Damn Old Thing!

Night fell, and Xiao Li sat cross-legged on the bed in the Lin Family guest room, calming his mind to cultivate. Rivers are formed by the accumulation of small streams; his cultivation base was not something that had simply blown in on the wind.

"Knock, knock."

Xiao Li opened his eyes. "Please, come in."

The door opened to reveal Lin Qi, the young patriarch of the Lin Family.

Xiao Li felt a flicker of surprise. "Is there something you need, Young Master Lin? If this is about tomorrow's match, you can rest assured—it will go off without a hitch."

Lin Qi's expression stiffened, and he forced a smile. "Brother Xiao, you've misunderstood. I am indeed here about tomorrow's match, but I hope... I hope you can lose."

Lin Qi spoke with hesitation, his head bowed, unable to hide the embarrassment on his face.

"Why is that?" Xiao Li was stunned, though he began to suspect there was more to the story than met the eye.

After a brief internal struggle, Lin Qi spoke for the sake of his future happiness. "Actually... actually, Xu Xinyue and I have long since pledged our lives to one another. It's just that Yue'er was a bit too impulsive and went to propose marriage herself. Had the method been right, the Lin Family would have been more than happy to accept, but now things have turned into this mess..."

Xiao Li realized then that he had been the one to ruin the young couple's good fortune.

"But I've already given your father my word. If I lose, I'm afraid it won't be easy to explain."

Lin Qi looked distressed. "Brother Xiao, please show mercy. Your strength is so immense—not just Yue'er, but I doubt there is a young genius in the entire Black-Corner Region who can compare to you. How could she possibly be your match?"

At this point, Lin Qi gritted his teeth and pulled out a book. "This is the Lin Family's ultimate technique. As long as you promise not to reveal it before the Lin Family or leak it elsewhere, you may take it."

Ignoring the manual, Xiao Li focused on the young man before him. He was around twenty, with decent talent and a cultivation base of a seven-star Dou Zhe.

"You... you like Xu Xinyue that much?"

Lin Qi jerked his head up, his face still flushed with lingering embarrassment, but he said firmly, "I really do love her. It's just that Yue'er was impatient, and both our families are too concerned with saving face, which is why things ended up so awkward."

A deeper sense of helplessness filled Lin Qi's eyes. "If I didn't love her, why would I ever accept the indignity of a man marrying into her family?"

"Brother Xiao, do you know what it feels like to like someone?"

Lin Qi's words left Xiao Li momentarily dazed, as if he were back in that afternoon a month ago, when a girl told him she would definitely find him at Canaan Academy.

Wait, no. Why am I thinking of the Little Fairy Doctor? She's still so young... but she'll grow up eventually, right? Ah, damn it, Xiao Li, you bastard!

A war raged within Xiao Li's heart; he hadn't expected to think of the Little Fairy Doctor when the subject of love came up.

Seeing that Xiao Li still hadn't taken the manual from his hand, Lin Qi bowed dejectedly and retreated from the room.

Hearing the door close, Xiao Li snapped back to reality. Wait, why did he leave? I haven't made up my mind yet.

"Forget it. I'll go talk to the head of the Lin Family."

Xiao Li pushed the door open and stepped out, but the kid, Lin Qi, was already nowhere to be seen.

"Elder Qian, Elder Bai, what do you think I should do?"

From the folds of space, Elder Qian's voice remained calm. "Didn't you just gain an insight? Follow your heart and do what you want to do. Otherwise, what is the point of cultivation?"

"This junior understands."

With the support of the experts, Xiao Li felt a surge of resolve and walked straight to Lin Yi's room.

Lin Yi wasn't asleep either; he was sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard, lost in thought.

"Patriarch Lin has a refined taste, enjoying the moon in this pavilion in the middle of the night."

Hearing the voice, Lin Yi jumped, only calming down when he saw it was Xiao Li.

"Xiao Li, come and sit with me."

Lin Yi forced a smile and gestured for him to join.

Xiao Li complied, and the two fell into a heavy silence.

Lin Yi sighed suddenly. "Xiao Li, don't take the stage for tomorrow's match. The Lin Family concedes. We will still pay you the agreed-upon reward."

