Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 179 - 173: Assistant

The two girls continued walking.

"I told you I didn't want to go shopping. There are so many quiet places in Shangjing Prefecture, so why did we have to come here? It's too much trouble."

After scaring off another trendy, handsome guy who wanted to hit on them with just a look, Ning Muqing frowned and spoke to Gu Qiuman beside her.

"You just got back from a mission. All that fighting and killing has made you so cold and icy, it's making even me uncomfortable. Of course you need to relax. Coming to a bustling place like this to soak in the lively atmosphere will do you good. See how thoughtful I am?"

Gu Qiuman said with a wide smile.

"Hah. I don't think you're being thoughtful for my sake. You've just been grounded for too long and wanted to go shopping, right? Are you just using me?"

Ning Muqing shot Gu Qiuman a glance and scoffed, mercilessly exposing her.

The moment she heard the word "grounded," Gu Qiuman's face fell.

"I'm tired. Let's find somewhere to sit."

Gu Qiuman said listlessly.

The two walked a short distance and arrived at an upscale, members-only coffee house on Celestial View Street, where they got a small private room.

Gu Qiuman ordered a pile of expensive, exquisite desserts and began to wolf them down, while Ning Muqing only ordered a glass of warm water.

"Honestly, I don't really understand what you're so upset about. I've met that guy from the Zheng Family. He's good-looking. Even though he doesn't practice martial arts, you can tell his qi and blood are vigorous and he's in strong physical shape. That means he has no bad habits and leads a disciplined life. His educational background is good, he's gentle and tactful with people, and he's already in charge of a sizable company at such a young age. There are no issues with his reputation, either. You could say he's a promising young man, and your families are a good match."

"Uncle Gu dotes on you so much; he must have been very careful in his choice. What are you still so dissatisfied about that you had to run away from home?"

Ning Muqing took a sip of water and said nonchalantly.

"You don't get it. It's not that I hate him, really, I just don't have any strong feelings for him. And... and this kind of arranged marriage just gives you a weird feeling, you know? A lack of freedom. It's like I don't belong to myself, and I don't like that. I've come to terms with it now, though. Running away was just an impulsive thing..."

Gu Qiuman mumbled, then sighed. "Sometimes I'm really jealous of you. The title of 'Female Knight Ning' is so impressive. You can do whatever you want, and no one in your family can control you. Whether you get married, what you do—it's all your decision. There aren't many second-generation elites in all of Shangjing Prefecture who would dare to cross you, and you have a fearsome reputation in the martial world. Nope, the more I talk, the more jealous I get."

"To get something, you must give something. Freedom is something you fight for yourself. A will of iron, courageously striving forward—not everyone can achieve that. I don't need to rely on my family's power. In fact, there are times when my family has to rely on me. That's why I can do as I please. You, on the other hand, are different."

"I told you to train in martial arts with me back then. Your family even has secret martial techniques, but you couldn't even last a single day. It's too late to be envious now. Just be a good girl and get married. If he doesn't treat you well, I can help you beat him up."

Ning Muqing said bluntly.

"Do you even know how to talk to people! Honestly!"

Gu Qiuman's eyes went wide as she protested. After a moment, she deflated and took a bite of her strawberry mousse cake, mumbling, "I wanted to stick with it, but I'm afraid of pain... Forget it, forget it. I've accepted it. Zheng Yuanming is pretty nice, actually. I heard he wasn't even mad that I ran away. He kept calling to check on me. If I had to find someone on my own, I'd probably get tricked by some scumbag..."

Ning Muqing couldn't hold back anymore and rolled her eyes at her fickle childhood friend.

"Okay, enough about that. Female Knight Ning, tell me about your latest mission! I overheard some things at home. The stuff in Beiwei must have been really interesting, right?"

Gu Qiuman changed the subject, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"Sorry. Secrecy regulations. No comment."

"Besides, something that gets people killed is hardly 'interesting'."

Ning Muqing said coldly.

"Fine, let's talk about something else then. I heard that a Saint Awakening named Zhou Yuanjue recently appeared in the Southern Martial Arts Realm? And he's my age? Is that true? Isn't that the state you and those guys from the Northern Martial Arts Realm have been desperately pursuing? It seems he's also a member of the Secret Inspection Bureau. Have you met him?"

Gu Qiuman asked, her eyes wide.

"It's true. But I've never met him. I'd never even heard his name until recently. He came out of nowhere."

Ning Muqing said, a trace of longing flashing through her usually placid eyes.

"He's the same age as me... I can't even decide who I marry, and he's already setting off alarms in foreign intelligence agencies and has been placed on a high-risk list. Compared to him, all those countless second-generation elites in Shangjing don't even measure up..."

Gu Qiuman lamented.

"How could you even compare those Shangjing elites to someone like him? You'd better not say that to anyone from the Martial Arts Realm."

"'Holy and Bright,' knowing and acting, living for the Dao, transcending life and death... To place such greatness in the same category as those ordinary people is simply an insult to a Saint Awakening."

Ning Muqing said with a frown.

"Alright, alright. It looks like you're about to become a fangirl. If you ever meet him in person, can you get me an autograph?"

Gu Qiuman paid no mind to her friend's attitude and asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Don't even think about it. People like him are like Divine Dragons—they show their heads but never their tails. Even if we're in the same organization, he's not someone you can meet so easily."

Ning Muqing shook her head.

"Don't you want to meet him?"

Gu Qiuman asked.

"I do. Of course I do. I'm very interested to see what kind of skills the youngest Saint Awakening in the three-thousand-year history of Donghua's billions of people possesses, to be able to stand out from so many geniuses in the northern and southern Martial Arts Realms."

Ning Muqing said, her phoenix eyes narrowing.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Just then, the satellite phone on Ning Muqing suddenly rang.

She took out the phone and saw it was her direct superior from the Secret Inspection Bureau.

'Another mission?'

Ning Muqing's brow furrowed instantly.

"I need to take this call."

Ning Muqing said to Gu Qiuman before walking out of the private room to a quiet spot on the balcony.

"Muqing, there might be some changes to your work assignment soon."

the voice on the other end said, getting straight to the point.

"Go on, sir."

Ning Muqing said.

"Originally, after this mission, we were going to promote you to regional squad leader. However, the situation has changed. After some discussion, the higher-ups think there's another position you might be more interested in."

the voice on the other end said with a chuckle.

"What position?"

Ning Muqing raised an eyebrow at his words.

"An assistant's position."

a cheerful voice came through the phone.

'An assistant?'

Ning Muqing almost thought she had misheard. Although she wasn't particularly interested in things like power, with her merits within the organization, especially after completing this last mission, she had certainly earned enough to become a squad leader. And now they wanted her to be an assistant and run errands?

'I don't think I've offended anyone, have I?'

Ning Muqing was completely bewildered.

Hearing Ning Muqing's silence, the person on the other end immediately knew her feelings must be complicated and quickly said, "Don't you want to hear whose assistant you'll be?"

"Whose?"

Ning Muqing asked indifferently.

"The newly ascended Saint Awakening, Zhou Yuanjue."

At the mention of that name, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in Ning Muqing's indifferent eyes.