Chapter 103: An Era of Peace

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Zhao Tianhe and Pixie arrived at Li Mei’s home amidst their playful banter.

As it turned out, Li Mei’s family was an ancestral lineage of native heroes. Her father was also a hero, though only at C-rank and not as strong as Li Mei herself.

Li Mei’s father opened the door warmly to greet Zhao Tianhe. Li Mei seemed to be engrossed in a magical tome, studying theoretical knowledge. Not only was she skilled in magic and combat techniques, but she also dabbled in experimental magic theory, showing a dedication far beyond Zhao Tianhe and his peers who mostly relied on talent alone.

Having run a restaurant before, the kitchen at Li Mei’s home was compact but well-equipped, and Li Mei’s mother was an enthusiastic instructor.

Her enthusiasm was almost overwhelming. Zhao Tianhe had to constantly remind himself of Artoria and Aile’s faces, simultaneously casting a water-based auxiliary spell, Cooling Charm, just to maintain his composure.

Because Li Mei’s figure was inherited, not a mutation!

Though she was over forty and slightly plump, humans in this world generally had good constitutions. So Aunt Li’s skin and figure remained well-maintained, her ample bosom still firm and seemingly even larger than Li Mei’s.

“Li Mei told me you’re about to reach A-rank in less than a year?” Aunt Li asked with a warm smile.

“Yeah, more or less. Just need to gather some equipment and level up a bit. Also waiting for my partner’s Level 7 Mage certification to come through,” Zhao Tianhe replied with a grin, then glanced over at the frying food in the pot.

“You were F-rank just over half a year ago — what an impressive talent!” Aunt Li laughed. “I heard there’s an S+ hero who also started as F-rank! I remember my husband mentioning it. Honey! Was there really an S+ hero who used to be F-rank?”

“Yes! Codename Old Ghost! The most mysterious and oldest S+ hero!” Uncle Li answered.

‘Old Ghost? Isn’t that the one who saved me?’ Zhao Tianhe was taken aback.

He had wanted to personally thank him back then, but Old Ghost was preoccupied investigating the measurements and private lives of female staff at the Third Institute. Given his elusive nature, unless he appeared voluntarily, no one could contact him — making him unreachable to Zhao Tianhe.

“Well, I didn’t expect both of us to have once been F-rank…” Zhao Tianhe found it intriguing and planned to ask Uncle Li more about Old Ghost later.

Aunt Li kept asking about Zhao Tianhe’s interests while occasionally bringing up Li Mei.

Zhao Tianhe was not naïve; he understood her intentions clearly.

‘Li Mei is indeed a good girl, but I’m already taken. I’m not cut out for harem drama,’ he thought, responding briefly and focusing quietly on his studies.

“Mei! Tianhe’s leaving now, come see him off!” Aunt Li called upstairs, but Li Mei gave no response.

“Really! That girl must have cast a silence barrier! I’ll go talk to her; just wait here!” Aunt Li said apologetically.

“No need, Auntie!” Zhao Tianhe waved a hand with a smile. “We’re comrades; no need for formalities.”

“Exactly, I’ll just take a stroll and see him off,” Uncle Li said with a smile, giving Aunt Li a knowing look.

“Oh, alright then. Be careful on the road,” Aunt Li nodded.

“Really, two grown heroes living in the hero’s apartment—what’s there to be careful about?” Uncle Li chuckled after walking a while, then pulled out a cigarette. “Want one?”

Though called Uncle Li, thanks to the hero system’s enhancements, he still looked about thirty despite being nearly fifty, appearing younger than Aunt Li. Together, they looked more like brothers than uncle and niece.

Zhao Tianhe shook his head. “I’m not used to smoking.”

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“Phew... What do you think of your aunt?” Uncle Li squinted, asking.

At that moment, countless risque scenarios flooded Zhao Tianhe’s mind. He quickly cast Cooling Charm to steady his heartbeat.

“Auntie’s cooking is excellent. I’ve learned a lot about handling seafood around here, which is different from ordinary seafood...” Zhao Tianhe answered truthfully.

“Who told you to say that?” Uncle Li patted Zhao Tianhe on the shoulder, then pointed at his chest. “This, impressive, right?”

Zhao Tianhe was momentarily stunned.

Then Uncle Li launched into some rather discreet, unmentionable benefits, especially regarding the bosom!

“Well, Uncle...” Zhao Tianhe blinked, puzzled. “Do you have to promote Li Mei so vigorously?”

“Uh, well...” Uncle Li hesitated, then smiled wryly. “You don’t know. Li Mei is such a strong-willed kid, though I have no idea who she takes after—it’s definitely not me.”

