Chapter 61: The Martial Origin Stone

Zhao Rui did not expect her to show up, but since the words were already out, he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll send you the location."

With that, he hung up the phone.

"Who's coming?" Zhang Kui asked out of curiosity.

"A friend," Zhao Rui said casually.

"Someone we don't know?" Qin Rui asked.

"Yeah, I was just being polite. I didn't think she'd actually come."

Zhao Rui smiled helplessly. Sometimes, when talking to women, you cannot be too direct, or they will take it literally.

"Hypocrite. If you ever invite me to dinner again, I'll have to think twice about whether you actually mean it." Qin Rui couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"Wait a minute. Zhao Rui invited you to dinner alone? Why didn't you invite me?" Li Xinran looked at the two of them in utter astonishment. "You two are keeping the good food to yourselves."

"Stop, stop! What are you even talking about?!" Zhao Rui quickly cut off their nonsense. If this kept going, he would never clear his name.

"Nothing of the sort! Let's drink, let's drink. We'll go sing karaoke later." Zhao Rui hurriedly changed the subject.

"Right, I heard that during military training, you sang a song you wrote and performed yourself. Is that true?"

Hearing about singing, Li Xinran's eyes lit up with intense curiosity.

"I just made it up. How do you even know that?"

"Wow, you're so amazing. Hey, if only you were a girl... ouch!"

Before Li Xinran could finish her sentence, Zhao Rui stuffed a skewer of mutton right into her mouth.

"How dare you bully Senior Sister!"

As everyone chatted and playfully bantered, a graceful figure suddenly appeared by Zhao Rui's side.

The woman was elegant and refined, draped in a light brown trench coat that did not look bulky at all, but rather made her look even taller and more slender.

"Zhao Rui!"

"Ahem, well... let me introduce you. A friend of mine, Youyou. Everyone, these are my friends, as well as my senior schoolmates."

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

Everyone greeted her one after another.

"Would you like a drink?" Zhang Kui asked warmly.

Youyou shook her head and smiled. "I don't drink. Thank you."

Zhao Rui casually placed some skewers and snacks in front of her. "Have a taste. See how it is!"

Youyou picked up a mutton skewer, took a bite, and her crescent-shaped eyes widened slightly as she couldn't help but say, "It's delicious!"

"If it's delicious, eat more."

"Mhm."

After briefly accommodating Youyou's presence, Zhao Rui turned back to continue chatting with Zhang Kui and the others.

"I saw a post online a couple of days ago saying that a strange cave appeared on the peak of Mount Tai, but it was blocked off by the authorities," Zhang Kui said mysteriously.

"What strange cave? How come I didn't see it?" Li Xinran asked curiously.

"The post was taken down immediately, and the video was removed, so you can't search for it at all. I saw it on the Hanhai Forum the absolute second it went up, but when I looked for it again, it was already gone."

"What on earth was it about?"

"I don't know!"

"If you don't know, what are you babbling about?!" Li Xinran gave him a scornful look.

"That's not how you look at it. Whenever posts get deleted this fast and the government steps in, there's definitely something wrong. Could it be like that riot from ten years ago?!"

"Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Stop talking nonsense!" Li Xinran hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth, angrily whispering a reprimand.

Even Qin Rui and the others were shaken, glaring at him with displeasure.

"Mmph... mmph! I get it now!"

Zhang Kui also realized that a few drinks had loosened his tongue, especially with an outsider present.

Seeing that he had recognized his mistake, Li Xinran finally withdrew her hand and stood up to head inside the restaurant.

"Where are you going?!"

"To wash my hands. Your mouth stinks!"

"..."

Zhang Kui's old face flushed red, and he felt an overwhelming urge to spank Li Xinran.

After a little while, Li Xinran strolled leisurely back, sniffing her own palm as she walked with a disgusted expression on her face.

"Enough is enough!"

"If you ever talk nonsense again, I'll smother your mouth with my bare foot."

"Is that true? Well then, I might just say some things!" Zhang Kui raised an eyebrow, a lewd grin on his face.

"Damn it!"

Even Cao Guannan, who had been putting on a profound and composed act the whole time, completely broke character.

"You're so gross."

Li Xinran completely conceded defeat. She walked up behind him, slapped him hard on the back, and returned to her seat looking utterly dead inside.

"Heh, try fighting me!" Zhang Kui raised his mug of draft beer in triumph and took a massive gulp.

"Alright, can you guys talk about something normal? I have a friend here!" Zhao Rui said helplessly, seeing how uninhibited they were acting.

"Haha, don't mind us, Beauty. We're just messing around, I'm definitely not a pervert," Zhang Kui quickly explained with a smile.

