Sweetly accompanying Miao Xiaoxia to school, Shen Qiang only turned and left after dropping her off at the classroom.

After adding another hundred kilograms of weight, Shen Qiang jogged slowly around the campus.

"Look, it's Shen Qiang, the guy who was so awesome in front of the school gate yesterday."

"Wow, he's such a man."

"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed at all; turns out he's that amazing!"

"Yeah, in that big scene yesterday, he didn't even frown when a knife was pointed at him; he was just too cool!"

"Wow, I really want to talk to him, but he's running. Who has sneakers? Lend them to me, wuwuwu, if I knew I would meet him running, I wouldn't have worn these slip-ons."

"Tsk, give it up, even if you were a hundred-meter champion, you couldn't catch him. Yesterday, he had this year's most beautiful newcomer Miao Xiaoxia in his arms. Just give up already."

"Ugh... Are her breasts bigger than mine?"

"Exactly, how can you know if you don't try!"

The many beauties who saw Shen Qiang stealthily glanced and whispered among themselves.

But at this moment, the Shen Qiang who ran past them didn't even spare them a glance.

Due to the daily increase in weight, even a simple jog required Shen Qiang's full concentration as he cultivated diligently, especially since the 1,300 kilograms of weight was the equivalent of Shen Qiang running with an SUV on his back.

Without using True Qi, every step he took had to be carefully considered for its strength, balance, angle. A slight deviation could result in injury, even for a cultivator like Shen Qiang who had reached the Golden Core Stage.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

The surface of a cold drink on a table by the roadside rippled with each step that Shen Qiang took.

"I didn't get enough training done all of yesterday, so I must make it up today." Only a few hundred meters out, and already drenched in sweat, Shen Qiang made up his mind.

He ran directly from Medical University to University City Park.

Not until Shen Qiang had jogged around University City Park, felt completely worn out, and lay sweating profusely on a stone bench, did Xiu Ju from the Dark Department appear beside him.

From his lying perspective, Xiu Ju's figure was extremely good, but the freckles on her face made her look quite old and plain.

After handing Shen Qiang a bottle of water, Xiu Ju from the Dark Department sat opposite him and said, "Don't you have something you want to say to me?"

Shen Qiang looked at her with surprise, "What's there to say?"

Dark Department Xiu Ju took a deep breath, "Where did you go last night? What did you do? Regarding yesterday's events, how do you plan to proceed? The Zhong Family people came to meet you with such a forceful attitude, haven't you considered the reason behind it?"

Shen Qiang laughed, sat up, looked at Dark Department Xiu Ju, took a sip of water and said, "Last night, I went to Miao Xiaoxia's place and slept with her. I think you should be quite clear about that matter. As for yesterday's incident, I believe Zhong Yongxi and the Zhong Family have the capacity to handle it well."

"As for the Zhong Family sending so many Yongxi-generation members to pay their respects to me, the bottom line is they're just hoping I favor one of them, casually impart a few pointers, and make them stronger. And even if I'm not interested in any of them and don't wish to give any guidance, at least they have shown me respect, so I won't end up in conflict with them."

Dark Department Xiu Ju: "They want to use you, so you'd better be careful."

"Aren't you using me?" Shen Qiang retorted, "Completing missions, accumulating merit, points, reputation points, getting a salary, what's the difference between you and them?"

Dark Department Xiu Ju was stunned, and after a while, she said in surprise, "I wouldn't harm you."

Shen Qiang laughed: "Don't take it too seriously. Society is like that. If I couldn't use the Little Leaf Plum Blossom Acupuncture Technique, couldn't use Flowers Opening Nine Branches, hadn't smashed the Life-extending Hall, do you think the Zhong Family would really care about me? Let me tell you, the answer is no."

"Then why do you still accept their visits? Aren't they just using you?" Dark Department Xiu Ju looked puzzled.

Shen Qiang laughed: "One mustn't fail to recognize respect. If your pocket is full of money and you see my ragged attire, you might feel superior, but in reality, I'm not borrowing money from you. If you put on an air as if you're above everyone, then I'd tell you to roll aside."

"If I don't care about you, how is your wealth of any relevance to me? If I don't care about you, your capabilities mean nothing to me. Aren't you just a stranger A, B, or C?"

Xiu Ju, still in a daze, looked at Shen Qiang and said, "But they still want to use you."

Shen Qiang smiled and said, "Don't fear being used by others. What's truly scary is having no value to be used. Understand? While they use me, I'm also using them: run errands, do chores, all respectful. Would you do that without any purpose?"

"And to put it plainly, everyone has an agenda when they do anything. Children throw tantrums to get a pack of snacks, boys dress up to attract the attention of girls—so you don't need to overcomplicate things."

"The Zhong Family needs me to help them establish their family's reputation, and what I value is the convenience they can bring me—it's as simple as that. They like to serve me, so I'll just enjoy being their revered elder."

Xiu Ju was shocked: "Aren't you afraid they'll betray you someday?"

Shen Qiang laughed: "If they choose to betray me, there are only three possibilities. The first, they have fully mastered the Little Leaf Plum Blossom Acupuncture Technique and someone has reached my level. The second, they've found a mightier acupuncture technique, and someone's medical skills surpass mine."

"And the third is facing the danger of their family's extinction and believing I cannot save them. As long as none of these scenarios happen, they will never betray me."

Seeing the shocked Xiu Ju, Shen Qiang smiled and said, "Do you know why the Dragon Group has you closely protect me instead of just any stranger A? It's because they value my ability. If I couldn't control diseases and become strong, do you think you would be here handing me drinks?"

"So don't worry needlessly about me, and don't fear that I'll be used by someone. And don't try to use the concept of 'being used' to drive a wedge between me and others. I see right through these things; I know what I should do and what I should avoid."

Xiu Ju frowned, yet she was at a loss for words.

Right then, Shen Qiang's phone rang.

Seeing the call was from Lv Shuyao, Shen Qiang's brow furrowed, but he hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

"Shen Qiang, although I'm not sure of the specific reasons, I heard from my mom that you seem unwilling to participate in the Huaxia Gourmet Food Competition. I'm sure you have your reasons, but they are my parents. My dad dreams of opening a world-famous restaurant, and my mom's dream is to become the CEO of a chain of hotels."

"Now, they're getting on in years, and they see the Datong River as the last bus of their lifelong dreams. My dad hopes Datong River will become world-famous, and my mom wants to make it into a global chain business through her efforts."

"This is their final dream in life, their only chance, so please, help them!"

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