Chapter 157: Xiao Kaitian's Birthday

Xiao Kaitian had met this person during his time in the island nation. She was Jiang Churan's best friend, Yang Mengqi, a deeply alluring and attractive woman. The fact that Jiang Churan brought her along indicated that their relationship was far from ordinary.

"Kaitian," Jiang Churan said with a delighted expression, "let me officially introduce you. Yang Mengqi is my classmate and also my personal assistant. She helps me with a lot of things."

"We've met, haven't we, little brother?" Yang Mengqi gave Xiao Kaitian a charming and seductive smile. "So this is the younger brother you're always talking about. He looks quite handsome."

"He has nothing to do with you," Jiang Churan bantered. When she turned her head and caught sight of Zhao Qixi and Bai Kou standing behind Xiao Kaitian, her smile instantly froze. "Why are they here?"

Xiao Kaitian was taken aback; he hadn't expected the two sides to already know each other. He looked with puzzlement at Zhao Qixi and Bai Kou. Zhao Qixi lowered her gaze without any reaction, while Bai Kou let out a cold laugh. "This is our home. Why can't we be here?"

"To put it bluntly, you act like a 'sister,' yet as an outsider, you come running to a younger brother's house in the middle of the night. I'm afraid word of this wouldn't look very good."

"You!" Jiang Churan gritted her teeth and stood up angrily.

With the two factions at loggerheads, Xiao Kaitian felt a mild headache coming on. Where on earth did this inexplicable sense of hostility stem from? He sighed and asked, "Sister, why did you come over?"

"Can't I come?" Jiang Churan mounted a rare defense, then sat back down on the sofa in a huff, crossing her arms. Yang Mengqi, standing to the side, cracked a slight smile. "Little brother, today is your birthday. The big sisters are here to celebrate with you."

Xiao Kaitian's birthday—he couldn't remember it and had no impression of it whatsoever. Pulling out his phone, he saw that the date indeed displayed December 3rd. It truly was "his" birthday.

Yet, as an entity hailing from the Axial Universe, he had no concept of birthdays. However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since he had arrived here, fussing over a birthday wasn't a matter of great importance anyway, so he let it go.

As long as the ticking time bombs in front of him didn't explode, anything would do.

"I actually prepared a gift for you." Jiang Churan took out a large box and pushed it toward Xiao Kaitian, motioning for him to open it. Inside lay a key emblazoned with the Rolls-Royce logo. She raised the corners of her lips. "You're somewhat of a CEO now; your car shouldn't look too shabby. Driving a Cayenne or something similar is better left alone."

As she spoke, her provocative gaze shifted to Bai Kou. When it came to money and sincerity, she was confident she was no inferior to Zhao Qixi and Bai Kou.

Zhao Qixi remained silent with her head lowered, while Bai Kou simply shrugged. She hadn't known it was Xiao Kaitian's birthday, and even if she had, it wouldn't have mattered much—what did it have to do with her? But Jiang Churan had clearly come to pick a fight, and she needed to win back this bit of pride for Zhao Qixi.

With that in mind, she pulled out a small vial and tossed it to Xiao Kaitian. "I prepared this rather hastily, and it's nothing particularly grand, but this is a Qi-Enhancement Pill—an elixir designed exclusively for Grandmasters to elevate their strength."

"You already have a Foundation-Establishment Pill; taking that will likely allow you to step into the Grandmaster realm, and following it up with the Qi-Enhancement Pill will elevate your strength even further. Now that you've entered the Martial Dao, you shouldn't associate with worldly folk—it beneath your dignity."

"Besides, the Spirit Crystals will manifest before long, and both of us will be participating. I imagine raising your strength is the most important thing right now. What good is a broken car? Am I right?"

Xiao Kaitian wore an expression of utter awkwardness. Did she really have to be so sharp-tongued? Clutching the small vial, he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. As expected, Jiang Churan's expression shifted dramatically. "Worldly folk? You talk as if you're immortals yourselves. Is the martial arts world really all that glorious? Aside from cultivating and popping pills every day, what social output do you even have?"

"In my eyes, people in the martial arts world are nothing more than parasites of society, beings that squander resources."

