Chapter 2: Transmigrating After the Earthquake Showdown

　　Before she could even figure out her next move, her stomach rumbled. That single glass of watered-down milk wasn't nearly enough. Qianli Xun walked into to the dining room and opened the fridge. Aside from the milk, it was completely empty.

　　She dialed her disciple's number. "Hey, Er'gang. Your master is being cyberbullied, and I can't go out. There are still many reporters surrounding the downstairs area. Go buy me a box of steamed rice rolls, a cup of soy milk, and a bowl of tofu pudding and bring them here. Remember to add extra chili to the tofu pudding!"

　　"That's a lot," Er'gang said. "Can you even finish all that?"

　　"The whole internet is cursing me out. Shouldn't I eat my fill to have the energy to fight back?" Qianli Xun replied. "Oh, right. When you come over, bring me a traditional ancient-style dress. And don't forget the veiled hat."

　　"What do you need those for?"

　　"I'm heading back to Qianli Fist Manor. With so many reporters gathered downstairs, I need a disguise so they won't recognize me."

　　"It's a good thing everyone only knows you as a web novel author. No one has a clue about your connection to Qianli Fist Manor," Er'gang noted. "Alright then, just head back to the manor and hide out. Wait up, I'll be there soon."

　　About half an hour later, Er'gang arrived downstairs on his motorcycle. Carrying the breakfast and a large paper bag, he glanced at the reporters, walked into the building, and quietly said something to the security guard. He then turned to a side elevator and waited for a while. The elevator doors automatically opened, and after stepping inside, he pressed the button with the number '22'.

　　The reporters paid Er'gang no attention. Dressed in a black martial arts uniform with his muscular arms exposed, he looked nothing like someone connected to Qianli Xun.

　　Er'gang went up to the 22nd floor, knocked on his master's door, and went inside. He tossed the large paper bag onto the sofa, walked into the kitchen, and put the breakfast on the dining table.

　　He grumbled as he walked. "Master, you never should've written novels. Just being the 508th generation successor of Qianli Fist is already enough to brag about for a lifetime—and now look, the whole internet's coming after you. Well, so be it. From now on, just behave and stay put at the manor. Pick up some commercial shows on the side, earn enough to get by, then find yourself a husband and settle down. That'd be a life well lived."

　　"Yours truly is the master here! Since when does a disciple get to lecture the master?" Following closely behind him, Qianli Xun sat down at the table, opened the plastic bag, and started eating.

　　"Take your time eating, Master," Er'gang said. "I'll wait for you outside the complex."

　　Qianli Xun said nothing, picking up a piece of steamed rice roll with her chopsticks. Hearing the front door click shut behind him, she muttered to herself, "These disciples of mine take me less and less seriously. Just wait until I get back to the manor—I am definitely going to discipline them."

　　Qianli Xun truly had quite an appetite. She finished all the breakfast, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and tossed it into the trash. Stretching lazily, she walked into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and smoothed out her long flowing hair.

　　After freshening up, she returned to the living room, opened the paper bag, and took out the clothes and veiled hat. Taking off her pajamas, she changed into the new outfit. Not bad, she looked like an ancient swordswoman. Putting her phone and other valuables into her bag, she slung it across her body. Then she put on the veiled hat. With the light gauze draping down, it was indeed hard to recognize her.

　　She put on a pair of casual shoes at the door, opened it, and took the elevator down to the first floor. She still felt inexplicably nervous. As she walked past the security guard, he was scrolling through short videos. Judging from the sound, they were criticizing Qianli Xun again. The guard didn't care about the person heading out, continuing to watch the videos with great interest.

　　Qianli Xun walked out of the building. Seeing through the light gauze that all the reporters were looking over, she grew even more nervous.

　　A female reporter came forward and greeted her. "Hello there! Excuse me, which floor of this building do you live on?"

　　"The 22nd floor," she replied.

