silent opposition against Shen Qingyue.
"Fine, fine, fine!"
Seeing this, Shen Qingyue understood their sentiments and angrily said three times, "If you won't go, I'll go myself!"
Without caring about their reactions, she turned and headed towards the door.
"Second Senior Sister, you misunderstood!"
At this moment, a young man led several others into the room, "Everyone means no harm, they just think you're too tense. The junior disciple is so old now, not a toddler, what's the worst that one night can bring, is it really necessary to make a big deal out of it?"
"Yes, yes, I think he may have gone out for some relaxation."
"He's only been missing for one night, it's not like it's been two or three days."
"Maybe he'll come back later!"
"It's a crucial time now, everyone's busy training, who has time to look for him?"
The youth just finished talking when others chimed in and even openly expressed their discontent.
"What are you doing!?"
Shen Qingyue's expression chilled as she was about to explode when a cold voice interrupted her from behind.
Everyone turned back towards the voice and saw a tall and burly man walking out from the back hall, followed by several young men and women.
"Senior Brother!"
Seeing him, the previously obstinate disciples shrunk back, and the young man who had just entered diverted his gaze.
"Hmph!"
The man snorted coldly, stepped forward and scolded the silent disciples, "The martial arts hall feeds and houses you, and this is how you respond? The junior disciple is missing and you don't care to find him? Fine, if you won't go, I will!"
"This is unacceptable!"
Upon hearing this, people hurriedly moved to stop him.
"Senior Brother, your injury has just healed, you shouldn't be moving around unnecessarily!"
"Exactly, in three months, the challenge from Zhang Martial Arts Hall still requires you to handle it!"
"Senior Brother, take good care and rest, we'll find the junior disciple!"
The several words spoke in unison, blocking the man.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, the man gave in with the situation, waved his hand and shouted to everyone, "Then hurry up and go!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Hearing that, the crowd scattered like birds, hurriedly left the martial arts hall, leaving only the man, the young man, and Shen Qingyue.
"Junior Sister, don't be mad at them!"
The man, honored as the Senior Brother, softened his tone and stepped forward to speak to Shen Qingyue, "Junior disciple's disappearance, I know you're worried, but they didn't mean to make things difficult for you, it's the situation of the martial arts hall..."
The man spoke earnestly, but Shen Qingyue remained silent, while the young man on the side showed disdain.
Seeing this, the Senior Brother's eyes turned harsh, but unable to act out, he paused his words.
At this moment, someone behind him stepped forward, a red-dressed girl, smiled at Shen Qingyue, "Second Senior Sister, don't worry, junior disciple is a grown-up, it's normal for him to have his own thoughts. If he's not in the usual places, perhaps look elsewhere, maybe..."
"What do you mean?"
The words were interrupted, Shen Qingyue looked at her coldly, anger rising.
The girl remained smiling, "I mean nothing, it's normal for young men to be restless. You hardly interact with him as his fiancée, it's only natural he feels stifled over time..."
"Enough!"
A harsh voice interrupted again, but this time it was the Senior Brother Qin Gang turning and coldly suppressing her words.
"Hmph!"
The red-dressed girl snorted unhappily, but dared not retort, and stood aside with arms crossed.
Facing this situation, Shen Qingyue remained silent; the young man and his entourage revealed teasing smiles.
In this tense atmosphere...
"Is this the Shen Martial Arts Hall?"
Two uniformed workers walked in.
"This..."
Everyone looked at each other, surprised, while Shen Qingyue, tense, stepped forward, "This is the Shen Martial Arts Hall, may I ask, what's the matter?"
"We are employees of the city's property transaction office."
They directly produced documents to Shen Qingyue and others, "Owner Shen Hex has sold this property, we're here to take over, please vacate within three days, you may take your personal belongings..."
"What?"
With these words, the others couldn't sit still, and quickly came forward, "He sold the martial arts hall?"
The staff nodded: "Yes."
"How dare he?!"
This statement made Qin Gang, the senior brother, lose his composure and erupt in anger, the people behind him were also shocked and furious.
"That little bastard!"
"I wondered why he ran off, turns out he went to sell the Martial Arts Hall!"
"Damn it..."
The crowd was shocked and furious, even resorting to curses.
The two staff members, however, ignored them: "There's a three-day deadline, after which everyone must vacate, or it will be considered illegal occupation of Empire property, defying Empire law. We will take enforcement actions!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions froze.
The two ignored them, leaving documents behind, and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Shen Qingyue snapped back to reality and stopped the two, asking: "And Little Hex..."
"No comment!"
The two didn't change their expression, turned away and left, leaving Shen Qingyue standing there at a loss.
