25: Chapter 0025: Starting to Share an Apartment 25: Chapter 0025: Starting to Share an Apartment Watching Ouyang Die walk away, Chu Ge tiptoed to open the door, only to find the lights in the living room were still on.
Mu Bingtong sat on the sofa, expressionless, watching TV, while Shen Yaoyao sat beside her, shooting Chu Ge a gloating look.
“Why are you back so late?” Mu Bingtong’s voice was calm and natural, but this very calmness somehow conveyed an indifference that seemed to push people thousands of miles away.
“Uh, got held up by some things outside,” Chu Ge touched his nose and put his jacket on a nearby rack, saying with a hint of apology, “You guys can go to sleep first; no need to wait for me.”
It felt strange even to himself as he said it, like a husband who came home late facing his young wife.
Obviously, Mu Bingtong also sensed this, and she glared at him with slight annoyance: “I’m just worried you might bring someone else over.
Remember, you are not allowed to bring anyone into the villa.”
Having said that, she prepared to go upstairs to sleep, but before she left, she turned back and added, “Also, from now on, you must come back before midnight.”
Hearing this nickname, Mu Bingtong stumbled momentarily, though she covered it up well and sped up her steps as she ascended the stairs.
Once Mu Bingtong went upstairs, Shen Yaoyao finally relaxed and exclaimed, “Ah, she’s finally gone.
It’s so scary sitting next to Sister Mu when she’s authoritative; it’s like sitting next to a huge ice block!”
Chu Ge gave her a strange look: “You didn’t tell her about Huo Tianqian’s incident?”
“How would I dare?” Shen Yaoyao rolled her eyes: “If Sister Mu found out about that, I probably wouldn’t be allowed to go out and socialize ever again.
Ah, my hero, you saved my life today, and I have no way to repay you, so…”
“So what?” Chu Ge narrowed his eyes.
“Just treat you to a meal someday!” Shen Yaoyao beamed impishly and bounded upstairs.
“This girl!” Chu Ge shook his head and chuckled.
After a simple wash, he returned to his room and struck a peculiar pose.
He was still holding several seemingly crystal-clear jade pendants in his hand, which had almost completely spent the one hundred thousand yuan given by Mu Bingtong.
Indeed, cultivation was an expensive affair!
However, Chu Ge’s confidence was restored when he thought of the bank card given by the Ouyang Family; he closed his eyes and began to cultivate slowly according to the mnemonic.
According to the old man, the Innate One Qi Technique was something he came across by a fluke, and after studying it for most of his life, he realized that the book was incomplete; in other words, this cultivation technique was not whole.
According to the contents, the complete technique had nine volumes in total, and the Innate One Qi was merely the first volume.
Even this first volume was divided into four stages: Qi Penetrating Muscles and Bones, Dantian Opening, Essence Qi Returning to Origin, Unity of Heaven and Man, corresponding to the Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Great Perfection, respectively.
According to the old man, reaching the Unity of Heaven and Man essentially meant reaching the Innate Realm, and one would be considered invincible among mortals; the ancient grandmasters were more or less at this realm.
In terms of realm, Chu Ge was almost touching the Essence Qi Returning to Origin, but all the medicinal herbs from the mountain had been consumed, and the sparse spiritual energy from the day-to-day atmosphere was simply insufficient for breakthrough, which was one reason why he descended the mountain.
Although the spiritual energy in the city couldn’t compare to that in the mountain, there was one thing that held true: as long as you have money, you can buy almost anything!
In less than ten minutes, the jade pendants in his hand lost their original luster and now looked like waste stones.
Chu Ge sighed with a touch of heartache—there went one hundred thousand yuan, just like that!
Shaking his head, he got out of bed to use the bathroom before going to sleep, planning to look around tomorrow to see if he could buy some good items.
The bathroom door was unlocked, and Chu Ge pushed it open, instinctively turning on the light, only to find Mu Bingtong standing up from the toilet, reaching for the toilet paper nearby, revealing a glimmer of smooth, creamy skin in the moonlight.
Instantly, both froze.
“Get out,” Mu Bingtong tried to keep her voice steady, but her slightly trembling lips betrayed her inner turmoil.
“Didn’t you say upstairs is yours and downstairs is mine?
“Get out!” This time Mu Bingtong couldn’t hold back and her voice quivered slightly.
“Uh—okay!” Chu Ge finally reacted, hurriedly backing out of the bathroom and closing the door.
“The toilet upstairs is broken…
so I came down here to use it,” Mu Bingtong explained, although clearly this was her first time in such a situation.
After saying this, she stood in place, mute, not knowing what to do next.
“Cough cough—” Chu Ge coughed a few times: “Then why didn’t you turn on the light?”
As he said this, his gaze inadvertently drifted downwards.
Mu Bingtong immediately noticed his wandering eyes and glared at him with annoyance, pressing the edges of her nightgown tightly with both hands and stepping back, “I can see fine, so I didn’t want to bother.”
Having spoken, Mu Bingtong seemed not to want to linger another moment and turned to go up the stairs.
Without looking back, she ran up the stairs.
Watching Mu Bingtong flee in a panic, Chu Ge shook his head and chuckled to himself, murmuring, “Who would have thought that the legendary ice queen would have such a side, hehe…”
He slept without dreams, but for Mu Bingtong, the night was not peaceful.
“I can’t figure it out, why does Sister Mu seem so strange this morning?”