"Concede?" Xiao Li blinked. "Why?"

Lin Yi gave a bitter smile. "No one knows a son better than his father. I know my boy—he is determined to be with that girl, Xu Xinyue."

Looking at Lin Yi's conflicted profile, Xiao Li was lost in a trance, as if he were seeing his own father, Xiao Zhan, choosing his son over the honor of the family.

"Patriarch Lin, rest assured. I will help you with this matter tomorrow. I will make sure that Xu Xinyue marries into your Lin Family," Xiao Li said softly, his voice filled with confidence.

Lin Yi looked at Xiao Li in surprise, his lips moving for a long time before he finally managed to utter two words.

"Thank you..."

After bidding farewell to Lin Yi, Xiao Li returned to his room. Halfway there, Elder Qian suddenly popped out from the spatial fold. "Heh heh, come on, let me show you something fun."

With that, Elder Qian dragged Xiao Li toward a corner of the Lin estate.

It was a courtyard within the Lin residence, planted with a few large trees and looking quite desolate; it appeared to be an unused area.

Elder Qian led Xiao Li to crouch atop the courtyard wall, arching his eyebrows and tilting his head to signal Xiao Li to look inside.

Xiao Li followed the gesture and saw a man and a woman embracing each other.

"The Lin Family has quite a few talents, even sneaking off for a tryst in the middle of the night."

"Hiss—wait, isn't that Lin Qi?" Xiao Li's eyes widened.

Could there be a twist to this? Lin Qi is cheating on another woman, yet he's still thinking of latching onto the wealthy Xu Xinyue?

A vein pulsed on Elder Qian's forehead as he rapped Xiao Li on the head. "You brat, that woman is clearly Xu Xinyue. Don't have such filthy thoughts."

Elder Bai appeared on Xiao Li's other side, and the three of them leaned over the courtyard wall together. "Exactly, exactly. How beautiful this love is. The way you put it, this little guy Lin Qi sounds like a shameless heartbreaker."

Xiao Li laughed sheepishly. "Heh heh, it's just that I've never seen what Xu Xinyue looks like."

"Shh~ quiet, let me listen to what they're saying." Elder Qian tilted his head, aiming his ear toward Lin Qi's side.

Suddenly, Elder Qian's expression shifted. "Not good, they're planning to elope! Stop them quickly!"

Xiao Li's mouth twitched. Young people these days are truly something else.

With no time to hesitate, Xiao Li had no choice but to play the meddlesome good Samaritan for once.

Xiao Li braced his hands and vaulted over, landing right in front of Lin Qi and Xu Xinyue.

"Stop right there!"

Lin Qi, who had been on the verge of kissing her, was startled by the sudden intrusion, his momentum instantly wilting. "Who's there!"

Seeing Xiao Li land before him, Lin Qi was about to curse, but remembering the man's strength as a Great Dou Master, he managed to restrain himself.

"So it's Brother Xiao. Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing here?"

Lin Qi's attitude was rather poor—or rather, no one has a good attitude when they are interrupted in the middle of things.

Xiao Li was stunned. The two of them were locked in a sweet embrace, gazing at each other with eyes full of longing. This scene didn't look much like an elopement.

Elder Bai shuffled over to Elder Qian's side. "Just now, that kid didn't say anything about eloping, did he?"

Elder Qian chuckled. "No, he said 'Yue'er'."

"No, it was 'Yue'er~~~'"

"Hehehehe."

"Hehehehe."

Elder Qian and Elder Bai exchanged looks, letting out gloating laughs.

In the courtyard, Xu Xinyue shyly emerged from Lin Qi's arms. "Is this the Brother Xiao you mentioned?"

Lin Qi nodded stiffly.

Sensing something was off, Xiao Li quickly got to the point. "Your father has agreed to you two being together. I came to..."

After a round of explanations, Xiao Li finally saw the murderous look in Lin Qi's eyes turn into one of gratitude.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness." Xiao Li let out a long sigh of relief, but then he suddenly thought of something and turned his gaze toward the courtyard wall, where two dark silhouettes were looming.

"You damn old geezers!!!"