　　Upon hearing '22nd floor,' the reporters instantly crowded around her. "You live on the same floor as Qianli Xun? Do you know anything about her situation?"

　　Qianli Xun regretted not saying a different floor. She could only blame herself for being so nervous that her IQ had plummeted.

　　"I don't really know her. All I know is she lives across from my apartment," she said. "Early this morning, I heard miserable crying coming from her place. Probably frightened out of her wits by all the cyberbullying. You guys keep busy, I have things to do."

　　Qianli Xun hurried through the crowd and made it to the complex gates. She muttered to herself, "Good thing they didn't recognize me."

　　"Master! Over here!" Er'gang's voice called out.

　　Qianli Xun rushed over, swung her leg over the back of the motorcycle, and wrapped her arms around Er'gang's waist. With a whine of the motorcycle starting, they sped down the road toward Qianli Fist Manor.

　　Qianli Fist Manor was built in the city's suburbs, with over a hundred disciples, including both men and women.

　　When the motorcycle pulled up outside the manor, Shen Jianchen, dressed in a suit, was already there with his Shen Fist disciples, facing off at the main gates. It looked like neither side had actually started fighting yet.

　　Qianli Xun took off her veiled hat, threw it into Er'gang's arms, and shouted, "Shen Jianchen! Aren't we skupposed to spar on the 25th of every month? Why are you here early?"

　　Shen Jianchen turned around. Seeing Qianli Xun dressed as a swordswoman, looking strikingly lovely, he gave a faint smile, his eyes calm and deep. "I woke up early this morning and saw you become the internet's top story. I came to check on you."

　　Er'gang casually hung the veiled hat on the motorcycle, swaggered up to Shen Jianchen, and smirked. "You're the CEO of a massive corporation. Leaving your empire unattended just to bring your disciples to challenge us every month... could it be that you've got a thing for my master?"

　　Shen Jianchen stared at Qianli Xun. "It's true that I have a thing for your master, but the match is also real. You disciples should spend some time talking some sense into her. She's already an old maid hitting thirty. If she doesn't get married soon, absolutely no one is going to want her."

　　Having been cyberbullied all morning with nowhere to vent her anger, hearing herself called old made Qianli Xun even more furious: "Yours truly is only turning thirty tomorrow!..."

　　Shen Jianchen laughed. "Stop calling yourself 'yours truly' all day long. You're already getting up there in years; constantly saying that only makes you sound even older."

　　Qianli Xun's fury hit critical mass. "Shen Jianchen, you listen to me! Yours truly is going to duel you to the death today! If you lose, you are not allowed to come to Qianli Fist Manor ever again!"

　　"And what if you lose?" Shen Jianchen asked.

　　"If I lose, I lose! What are you going to do about it?" Qianli Xun said. "Besides, yours truly will never lose!"

　　"If you lose, you marry me," Shen Jianchen said.

　　Hearing this, the Qianli Fist disciples murmured among themselves. "This CEO Shen is great in every way, except he has no idea how to court a girl. He makes Master so angry, how could she ever marry him?"

　　"In your dreams!" Qianli Xun snapped back. "When pigs climb trees, yours truly might reconsider marrying you! Tonight at seven. By the Millennial Divine Willow. Come alone. No one else is allowed!"

　　"Understood!" Shen Jianchen looked very happy and said to his disciples, "Retreat!"

　　The Shen Fist disciples followed their master toward a Rolls-Royce. Noticing the smile that had never left his face, one disciple asked curiously: "Master, you're about to get beaten. Why are you so happy?"

　　"What do you mean 'getting beaten'?" Shen Jianchen said. "This is clearly a date! Tonight, when the bright moon rises by the Millennial Divine Willow... it reminds me of a poem."

　　Shen Jianchen beamed, not looking worried in the slightest:

　　The moon above a willow tree

　　Shone on my lover close to me.

　　[TN: A famous line traditionally attributed to Song dynasty poet Ouyang Xiu, translated by Xu Yuanchong, capturing the romantic essence of an evening rendezvous.]