"It's fine, this kind of bantering is quite nice." Youyou smiled calmly, indicating that she didn't mind at all.

The group smoothly transitioned to chatting about other topics.

"How did you end up in Jizhou, and when are you going back?"

While the others were chatting idly, Zhao Rui turned slightly and handed Youyou a skewer of grilled chicken wings.

"I had some business to attend to, so I'm staying for a few days. I don't know when I'll head back yet."

Youyou spoke in a soft tone, but under the table, her dainty foot gently brushed against Zhao Rui's, even rubbing back and forth across the top of his foot.

Zhao Rui's facial twitching intensified. What on earth are you trying to do?

"Ahem. I'm going to the restroom." He hurriedly stood up and headed toward the restroom inside the restaurant.

"Excuse me, I need to go too."

Seeing Zhao Rui leave, Youyou quickly stood up and followed after him.

In just a few steps, she caught up to Zhao Rui. Then, wearing a half-smile, she cast him a flirtatious glance and mouthed silently, "Do you like it?"

Zhao Rui couldn't help but roll his eyes and ignored her.

A triumphant, faint smile instantly bloomed across Youyou's fair cheeks as she continued to mouth silently, "I know what your friend was talking about."

With that, she turned and slipped into the women's restroom.

Zhao Rui paused, puzzled by what she meant.

A moment later, Zhao Rui emerged from the restroom and waited by the door. Seeing Youyou walk out, he asked, "So, you actually came looking for me today because you have business?"

"Mhm!"

"Alright, got it!"

Zhao Rui replied simply without saying much more and turned to walk back toward the dining table.

Seeing the two of them return, Zhang Kui exchanged knowing winks with Qin Rui and the others.

"Well, Zhao Rui, it's getting late. Let's call it a night, we can get together another day."

"Yeah, I'm sleepy anyway, let's skip the karaoke. Next time." Li Xinran chimed in.

Zhao Rui immediately understood that these people were overthinking things, but he didn't elaborate. He just smiled and said, "Alright then. Let's get together another day."

The group then tidied up and went their separate ways.

Once separated from the others, Zhao Rui led Youyou toward a quiet, secluded path outside the campus.

"Alright, spit it out. What do you want with me? Don't tell me it's another one of those 'be my boyfriend' routines." Zhao Rui slowed his pace slightly and turned his head to ask.

Under the dappled, hazy streetlights, the woman's face carried an ethereal quality, making her look exceptionally serene and remote.

"Wuyuan Stone! Have you ever heard of it?"

Zhao Rui was momentarily stunned. As a half-transmigrator, he really had never heard of this term.

"Never heard of it. What is that?"

"It's something that was discovered on Mount Tai."

The woman spoke leisurely as a night breeze swept past, bringing a hint of chill that enveloped them both.

"I've never heard of it. Is it very important?"

"The Source Stone of Martial Dao. Understand now?"

Zhao Rui's pupils dilated slightly. With a name like that, needless to say, he knew just how important this thing must be.

This life and his past life did not differ fundamentally in broad strokes; geography, history, and even culture were largely similar.

The only unique distinction between the two worlds was the existence of martial dao.

More than a century ago, close-quarters combat martial arts, which had been declining due to the rise of firearms, suddenly began to produce internal strength and true qi that exceeded mortal limits.

This allowed martial practitioners—once helpless lambs waiting for slaughter—to instantly acquire a certain degree of self-preservation.

As time passed, martial arts flourished further. Coupled with an era filled with frequent warfare where everyone feared for their lives, martial arts naturally took center stage.

Now, more than a hundred years later, that history had been submerged in warfare and the passage of time.

Later generations had studied this history, but the results were kept from the public. Rumor had it that the authorities had ordered these secrets to be concealed.

Could this Wuyuan Stone be related to that period of history?

Zhao Rui knitted his brows. Although these matters weren't something a college student should be worrying about, everyone possessed curiosity.

Zhao Rui was no exception.

"Could it be you've seen one?" Zhao Rui asked casually.

Youyou shook her head and said, "I've only heard rumors too. Actually, a lot of people know about it, they just don't talk about it."

"Oh!"

Zhao Rui was taken aback, then let out a bitter laugh. Right, what role did he play in all this?

Just like in his past life, ordinary folks like him thought they understood world events by browsing the internet every day, pointing fingers at the martial world and acting as if they knew everything.

Only when truly facing society did they realize things were far different from what they imagined.

***

*(Content omitted)*

***

However, anyone would want to be someone who grasps the truth.

In this life, he was merely a high schooler who had just entered college; how much of the world's inner workings could he possibly know?

How much truth and how much falsehood was there in the things allowed to be put online?

"However, I know a place where you can see photos of this kind of stone. Do you want to go?"

