A Dejected Lin Dong

Lin Yun and Qing Tan had not known each other for long. Although their impressions of each other had been good during their few meetings, their relationship still needed to improve.

At the very least, the mission he had created to "capture Qing Tan's heart" had not yet been completed.

That meant Qing Tan's feelings for him had not reached the point where they could have deeper exchanges.

Chi Ling was one of his core secrets. Unless someone was family, he could not reveal it.

Being willing to bring it out to help Qing Tan was already Lin Yun's greatest bottom line. And that was only because, from the perspective of a transmigrator, he knew Qing Tan was a little girl with a clean background and simple thoughts. Even if she really found out, she would not pose much of a threat to him.

If it were anyone else, there was no way they would get to enjoy Chi Ling's sauna treatment.

After being refused by Lin Yun, Qing Tan showed no dissatisfaction at all.

She was an orphan who had been abandoned by others. Her fate should have been even more miserable than Lin Yun's, but she was lucky. She had a harmonious family, an older brother who took care of her, and now she even had Brother Lin Yun, who helped her solve the greatest pain in her body.

Since she was already this fortunate, how could she dare to ask for more?

Qing Tan also understood that Brother Lin Yun was not related to her in any way. He had already taken great enough care of her. This secret and miraculous treasure had only sparked curiosity because of her intense desire to know. Even if she could not get an answer, her gratitude toward Lin Yun would not lessen in the slightest. She was not anyone special to Lin Yun in the first place. It was already very good that he let her use it, so what right did she have to demand that he share his core secret with her?

Their relationship had not reached that stage yet... Qing Tan could not help letting her thoughts wander. If she and Brother Lin Yun were engaged, perhaps he would hold nothing back from her.

As she thought about it, Qing Tan's face grew even redder.

"Brother Lin Yun, then when my cold qi flares up in the future, can I still use your treasure?" Qing Tan asked softly.

Lin Yun looked at her. "You can, but only when it's just the two of us. I don't want to expose my treasure to anyone else."

"Mm!" Qing Tan nodded obediently and seriously.

Brother Lin Yun's treasure was only for her to use. That was so nice! Although she did not know what Brother Lin Yun's treasure was, she was the only one who knew that Lin Yun had such a miraculous treasure. This was a secret that belonged to the two of them.

That alone was enough to make Qing Tan feel delighted.

In any case, as long as she followed Lin Yun, she would not have to worry when her cold qi flared up in the future.

"Brother Lin Yun, I'm better!"

A short while later, Qing Tan said in relief, her whole body feeling relaxed.

"Mm. Wait while I help you take off the blindfold."

Lin Yun immediately carried Qing Tan out of the Alchemy Furnace, then put the Alchemy Furnace into the Cosmos Sack and hid it in the inner layer of his clothes. Only then did he untie the black cloth strip from Qing Tan's head.

Qing Tan opened her eyes and blinked twice to adjust to the light. Then her gaze landed on Lin Yun's face, her eyes tender as water, and her closeness to him increased severalfold.

The dozens of minutes she had been blindfolded felt like a very long time to Qing Tan. She had completely broken free of the shadow of cold qi that had always enveloped her.

The clouds had parted to reveal the sun, as if she had been reborn! "Brother Lin Yun!" Qing Tan called sweetly.

It was the same form of address, but it felt different from before.

Qing Tan looked around and compared the surroundings. She discovered that everything was exactly as it had been before she was blindfolded. Nothing extra had appeared.

Where had that warmth come from?

Qing Tan could not help becoming even more curious.

How did Lin Yun put away and take out such a treasure so freely? "Mm, let's stop here for today. Next time you feel your cold qi is about to flare up, come find me in advance," Lin Yun arranged with Qing Tan.

The two parted ways at the back mountain.

After returning to the courtyard, Lin Yun finally began claiming his rewards.

He had completed five missions today.

From Lin Xia, "one bottle of Third-Grade Qi Blood Pills."

