Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

"quack--"

The next morning, Shen Bai was awakened by a hoarse shout.

He opened his eyes and saw a raven standing on his chest, tilting its head and looking at him.

Shen Bai waved the ravens away and sat up.

He pulled his phone from under his pillow; it was six in the morning. He had slept all day. The fatigue washed away, and he felt refreshed.

After washing up, he went to the kitchen. He took out two pieces of monster meat chops from the refrigerator—they had been processed by the research institute to remove the monster's demonic energy while retaining most of its energy.

Heat oil in a wok, and as time goes by, a unique aroma of meat fills the air, attracting ravens that fly to the dining table.

Shen Bai placed one of the pieces on a plate and put it in front of the raven.

The raven lowered its head, pecked at the ground, chewed, and then raised its head and cried out, "Caw—" with a hint of displeasure in its voice.

"You think it's too old?" Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "You should be grateful that you have something to eat."

The raven cawed again, then lowered its head and continued eating.

After finishing his breakfast, Shen Bai picked up his car keys.

"I'm going out," he said to the raven. "You stay home and don't fly around."

The raven jumped down from the dining table and watched him walk through the corridor and open the door.

Sunlight streamed in from outside, casting a long shadow of the person.

It turned and flew back to the study, landing on top of the bookshelf and curling itself into a black ball of fluff, quietly waiting for that person to return.

Evening, Qingfengyuan residential area.

Shen Tian is sixteen years old and a first-year high school student at the No. 2 Middle School in the city. She walked into the house with her schoolbag hanging on one side of her shoulder. Just as she was about to change her shoes, she heard the sound of oil sizzling in the kitchen.

"Sizzle—"

She paused for a moment, then peeked into the kitchen. Shen Bai was standing in front of the stove, wearing an apron, stirring something with a spatula. The light from the range hood illuminated his profile.

"Shen Bai, when did you get back?"

  

Shen Bai, holding the pot, casually replied, "Didn't I tell you I was coming back today? What, aren't you happy to see me?"

"cut."

Shen Tian changed into slippers, threw her schoolbag on the sofa, and glanced around. The room had obviously been thoroughly cleaned.

She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. "Do you need any help?"

"No need, it'll be ready soon." Shen Bai pointed to the food in the pot, "Braised pork ribs, you said you wanted to eat them last time."

Shen Tian's eyes lit up, and she leaned over to look at the ribs in the pot. They were bright red and smelled delicious.

She sniffed and said with a grin, "You still remember? I thought you'd forgotten after you went out to play for a few days."

"You've been talking about it for days, you can't forget it even if you want to."

Shen Tian stuck out her tongue, watching Shen Bai skillfully flip the spatula. The ribs in the pot were bubbling away, and the broth had thickened.

"Your cooking skills have improved recently," she commented.

"What you've gained is your appetite."

"Shen Bai!" Shen Tian slapped his arm, feigning anger.

Shen Bai's lips curled up slightly as he turned down the heat, put the lid on the pot, and turned to wash his hands.

"How have you been these past few days?"

"It was alright," Shen Tian said, holding her water glass. "It's just that the outside was all red that night, and there were helicopters flying around in the sky. Someone in our class group said they saw a monster."

Shen Bai wiped his hands without saying a word.

Shen Tian noticed her brother's unusual behavior, put down her water glass, and tilted her head to look at him: "What's wrong? You don't look well."

"It's nothing. I just haven't rested well these past few days."

"Brother, I need to tell you something."

"explain."

"I want to learn kung fu."

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"Learning kung fu, huh?" Shen Tian said, her arms crossed and her eyes sparkling. "Look at that night, something so big happened, it definitely wasn't an ordinary drill. My classmate said there were men in black fighting monsters in their neighborhood, like Superman."

If we ever encounter monsters in the future, I can still protect you now that I've learned kung fu.

Shen Bai remained silent for a few seconds.

He had scanned Shen Tian's aptitude—blue, not top-tier, but not bad either, considered one in a million. With system training, she could at least reach the fourth rank in the future. But he hadn't spoken up because he wasn't sure if he wanted his sister to step into that dangerous world.

"Learning kung fu is very tough," Shen Bai said.

"I'm not afraid of hardship."

"You might get hurt."

"I'm not afraid of getting hurt."

Looking into his sister's determined eyes, Shen Bai recalled many years ago.

Shen Tian was only eight years old at the time. Her parents were often away from home, and she cried, wanting her mother. Shen Bai picked her up and said, "Brother's here, don't be afraid."

Now, that little girl who used to cry easily has grown into a sixteen-year-old high school student, with her own thoughts and things she wants to protect.

"Okay," Shen Bai said. "I'll find you a teacher."

"Really?" Shen Tian's eyes lit up. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Shen Tian cheered and jumped onto Shen Bai's back, hugging his neck: "Brother, you're the best!"

Shen Bai, who was being held by her, pretended to be out of breath and patted her back: "Alright, alright, let go."

"Go and tidy up the table; I've already started cooking the rice."

"Yes, ma'am—" Shen Tian drawled out as she skipped and hopped out to clear the table.

Looking at his sister's smiling face, Shen Bai felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.

He contacted Liu Feng in his mind: "Help me find a suitable instructor to teach my sister cultivation. The requirements should be strict but not excessive."

Liu Feng replied almost instantly: "Understood. I'll have someone contact Miss tomorrow."

Twenty minutes later, the brother and sister sat facing each other at the dining table. On the table were braised pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a bowl of egg drop soup, and two bowls of warm rice.

Shen Tian picked up a piece of pork rib, took a bite, and her eyes narrowed into crescent moons: "Delicious!"

Shen Bai looked at her without saying anything, and lowered his head to eat the rice in his bowl.

"By the way," Shen Bai asked while eating, "I'll be quite busy afterward, so the company rented an apartment for me, and I'm planning to move in."

Shen Tian didn't look up, slowly swallowing the food in her mouth: "Oh, so how often do you come back?"

"Come back when you have time."

"Mmm." Shen Tian picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, lowered her head and ate silently.

That moment of silence seemed to have said a lot.

"Oh, right," Shen Bai said, taking a sip of soup, "Mom and Dad are coming back next Monday."

Shen Tian looked up, stunned for a moment, a grain of rice falling from the corner of her mouth onto the dining table: "Really?"

"Really. Mom called me this afternoon. My flight is Monday afternoon." Shen Bai said, pulling out a tissue to wipe the grease from Shen Tian's mouth.

"Great!" Shen Tian's eyes lit up immediately. "Can you ask for half a day off for me? I need to pick up my parents from the airport."

"Okay, I'll come pick you up beforehand."

After finishing their meal, Shen Tian took the initiative to clear the dishes. Shen Bai stood at the kitchen door, watching his sister's back, momentarily lost in thought.

"I'm leaving," he said.

"Should we go and stay there today?" Shen Tian turned to look at him.

"Yes. That side is closer to the company."

"Alright then." Shen Tian dried her hands, walked up to him, looked up at him, and said, "Be careful."

"Okay, remember to call me if anything happens."

Shen Bai reached out and ruffled her hair, then turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Behind me, Shen Tian's voice came through: "Let me know in advance next time you're coming back, I'll cook for you!"

Shen Bai didn't turn around, he just raised his hand and waved.