Li Yao meditated for about four hours before he could no longer continue.
If he kept going, his head would hurt.
The Meditation Technique worked on principles similar to installing a program in a person's mental world. When the program ran, it took up most of one's mental "processing power." While continuously training one's consciousness, it also expanded its limits.
The process was slow and tedious, and it required persistence over many years.
Without determination and perseverance, one could not become a great mage.
After finishing his meditation, Li Yao tidied up and went to sleep. The next day, apart from feeling energetic and refreshed, he noticed no particular changes. Oh, except that he found it easy to focus in class, and he could easily remember what the instructor taught... It seemed meditation mainly developed the brain's capabilities.
Meditation Technique Detailed Explanation placed particular emphasis on the importance of the Meditation Technique. It was the foundation of a mage. Even High-Rank Mages attached great importance to cultivating their basics and must never slack off.
Li Yao took it to heart.
Over the next two days, Lin Xiaowei did not contact Li Yao. The messages he sent her vanished without a trace, without even a single reply.
When Zhou Tian came around and he had the day off, Li Yao simply packed his things and went home.
Li Yao attended school in the same province. His home was in a county town beneath the provincial capital, over three hours away by car.
After a bumpy journey home, Li Yao ate with his parents and chatted with them for a while. When they spoke of the Lin family, both his parents sighed sadly.
His mother, Zhang Yufeng, sighed. "Such a wonderful girl, and now she's gone just like that. What are you going to do from now on?"
Li Yao: "???"
What the hell did this have to do with him? What did she mean, what was he going to do... They weren't even a couple!
His father, Li Jianguo, rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Exactly. Da Yao, when are you going to find yourself another girlfriend? You're not young anymore."
Heh.
Men really were all pigs' trotters!
Just moments ago, his father had been treating Lin Xiaowei like a daughter-in-law, and now he was urging Li Yao to find someone else. How long had it even been since Lin Xiaowei left? Ah! Wait...
Could it be that Lin Xiaowei had gotten close to him because her family had been pressuring her too?
That was very possible! Li Yao was quite handsome himself—fair-skinned and refined, with clear, elegant features. He looked especially good in a white shirt. When he was with Lin Xiaowei, quite a few people thought they were a couple. When asked, they would even just smile without answering. Go ahead, take a guess! But in private, they both found the other rather irritating.
Then why had they been glued to each other all day? Friendship?
Or responsibility?
No, Li Yao simply thought hanging out with girls made him look good.
And Lin Xiaowei had most likely been using Li Yao as a shield!
Li Yao suddenly saw the light. He decided that the next time he saw Lin Xiaowei, he absolutely had to ask her properly! After finally dealing with his parents, he fled the house as though escaping and headed to Lin Xiaowei's home.
Today was Saturday. He had left early in the morning to return home, then gone out after lunch, so it was still early when he arrived at Lin Xiaowei's place. He knocked on the door, and a girl's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
That was Lin Xiaowei's younger sister, Lin Xiaoxi.
Li Yao answered, "It's me, Li Yao."
Before long, Lin Xiaoxi opened the door from inside and eyed Li Yao suspiciously. "What are you here for?"
Not that!
Li Yao kept a straight face and said, "Just... came to visit. To see Uncle and Aunt Lin."
That excuse was a bit forced.
But he could hardly say... Your sister asked me to come visit often and take little videos to send her.
That would be terrifying! Or Li Yao might get escorted straight to Green Mountain Mental Rehabilitation Hospital.
Yet Lin Xiaoxi seemed to understand something. She nodded. "You're quite thoughtful. Too bad you didn't put in the effort when my sister was still around. Now... what's the point?" As she spoke, Lin Xiaoxi returned to the sofa in the living room, picked up her phone, and listlessly scrolled through it. "Sit wherever you like. We know each other well enough, so I won't bother entertaining you."
Li Yao: "..."
What kind of plot had she made up in her head?
It seemed that...
Those few words just now had revealed something incredible!
Li Yao sat down somewhere with dead-fish eyes, then took out his phone and pretended to browse the news. In reality, he was recording a video.
It had to be said that both Lin sisters were natural beauties.
The older sister, Lin Xiaowei, had long legs and a full, graceful figure. She could effortlessly switch between mature intellectual charm and lively youthful energy.
The younger sister, Lin Xiaoxi, was a little skinny, but she still had curves in all the right places. She was just somewhat quirky and mischievous, with a pure teenage-girl vibe.
Each had her own merits.
And besides...
Her legs were long too, and very pretty.
Li Yao found himself staring in fascination.
Lin Xiaoxi suddenly looked at Li Yao warily. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Li Yao's heart skipped a beat, but he calmly put down his phone. "Nothing."
Lin Xiaoxi scrutinized him suspiciously. "Really?"
Li Yao said, "No."
Negative emotions from Lin Xiaoxi +222...
Forget it. He would just keep playing on his phone.
When Uncle and Aunt Lin returned that evening, Li Yao exchanged pleasantries with them for quite a while. They warmly insisted that he stay for dinner. After all, their daughter was gone, yet this young man still came to visit the two elders. He really was kind-hearted. They were very happy about it as well. Li Yao often came over to freeload meals anyway, so he did not stand on ceremony.
While Uncle and Aunt Lin were busy, Li Yao discreetly filmed a short video of the family of three together in the same frame.
Whew, the task was finally complete.
After the meal, host and guest alike were satisfied, and Li Yao took his leave for home.
Uncle Lin smacked Lin Xiaoxi on the head. "Go on, see your Brother Li Yao out. All you do all day is play on your phone!"
Lin Xiaoxi: [○｀Д○]!
Why did she have to see him out!
And phones were so much fun. Why shouldn't she be allowed to play! Yet faced with the majesty of fatherly authority, Lin Xiaoxi ultimately rubbed her slightly reddened ear and reluctantly escorted Li Yao downstairs.
This residential complex was rather old, and quite a lot of people lived there.
Under the night sky, lights came on in countless windows. Many figures bustled about inside, easing away the fatigue of the day. Beneath the lights of myriad homes, everything was peaceful and beautiful.
Li Yao felt calm.
He rather liked his current state.
Lin Xiaoxi walked beside Li Yao with her hands behind her back. "You must be very sad that my sister is gone."
Li Yao said, "...Yeah."
Lin Xiaoxi asked, "Do I look like my sister?"
Li Yao nodded. "You do look quite alike."
Lin Xiaoxi said, "But we can never be together. You're not my type."
Huh?!
What the hell was all this about?
His face immediately darkened. Was this little girl not adding way too much drama to her own story?
Lin Xiaoxi gazed into the deep night sky in the distance and said faintly, "It's not that you're bad. It's just that I don't like boys."
Huh?!
It seemed he had learned something incredible.
Li Yao shook his head. What kind of nonsense was this!
He said, "You... really know how to add drama to your own story. Are you the very embodiment of a drama queen? I just came to see you and Uncle and Aunt Lin. I didn't mean anything else."
Lin Xiaoxi shook her head. "It's okay, I understand. I hope you can move on soon and find someone more suitable for you."
Li Yao was about to go crazy.
So he couldn't explain himself at all, huh!
He pursed his lips and forcibly changed the subject. "By the way, Uncle and Aunt Lin seem to have a lot on their minds. Did something happen to your family recently?"
Young sprouts especially need watering, nurturing, and care, understand~
Before you continue