Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Jiang Ning declined Tang Fu's pink jacket.

This brought a slight disappointment to the amused Yang Sheng, who wanted to see the embarrassment of the always calm and composed Jiang Ning wearing a pink jacket.

"What a pity," Yang Sheng regretted.

The weather was still early and comfortably fresh, as the group chatted and began climbing the mountain path.

Yishan is only over three hundred meters high, not too strenuous to climb. As they reached the depths of the forest, the sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled shadows.

Beside the mountain path, clear creek water babbled, and a group of children gathered around the spring, making excited discussions.

The entire forest was adorned with autumn colors, creating a beautiful environment that made people feel refreshed and relaxed.

For Jiang Ning and the others, who could run half-marathons, climbing the mountain was effortless and quite enjoyable.

Yang Sheng, following the prior arrangement, intentionally lagged a few steps behind to join Jiang Ning in monitoring Tang Fu and Aunt Tao ahead, preventing any unexpected situation.

Jiang Ning meanwhile split a strand of Divine Sense.

Compared to reaching the summit of Taishan which takes 4 hours, this mountain only requires 1 hour.

Tongtong would undoubtedly sneer at the height of this mountain, claiming she could easily climb it, especially since she wasn't tired at all during the last Taishan hike.

Tongtong was unaware that Jiang Ning had attached a Godspeed Talisman to her, making her genuinely believe she was born for mountaineering, even momentarily entertaining thoughts of becoming a mountaineering athlete.

Whenever the subject of hiking was discussed, she spoke with an unusually arrogant tone, boasting to the maximum and looking down on everyone.

If there was a later opportunity, Jiang Ning planned to bring her to Yishan for a serious reality check.

To make her recognize her position and straighten her identity.

That alone wasn't enough; Jiang Ning also intended to harshly chastise her in front of Chuchu.

There are four paths climbing to the top of Yishan, at the greening pavilion where the path intersects with another mountain path.

A sturdy middle-aged man with a societal air was approaching with a chain, purposely turning his head to glance at Tang Fu.

The appearance of the man immediately raised alarm bells in Yang Sheng's mind.

Strong, chain, and staring at Tang Fu—too many suspicious points.

If Aunt Tao was alone, even with the intent to harm, the force she could exert remained within controllable bounds.

Without being ambushed, either Yang Sheng or Tang Fu could easily restrain the man.

But if this man was Aunt Tao's companion, things would be much trickier—one mustn't underestimate the strength of an adult man.

Luckily, she was prepared and specifically invited Jiang Ning.

Yang Sheng had witnessed Jiang Ning's prowess before; during a late self-study after school on Nanhong Road, Jiang Ning faced off against several motorcycle gang members and emerged victorious effortlessly.

As long as Jiang Ning wasn't careless, there would absolutely be no issues.

She gently nudged Jiang Ning to bring attention to the matter.

Jiang Ning nodded, looking upward.

Tang Fu, five meters ahead of him, climbed steps with long strides—her steps were light and quick, her evenly toned legs set down gracefully, and her slender yet strong waist exhibited a beautiful curve.

"Rest assured, I'm here," Jiang Ning said.

"Alright," Yang Sheng replied but did not relax her vigilance. She eyed the chain man.

The man was dressed in black, with a garment bearing black patterns, rather fancy. He held a cigarette between his fingers, wore a green watch on his wrist, and had a thick gold necklace on his neck.

Judging by appearance alone, he was a level above the average hoodlum.

Perhaps Yang Sheng's gaze was not subtle enough, as the chain man noticed and looked this way, smiling.

Only when he smiled, his fierce expression did not diminish in the slightest, he said: "Little girl, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Yang Sheng replied, twisting open an icy Dew bottle and taking a sip of pure water to cover.

After exchanging words, the chain man withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

Following the earlier encounter, Yang Sheng became much more cautious, no longer openly staring at the man. She asked Jiang Ning:

"Let me carry the bag."

"No need," Jiang Ning refused.

Yang Sheng felt she made a mistake; originally, she intended to invite Jiang Ning to help, thinking she could lighten her load and, after finishing the mountain climb, she could easily slide down the temple's flat road on her skateboard.

Unexpectedly, the Old Witch even dared to call someone, truly insidious!

When people are tense, they easily associate everything around them, like having been robbed, seeing everyone as a thief.

Now Yang Sheng, due to the surrounding environment, assumed the chain man was the Old Witch's invited accomplice.

So, she regretted her carelessness for actually coming mountain climbing with such a heavy skateboard; if it affected Jiang Ning's performance...

Yang Sheng dreaded the thought, if she hadn't brought the skateboard, she would've lost just a bit of joy, but if the skateboard affected Jiang Ning's performance, it would cost Tang Fu's life!

Moving forward, the chain man leisurely carried his chain and smoked a cigarette.

Two minutes later, he finished his cigarette and intended to flick it away.

Jiang Ning's Divine Sense detected Yang Sheng was tense, her breathing rhythm was unnatural, causing the girl's chest heave to be less smooth than before.

To ease the atmosphere, he intentionally played the role of a righteous little friend, reminding: "Burning the mountain will land you in jail!"

The chain man's movement paused and he turned his head again, noticing the meddlesome Jiang Ning.

He only found the boy was tall, with a build not like other students who were slender; on the contrary, the boy's shoulders were square and his frame quite large.

Without speaking, the chain man pinched the cigarette butt and climbed more than twenty steps to put the cigarette butt into a roadside trash bin.