Chapter 170: Familiar Face

"Please take care on your way out." At the carriage exit, the young, beautiful attendant bowed as she bid farewell to the sole passenger.

Chen Mobai thanked her with a nod, then, with his backpack on, walked through the special passage she indicated.

After passing through a long corridor, he arrived at a tastefully appointed lounge. The lounge was situated right at the center of the station. It was enclosed by translucent glass walls. Chen Mobai observed that he could see outside through the glass, but people outside seemed unable to see into the lounge.

"Hello, are you a student from the Wuqi Daoist Academy?" A female staff member in a blue uniform approached him, smiling and asking gently.

"Yes."

"Please rest here for a moment. Your academy's private shuttle will arrive in twenty minutes. Would you like anything to drink?"

Chen Mobai requested a glass of plain water, then sat down on a small sofa. He glanced around and noticed that, including himself, there were six people in the lounge: three older individuals, and two young people roughly his age, a male and a female.

The boy, still looking youthful, was intently playing with a Rubik's Cube. The girl sat sideways to him, wearing a mask that covered half her face, and was looking down, engrossed in her phone.

After observing them, Chen Mobai was about to take out his "Two-Phase Art" to continue his contemplation when he suddenly seemed to notice something, looking up again to examine the girl more closely. This person gave him a familiar feeling, perhaps because her attire was very similar to Qing Nü's.

"Those two are also students from your academy," the staff member said softly as she placed a glass of water on the table in front of Chen Mobai.

Chen Mobai nodded slightly. In the Immortal Gate's Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, there were countless geniuses. Since he could be admitted to Wuqi Daoist Academy, it was natural that other prodigies, just as outstanding or even more astonishing, would also be accepted.

He just wondered about the backgrounds of these two. Chen Mobai wasn't one for socializing, so he didn't actively approach them to introduce himself. The other two were also the same; all three sat quietly in their seats. In contrast, the three older cultivators sat together, chatting and laughing lively. They appeared to be influential figures in the Immortal Gate and seemed to know that the trio were students from Wuqi Daoist Academy, as their gazes kept drifting towards them.

"Sir, the shuttle has arrived. Do you need help with your luggage?" Chen Mobai only had a backpack, which he could carry himself, so he shook his head.

The staff member asked everyone, and all three young people shook their heads, declining.

"Please!" The lounge door opened. Chen Mobai, being closest to the door, walked out first. To his surprise, he found many passengers gathered on both sides of the entrance, seemingly aware that there were new students from Wuqi Daoist Academy inside, constantly taking photos with their phones.

"This shouldn't be..." Chen Mobai still found it hard to understand. No matter how talented Wuqi Daoist Academy students were, the people of Chicheng Grotto-Heaven saw them daily; such fanaticism seemed unwarranted.

He took a sun hat from his backpack and put it on. It was a gift from his sister, Wang Xinying, when he left Danxia City, and it would be perfect for concealing himself now.

Just then, a shuttle with only two rows of seats—front and back—pulled up to the entrance. The driver got out and directed Chen Mobai to the back seat. Soon, the youthful boy also emerged and directly sat in the front passenger seat.

The girl came out last. Chen Mobai finally saw her full figure: a slender, form-fitting, pale yellow dress perfectly showcased her proportionate physique, with a slim waist and long legs. The hem of the long dress fell just above her knees, revealing a section of her snow-white, delicate thighs and beautiful, slender calves. Coupled with the white pointed-toe low heels she wore, her legs were the most beautiful Chen Mobai had ever seen.

She looked around and, since only one seat remained, had to sit next to Chen Mobai. Compared to how she looked inside, she now also wore sunglasses in addition to her mask, almost completely covering her entire face.

"Strange person," Chen Mobai thought, taking off his backpack and placing it at his feet.

"Please make sure you haven't left anything behind. We're departing now," the shuttle driver said, then took his seat and drove them towards the exit.

Many of the people gathered outside the lounge became visibly excited when they saw the girl next to Chen Mobai.

"That must be Meng Huanger!""Only she would hide herself like that.""Quick, quick..."

Amid a flurry of camera shutters, Chen Mobai saw many reporters hidden among the crowd pull out their cameras and continuously photograph their direction.

Wait, they were saying... Meng Huanger! Chen Mobai abruptly turned his head to look at the slender girl beside him, adorned with a mask and sunglasses. No wonder he had felt a strange sense of familiarity the first time he saw her.

It was her! One of the two leading figures of the Jade Phoenix Opera Troupe, hailed as the music prodigy most likely to master the "Startling Deity Melody." Back in Danxia City, he and Qing Nü had gone to listen to her perform opera. However, at that time, he and Qing Nü each had clear objectives: he watched Meng Huanger, while Qing Nü watched Jiang Yuyuan. It was precisely for this reason that he had a very deep impression of Meng Huanger. After all, it was the first time in his life he had seen a major star.

He had almost forgotten that she was also a student at Wuqi Daoist Academy. Her teacher, Bian Yiqing, was even the one who had guided Chen Mobai's admission.

Seeing the reporters surrounding them, Meng Huanger sighed and shrank her entire body into the seat, as if trying to disappear from the camera flashes.

"Driver, let's go quickly!" Chen Mobai called out to the somewhat stunned driver. Then, he took off his sun hat and placed it on Meng Huanger's head, shielding her from all the flashes.

"Oh, alright!" Immediately, station staff also approached, deploying a barrier artifact to clear a path for their shuttle.

"Thank you," Chen Mobai suddenly heard a faint voice, so soft he almost thought he had misheard.

"You're welcome. Teacher Bian has been kind to me. If I encounter a situation like yours and can help, I certainly will."

Meng Huanger looked up and subtly glanced at Chen Mobai. A slight flicker passed through her clear eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses. She then nodded, expressing her gratitude once more.

"Who would have thought we'd be in the same station as Meng Huanger?" On the other side, Gu Mingxuan and Shi Wanyu, having just passed security with their luggage, walked into the main hall. After hearing the surrounding commotion, they understood what was happening. Gu Mingxuan couldn't help but look regretful. She was his dream goddess. If he had known, he would have come out earlier without all this luggage; he might have even caught a glimpse of her true face.

"Hey!" Just then, Wen Xiong approached. He walked coolly up to Shi Wanyu and left her with a statement. "I'll prove that your choice was wrong. I'm stronger than that person." After saying this, he simply left, leaving Shi Wanyu gaping, completely bewildered by what he had just said.

"I've got Meng Huanger's full face shot! Who wants it? Including the negative, 2000 merit points for a one-time buyout!" At that moment, a reporter in the station started shouting out prices for a roll of film, which was immediately bought by a mysterious person.

"Who even uses film these days?" Gu Mingxuan tutted, then pulled out his phone and entered Meng Huanger's fan club topic. As expected, many direct-shot photos from today had already been uploaded. Then, his eyes widened.