Chapter Five: Is He Truly a Man?

“Hurry up,” Lin Yi urged, his tone casual. The faint fragrance lingering in the car, a trace of a young woman’s scent, was pleasantly intoxicating.

Wang Ke questioned her own ears—how could he ride in her car and act so self-assured? Where did he get that kind of confidence?

But Lin Yi’s next words startled her, snapping her out of her thoughts. “If I’m in a good mood, I might be able to help you with that heat you feel every day at noon.”

“How do you know about that?” Wang Ke’s beautiful eyes grew complicated as she studied Lin Yi, as if trying to see right through him.

It was just as he said: every day around noon, her body would be overcome by an unbearable heat, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for an hour. Especially in this past year, her symptoms had grown worse—her temperature sometimes spiking above fifty degrees Celsius. If she weren’t trained in martial arts, she might not have survived. Even her grandfather couldn’t find the cause. Yet here was a young man in his twenties, claiming he could solve her problem—wasn’t this pure fantasy?

“No reason,” Lin Yi said with a faint smile.

He knew exactly why. The root of the trouble was the body-strengthening technique Wang Ke practiced. The method was designed for men; women who practiced it suffered from excessive yang energy. If Wang Ke continued, even her gender might change. The only solution was to modify the technique to suit women. While that seemed complex to others, for Lin Yi, it would take little effort.

No matter how Wang Ke pressed him, Lin Yi said nothing more, simply sitting in the car with his eyes closed, resting.

“Weirdo,” Wang Ke muttered, pouting, though she couldn’t help but nurture a thread of hope for his words.

After a moment’s hesitation, she climbed into the driver’s seat, grumbling inwardly. The dignified heiress of the Wang family, reduced to driving a stranger around—someone she didn’t even know.

The Wang family was among the most prestigious in Lan City, ranked in the top ten, courted by countless people.

Just as she was about to start the engine, Lin Yi asked, “Are you sure you can drive?”

He’d seen her mistake the brake for the accelerator before, and had no desire to experience that kind of “Fast and Furious” excitement.

Wang Ke’s face darkened. “If you don’t trust me, get out! That was an accident—I’m a veteran on these roads.”

Lin Yi watched her with a faintly amused look.

Annoyed, Wang Ke pouted. “Fine, I’ll drive slower if that makes you happy.”

“As you wish,” Lin Yi replied. In truth, he had already extended his spiritual sense to cover the entire car. Even if Wang Ke made a mistake, he could correct it in an instant.

Wang Ke started the car and, unable to resist, asked, “Hey, how old are you?”

“Focus on driving. Don’t end up in a ditch,” Lin Yi replied.

That nearly drove Wang Ke mad. Was he a complete blockhead, or perhaps one of those guys only interested in other men? She was a campus beauty, after all, with plenty of admirers, yet this man hadn’t spared her a single glance.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered, glaring at Lin Yi, but she didn’t press further.

They drove in silence, soon arriving at the Wang residence.

“We’re here,” Wang Ke announced.

Lin Yi opened his eyes and got out. Before him stood a traditional courtyard house, steeped in an ancient charm. Two burly security guards stood at the entrance, their powerful builds betraying their martial training.

“Miss,” the guards greeted Wang Ke respectfully.

She nodded and led the way.

Lin Yi followed without any trouble.

In the courtyard, an elderly man in his sixties sat sipping tea and listening to the radio, entirely at ease.

“Grandpa,” Wang Ke called, hurrying to his side.

“My precious granddaughter, back so soon?” Wang Yang beamed, his ninety-plus years failing to diminish his vigor—he looked fit enough to live another decade or more.

Wang Ke nodded toward Lin Yi. “Grandpa, someone’s here to see you.”

“To see me?” Wang Yang turned.

“Wang Yang, do you still recognize me?” Lin Yi asked with a smile.

Wang Yang’s eyes widened, his body trembling. How could he not recognize this youth? This was his benefactor, the teacher he owed his life to, above all others.

“Come, let’s talk inside,” Lin Yi said, gesturing toward a room with the air of a master in his own home.

“Yes, yes,” Wang Yang replied, nodding excitedly like a child.

Wang Ke was dumbfounded. She had never seen her grandfather lose his composure like this.

“Who is this Lin Yi? Could he be one of Grandpa’s new disciples?” she wondered. But even so, it was unthinkable to address her grandfather by name—such disrespect!

Inside, Wang Yang immediately knelt before Lin Yi.

Lin Yi did not stop him. Having taught Wang Yang his martial art, he was entitled to this bow.

“Teacher,” Wang Yang said, his voice trembling with emotion. “After all these years, you haven’t changed at all.”

He remembered Lin Yi just like this, while he himself had grown old and gray. Decades had passed, but Lin Yi remained ageless.

Lin Yi ignored the sentiment and asked, “What level have you reached with the body-strengthening technique?”

“I regret to say, I’ve only reached the tenth level,” Wang Yang replied with shame.

“With your talent, reaching the tenth level is no small feat—it’s clear you’ve worked hard,” Lin Yi said.

The technique had twelve levels: the first nine refined the body, the last three cultivated internal energy.

In modern martial arts terms, the first three corresponded to “obvious strength,” four to six to “hidden strength,” seven to nine to “transforming strength,” and the final three to “innate level.”

Wang Yang hung his head, still embarrassed. Lin Yi continued, “Did you teach your granddaughter the technique?”

Wang Yang feared he was about to be reprimanded. In the past, passing on martial arts without permission could cost you your skills, or even your life. He didn’t mind for himself, but his granddaughter was still young.

“Teacher, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have passed it on without permission,” Wang Yang said, kneeling.

He’d had his reasons—he couldn’t take this knowledge to the grave. The Wang family had struggled to get this far; he couldn’t let it end with him.

“You are indeed at fault,” Lin Yi said.

He cared little for the technique itself, but Wang Yang hadn’t mastered it and yet had taught it on. Had Lin Yi not intervened, a lovely young woman would have turned into a burly man.

Lin Yi had no desire to see such a loss of beauty.

“Please punish me, teacher,” Wang Yang said sincerely.

Lin Yi shook his head. “Forget it. You’re old—I won’t punish you.”

Wang Yang seized on this eagerly. “Thank you for your mercy, teacher.”

Lin Yi waved a hand. “I’m not finished. The technique was not meant for women. Your granddaughter’s heat is due to excess yang energy. A year or two more, and she’d be dead.”

“So serious?” Wang Yang exclaimed, alarmed. “Is there a solution?”

“It’s simple. I’ll teach you a revised version suited for women. Your granddaughter has decent aptitude and experience; she’ll reach the first three levels quickly,” Lin Yi assured him.

“Thank you, teacher,” Wang Yang said, deeply grateful.

“Don’t celebrate yet. I have another favor to ask,” Lin Yi said.

“Anything, teacher,” Wang Yang replied at once.

“I need you to help me find some medicinal herbs,” said Lin Yi, pulling out his phone.

He planned to refine some pills to speed up his cultivation. Otherwise, relying on natural spiritual energy alone, it would take decades to condense his tenth golden core.

Many of these herbs were exceedingly rare—some Wang Yang had never even heard of.

But of course, he dared not neglect a request from Lin Yi. “I’ll send people to search for them right away,” he promised.

“Good. If you find them, excellent. If not, don’t worry. And I won’t have you do this for nothing—if you have any questions in your cultivation, ask me at any time,” Lin Yi said.