89: Chapter 89 Indirect Curse

"Hold on!" Hou Jingsheng called out to stop Cao Xiao as he turned to leave, cautioning him: "You can now barely be considered a martial artist, so there are some things I must warn you about first. This world is not as simple as it appears on the surface. Since ancient times, those profound and mysterious occurrences haven't just come out of nowhere; there are mysterious powers that exist beyond the mundane world. They aren't known to the general public, and while they aren't as magical as legends describe, they are treacherous, unpredictable, and can harm people invisibly. They aren't something ordinary martial artists like us can easily resist. So, even if you achieve success in the future, do not be arrogant, and do not look down on anyone who seems ordinary. Those people are not to be provoked. Of course, if you truly offend one, yield if you can. But if the other party won't let it go, do not hesitate; use every means possible to kill them. They are also made of flesh and blood, not invincible. Several who were blind enough to cross me fell by my hand back in the day. You must be kind to others, but also decisive in slaughter. Go now, and do not disappoint me."

Cao Xiao's heart jolted. He had originally intended to ask Hou Jingsheng about the extent of a martial artist's power and whether one could transcend the mundane after reaching a certain realm. However, seeing Hou Jingsheng practice his boxing today hadn't shown anything miraculous, so he had swallowed his words. Hearing Hou Jingsheng's warning now, he realized it wasn't that Hou Jingsheng hadn't shown anything unusual, but that the man had already mentioned his vital energy was depleted—he couldn't even use Hidden Power. It would be a wonder if a complete novice like himself could see anything at all. Since Obvious Power, Hidden Power, and Transformative Power all existed, the answer was already obvious. His heart was a whirlwind of emotions, a mix of joy and worry, and he couldn't calm his mind or fully digest the news yet. But with his body now aching unbearably, he stopped overthinking, cupped his fists toward Hou Jingsheng, and said, "Master, I will keep that in mind. Goodbye!"

Cao Xiao stepped out the door. Hou Jingsheng stood there, watching Cao Xiao's departing back with eyes that flickered with uncertainty.

...

The next day, in the orchard of Tianxing Garden, Cao Xiao was practicing boxing on the grass wearing a loose tracksuit. With the help of the standard reference provided by the AI chip, he had completely mastered the thirty-six stances of the boxing set. He looked quite imposing now, and after practicing, he felt as if his body had become somewhat more transparent. Consequently, he spent the entire morning practicing in the orchard until his limbs grew weak. He had just started practicing, and his body hadn't adapted yet; too much was as bad as too little. Martial arts required a balance of tension and relaxation, otherwise, it would harm the body. Furthermore, he needed to timely replenish the energy his body required; he didn't want to become as gaunt as Hou Jingsheng.

Naturally, he became ravenous after so much exercise; Cao Xiao felt like he could swallow a whole cow. Returning to the villa, he wolfed down twice his usual portion of food. After the meal, Wu Feng handed him a passport—it was his own. He was surprised to see it had been processed in less than a day; even asking Chen Huaiyu wouldn't have been this efficient. He gave Wu Feng a surprised look but didn't ask questions. Everyone had their secrets; if someone didn't volunteer information, he wasn't interested in prying. Since the passport was ready, he would set off tomorrow. Just flying to Africa and back would take over two days. There were only about ten days left until his engagement to He Yueyou. This trip to Africa wasn't just to handle company business; he also had to find mines. Ten-odd days was not a very generous amount of time.

Before going to Africa, he still had to solve the problem of the bulletproof clothing. After calling to confirm Mi Fan was home today, he had Wu Feng notify his four bodyguards to prepare for departure tomorrow, then he drove back home.

"Oh! Everyone's home today!" As soon as Cao Xiao entered, he saw the girls dressed in cool summer clothes, chatting in the living room. Although he didn't have any improper thoughts, having a group of beautiful girls around was quite pleasing to the eye.

"Brother, what did you need me for?" Seeing Cao Xiao arrive, Mi Fan ran forward happily and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, I just need you to help me design something. Do you have time now?" Cao Xiao didn't mind Mi Fan's closeness and spoke with a smile.

"I'm free today. What do you want to make? I'll help you design it right away," Mi Fan said quickly.

Cao Xiao glanced at the girls and turned to Mi Fan. "Come upstairs with me; let's go to the study."