"Is that so?" Bai Kou smiled indifferently. "Your Kaitian is now a member of the martial arts world too, so I suppose he's a parasite as well."

The two women locked horns, and the atmosphere grew extraordinarily bizarre. Xiao Kaitian sighed, thankful that Uncle Zhong arrived in time to defuse the situation.

"Time to eat, time to eat!" Uncle Zhong bustled out with a trembling gait. "Aya, today is the young master's birthday, and I, Uncle Zhong, have been prepared for a while. Everyone come over and take a seat."

"I've made some home-style dishes, primarily seafood, mostly blanched. Everyone eat your fill, and we'll have a birthday cake later."

Only then was the awkward atmosphere dispelled. The group sat down around the dining table, with Zhao Qixi and Jiang Churan flanking Xiao Kaitian on either side, followed by their protective escorts, Bai Kou and Yang Mengqi. Uncle Zhong arranged the bowls and chopsticks, took a seat opposite them, and first ladled a bowl of soup for Jiang Churan. "The eldest miss has worked hard during this period. Come, have some to nourish yourself."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong." Jiang Churan smiled with satisfaction, tossing a proud chin-up look toward Bai Kou.

Bai Kou directed a piercing gaze at Xiao Kaitian. Xiao Kaitian froze; the moment he picked up his bowl, the entire group fixed their unblinking eyes on him, waiting to see whose bowl he would fill with soup first.

Truth be told, during the decisive battle in the Axial Universe, he hadn't felt pressure of this magnitude. After a brief moment of thought, purely out of self-preservation, he put his bowl back down.

He extended his chopsticks, picked up a piece of lobster meat, and placed it in front of Zhao Qixi. "Xiao Qi is a guest; she should eat first." Then, he swiftly grabbed another piece and dropped it into Jiang Churan's bowl. "Sister has worked hard too."

Zhao Qixi silently picked up her chopsticks, while Jiang Churan looked thoroughly pleased.

"Playing both sides." Bai Kou wore a cold expression. Since things had passed for now, she let it go, redirecting her attention to the herbal tea Uncle Zhong had brewed.

The dinner was fought amidst hidden daggers and flying swords. Xiao Kaitian felt a faint chill running down his back, and his sweat had already soaked through his shirt.

Fortunately, neither side escalated things further. When dinner ended, Bai Kou wheeled Zhao Qixi out for a stroll, effectively leaving the space to Jiang Churan.

"Consider yourself tactful." Jiang Churan curled her lips; she would count this as a favor owed. After all, the purpose of her visit tonight was not simply to celebrate Xiao Kaitian's birthday.

Accompanied by Yang Mengqi, the three of them sat down in the tearoom. Yang Mengqi casually slid the partition door shut, and the atmosphere immediately turned solemn.

"What happened? Otherwise, you wouldn't take the risk to find me." Xiao Kaitian was brewing Rougui tea as he lifted his gaze to look at Jiang Churan.

"There's bad news, and there's good news. The fact that you joined the Martial Arts Association is known to many people now." In front of Xiao Kaitian, Jiang Churan finally revealed a fatigued side, resting her entire upper body forward on the tea table. "Xiao Zheng-Lü is having people look into ways to deal with you."

"It involves people from the martial arts world, along with various other elements. On top of that, the Bian family and others have also been making moves. Just now, Bai Kou mentioned that you're going after some Spirit Crystals—I advise you not to have too many entanglements with people from the martial arts world."

Xiao Kaitian pushed a teacup toward her. "That's the bad news, then. You rushed over just to notify me of this?"

"Mm. And the other thing is, I've made progress on intelligence regarding Mom and Dad. It's rumored to be connected to the martial arts world." Jiang Churan picked up the teacup, took a tiny sip, and signaled Yang Mengqi.

Yang Mengqi handed over a USB flash drive. "There isn't much data, but it's all in here."

"Is there a conclusion?"

"Yes, but I don't understand it." Jiang Churan was not a person of the martial arts world, and she closed her eyes as she spoke. "It says it has some connection to the Wanderers."

"Beep—beep—" The induction cooker emitted an alarm for overheating. The moment Xiao Kaitian pressed the pause button, he froze completely!