“Since school days until her hero internship, she’s had maybe eight hundred or a thousand admirers,” Uncle Li shook his head. “But till now, not one has been brought into our home!”

“That’s normal, right? People have different goals,” Zhao Tianhe smiled. “I admire how seriously Li Mei trains and studies every day. That’s what a true hero looks like!”

Suddenly, heavy breathing came from a nearby grove.

Zhao Tianhe’s keen senses detected it was his teammate, Hawk, engaged in some indescribable activity.

“See,” Uncle Li sneered. “Times have changed.”

“A few hundred or a thousand years ago, when magical disasters ravaged the land and people suffered, a proactive, patriotic spirit was essential,” Uncle Li said with a smile. “But now, why bother? Although the northern frontier expansion led to a hero shortage, academies everywhere offer high benefits to recruits. In a few years, the numbers will recover.”

“Resources and manpower have improved greatly over time. Honestly, in this peaceful era, being a bit of a slacker is fine. Of course, I’m not saying everyone should slack off—just those with average talents shouldn’t overexert themselves,” Uncle Li explained. “And honestly, you didn’t come here to learn cooking just to get closer to Li Mei, right?”

“The talent system requires it,” Zhao Tianhe chuckled.

“Whatever. Anyway, you’re welcome anytime. I think Mei Mei is happy to have you here,” Uncle Li waved and smiled, then turned to leave.

He seemed headed to a bar...

Zhao Tianhe shook his head, silently chanting “form is emptiness,” clearing his mind of thoughts about ample bosoms, then went back to his room to sleep.

The next day, Li Mei knocked on Zhao Tianhe’s door.

“What is it?” Zhao Tianhe opened the door, shrouded in dense black mist.

To conserve mana, he had decided to primarily use Level 0 Dark Illusion “Misdirection Mist” to train, and he had just triggered a Level 3 Dark Defense spell, “Black Veil.”

“Um... hope I’m not disturbing your training?” Li Mei could sense the dark energy fluctuating around Zhao Tianhe, assuming he was experimenting with spell improvements, but in reality, he was just grinding experience—nothing as grand as she imagined.

“No problem,” Zhao Tianhe shook his head. “Just say what you want.”

Li Mei glanced around and gestured him inside.

“My dad must have said something to you last night, right?” she asked.

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“Yeah, he did. He was worried you’d get too caught up in fighting and training and neglect your own life,” Zhao Tianhe answered naturally, obviously leaving out the crude discussions about bosoms.

“Is that all?” Li Mei asked, a bit puzzled.

She seemed to know her father well.

“Yeah,” Zhao Tianhe nodded.

“Forget it, I know my dad... sigh...” Li Mei sighed heavily. “That lazybones always talks about ‘peaceful times, peaceful times,’ but since you personally experienced what happened, I guess you’re not so optimistic?”

“No matter the era, the scariest thing is always people,” Zhao Tianhe said calmly. “Human desires are endless—not only limitless but boundless. They want everything and then more.”

“You...” Li Mei looked surprised at this seemingly kind-hearted man’s words.

“Suppressing external enemies naturally leads to internal strife,” Zhao Tianhe continued evenly. “Honestly, I think if everyone thought like your father, this incident wouldn’t have happened. But that’s unrelated to what you want to say, right?”

“Yeah.” Li Mei nodded. “I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”

“...” Zhao Tianhe felt this plot was a bit cliché. “How about I bring Aile over to your place?”

“Miss Aile? Uh, that would be convincing,” Li Mei considered yesterday’s Aile and nodded. “But it’s useless. If you’re not interested, someone else will fill in.”

“True,” Zhao Tianhe agreed. “So what should I do?”

“Come to my place to learn cooking tonight as usual, then come upstairs and chat with me,” Li Mei thought for a moment and smiled wryly. “Actually, I just want you to be there while I read. If you don’t have time, it’s okay.”

Zhao Tianhe pondered, first wondering if he could control himself.

‘No, I can’t beat her...’ he was honest with himself.

Almost all his strength was tied up with Aile and Artoria. As for summoning them to bully guys and girls? Heh...

If he dared request that, he’d be the first to die!

‘Since it doesn’t matter, I’ll help out.’ He thought that others had found him a cooking tutor, so he couldn’t be heartless.

“Sure, I can keep training in that environment,” Zhao Tianhe nodded.

“Really? Thank you so much!” Li Mei stood up excitedly and grasped his hand. “Finally, no more nagging... I’m even thinking about moving into the apartment...”

Li Mei seemed quite filial, very considerate of her parents’ feelings.

“No problem,” Zhao Tianhe smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile, Pixie silently captured this moment on camera by the bedside...