Chapter 166: No Funny Business

"Yongrui, you're awake!" Someone's voice suddenly erupted in my ears as I felt the air being squeezed out of my lungs. In a desperate attempt to regain my breaths back, I lightly tapped on the person's back as that person continued to hug me tighter. 

Natalia? Is that you? I asked myself but I know it wasn't her. Recently, Natalia would invade my mind as if she was some sort of virus. Sure she was one of the most beautiful disciples I've ever heard. Sure she was the sweetest disciple I've ever had. And to top it all off, we were close enough to hug each other even before that incident happened. But no matter what kind of person she was in the past, I know that I won't be able to bring her back. She was infected before I was and I knew that there's no way I could find her. Unless I scour the entire city where my sect was in the past, I don't think I'll ever see her again.

And even if I saw her, what do I do? She has a gaping hole in her stomach. Snap out of it, Yongrui. You can't have a relationship with an undead. No matter how twisted your mind may be, don't even think about it! 

Besides, you have Wu Yan, Yang Mei Mei, Shi Meili, and a bunch of other women who are close to you right now. Why think about a dead person when you have living people with you? Seriously Yongrui, stop it. Get some help. 

And also, you just got your first disciple, right? You know, that Zeng Meihui girl! Shouldn't you look forward to the revival of the Tang Sect the most? 

That's right, I guess I've gotten a bit distracted after suffering a near-death situation, huh. Right now, all that I should think about is how to revive the Tang Sect... well, technically the Tang Sect still exists but that Tang Sect is now called the Tang Shelter and it's basically not owned by me. That's why I need to set up my own Sect! If it means setting up a new shelter with the same name, then so be it. 

However, it's a different matter if Ye Ziyun hands me the Tang Shelter. I don't think she will do that though since they were the ones who built it from the ground up. I did tell them in the past to never abandon the name of the Tang Sect but all their efforts and the rewards they reaped are theirs to keep. I'm not a scum to get all those from them. 

Back to the topic, I was being hugged right? Why did my thought process reach my goals? Seriously. 

When I opened my eyes, Yang Mei Mei was in front of me. It was evident that she had been crying for hours since her face was bloated. Two streams of tears also continuously flowed from her eyes, and her occasional sniffle could be heard from the background. "H-hey," I awkwardly greeted as I forced myself to sit down. 

"No, Yongrui, you should rest. Don't force yourself." Wu Yan advised, lightly putting her hand on my chest.

"Yes, Yongrui. You should rest. We heard what happened from the Shelter Leader." Liu Zhi agreed as he approached the bed where I was lying down. "It's a surprise that you managed to clear the Void Tower alone. It's a really hard Dungeon based on our readings and yet you cleared it so easily." 

"You flatter me, White helped out a lot. He was the reason why the clear was possible." I continued. "In any case, where's White, is he okay?" I asked. 

"Yes, he didn't suffer any deadly injuries unlike you... but he did almost run out of Qi Energy so he's still recovering. I don't think he'll wake up any time soon." Shi Yanmei chimed in. "In any case, I never imagined that my previous disciple is actually a genius! How could you go head to head with someone who's already in the realm Beyond Transcendence Realm? I don't think you used any skills when you took the brunt of that blue lightning attack. While I was watching, I noticed that you expended huge amounts of Qi Energy. With your current cultivation, how could you have so much Qi Energy? It's not like you have two or more Qi Cores." 

"Come on, master. I'm still your disciple. Even if you haven't instructed me in a long time, there's no such thing as being relieved from disciple duties. Once a disciple, always a disciple." I muttered. Well, the main reason why I brought that up was not that I wanted to remind my master that I will always remain as her disciple... but rather, I wanted to distract her from thinking about the irregular amount of Qi Energy.

In response, Shi Yanmei smiled as she gently ruffled my hair. "You really didn't change after all these years, did you." 

"Yongrui, is it true that you really are the Sect Master of the former Tang Sect?" Yang Mei Mei asked, her eyes sparkling. "I remember you looked really handsome before but how come you look even younger now? Did you go through a massive breakthrough? Wait... I thought you and your sect were the first victims of the outbreak. How come you're alive when news reports said that you're dead?" 

"It never did occur in my mind that you're such a bigshot, Yongrui. From the moment we met you, we just accepted that you were strong. If you really did get a massive breakthrough, then that explains why you look younger than before." Liu Zhi commented. 

Massive breakthrough? What massive breakthrough? The reason why I look young was that I became infected. And then my body didn't age since then... wait, now that I think about it, how come I didn't age? Was that because of the System? Did the System reconstruct my body just so I won't look older than before? 

Because of the commotion, the noise, and all the thoughts in my head, I turned around and decided to shut my eyes. Right now, they're pestering me with questions when I should be in a quiet environment. Sure I've already almost recuperated but I want to get some sleep. 

Even until now, I still don't know why the Hui-ying and the System remained a mystery for me. Well, they're not really that mysterious anymore since I've known a majority of their past, but somehow, I can't explain how their existence came to be. How did they get inside my head? Who put them there? All those questions still plague me like a monster in my sleep. And even though Hui-ying and the System are open enough to tell me anything I asked, I still want to know more about them through other means. They've been a great help to me, that's for sure. 

"Come on, we should leave him be for now," Shi Yanmei called out. "We're getting a tad too noisy in here." 

"If that's the case, then... Yang Mei Mei, you should go home and get some rest. I'll look after Yongrui for tonight." Shi Meili offered, placing her hand on Yang Mei Mei's shoulder as she wore a smile on her face. 

Yang Mei Mei's face turned sour as she faced Shi Meili, "No, you go home and get some rest. I'll look after Yongrui until he's well enough. Thank you." 

"But it's my turn now! You've been watching him for two days already! First, it was Wu Yan's turn, and then your turn... after that it should be me, right?" Shi Meili whispered. "And besides, you haven't slept at all for the past two days, look at those dark circles under your eyes."

"No, I'll look afte— " 

"Yang Mei Mei." I interrupted her as I shot a sharp glance towards her. "Are you not sleeping properly? Haah? You should take better care of your health! And from the looks of it, didn't you have an agreement beforehand? You should follow through when it comes to those things." 

Yang Mei Mei gulped. With a sullen look on her face. She went nearer my bed and leaned forward. "But why is it my fault? It's your fault for not taking better care of yourself!" 

Suddenly, the surroundings slowed down as if time has stopped. I could see Yang Mei Mei leaning more and more forward as she tightly puckered her lips. My eyes widened as my heart raced. As much as I badly wanted to dodge her kiss, I couldn't really move my body that well because of the severe exhaustion I experienced. In the end, her kiss safely landed on my forehead, making me flinch in the process. 

"There's that!" Yang Mei Mei smiled, pleased with herself. "Shi Meili, you should look after Yongrui as well as I did... and ALSO! No funny business!" 

Che— that girl, how hypocritical... did she just say 'no funny business when she was the one who did the 'funny business' herself? 

Also, I could've sworn I heard Wu Yan mutter 'This is so unfair~' underneath her breath.

Just what is going on?!