From Lin Dong, "Physique +1" and "Comprehension +1."

From Qing Tan, "Charm +2," "Charm +2," and "Luck +2."

The increase in his attributes made Lin Yun's body and mind once again feel wave after wave of climax.

The charm attribute, which had appeared for the first time, made Lin Yun feel subtle changes in his face and skin.

Charm did not refer only to appearance. It also included spirit, bearing, eyes, and so on. However, this time, the improvement to his appearance was very obvious.

Lin Yun looked in the mirror. Although he could not see any great change, he felt that he looked more pleasing to the eye and more attractive over time.

He looked at his attribute panel.

Physique and comprehension had each increased by 1, reaching 12, but they were still outstanding.

Luck had increased by 2, but it was still green and had not changed.

There was one new line.

Charm: 13 (Outstanding) It seemed his previous charm had only been 9, just a little better-looking than an average person.

Now he could also be considered exceptionally charming.

"Master, look at me. I'll show you a treasure," Chi Ling suddenly transmitted.

"You have a treasure too?"

Lin Yun found it strange. He took Chi Ling out of the Cosmos Sack and opened the top of the furnace. Inside floated four thumb-sized ice-white pills.

He took them out in delight. Holding them in his hand, he felt a chill.

"Is this... the energy of the cold inside Qing Tan?" Lin Yun asked in surprise.

"That's right, Master. I discovered that her cold energy is incredibly pure Innate Yin Sha Qi, which is beneficial for cultivation. So while I was helping warm her up, I casually refined the cold energy that overflowed and condensed it into pills."

"It's just that this energy was expelled from her body, so it carries her own aura. Master, if you find it distasteful, then forget it."

Chi Ling explained. She could purify all kinds of energy and condense them into pills, but as for pills refined from this sort of recycled energy, she felt they were a little unclean. Master probably would not like them.

After all, there was a difference between original production and original flavor! "Oh~ is that so?" Lin Yun looked slightly astonished, but inwardly he did not mind in the slightest.

Distasteful? Lin Yun thought of the little handkerchief with Qing Tan's lilac-like fragrance that he had used before, and he could not help feeling excited inside.

For such a fragrant little loli, he would not even mind tasting a bit of her saliva, let alone absorbing the cold energy from her body.

Of course, such shameful thoughts could not be exposed for Chi Ling to see.

"Since it's pure Innate Yin Sha Qi, then it's something good and mustn't be wasted. As cultivators, we single-mindedly pursue the Dao. A few minor flaws are no hindrance to the great Dao. Let's just treat it as a trial in the process of cultivation." Lin Yun spoke with a perfectly serious expression, then put the four ice-white pills away.

Does this count as stealing Lin Dong's opportunity...? Lin Yun suddenly thought of it. Qing Tan's cold energy had allowed Lin Dong to obtain quite a few Yin Pearls. In Lin Dong's early cultivation, especially after he reached the Earthly Yuan Realm, part of the reason he had advanced so quickly was Qing Tan's cold energy.

"No wonder there was luck +2."

Lin Yun could not help pursing his lips in a smile. With his opportunity stolen, Lin Dong's luck would definitely be affected, and in turn, Lin Yun's luck naturally increased.

Over the past few days, Lin Dong had been secretly watching Qing Tan.

"Strange. Counting the days, Qing Tan's cold energy should have acted up by now. Why hasn't this girl shown any reaction?"

Lin Dong was puzzled. He wanted to ask Qing Tan, but he was too embarrassed to bring it up.

He could not exactly say that, as her brother, he was looking forward to her cold energy erupting.

Because of the Stone Talisman, Lin Dong could absorb Qing Tan's cold energy and condense it into Yin Pearls. To him, this was a good thing.

Lin Dong had once given the Yin Pearls he obtained from Qing Tan to his father, Lin Xiao, to appraise. The Yin Pearls were comparable to Innate Yin Sha Qi of fifth grade or above and were of great benefit to experts of the Earthly Yuan Realm. They were rare cultivation treasures.

