The Sacred Ruins

Chu Feng was wandering about, absent-minded.

Nothing could have been more devastating for a super-king with four severed shackles who had just slain a dragon and ruined an entire city of Vatican to then rush home and surreptitiously attend a blind date.

It had been devastating enough last time when Chu Feng attended a blind-date with Xia Qianyu. Even long after the event, Chu Feng was still a laughingstock for many people.

But this time, it was different. People had already seen his face and known his name. It was more likely for him to run into someone who would recognize him. If that "someone" then posted this piece of anecdote on the internet, Chu Feng would for sure find himself on the headline again on the following day. People would drop their jaws when they heard that their dragon-slaying hero returned home only then to attend a so-called blind-date party.

"I hope no-one in this party would recognize me, especially with my mask on!" Chu Feng mumbled to himself. He refused to believe that he would be that down on his luck. Gradually, he felt that he was at ease again. With a dining plate in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, he began looking for food to eat.

Well, obviously, he had guessed it wrong. At least, there was one familiar face in this diner, and that was Lu Shiyun. Chu Feng was unaware of her presence, but she was sitting right across the dinner.

Right now, Jiang Luoshen had come into the diner as well. She and Chu Feng were well acquainted with one another. Luckily, neither of the two had seen each other yet.

Jiang Luoshen still looked sweet and charming, just like always. She was a woman of unmatched beauty, or else she wouldn’t have been dubbed "the goddess of the nation".

At the moment, she was wearing a facial mask. The mask was that of an arctic fox. The mask set off her seductive charm despite that those bright and beautiful eyes were the only parts of her that were visible to other people. She didn’t come with Xia Qianyu; it was her auntie keeping her company this time. The two were lingering by the door.

Jiang Luoshen felt that there was something a little strange here. This auntie of hers had never been so enthusiastic about this kind of things, but today. she volunteered to go out with her. She also seemed especially interested in coming to this masquerade with her. What’s her intent? Thing might not be as innocent as it seemed.

"Is she trying to force me into a blind date with some strange dude here today?" Jiang Luoshen grew suspicious.

"Step into the ring, Luoshen. Go on! Go see if there’s anyone you’re particularly fond of," Jiang Luoshen’s auntie said with a smile, "I’ll wait for you here at the door. It’s not appropriate for me, a recently engaged woman, to be here in the first place, but I’ll do anything for you, Luoshen!"

Well, now her intention became clear. She WAS trying to force Jiang Luoshen into a blind date with some "strange" dude!

Bodhi Genetics was a massive corporation. They were always well-informed of everything before acting quickly on the intel they gathered. This time, it was no different. The latest intel they gathered seemed very important, and Jiang Luoshen’s auntie was handed over with the executive power to run this operation.

"C’mon! I will NOT go in there by myself. You AND I will go in together. But for now, let’s just wait here for Xia Qianyu. I’ve called her this morning and asked her to come. She agreed," Jiang Luoshen said.

Jiang Luoshen’s auntie was speechless. "Why does Xia Qianyu need to be here?! She is utterly irrelevant!" Jiang Luoshen’s auntie cursed under her breath.

Soon, Xia Qianyu arrived. She was in a Lolita mask. The mask made her look both youthful and vigorous. She started to make fun of Jiang Luoshen as soon as she arrived.

"Ha, ha! What an interesting person you are, Luoshen! What prompted you to come here today? Are you desperate to get married? Not in a million years would I ever believe that someone like you will come to a blind-date party!"

Jiang Luoshen was tall, slim and graceful. She gazed at Xia Qianyu from the corner of her eyes, but she still looked calm and collected. She smiled then said, "Well then, that makes the two of us. You’re here with me as well, so why don’t we head in there now and see if there are any handsome lads worthy of our dedication and love?!"

Having said that, Jiang Luoshen walked into the diner with both of her hands clasped behind her back. She looked like a casual yet elegant pampered child of a wealthy family, carrying herself with ease and natural poise.