Mi Fan nodded without a second thought. "Then wait for me to go get my laptop."

After Mi Fan finished speaking, she ran toward her room. Zhou Xinmeng, Dai Hanqiu, and the other girls found Mi Fan's hurried manner strange. Suddenly, as if they had thought of something, they didn't speak but exchanged looks, each face showing a bit of melancholy. Cao Xiao didn't pay them any mind and just waited for Mi Fan at the top of the stairs.

"Brother, what are you making? I'll go with you to see if I can help." After the girls finished their silent exchange, they all looked at Liu Chang. Liu Chang understood immediately, stood up, walked to Cao Xiao's side, and said those words.

"What could you possibly help with? Do you know fashion design? I'll thank the heavens if you don't cause trouble. Go play by yourself," Cao Xiao said to Liu Chang without any politeness.

Liu Chang was instantly displeased. She pouted her small mouth and gave a cold, unhappy snort. "Humph! Isn't it just designing clothes? I can't make them, but I can still offer some advice. My aesthetic sense is much better than yours."

Cao Xiao looked at Liu Chang suspiciously, thinking to himself that she was acting strange today. Usually, if he talked to her like that, she would definitely mock him for a few sentences and turn away. Today, she was actually being so proactive in wanting to help. Had she taken the wrong medicine, or forgotten to take it? Still, it was fine; it wasn't like he was doing anything shameful. Having someone there to provide some reference opinions wasn't bad. So he said, "Suit yourself. My aesthetic sense really is poor; otherwise, how could I have seen you eating more than a pig and still thought you were cute?"

These words completely incensed Liu Chang, and she immediately bared her little silver teeth to bite Cao Xiao. The two siblings bickered and played all the way from downstairs to the third floor. Finally, after Cao Xiao offered up ten thousand yuan in pocket money, Liu Chang finally let it go.

"Brother, what kind of clothing do you want to design?" In the study, Mi Fan opened her laptop and started her design software before asking Cao Xiao.

"Wait for me a moment." Cao Xiao didn't say it directly. He went back to his bedroom, took out two vajra umbrellas that looked like oil-paper umbrellas from his space, returned to the study, handed one to Mi Fan, and said, "Xiao Fan, this is a gift for you. Do you think it's pretty?"

"Brother, you're biased! Is this one for me? Good thing I came up, or I definitely wouldn't have gotten one." Before Mi Fan could react, Liu Chang was already unhappy. Seeing that Cao Xiao had another umbrella in his hand, she immediately stepped forward and snatched it into her hand.

"You little brat! Is that any way to ask for things!" Cao Xiao glared at Liu Chang.

"Thank you, Brother. This umbrella is very beautiful! What material is the canopy made of? Why is it so heavy?" Mi Fan took the umbrella, opened it, and observed it while speaking.

"Brother, did your ex-girlfriend give you this umbrella? It's simply too hateful! Where is she? I'll go teach her a lesson for you!" Liu Chang looked at the ink-wash style umbrella, but she wasn't happy; instead, she spoke fiercely.

Cao Xiao was about to tell Mi Fan about the materials, but Liu Chang's interruption stopped him. He was somewhat bewildered. Why did she say an ex-girlfriend gave it to him? He looked at Liu Chang strangely and said, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Who are you going to teach a lesson? This is coming out of nowhere!"

"Still not admitting it? She's literally cursing you, and you foolishly accepted it. Humph, Xiao Mi, give it to me. I'm going to throw it away," Liu Chang said impatiently.

"Sit down and explain yourself first. I still haven't figured out what's going on!" Seeing Liu Chang looking so serious, Cao Xiao became even more confused. He pressed Liu Chang down into a chair and spoke sternly.

Liu Chang looked at Cao Xiao with some exasperation. After rolling her eyes, she said with disdain, "I've never seen someone as slow-witted as you. An ex-girlfriend giving you an umbrella means 'If you don't stay up, it will be a sunny day.' And she gave you two, which shows how much she hates you! You actually haven't noticed!"

Cao Xiao finally understood. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he said, "Your ability to make connections could make you a scientist. I just took out two umbrellas, and you thought of all that? Where would I get an ex-girlfriend? Is my character really that bad? What exactly are you learning at school? Ah! You jinx! I made these umbrellas myself. They're high-tech products, specifically brought here for you to use today."