Book 3 Chapter 12 – Sudden Change

　　Li Yiming took back his unfinished sesame cake from Liu Meng and searched for the coin he put away in his pocket. He used his focus to inspect the object, and, a second later, his sesame cake fell to the ground.

　　"What is it?" Liu Meng asked, a little concerned.

　　"I think we've found a treasure," said Li Yiming with a vacant stare.

　　He did not have time to check earlier, but he could finally a.n.a.lyze the information about the bronze coin now. "Dao equipment. Technique included: Thunderous Strike. One-use thunder-type attack activated by focus. Empties the user's available energy into one single strike. The more energy available, the stronger the attack."

　　This was perhaps completely useless for other guardians, but, for Li Yiming, the technique included within the bronze coin was nothing short of a dream come true. Although he had reached level four in spell, he did not know any techniques, and, unlike the other guardians, he also did not have his own talent. With this coin, his vein would no longer be wasted. This would be his last resort in a dire situation.

　　"Is it really strong?" Liu Meng was rather excited.

　　"I love you so much," Li Yiming said earnestly when he remembered that it was Liu Meng's idea to come to the antique market.

　　"Ah, stop it!" Liu Meng blushed and smiled. Li Yiming found himself once again drowned in Liu Meng's loving features; the gentleness of her brows warmed him like a gust of wind in the sunny spring; her scarlet lips reminded him of the fiery fire of love; and her shyness, just like the rainfall after a long drought in the winter, brought life and charm to it all. For a moment, Li Yiming completely forgot about the bronze coin.

　　* * *

　　Li Huaibei calmly stood on the rooftop of a skysc.r.a.per, casting down a sharp look at the city of Shangbei below. His stare pierced through the skysc.r.a.pers and the buildings in the distance until it reached a red-haired young man who was chit-chatting with the shopkeeper of a newspaper stand. The young man had a cigarette between his ear and his head and a piercing on his lower lip. Together with the metallic spikes on his s.h.i.+rt and his spiky hair, which was dyed red, he looked like someone who had just dropped out of high school. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the young man would be quite handsome if he was to change his attire and improve his style.

　　The young man was busy joking with the middle-aged woman about the female celebrities that were on the cover of the magazines, about which one was the most attractive, and which picture was the most provocative one. His remarks made the woman, already in her fifties, laugh incessantly as the layers of fat on her belly rippled like the surface of a lake. Suddenly, the young man turned his head and threw a glance toward the rooftop of a building in the distance. His eyes had a coldness that should not have belonged to someone of his age, but a moment later, he shrugged his shoulders and continued his conversation.

　　* * *

　　Fang Shui'er and Zeng Qian sat in the terra.s.se of a cafe. The elder sister was talking on the phone. "You're right Big Beard, they're coming for us. There’s six of them."

　　"Seven, to be exact," Zeng Qian added while sipping her coffee.

　　"Just hang in there. We'll take care of it as soon as we're done dealing with that fox." The bearded man's cold voice came through the phone. Fang Shui'er hung up and used the phone's screen to look at her hair while reaching for her own cup for a sip of her own.

　　* * *

　　"Found it. There's a bas.e.m.e.nt in that house, that's where the antique collection is hidden. When are we doing it?" Eyegla.s.ses closed his laptop screen and took a bite out of the slice of pizza on the table.

　　"Let's plan this out first. We'll try to minimize the ruckus and act as soon as the opportunity presents itself." Qing Linglong was busy applying her eyeliner right in front of the dressing stand.

　　"Stupid Li Yiming. We're giving him things for free and he doesn't want it." Qing Qiaoqiao was curled up on the sofa and was slowly ripping apart the thick telephone repertoire found within the hotel suite. The floor was already covered with paper pieces. Grandma w.a.n.g, who meditated on the side, peeked at her and closed her eyes with a repressed smile.

　　* * *

　　After an entire morning spent in the antique market district, Li Yiming finally realized how lucky he was to have found the bronze coin right away. Despite their lucky find, they did not find a single item of interest in the hundreds of shops they visited later. Li Yiming rubbed his eyes that had become sore searching in all directions constantly. "Let's go get something to eat, we'll go to the north side later."

　　"Sure!" Liu Meng was thrilled and seemed to enjoy wandering around with Li Yiming quite a lot.

　　"I've heard that the snacks here are great. Let's go have a taste of what Shangbei has to offer!" Li Yiming was in a very good mood himself, already content enough to have obtained the bronze coin.

　　As the two walked side by side, Li Yiming's fingers grazed Liu Meng's. The momentary sensation of touching Liu Meng's hand made Li Yiming's heart skip a beat: this was completely different from when they were dancing together. Li Yiming kept his eyes straight, but his thoughts were in turmoil. 'Should I hold her hand, or not… Is she going to hit me if I try?'