Chapter 44: Cai Yameng Becomes a Target

"Have you heard? The Law Department's campus belle went missing for the entire night yesterday and was only found in the bushes this morning. Word is, she was pleasured to death."
"Crap, really? Is that even a way to die?"
"Well, she's definitely dead. The body has already been taken away for investigation, and that little patch of woods still has police tape around it."
"The exact same thing happened last semester, and the victim was the History Department's campus belle."
"Sounds like we've got ourselves some kind of flower-picker on the loose. I'm starting to worry about my girlfriend."
"No need to worry at all. A flower-picker targets flowers, not tanks."
...

The news of Zhou Chen being a miraculous doctor was completely overshadowed the very next day by an even more sensational piece of gossip. After all, Zhou Chen had only attracted attention within the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, whereas last night's incident was a full-blown murder case, and the victim was none other than a campus belle of Beijing University.

Zhou Chen had only learned about it this morning.

Feeling somewhat curious about the matter—given how heavily monitored Beijing University was, yet this phantom prowler was still able to commit crimes back-to-back—he figured the culprit was definitely no ordinary person, perhaps even a modern cultivator.

Still, it had nothing to do with Zhou Chen. He was a guy, and he didn't even have a girlfriend.

Zhou Chen had already mapped out his schedule for the upcoming military training.

In the morning, he would dispatch the Soul-Devouring Worm and the Life-Devouring Worm to roam the campus, targeting wealthy second-generation heirs and officials' spoiled children who lorded their status over others, absorbing their soul energy and life energy.

Absorbing soul energy would induce mental exhaustion.
Absorbing life energy would induce physical fatigue.

Absorbing both forms of energy simultaneously would leave them completely exhausted in both body and mind, naturally curing them of their bullying ways.

In the afternoon, he would head to Huaxin Hospital for consultations, accumulating viral energy through the Disease-Devouring Worm to strengthen his Taiji power and elevate his cultivation base.

Once he returned to the dormitory late at night, he would refine and absorb these three streams of energy.

In this manner, his spiritual soul, physical body, and cultivation realm could all progress concurrently.

Such was Zhou Chen's planned itinerary for his ongoing cultivation.

Just like yesterday, quite a few students from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department came looking for Zhou Chen today.

In the end, Lin Tuo had to step in, dispersing the students and telling them not to disrupt the military training.

He warned that if anyone bothered the students of his class during training again, all the freshmen would be subjected to extended extra drills, and the senior students would be dragged right into the training sessions alongside them.

"Zhou Chen, I brought you breakfast."

Military training had not yet begun when Cai Yameng walked over, carrying two portions of breakfast.

At first, their classmates had simply assumed Zhou Chen had stepped in peach-blossom-scented dog feces to win the favor of a campus belle. Not only was she breathtakingly gorgeous, but her family background was also immensely prestigious. To be with someone like her would cause a person to laugh out loud even in their dreams.

Yet, never did they expect that Zhou Chen was actually the one concealing his true depth.

Possessing such medical prowess directly caused the campus belle to pursue him instead.

That made complete sense in hindsight.

Consequently, the male students in the class shed all their envy and jealousy.

As usual, Zhou Chen turned Cai Yameng down.

"Cai Yameng, we're just ordinary high school classmates; there's no need for you to do this. If you're trying to butter me up so that I'll treat your father, you really don't have to. I'm still planning to visit your house during the National Day holiday, and we'll see if I can cure your dad's illness then." Zhou Chen felt somewhat exasperated with her.

Although Cai Yameng's method of bringing breakfast was rather clumsy, it proved quite effective on someone like Zhou Chen.

From his previous visit to the Cai family residence to pay respects to Elder Cai, Zhou Chen knew her father's character was likely sound, and the real problem lay with her mother.

Therefore, Zhou Chen had decided to cure Cai Yameng's father and subsequently utilize the innate skill of the Disease-Devouring Worm—Plague Infliction—to afflict Cai Yameng's mother with cancer.

That way, Zhou Chen's conscience would remain clear, and Cai Yameng could enjoy a carefree future.

Most importantly, she would stop pestering him.

Yet, Cai Yameng shook her head. "I am pursuing you purely on my own accord."

Zhou Chen: "..."

Zhou Chen knew his personal charm had grown significantly after taking up cultivation, but surely not to the extent of making a campus belle fall so head over heels, right?

Zhou Chen possessed a realistic self-awareness: nothing special about his looks, and an utterly average physique.

More importantly, there had never been any dramatic hero-saving-the-beauty scenario between him and Cai Yameng.

When a beauty suddenly throws herself at you, Zhou Chen's primary instinct is that she must harbor some ulterior motive.

Furthermore, Zhou Chen still harbored lingering resentment over Cai Yameng's dismissal of his birthday gift.

If Cai Yameng had worn the Yin-Yang Pisces pendant he gifted her when uttering those words, Zhou Chen might have believed she genuinely harbored affection for him.

However, when you treat the birthday gift I gave you like garbage and have no idea where you threw it, yet still claim you want to pursue me—doesn't that sound utterly ridiculous?

Naturally, Zhou Chen refused once again. "No need. There's no possibility between us. You are the eldest miss of the Cai family, while I am merely an ordinary person."

"No matter how high my medical skills might be, they remain utterly insignificant compared to the Cai family."

"Let's not waste each other's time. Once I cure your father, you will still be the princess of the Cai family, and I will happily remain my little nobody."

Having delivered these words, completely indifferent to whatever thoughts were swirling in Cai Yameng's head, Zhou Chen turned and walked a short distance away.

Cai Yameng was not the type to give up simply because of Zhou Chen's words; her personality leaned somewhat toward extremes.

No matter how powerful the Cai family was, flaws within her original family environment had inevitably forged defects in her character.

Just as Zhou Chen suspected, Cai Yameng's feelings for him were not rooted in romantic affection between a man and a woman.

Influenced by the repeated exhortations of her grandfather and father, she had simply framed being with Zhou Chen as a target to conquer.

Much like studying.

Clearly, given her background, she could have entered Beijing University without even taking the national college entrance examination.

Yet, she still chose to study diligently, ultimately scoring as the provincial runner-up in the liberal arts entrance exams.

That was incomparable to someone like Zhou Chen, who attained the national top score solely by relying on cultivation.

For an ordinary person to achieve a high score of 742 was sufficient proof of Cai Yameng's unyielding tenacity.

"I won't give up," Cai Yameng murmured under her breath.

With his exceptionally acute senses, Zhou Chen naturally heard it, feeling utterly helpless.

Even as a cultivator, there were things beyond one's control.

After all, even a cultivator could do nothing to stop a girl dead-set on latching onto him.

In the distance.

A handsome young man gazed at Cai Yameng, his eyes flashing with astonishment and surprise.

"The Extreme Yin Spiritual Physique! To think I've stumbled upon such a massive windfall! If I absorb her virgin yin origin, my cultivation might even successfully breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage in one fell swoop!"

"However, that fellow beside her just now seems somewhat peculiar, giving me a faint sense of threat. I must investigate thoroughly before making a move."

"Luo Ya, oh Luo Ya, you must be exhausting yourself investigating that cultivation vessel who died last night. Your monitoring of the campus is bound to slack off these few days—it's the absolute best window for me to strike again."

"Once I absorb the virgin yin origin of the Extreme Yin Spiritual Physique, I'll have the chance to charge into the Foundation Establishment stage. At that time, I won't be able to lay eyes on your seductive body for quite a while, which is actually a bit of a pity!"