Chapter 97: Leng Yuexin’s Ascension to the Transcendent [Bonus Chapter for Reaching 50,000 Recommendation Votes]

After lingering in Dominion City for two days, Lin Huang took Lin Xin around half the stronghold’s best places to eat and play. If he had not already booked their ship tickets, Lin Xin would have been reluctant to leave.

Early Monday morning, Lin Xin was up and out of bed at a little after six, so excited that she woke Lin Huang as well.

Their ship was set to depart at ten to nine, and by Lin Huang’s original plan, getting up at eight would have been more than enough.

But the girl was far too noisy in the living room, and in the end he could not sleep anyway.

He got up, took a shower, changed clothes, and then brought Lin Xin downstairs for breakfast.

Whenever Lin Huang stayed in a hotel, he could not help thinking of the food at Peaceful Lodge. The hotel’s buffet breakfast was pretty good, but in terms of flavor it fell far short of Peaceful Lodge.

After breakfast, Lin Huang checked the time. It was still not even seven in the morning.

With a helpless shake of his head, he went to the front desk and checked out.

Leaving the hotel, he took Lin Xin to the open-air cafe they had visited before.

He had originally thought the cafe might not be open yet at this hour, but to his surprise, its lights were already on when he looked from afar.

Pushing open the door, he caught the rich, mellow scent of coffee, and the drowsiness lingering in his mind vanished at once. He greeted the waitress casually. “What time do you open in the morning?”

“Sir, we’re open twenty-four hours a day. You can come by whenever you need to,” the waitress replied with a smile.

“I see... Then I’ll have a black coffee.” Lin Huang raised an eyebrow and turned to Lin Xin beside him. “What would you like?”

“Coffee is probably all bitter, right? Do you have anything else to drink?” Lin Xin looked over the menu and did not seem to find any non-coffee drinks.

“We have a product that was newly launched a few months ago, honey coffee. We completely remove the bitterness from the coffee, then add honey from wildflowers’ bees. It’s a purely sweet drink,” the waitress explained with a smile.

“Then I’ll take that,” Lin Xin said at once after hearing the introduction.

“Anything else? We also have desserts,” the waitress asked again.

“I’m fine. What about you?” Lin Huang looked at Lin Xin.

“No, I’m full from breakfast, and I’m not hungry at all.” Lin Xin shook her head.

“All right. One black coffee, one honey coffee.” The waitress placed the order.

Lin Huang paid, then sat with Lin Xin beneath an outdoor sun umbrella.

In the distant sky, the sun had just risen in the east, red in color and not at all glaring.

At last, Lin Huang saw for the first time, without any pressure upon him, the beautiful side of this world.

The morning in Dominion City was a little desolate. There were not many pedestrians crossing the spacious square, but that did nothing to diminish the city’s beauty. On the contrary, it only made Lin Huang feel more keenly the city’s cool, austere charm.

If this world did not have so many monsters, if human beings could live and work in peace and contentment, it would be nothing short of paradise. At least for now, that was what Lin Huang believed.

He stared at the sun in a daze for a while, and only came back to himself when the waitress brought over their coffee.

He took a light sip of the black coffee, and could not help frowning slightly.

Lin Xin, noticing the expression on his face, could not help asking, “Is it not good?”

“It’s all right. Just a little bitter,” Lin Huang said with a smile, shaking his head.

“Then let’s switch. You can have mine.” Lin Xin held out the cup in her hand.

“No need. You drink it yourself. I like mine a bit bitter.” Lin Huang shook his head and politely declined his sister’s kindness.

“Oh...” Only then did Lin Xin give in. She picked up her sweet coffee and took a sip, and her eyes lit up at once. “It’s so good!”

“Glad you like it. But don’t drink too much, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight,” Lin Huang reminded her.

Lin Xin, meanwhile, was wholly immersed in the delicious drink and paid him no mind at all.

About two or three minutes later, a faint hissing came from the bottom of Lin Xin’s cup. Only then did she let go of the straw and look at Lin Huang pitifully. “Brother, can I have another cup?”