"Alrighty! Let’s go!" Xia Qianyu laughed, but then she whispered, "God! Let’s hope we don’t run into that goddamn son of a b*tch this time again!"

This blind-date party was quite unique. It felt almost like a dinner banquet. The host had organized all kinds of activities to promote interactions between the men and women who were present at the party. It was a vast and open venue. It was large enough for the singles to talk to each other freely and privately.

There was a luxurious chandelier to illuminate the venue. Beneath it, there were red carpets with golden stitches. The golden stitches sketched out many exquisite patterns. The color red indicated joy and bliss. This crowd of men and women talked and laughed, creating a rich festival atmosphere.

There were a few inactive and passive bachelors in the party. Chu Feng was one of them. In the corner on the far side of the room, there was a man staring blankly at the ceiling. He was in a white tiger mask, looking tall and well-built. Somewhere not far from him, there was a woman dressed in a suit of white munching away at a table of food. She ate quickly, yet still remained elegant and composed.

Chu Feng had picked a vacant table to eat his food. He looked around him while he shoved the food into his mouth.

The mask had been quite effective in hiding people’s identity as well as their appearance. No-one could tell how the others really looked. If one were to judge people by their appearance, he would only have the other person’s eyes and body to work with.

However, it did seem like the people who were here were mostly from the upper class.

Although some men might not look as handsome, their charisma made them just as desirable for the ladies as those who were otherworldly good-looking. Their style of conversation was elegant and refined yet still humorous and interesting.

While on the other hand, there were also a few over-confident and conceited young man who thought themselves the most handsome men in the world. However, because of their cockiness, they were held in contempt. Their popularity was much lower than some of those older men who were more mature and steady in comparison.

There was no lack of beautiful women either. Although the bachelors couldn’t see their partners’ faces, but the curves and bumps of these fine ladies left the bachelors with little room for imagination.

"Hey, handsome. Sitting here by yourself?" It was the same lady whom Chu Feng had met at the door. She was still in her Queen mask. She had been wandering around at the place by herself. During that time, many passionate young men had surrounded her, but in the end, she only seemed to be interested in Chu Feng.

"Well, I’m sitting here by myself waiting for you," Chu Feng casually replied. He had never been timid or shy on occasions like this. Chu Feng was born thick-skinned and shameless.

The woman in Queen mask was surprised by the fact that he was such a smooth-talker. This seemingly gullible young man was actually a veteran flirt! It was not quite what she had expected.

She was going to poke some fun at him for him narcissistically calling this party something that had been planned for him and him only. However, right now, the lady in Queen mask was not sure if she still wanted to poke fun at this cheeky young lad.

"Haven’t you had any dinner before this?" The lady saw him still munching away the food on the table without any signs of stopping, so she couldn’t help but to drop a hint to remind him of the occasion.

"Nope! I haven’t eaten anything. I’m still hungry," Chu Feng looked just as natural and easy as always. He didn’t seem to feel ashamed of what he was doing. He even asked the lady to sit down and eat with him together.

This charming lady frowned. She looked at him full of disdain.

A man with scholarly bearing came over. He was handsomely attired; he walked in measured strides and acted in a rather refined manner. With graceful bearing, he invited the woman with the Queen mask to dance with him.

"Sure!" The woman stood up. She then glanced at Chu Feng from the corner of her big eyes, but Chu Feng still seemed to have no concern for her. "What a hopeless bastard," the woman thought to herself.

"Is that... who I think she is?" Chu Feng looked into the distance across the room. It was woman dressed in a suit of black. Chu Feng caught sight of her before she vanished into the crowd.

Chu Feng didn’t go investigate. He didn’t use his spiritual mind to investigate either. If there were anything at all to be worthwhile investigating, he would rather prefer standing on the sideline and quietly observe the development of the situation.

Although Chu Feng had been quiet and inactive for all this time, he still attracted quite a bit of attention. Chu Feng’s inactivity and idleness on that vacant table seemed like an expression of self-confidence in the eyes of some people.

