With a devastating punch from a Two-Star peak superhuman, Lei Gong—who had only just pried himself out of the wall—was sent flying again.
But this time, Yan Qi didn’t hold back.
Instead of just slamming into the wall, he smashed straight through it, plowing through several thick trees before finally crashing to a stop in the distance.
“That’s what you get for calling me a ‘brat.’ Hmph!”
Still enveloped in her Golden Light Barrier, completely unharmed from the fight, Yan Qi smirked at the now-unconscious Lei Gong.
Then, she quickly dismissed the barrier, reverting from her fox-loli “golden girl” form back to her original appearance before rejoining her clone and the Ma family.
“Is he still alive?” Yan Qi had her clone, Daoyan, ask herself.
Playing along for the Ma father and daughter’s benefit, Yan Qi looked up at her much taller clone and replied, “Relax, Daoyan. He’s alive—won’t be kicking the bucket anytime soon.”
Ma Fangfang, who had just witnessed Yan Qi’s unstoppable golden form walking through Lei Gong’s attacks and knocking him out in one punch, stepped out from behind her father with stars in her eyes.
“Miss Hu Yao’er… you were amazing just now!”
Flattered, Yan Qi grinned. “Well, I am pretty awesome. But compared to Daoyan? I’m nothing special.”
“Is Daoyan-jiejie that strong?” Fangfang asked, curious about the difference in power between the Fox Loli and the Empress Daoyan.
“Oh, absolutely. She’s way above me.”
To emphasize the point, Yan Qi stood on her tiptoes and raised her hand high, as if measuring an insurmountable gap.
Fangfang’s eyes widened in understanding. “So Daoyan-jiejie is that powerful…”
Then, remembering the golden glow from earlier, she asked eagerly, “Miss Hu Yao’er, was that golden light protecting you also part of your powers?”
“In a way, yes.”
“So you really do have two different superhuman abilities?! That’s so cool!” Fangfang sighed wistfully. “Why am I just a normal person with no powers? If I had any, I wouldn’t have had to hide while those bastards bullied my dad…”
Hearing the frustration in her voice, Yan Qi—who understood the pain of wanting to protect family—let out a sympathetic sigh.
After all, in this world, gaining superhuman abilities wasn’t easy for ordinary people.
But then, an idea struck her.
A very profitable idea.
Her mind raced, and soon, a plan took shape.
Looking at Fangfang’s dejected face, Yan Qi asked, “Little Fangfang, you really want powers that badly?”
Fangfang quickly composed herself, glancing at her father and Jizi Ge before answering firmly:
“Yes. I want to protect my dad… and my friends.”
Noticing her small, determined glances, Yan Qi chuckled.
“Well then, why don’t you beg Daoyan to take you as her disciple?”
“Become Daoyan-jiejie’s… disciple?”
“Yep. Her disciple.”
“But how would that give me powers?”
“Oh, it absolutely would.” Yan Qi grinned. “See that Golden Light Barrier I used earlier? Daoyan personally taught it to me for self-defense.”
Fangfang’s jaw dropped.
“Wait—you learned that?!”
Her eyes darted to Daoyan, silently pleading for confirmation.
Playing along, Yan Qi had her clone nod.
“She’s right. I did teach her.”
Fangfang stood frozen in shock—this was the first time she’d ever heard that superhuman abilities could be learned.
Realizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of her, she swallowed her nervousness and blurted out:
“D-Daoyan-jiejie… will you take me as your disciple?”
Gotcha.
Yan Qi suppressed a smirk.
Then, through Daoyan, she delivered the calculated rejection:
“Sorry… but I can’t accept you as my disciple right now.”
Fangfang paled. “W-Why not? Did I… not show enough sincerity?”
Daoyan shook her head.
“I don’t care about ‘sincerity.’ I only take disciples with talent.”
Relieved but now anxious, Fangfang bit her lip.
“Then… do I have what it takes?”