　　The disciples watched him get into the car, murmuring among themselves: "How did Master ever become a CEO with a brain like his? How does he manage such a big company? And how does he drive such a luxury car?"

　　At dusk, beneath the Millennial Divine Willow in the suburbs, Qianli Xun stood waiting. Her hair was tied back in a high, practical ponytail. Dressed in a simple white T-shirt, casual jeans, and running shoes, she looked brilliantly youthful, not at all like a woman turning thirty the very next day.

　　Shen Jianchen had changed into casual wear, looking casual yet handsome. He stared at Qianli Xun, his eyes filled with affection.

　　The croaking of frogs could be heard from the nearby pond, breaking the silence between them.

　　When the noisy croaking of the frogs stopped, Shen Jianchen looked up at the moon. It was nearly the fifteenth, and the moon in the sky was approaching fullness. Looking at the thick Divine Willow by the pond, he laughed: "Hey! Qianli Xun, if you wanted to go on a date with me, just say so. Why use a duel as an excuse?"

　　"Which ear of yours heard that I wanted to date you?" Qianli Xun said. "Yours truly is here to duel you!"

　　Saying that, Qianli Xun thrust out her fist, dashed forward, and threw a punch at Shen Jianchen.

　　Shen Jianchen dodged to the other side.

　　Unwilling to yield, Qianli Xun pressed harder, launching a fierce combination of strikes to suppress him.

　　Shen Jianchen sometimes dodged, sometimes used evasion and counter-grappling techniques, and sometimes used soft fist techniques to neutralize the attacks. Seeing Qianli Xun attack with rapid strikes, he immediately increased the force of his fists and met her head-on. When their fists collided, they were both forced backward more than two meters by the other's power.

　　"Qianli Xun, why do you push yourself so hard as a girl?" Shen Jianchen said. "Why don't you just marry me? I am so outstanding. Not only am I the 360th generation successor of Shen Fist, but I'm also the CEO of a major corporation. You'd have a hard time finding someone like me even with a lantern. So many women want to marry me, yet I'm only interested in you. After you marry me, you won't need to write web novels anymore. I'll support you."

　　Perhaps because Shen Jianchen called her a "girl," Qianli Xun's mood improved a lot. She was actually a bit touched, but verbally she remained unforgiving: "Don't even dream about it. I told you, yours truly will only marry you when pigs can climb trees. Yours truly keeps her word."

　　Right as she finished speaking, the ground beneath them suddenly began to shake violently. Affected by the shaking, the two could not stand at all and fell to the ground. Seeing the nearby buildings vanish into nothingness in an instant, only then did they realize that an earthquake had struck, truly understanding that humans were simply too fragile in the face of nature.

　　Due to the earthquake, the Millennial Divine Willow shook violently. It was uprooted and about to collapse, and Qianli Xun happened to be right under it.

　　Shen Jianchen noticed this, struggled up from the tilting ground, and rushed toward Qianli Xun. Just as he threw himself over her body, the Divine Willow crashed down, pressing heavily on them both. Blood seeped into the shaking earth.

　　About ten minutes later, everything quieted down, and the surroundings were in a complete mess. Qianli Xun felt herself peeling away from her body and floating into the air. Seeing her mangled corpse pressed under the Divine Willow, she felt extremely pained.

　　Then, she saw Shen Jianchen also peeling away from his corpse. She loudly screamed: "Shen Jianchen! Shen Jianchen!" But he couldn't hear her voice at all.

　　When Shen Jianchen floated high enough, their eyes met. Qianli Xun could feel that Shen Jianchen was loudly calling her name. She tried hard to respond, but they couldn't hear each other's voices.

　　Suddenly, a surge of divine power erupted from the thick trunk of the Millennial Divine Willow, sweeping away the two floating in the air. Qianli Xun's vision went completely dark, and she felt utterly terrified...