Soon, a petite and dainty lady came over. She blinked her bright and big eyes, greeting Chu Feng with a smile on her face. She then sat next to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng had already finished all the food there was on the table, so instead of concentrating on eating, he chatted with the lady. The two seemed to be on good terms with each other at the beginning.

But the more they talked, the stranger the atmosphere became. Especially when they started talking about themselves, Chu Feng noticed that his responses were getting more and more out of step with the soft and romantic atmosphere.

"Oh, so you’ve never worked after you graduated? Well, I shouldn’t be the one to criticize you, but I do think a man should have some desires to make progress in their lives. Am I right?" the lady said, "a man can start out low, but how is a man worthy to be called a man if he can’t fight for progress in his life? You’re such a disappointment."

"Now, excuse me, I have to leave," this petite and dainty lady said. She then rose and walked away. She never did come back. She only occasionally glanced at him from a distance.

"Well, it’s not my fault. I was being truthful there. I don’t have a job, and I’m not ashamed of that. Who are you to criticize me?!" Chu Feng mumbled, but soon he felt free and relaxed again.

He stood up, but he still looked absent-minded. He felt like sitting at a vacant table by himself might seem a bit anti-social, and even just for the sake completing the task that his mom had assigned, he should give this place a proper tour.

The place was crowded with hot girls and gorgeous women. It was a nice view indeed, Chu Feng admitted. The sight was a pleasing feast both for his eyes and his mind. "This is a good place to nourish my ‘human spirit’! Oh god! I love this place" Chu Feng murmured to himself.

Of course, if his mom knew that her son would surrender to the temptation of feminine charm so easily, she would...

Chu Feng ran into a long leg lady. This time, Chu Feng took the initiative to invite the lady for a dance. Luckily, Chu Feng was not rejected.

There had been a few other men trying to invite her for a dance, but the lady had politely rejected them all.

The reason that Chu Feng succeeded was that when compared to the others, Chu Feng was both young and strong. With the mask on, he still looked quite handsome. Chu Feng’s skin was fair and clear. People would generally have a good first impression of Chu Feng when they first saw him.

Although looks was superficial, it was important nonetheless.

The long leg lady asked Chu Feng, "Do you work in Shuntian?" This was tough question for him to answer. "What should I say?"

The long leg lady noticed the hesitation. She was a considerate person, so she asked, "So you come from another city?"

"No, I’m a local, but I spend most of my time at other places," Chu Feng answered truthfully.

"Oh, so where exactly do you spend most of your time at, if you don’t mind telling me? Usually, when I’m not busy working, I’d prefer to tour around the country as well. I love travelling." The long leg lady smiled a dazzling smile.

Nowadays, beasts and humans had come to terms with each other. Social tranquillity had been established. New orders had been made to ensure that animals of every species could live in harmony. At least, there were no more large-scale attacks on humans these days, and humans had also grown accustomed to this new way of life.

"The places I frequent are usually quite remote and quite primitive, but wherever I go, I’ll always see magnificent stuff. There are grand mountains that tower into the vault of heavens; there are silver waterfalls that droop off a thousand-meter cliff. The places I go to have giant beasts roaming the earth and giant birds patrolling the sky..."

The long leg lady rolled her eyes before Chu Feng could finish his sentence. "Another brazen braggart!" she thought to herself.

"Well, for me, my hobby includes going to various beauty treatments. Besides that, I also like horse-riding and tennis. What about you?" the long leg lady asked. There was a hint of conceit in the way she talked.

Seeing how this long leg lady acted like a little arrogant peacock, Chu Feng no longer felt awkward or conscience-stricken. "I like food, especially delicious food. I like earthworm barbecue and steamed white bear meat. I also like sports. I like bolting through jungles on the back of a beast of prey. By doing that, I feel free and unrestrained. It had always been the most joyous experience for me personally. I would also like to ride a bird of prey someday so that I can tour around the world freely."

"What’s your job?" the long leg lady asked with a frown. She looked quite discontent.

"No job. I’m freelancer," Chu Feng frankly answered.

