This gentleman

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“Sir…?” Wen Jiu listened with a puzzled expression. Which sir? She glanced around, and besides herself and Qiao Shishi, she saw no one else near Qiao Shishi.

“Shishi, who are you calling out to?”

At Wen Jiu’s question, Qiao Shishi suddenly understood why she had said that. Her once tender voice had turned unusually rough, as if she was ready to wrestle a tiger with her bare hands.

“You… Jiu Jiu?” Qiao Shishi’s face was filled with disbelief. “How… how do you have this kind of hobby? I didn’t mean to offend you!”

Wen Jiu fell silent. She could never have imagined that after the system glitch caused her interface to be forcibly reset, it would automatically assign her this appearance.

She walked over to the sleek exterior wall of the mall, which served as a mirror, and for a moment felt an even stronger urge to escape this world.

The wall reflected her current figure clearly.

Broad-shouldered, burly, towering—she looked like a man who could take down ten foes with a single punch. Her face was fierce, her skin darker than coal, with a full beard framing it.

Wen Jiu was momentarily stunned, then instinctively stroked her beard, thinking no wonder few dared to meet her gaze while she was walking earlier.

At that moment, Qiao Shishi finally mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and walked over to Wen Jiu’s side. “Let me take you to stroll through the Starlight Night Market. We’ll start by catching the hovering electric rail.”

However, she didn’t dare to link arms with Wen Jiu as she usually would, since Wen Jiu now had arms as thick as her two legs combined.

So Wen Jiu followed Qiao Shishi all the way to the station. Along the way, a young man approached, asking if Qiao Shishi needed any help, casting a look at Wen Jiu as if she were a threatening thug.

Taking advantage of the wait for the train, Wen Jiu quickly opened her panel to search how to change her StarNet avatar.

She could change it, but it would cost five thousand star coins to reset her appearance.

Being broke, Wen Jiu decisively gave up on the idea. She would just make do with it for now.

The two rode the hovering electric rail gliding along the elevated tracks, reaching the Starlight Night Market station in no time.

Thus, Wen Jiu, towering and bulky, walked side by side with petite Qiao Shishi, and whenever people passed by, they couldn’t help but glance back at the unusual pair.

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Yet Wen Jiu maintained a composed expression as she walked, and Qiao Shishi didn’t say a word about the strange looks, instead taking Wen Jiu’s hand and continuing forward.

Those who looked back suddenly realized—oh, these two must be father and daughter!

Unaware of others’ thoughts, Wen Jiu and Qiao Shishi descended the steps, turned a corner, and stepped into the gate of the Starlight Night Market.

Unlike the bustling city they had just left, this place was full of lively noise, with a tide of people flowing in and out.

Everywhere were enthusiastic vendors and hawkers, their noisy calls rising and falling.

There were stalls selling bizarre-shaped weapons, others offering potions to heal various injuries, and freshly made food stands. The orderly arrangement of various-sized booths gave the scene a warm, earthly vitality.

It brought Wen Jiu a feeling of returning to a world she once knew.

“Look around and see what you like. Once purchased, the items will automatically be stored in your StarNet account, and we can retrieve them when we return to reality,” Qiao Shishi said, pulling Wen Jiu along as they browsed.

Many vendors intended to greet them, but seeing Wen Jiu’s imposing appearance, they quickly backed off one after another.

Typically, StarNet avatars are based on one’s actual appearance, so seeing Wen Jiu’s fierce face made people uneasy.

Still, none of this stopped the two girls from shopping. Qiao Shishi even felt glad to have Wen Jiu along—no need to worry about odd salespeople pestering them.

Besides the street stalls, there were many shops selling goods, with merchandise clearly superior to that of the booths.

“Hey, Jiu Jiu, look at this,” Qiao Shishi said, picking up a large bow from a jewelry shop’s outdoor table. “How do you think it looks on me?”

She immediately placed the bow on her head and posed.

There was no denying that Qiao Shishi suited these girlish, dreamy accessories perfectly.

Wen Jiu accompanied her inside the store for a while longer. In the end, Qiao Shishi left with a bounty, even buying Wen Jiu a few black-and-white barrettes.

They continued browsing for a while longer. Qiao Shishi bought two roasted sweet potatoes, but their charred black exteriors matched the interiors, which were like burnt coal.

She used to think they were barely edible, but after tasting Wen Jiu’s cooking, Qiao Shishi found these roasted sweet potatoes utterly unappetizing.

Meanwhile, Wen Jiu pondered whether she could set up a stall here herself. Surely, the locals didn’t know the skills she possessed, and a steady income would surely follow.

She opened her panel and searched for relevant information.

What baffled her was why changing one’s StarNet avatar cost five thousand star coins, but setting up a stall here only required two thousand five hundred?

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Even so, two thousand five hundred star coins were beyond Wen Jiu’s reach.

She had barely three hundred star coins on her, only thankful that the Academy of 3047 had deposited a meal allowance into every student’s StarNet account, though it couldn’t be withdrawn or spent elsewhere.

So Wen Jiu suppressed the idea of opening a stall for now, resolving to return when she had saved enough money.

Qiao Shishi glanced at the time; it was nearly midnight. Since time in the StarNet world flowed identically to reality, the two hurried back to sleep, fearing they might miss their classes the next day.

Early the following morning, Wen Jiu stood on the dormitory balcony, beginning her training.

Although she couldn’t use the cultivation techniques she had learned before, she could still practice exercises to strengthen her physique.

With her breath sinking into her dantian, she smoothly performed a set of Tai Chi.

Qiao Shishi’s classes started later, so when Wen Jiu left the dorm, Qiao Shishi was still asleep.

Wen Jiu headed alone to the classroom listed on the schedule.

When she arrived, a few classmates were already seated inside, but since she didn’t know any of them, Wen Jiu refrained from greeting them and chose a seat near the podium.

Five minutes before class started, the room was filled with students.

Each had their own desk, so there were no desk mates. No one came to chat with Wen Jiu, so she rested her head on the desk and opened her StarNet panel, continuing to study how to become a billionaire.

After a short while, a kindly, somewhat plump female teacher entered through the door.

Wearing glasses, she smiled warmly as she approached the podium. “Hello, everyone. I am Teacher Li, your instructor for the course on supernatural ability usage and practice.”

“Hello, Teacher Li,” the students responded in unison.

Wen Jiu stood with the others to greet Teacher Li once more before sitting down.

“Please take your seats. Today, we will start with an introduction to the knowledge of supernatural abilities. Once everyone has a solid understanding, we will proceed to practical training at the training ground.”

Teacher Li activated the holographic projector and began explaining the origins of supernatural abilities.

“Everyone, please open your intelligence ring panels and select the records interface,” Teacher Li said as she stepped down from the podium. “I’m sure many of you had some knowledge of supernatural abilities before enrolling. For those who don’t, you can first watch the video.”

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