Youyou raised her eyes, her bright gaze reflecting crystalline light beneath the night lamp.

"No. I don't go places where there's danger!"

"You're such a coward!" Youyou said speechlessly. "I didn't see you being a coward before."

"Circumstances alter cases!"

"Relax, there's no danger. It's right here in Jizhou, at a friend's house. They have... photos of this thing in their home!" The corners of Youyou's lips curved upward as a trace of a smile escaped her.

"Photos?" Zhao Rui couldn't help rolling his eyes. But on second thought, even having photos was an impressive feat.

After all, ordinary people, and even university students majoring in martial arts like him, knew nothing of this object.

"Are you going or not?"

"State your purpose!"

Zhao Rui was indeed somewhat tempted. Armed with a heaven-defying system panel cheat, he naturally harbored curiosity toward the extraordinary aspects of this world.

Could there be a second person possessing a heaven-defying fortune?

Where did the ultimate destination of martial dao lie?

What level of powerhouse was that old man he had encountered earlier who could leap dozens of meters into the air?

Only by coming into contact with more could he understand more.

"No specific purpose. If I must name one, it's that when we go to see her, you have to say you are my fated inverse!"

"Fated inverse?" Zhao Rui was startled.

"Correct. I've never told you my background, and you never asked."

"Can I choose not to listen?"

With that, Zhao Rui's steps shifted, and in an instant, he bounded several yards away, sprinting into the distance.

Youyou wore a look of utter astonishment. She never imagined Zhao Rui would make this choice.

You really are a sly fox!

A minute later, Zhao Rui, who had just stepped into his residential compound, received a WeChat message from Youyou.

"My name is Xu Youyou, though you can continue to call me Youyou. I am a member of the Molo Sect, a candidate handmaiden to the Saintess. The so-called 'fated inverse' is the follower of the Molo Handmaiden, and also the savior who reverses the backlash of the Great Luo Demonic Ultimate Art..."

Zhao Rui glanced at it and let out a sigh.

Could this enchantress not simply make friends in a straightforward manner?

Deep down, he still harbored skepticism toward the demonic sects and the dark underbelly of this world.

After all, everything visible to the naked eye was full of light, so naturally, there was nothing to fear.

Yet human nature was such that people always held curiosity toward the unknown world.

Subconsciously, he actually wanted to keep Xu Youyou's contact information and wanted to use her to understand the happenings of this other "world."

Otherwise, blocking her directly and cutting off all contact would have been clean and thorough.

Zhao Rui narrowed his eyes, the three words "Wuyuan Stone" echoing in his mind.

What on earth was this thing?

Turning off his phone screen, Zhao Rui hurried back to his rented apartment.

On the other side, after sending the message, Xu Youyou waited for a moment without receiving a reply from Zhao Rui. She stamped her dainty foot in slight exasperation and muttered, "Such a slippery little scoundrel."

With that, her feet tapped lightly, and her figure fluttered like a phantom, vanishing seamlessly into the shadows by the roadside.

That night, Zhao Rui turned on his laptop and racked his brains scouring the internet.

He browsed through every article he could find concerning the words "Wuyuan Stone," or even anything vaguely related.

Yet very few articles seemed reliable, and most were merely clickbait designed for traffic.

"Would the library have it?"

Zhao Rui's eyes lit up. Being in university and sitting right inside a martial arts academy, finding information shouldn't be a difficult task.

The martial arts academy even had a Department of Martial Dao History.

He was really riding an ass while searching for the donkey, looking for what was right under his nose!

With a peaceful night passing, early the next morning, Zhao Rui finished his major courses and jogged all the way to the martial arts academy.

Upon reaching the entrance, he first called Zhang Kui and told him to bring out the reading pass.

Zhang Kui lazily walked down from the teaching building, handed him the reading pass, and said, "What do you want to know for? Just ask me!"

Ignoring him, Zhao Rui took the pass and rushed toward the large library belonging exclusively to the martial arts academy.

Judging solely by its exterior, the library covered an area of over 40,000 square meters. With only two or three thousand students in total, he had no idea why such a massive space was needed.

Following the spacious staircase that was a full two stories high, Zhao Rui climbed step by step toward the library entrance.

"Zhao Rui, what brings you here?"

Before he even reached the door, a greeting came from behind.

Zhao Rui turned his head and saw a junior student named Peng Yuhui. Some time ago, Wang Zhanshan had also transferred the junior formal team members to Zeng Hongyi's command, making the two of them part of the same coaching group.

"I'm here to look up some materials. Senior brother, what about you?"

"I'm here for self-study, preparing for the graduate entrance exams. You know my situation. Let's go."

With that, Peng Yuhui took the lead and guided Zhao Rui into the library.