Lin Huang put on a stern face and remained silent for a moment, but in the end he could not resist her pleading, puppy-dog eyes.

“Only one more! If you can’t sleep tonight, that’s your problem.”

“You’re the best, Brother!” Lin Xin said with great delight, then darted back into the cafe. Before long, she came out carrying another coffee, though the cup was clearly much larger this time.

Lin Huang was somewhat speechless when he saw it. He had ordered the middle size by default, with large and extra-large above it. This time, Lin Xin had clearly ordered the extra-large.

When he saw her hugging the cup as she came over, Lin Huang glared at her. She stuck out her tongue, then came to the table and grinned shamelessly. “You never said I couldn’t buy the extra-large.”

“If you can’t sleep tonight, don’t come looking for me,” Lin Huang said, still stern-faced.

“If I really can’t sleep, I’ll just play games by myself,” Lin Xin agreed with a nod.

After finishing the coffee, Lin Huang opened the network again to look through the news, and one item suddenly caught his attention.

The headline read: The Heiress of the Cold Family Reaches Transcendence at Eighteen

When he clicked on it, he found that it really was about Leng Yuexin.

After reading the article carefully, Lin Huang finally learned her true background.

The Cold Family was one of the six most powerful noble houses in the Seventh District. It was said to be an old clan that had risen when the new era began more than eight hundred years ago, and its foundation was terrifying beyond measure.

“So it’s that Cold Family. No wonder she treats precious weapons as if they were nothing...” Lin Huang had actually heard of the Six Great Houses before, but he truly had not expected Leng Yuexin to be a member of this Cold Family. “No wonder the Li Family, though also nobles, had to apologize.”

“Brother, this Leng Yuexin... She couldn’t be the one who sent you those things before, could she?” Lin Xin had also seen the words on the news display and could not help asking. “She became Transcendent at eighteen. That’s amazing. How did you meet her?”

“When I went to the Forest of No Worries, I went with her team,” Lin Huang explained simply.

“Then why did she send you things?” Lin Xin asked, full of curiosity.

“I bought some things from her. She didn’t have them with her at the time, so she had to mail them to me after she got home,” Lin Huang said, making up a lie on the spot.

“What did you buy?”

“Why do you need to ask so many questions? Drink your beverage,” Lin Huang said with a glare. If he kept making things up, he might slip up, so he simply cut the topic off there.

“Then did you ask her for an autograph?”

“No. I forgot.”

“Then next time, help me get her autograph!”

“Fine. I’ll help you ask the next time we get a chance to meet her.” Lin Huang knew that if he did not agree, this conversation would never end.

After finally shaking off Lin Xin’s pestering, Lin Huang hesitated for a moment, then sent Leng Yuexin a short message. It contained only a few simple words.

Congratulations on reaching Transcendence!

He waited for a while, and when Leng Yuexin did not reply, he switched off the communicator. His mood dimmed a little.

He drank coffee while idly waiting for the ship.

Around eight o’clock, the Imperial Heart Ring suddenly displayed a message alert. Lin Huang opened it and saw that it was a reply from Leng Yuexin.

Thank you. I was in the shower just now and did not have time to check messages. What have you been busy with lately?

My sister is on vacation, so I’m taking her to Summer Palace City for a trip, Lin Huang replied immediately.

You’ve had a hard time lately too. Taking a break and relaxing is good. I’m planning to give myself a vacation these next few days as well and go take a look at the Third District.

Reaching Transcendence isn’t easy. You should relax properly. Have fun!

You have fun too.

Closing the chat window, Lin Huang gave a wry smile and shook his head.

He had finally carved out some time for a trip, only to be able to visit just a Class B stronghold. Noble families like Leng Yuexin’s could travel across districts whenever they pleased.

Someday, I’ll reach Transcendence too. When that day comes, I’ll definitely go and see the other districts, Lin Huang silently set himself that goal.

A special bonus chapter for you.