Every time Qing Tan's cold energy erupted, he could fleece a bit from it.

"Could Qing Tan have secretly had an attack already?"

Seeing that several days had passed and Qing Tan still had not come to him for help resisting the cold energy, Lin Dong could not help letting his thoughts run wild.

If Qing Tan had quietly had an attack and had not called him, that would be something of a waste.

Although he could not help Qing Tan relieve much of the pain, the cold-energy power that erupted would also dissipate. Those were all precious cultivation resources. Rather than letting them go to waste, it was better for him to make use of the leftovers.

However, because he had kept it hidden, Qing Tan did not know that he had the Stone Talisman, which could condense Yin Pearls.

"This girl couldn't be afraid I'd worry if I saw it, so she chose to endure it alone, could she?"

"Forget it. I'll ask her directly."

Lin Dong could not hold back anymore. He found Qing Tan and stammered as he asked, "Qing Tan, your cold energy hasn't acted up for a while. How is your body?"

"Brother Lin Dong, you don't have to worry about me anymore. The trouble with the cold energy has already been resolved. From now on, you don't need to spend your energy helping me resist it." Qing Tan smiled brightly as she spoke.

Thinking that she would no longer have to worry about the pain of the cold energy, Qing Tan felt a wave of ease.

"What happened? Are you cured? Why don't you need me anymore?" Lin Dong's mind was full of question marks. His expression was complicated, with unease, delight, worry, and a faint sense of loss.

"Aiya, I can't explain everything. In any case, you don't have to worry about me anymore from now on." Qing Tan brushed him off.

She had to keep Brother Lin Yun's secret and could not say too much.

She doesn't need me anymore... Lin Dong suddenly felt somewhat lost.

The little sister who used to follow him around seemed to have grown up. She was no longer so enthusiastic about sticking with him, and the sense of distance between them was becoming increasingly obvious.

What exactly was the reason? Lin Dong thought of one person: Lin Yun.

He discovered that it was during this period when she had been getting close to Lin Yun that Qing Tan had started showing these subtle yet abnormal changes.

Could Brother Lin Yun have helped Qing Tan solve the problem of her cold energy...? As soon as this thought appeared, Lin Dong felt it was highly possible.

"Was it Brother Lin Yun?" Lin Dong asked directly.

Qing Tan's beautiful eyes dodged, and she did not quite dare to look at Lin Dong.

"It really was him. Your cold energy is so powerful that even Father had no way to resolve it. How on earth did Brother Lin Yun do it?" Lin Dong asked, full of curiosity.

His admiration for Lin Yun was growing more serious by the day. Now, he felt even more that the other party was practically miraculous. He was chasing after Lin Yun, but the more he improved, the farther away from Lin Yun he found himself.

The problem of the cold energy that even the mysterious Stone Talisman in his hand could not resolve had actually been solved by Brother Lin Yun.

It truly left him feeling that it was inconceivable.

"Aiya, Brother Lin Dong, stop digging to the bottom of everything. Anyway, Brother Lin Yun can already help me solve the problem of the cold energy. As for the process, is it really that important?" Qing Tan said impatiently. She had promised Lin Yun not to expose the existence of the treasure, so naturally she did not want to tell Lin Dong too much.

This was a secret between her and Brother Lin Yun.

After Qing Tan finished speaking, she slipped away directly, leaving Lin Dong alone, utterly disoriented in the wind.

"Looks like everyone has their own secrets. I'm afraid I underestimated Brother Lin Yun." Lin Dong thought of his own Stone Talisman and suspected that Lin Yun also had secrets he did not want others to know.

He no longer had any intention of chasing after Qing Tan to ask more.

In any case, Brother Lin Yun would not harm them.

It was just that his position in his younger sister's heart seemed to be declining—or rather, had been surpassed by someone else.

Lin Dong could not help sighing. "Sigh, grown girls can't be kept at home!"