The long leg lady glared at him. She flung away his hands and left the ballroom before the music had finished. She turned her arrogant back and walked away.

Chu Feng understood how the lady must have felt if he put himself in her shoes. He would have done the same because someone like him was simply not suitable for dating. Everything he said sounded ridiculous. Everything he said went against the romantic atmosphere.

However, this was the life he lived. There was no point in trying to keep it a secret. He was living an abnormal life, and even he himself couldn’t do anything to change it.

Therefore, he had to be frank and straightforward. Later that night, Chu Feng had a few other interactions with different ladies. Chu Feng didn’t even try to euphemize or glorify anything about himself. He only said what was true.

For example, when he was asked to talk about his everyday life, Chu Feng answered, "I live in the wilderness, and I roam between hundreds of thousands of mountains every day. The roar of tiger and the cry of apes are all that I hear every day."

Well, the response to what he said always yielded a similar result. The lady would turn her back and walk away without demur.

"I love French cuisine. What about you?"a brown-haired lady asked when they talked about food.

"I love dragon meat. You know, fresh dragon meat is perhaps the best meat in the world. Oh, and I also like the meat of a golden lion. As to bear meat, I think they’re just okay," Chu Feng said in the perspective of a beast king expert.

Just like this, the conversation quickly came to an awkward silence before that brown-haired girl gnashed her teeth and walked away in her high heels.

Just like this, Chu Feng quickly found himself the center of a vacuum zone. Within a ten-meter radius around Chu Feng, there was no one to talk to. No more ladies would even try to strike up a conversation with him. There were a few men on the side who had witnessed the entire course of events. Chu Feng’s peculiar way of socializing with other women astonished them.

"Mate, I see enormous potential in you! I just saw with my own bloody eyes how you just drove away those glamorous beauties with your stern words. You’re bloody good at socializing, I see!"

"Hey, buddy! May I ask where you work? I’ve never seen a man so confident before. I know you were deliberately trying to drive away those girls because you don’t fancy any of them, but why is that the case? Oh... let me guess. It’s because you’re determined to win over the ‘Queen’ tonight!"

While ladies had been driven away by Chu Feng’s peculiarity, men were attracted to him. A lot of them had surrounded Chu Feng.

"What ‘Queen’?" Chu Feng asked.

"Look over there. That coldly elegant queen in that black dress. Do you see her? Men who thought they were experienced smooth-talkers have tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she brushed off every single one of them. So far, she hasn’t talked to a single person nor has she smiled at anyone," a man in a green suit said.

Chu Feng looked over in the direction where the man in the green suit pointed. He saw that familiar figure once again. He frowned because the more he looked at her, the more he felt that it was someone he knew. He didn’t use his spiritual mind to investigate because, in a room full of strangers, it was very risky.

But that woman in black seemed to have sensed something. She turned to Chu Feng, and then she walked towards him.

Although the lady was wearing a mask, one could still tell that she was a woman of breathtaking beauty. She was trim and slender, but she was not lacking the curves. Her snow-white flesh looked especially sparkling against the black dress. Her black hair hung loosely by her shoulders. She looked cold, but she was charming. She walked with mincing steps towards Chu Feng.

"Oh! She’s heading towards us!" The man in the green suit sounded very excited.

Chu Feng, on the other hand, found the situation a bit troubling. Now, he was sure that this woman must be a king with six severed shackles. The question Chu Feng had was, why was she here?

This coldly elegant woman acted like a queen. Her hair danced in the wind as she walked in mincing steps. She had a supple, graceful carriage. She made a circle around Chu Feng before she came to a standstill.

This had drawn many people’s attention. The bachelors were especially astonished by this. Amongst of all the men who had been rejected by her, what made this ordinary young man worthy of her attention?

The ladies looked just as astonished.

Those who had just had contacts with Chu Feng looked especially astounded. Some of them even questioned, "Who is he? Why was he acting so frivolously before if he’s someone phenomenal? Was it just a disguise to hide his identity?"