Chapter 2628 — A Warm Evening, Part Two — Feeling the strength of Guan Xin's hand, Wei Zhao returned from his thoughts to reality and gave a faint sigh. What was past was past; only cherishing the present mattered.

Some things are useless to fret over; some people, if there is fate between you, will meet again.

"Try circulating the mnemonic verse of your heart method," Wei Zhao suddenly spoke up, addressing Guan Xin.

"Huh?" Guan Xin's eyes went wide, and she looked at Wei Zhao in disbelief. "Now? You want me to cultivate here?"

"Mm," Wei Zhao nodded.

"Why?" Guan Xin was rather puzzled. Wei Zhao's suggestion was simply too strange—who ever cultivated while taking a walk?

"To raise your strength a bit. You are about to break through," Wei Zhao said.

"Me? About to break through?" Guan Xin was all the more baffled, thinking to herself, I did not even know I was about to break through, so how does Wei Zhao know? Yet out of her trust in him, she nodded and began to circulate the alchemists' mnemonic verse.

But the next moment, Guan Xin's already large eyes opened even wider! For she abruptly felt a stream of pure, refined true qi flow into her body from her wrist—it seemed to come from Wei Zhao?

Wei Zhao smiled and nodded at Guan Xin. Now she was even more certain of her guess: it really was Wei Zhao. Was he helping her break through and level up? How was Wei Zhao doing this?

Back when Guan Xin had known nothing of cultivators, she naturally would not have given such things much thought, but ever since she had learned of them, she was different. She knew how hard cultivation was—her strength had been built up bit by bit by taking Spirit-Gathering Pills, and reaching the peak of the late Huang rank was the limit those pills could raise her to. Beyond that, everything depended on her own efforts to break through the barrier. But for so long she had made no real breakthrough, so Wei Zhao's ability to help her surge past the barrier greatly astonished her.

"Boom—" Guan Xin felt her whole body quake, and she had arrived at the early Xuan rank. Though the instant of breakthrough was somewhat uncomfortable, what followed was far more the joy and exhilaration of leveling up!

She had broken through to the Xuan rank, just like that? Guan Xin wondered whether she was dreaming.

On Wei Zhao's side, he too stopped after a taste, giving Guan Xin no further boost. Some things must be done step by step. This time, it also served to inoculate the White Leader, to prepare him mentally, so that when the time came to raise his strength, it would not seem so abrupt.

"I... I am already a Xuan-rank expert?" Guan Xin had never imagined that a mere walk outside could bring her a breakthrough in strength.

"Yes, you are," Wei Zhao nodded.

"So easy?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Guan Xin felt she had misspoken. It seemed easy to her, but when Wei Zhao helped her level up, he had probably expended great effort—it could not have been easy at all, could it?

"Heh, yes, so easy! When there is time later, I will help you improve again," Wei Zhao said. "It is already very late today, so let us stop here. I will walk you back."

"Huh? Walk me back?" Guan Xin and Wei Zhao had already reached the entrance of the family housing area. If Wei Zhao walked her back, then who was seeing whom home? But the next moment, Guan Xin suddenly registered what Wei Zhao had said earlier: "Later, you can still improve me?"

"Of course I can." Wei Zhao nodded. "Otherwise, how do you think that Jingjing became a second-grade alchemist? She is my classmate; she only came into contact with alchemy when she first started university, a shorter time than you, and now she is already an early Di-rank expert."

"Ah!" Guan Xin was surprised, and a little envious of Han Jingyi. So being with Wei Zhao was the fastest way to level up! Still, that Wei Zhao could treat her the same as anyone, helping her improve her strength the very first time they met, made her very happy.

She was not a girl who liked to fight over things. She liked Wei Zhao, and she only wanted to like him quietly, without seeking anything in return. Even if Wei Zhao never came to be with her in all his life, even if they could never become a couple, she would still quietly stand by his side and watch him. With him, there was happiness.

Wei Zhao's holding her hand today had made Guan Xin feel she would die of happiness! But Guan Xin was no fool either. Thinking it over, perhaps she was imagining things—the purpose of Wei Zhao's holding her hand might simply have been to help her level up, and not truly to hold hands for the sake of holding hands!

Still, no matter what, either way it showed that Wei Zhao did care about her, and that was enough for Guan Xin. Sometimes a tiny bit of happiness was enough to satisfy her; she was a person easily contented.

As the two walked back, however, they came upon a rather awkward scene: a couple was kissing in the bushes nearby, the boy groping all over the girl, the girl's breathing quick and breathy with soft moans, which made Guan Xin's face flush at once...

Wei Zhao shook his head as well. He had not expected students to be so bold as to come courting in the family housing area—running into their own teacher, were they asking to be chewed out?

"Ahem, ahem..." Wei Zhao coughed twice to remind them to mind appearances. With so many secluded spots to choose from, why pick the roadside?

"Ah—" The couple was badly startled by Wei Zhao's cough and hurriedly pulled apart. But after they separated, something even more shocking happened!

"Leader?" The boy was actually Bai Weituo! And the girl, naturally, was He Meiyue. The two looked up and saw Wei Zhao and Guan Xin holding hands. Bai Weituo was all the more shocked: "Leader, since when have you been courting Sister Xin???"

"..." Wei Zhao was momentarily speechless. To run into Bai Weituo here of all places? That really was uncanny. But Bai Weituo's question left him even more speechless: "Guan Xin and I have known each other for ages. Courting, what courting?"

"Uh... I see. I was hoping to set Sister Xin up with my cousin... but following you is no loss either, Leader, heh heh..." Bai Weituo grinned.

"Why did you come all the way here for a date? Aren't you afraid your grandfather will see you?" Wei Zhao asked.

"It is all Meiyue's doing. She did not want to stay on campus, afraid classmates we know would see us, so we came here," Bai Weituo said with a shrug.

Wei Zhao glanced at He Meiyue with some suspicion. On campus, it seemed everyone already knew they were dating, didn't they? Even if they were seen kissing, what of it? Why suddenly come all the way here?

But that was their business, and Wei Zhao had no grounds to interfere. He merely nodded to He Meiyue and said, "Then carry on, you two. We will be going first—though you had best find somewhere more secluded up ahead..."

"Will do, Leader, heh heh..." Bai Weituo answered repeatedly and waved to Wei Zhao. "See you, Leader!"