"..."
The Martial Arts Hall was plunged into dead silence again, but it was quickly shattered by the outburst of anger.
"How dare he!"
"This Martial Arts Hall belongs to everyone, how could he sell it just like that?"
"Find him back, get him back!"
"Go, dig three feet deep but find him!"
The crowd was furious, and senior brother Qin Gang's eyes were red as he ordered his men to go out and search.
He couldn't have imagined, really couldn't have imagined, that the second-generation rich kid, who only knew how to eat, drink, and play all day long, would have such audacity to quietly sell the Martial Arts Hall.
No, this doesn't seem like his style, it must be arranged by those two old fellows!
Indeed, blood is thicker than water, being the eldest disciple, risking life to safeguard their family business, only to end up with nothing, just working for the Shen Family like cattle and horses.
This is not right, not right at all!
Qin Gang's eyes were red, and ignoring Shen Qingyue, he stormed out of the Martial Arts Hall.
"Senior brother!"
"Go!"
The red-clothed girl quickly followed his steps, and the rest also left angrily, leaving Shen Qingyue standing alone in the Martial Arts Hall, not knowing what to do.
At that moment...
"Buzz!"
A buzzing sound caused a vibration, awakening Shen Qingyue from her confusion. She opened her personal terminal and saw a transfer message.
...
In the suite at Yunlan Hotel, Shen Hex was immersed in the great task of unpacking, with a pile of packages stacked on the table, all kinds of supplies bought online.
Although the talent introduction clearly stated that Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the Butterfly is consciousness crossing, and the body cannot go over nor can carry anything, it's better to be prepared just in case. Who knows what the situation would be during the Dream Butterfly? If nothing else, food and drinking water should be stocked properly.
Actually, Yunlan Hotel also provides these, but the high-end hotel prices are too high, adhering to the principle of being frugal and knowing where to spend, Shen Hex chose to shop online.
There's no choice, his finances are very tight. Although selling the Martial Arts Hall acquired some funds, he still has to pay the hotel fees, reserve high school tuition, and set aside some money for Shen Qingyue.
Among the people at Shen Martial Arts Hall, while most aren't good people, there are a few who repay kindness, like Shen Qingyue, who still treat him well.
She originally didn't have the surname Shen, she was the only daughter of Shen Hex's parents' friend. Her parents were killed during the Evil God Sect's attack, later adopted and renamed by Father Shen and Mother Shen as Shen Qingyue, becoming the second senior sister at Shen Martial Arts Hall and... a betrothed child!
Though Shen Hex personally didn't quite accept it, he had to admit that Father Shen and Mother Shen had such intentions, and even Shen Qingyue herself accepted this identity. The other people at the Martial Arts Hall didn't need mentioning, led by senior brother Qin Gang, who were very dissatisfied, especially after the disappearance of Father Shen and Mother Shen, always trying to undermine him.
But Shen Qingyue never wavered, still treating him the same, so Shen Hex must arrange for her so that after leaving the Martial Arts Hall, she wouldn't have nowhere to go, living a life of renting and working.
As for why not have her move in with him, some things are better left prudent. Human hearts may withstand tests, but Shen Hex doesn't want to test them, nor wants to bury any hidden dangers around himself.
This is better for himself and for others!
After deducting expenses from all aspects, Shen Hex has little more money to use, so he must save as much as possible.
Having prepared the living supplies, Shen Hex went online to search for information, which resulted in another expense.
This is an age of paying for knowledge, with piracy nearly eradicated by the Empire's iron fist, many data require payment to access.
Although there are not many funds available, Shen Hex didn't save on this necessary expense.
There's no choice, despite living for two lives, having some experience, he is crossing for the first time. In the past life, he was an overworked corporate slave who died of overwork, in this life he's a rich kid waiting to die, neither having experience or knowledge reserves to cope with unfamiliar environments, once crossed over, might find himself blind, leading to premature death even before beginning.
So, Shen Hex must cram various crossing knowledge, memorizing potentially useful information to ensure a successful beginning.
After all, he only has one opportunity for Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the Butterfly. If it fails, it has to recharge, requiring time and Professional Experience, making a second crossing before the school semester very unlikely.
So, with this crossing opportunity, along with six months of development time, he must seize it, seeking breakthroughs.
...
Like this, several days passed.
In the hotel room, Shen Hex was full and satisfied, lying on the big bed, with food and drinking water placed on both sides of the bed, and other essentials like a toilet. He informed the hotel, stating he will be practicing special martial arts and not allowing any disturbance.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the east wind!
Shen Hex closed his eyes, with a thought, he dreamed of Butterfly.