Lin Ao had to spend a good while comforting Gu Wanqing in the car before she finally stopped crying.
Seeing her eyes, red and swollen from crying, made Lin Ao feel awful, too.
"I promise you, this will never happen again. I mean it!"
Lin Ao stroked Gu Wanqing's face and spoke to her with utter seriousness. Now that he had mastered the basics of the Sun God Art, he could cultivate anywhere, and the Manor had been rebuilt as well.
Besides, he had come back this time to face Xiao Fan head-on.
A vicious glint flashed in Lin Ao's eyes at the thought of Xiao Fan.
"You meant what you said in your text, right?"
Gu Wanqing's question instantly turned Lin Ao's vicious expression into one of panic.
"W-which part?"
Lin Ao played dumb, feeling guilty.
"Didn't you say we should have a real fight? That I only knew how to tease you? Didn't you say we should settle it in person? What, are you going to be a coward now?"
Gu Wanqing wiped her tears as she muttered. You might have thought she was making a threat, but she sounded more like she was flirting. Still, don't let that tone fool you. If Lin Ao dared nod, the scene that followed wouldn't be fit for anyone else to see.
"Ahem, um... Wanqing, how about we wait a little while? It won't be long!"
It wasn't that Gu Wanqing lacked charm. On the contrary, she was as alluring as a bewitching temptress. Nor was Lin Ao deliberately trying to keep his distance from her anymore. Ever since he'd let off steam with Xia Qiange on the beach, he'd pretty much come to terms with everything.
Besides, the Heavenly Mandate had secretly tampered with things, amplifying the desire Lin Ao had buried inside him without limit. How could he still distance himself from Gu Wanqing? If he hesitated for even a second when the chance was there, the Heavenly Mandate could count it as a loss.
It was just that Lin Ao felt this wasn't the right moment. He had to start making preparations to deal with Xiao Fan.
"Pfft! You ugly thing, I knew all you could do was talk tough. Also, what have you done to your Manor? I nearly jumped out of my skin when I came in."
Early that morning, Gu Wanqing had received word from Uncle Zhang that Lin Ao was coming back. She'd gone straight to the Lin Family Manor to wait for him. The moment she saw the twenty-meter-high wall outside, the corner of her mouth twitched. She hadn't had a chance to look around the rest of the place; she'd just waited at the entrance for Lin Ao. Uncle Zhang had said Lin Ao had torn everything down and rebuilt it from scratch.
"Right! Let's call Uncle Zhang over. I want to inspect my Lin Family Fortress!"
At Gu Wanqing's reminder, Lin Ao pulled her out of the car. Seeing nobody around, he felt a little speechless and called out for Uncle Zhang. He called out again.
Some came out of the ground, some came down from the trees, and some climbed out of trash cans...
"Young master, shall we begin the inspection?"
Uncle Zhang had crawled out from under the car.
Lin Ao's mouth twitched. He gestured for Uncle Zhang to lead the way.
Uncle Zhang took Lin Ao on a tour around the outside of the main residence. Every concealed corner had been fitted with laser radar; even a mosquito passing by would be detected. Weapons and traps had also been buried in the ground and trees, and some had even been disguised as everyday fixtures.
Lin Ao nodded in satisfaction. Gu Wanqing, meanwhile, had kept her mouth open the entire way. Looking at the densely packed traps and mechanisms, she couldn't help shuddering.
At last, Uncle Zhang led Lin Ao back to the main residence.
"Young master, go inside first. I'll come find you in half an hour."
Uncle Zhang said something inexplicable, then vanished. Lin Ao was baffled. Was he in a hurry to take a dump or something?
Gu Wanqing said nothing, but the corner of her mouth curled into a mischievous smile.
Lin Ao approached the house. A laser swept over him.
"Verification successful."
The door to the main residence opened. As soon as Lin Ao pushed it in, a familiar gust of wind came rushing at him.
Despite being a Grandmaster, Lin Ao didn't have a chance to react. In the blink of an eye, he found himself hanging in the living room, his body wrapped in belts.
Lin Ao was stunned. He had a pretty good idea who was behind this. With a setup like that, it could only be Lin Dong!
Wait! Who told you to put a hook up there when you rebuilt the place? Huh???
Lin Ao saw the murderous glint in the old couple's eyes. All four of their eyes glowed red!
Hunting time!
Feather dusters and belts whirled through the air.
Lin Ao was thrashed as he hung there, yelping and writhing like a caterpillar.
"Dad! Mom! I was wrong!"
Lin Ao hurriedly apologized and begged them to let him off.
"Uncle, Auntie, please stop hitting him! Sure, Lin Ao doesn't deserve to be a good son or a good fiancé. Sure, he just said outside that sneaking away was thrilling and that he'd do it again. But we can only forgive him!"
When Lin Ao heard Gu Wanqing pleading on his behalf, his face lit up with gratitude. But as he listened, he realized something was wrong. You're just adding fuel to the fire! And when did I ever say that outside? Didn't I promise you I'd never do it again?
At Gu Wanqing's words, Lin Dong and Li Wanyu paused for a second. Then several feather dusters and belts appeared in each of their hands. They were dual-wielding—no, four-wielding! This time, even their afterimages vanished!
"AAAHHHH!"
Lin Ao's anguished scream ripped across the Manor!
Lin Dong, Li Wanyu, and Gu Wanqing sat leisurely on the sofa, sipping tea.
Lin Ao hung above them, his face covered in bruises.
Lin Ao was now certain that Lin Dong and Li Wanyu had the strength of Great Grandmasters. Their speed when tying him up and the precision of their blows had left no doubt.
"Tell me! When did you become a Grandmaster? Did you spend those two months hiding away to train?"
Li Wanyu asked Lin Ao calmly.
"!"
See? Lin Ao had known his parents weren't ordinary.
"Dad... Mom... are you Great Grandmasters?"
How had he never noticed before? He'd never seen them fight when he'd clashed with those people, either. Had something happened that he didn't know about?
"I'm asking you a question! What art did you practice that let you go from a complete novice to a Grandmaster in two months? Don't tell me you practiced some crooked, unorthodox art. I'll be the first to deal with you!"
Lin Dong spoke much more seriously this time. He'd never heard of any art that could let someone reach the Grandmaster realm in a mere two months.
Besides, he'd known since Lin Ao was a child that his son wasn't suited to martial arts. Now Lin Ao had come back a Grandmaster. Other than some crooked, unorthodox art, Lin Dong couldn't imagine how he could have reached the Grandmaster realm so quickly.
Lin Ao hid very little from his parents, apart from the fact that he'd been reborn.
He didn't consider Gu Wanqing an outsider anymore, either, so he told them about the Sun God Art and the Moon God Art, then asked them to fetch the copies he'd written from his luggage.
Lin Dong and Li Wanyu each studied one of the two arts with grave expressions.
The Sun God Art was practically capable of remaking a person's talent, but its difficulty was matched by the danger involved.
The Moon God Art used the Sun God Art as a guide to get started, and was also much easier. Once mastered, it was only slightly weaker than the Sun God Art.
All in all, they were a pair of exceptionally powerful dual-cultivation arts.
Seeing that the arts weren't some sinister techniques, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Sun God Art did seem terrifying, though. Getting started meant staking your life: either you transcended the heavens, or you got sent straight to the afterlife.
Then they realized something wasn't right. He'd staked his life just to get started?
As the Lin Family's only heir, he'd dared to go and do something so serious without telling them a word?
Lin Dong and Li Wanyu's eyes turned red again.
Lin Ao felt a fierce chill wash over him.
"AAAHHHH!"
"Xiao Fan! I, Lin Ao, am charging this debt to your account!!!"
Before you continue