Little Marten Awakens

Just as when he had saved his aunt back then, giving up the opportunity to go to the world of immortal cultivation, giving up the twelve Bodhi Seeds he could have obtained by nurturing Xiao Xun'er, and risking the Ancestral Stone being discovered in order to ease Xiao Xun'er's pain...

In truth, even without those choice rewards, he would have done those things if he had the ability. It was just that after obtaining the system, his choices had all followed the values he had developed in his previous life.

Hearing Lin Qing's words, Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks swiftly flushed red as she said softly,

"Young master, I'm already fourteen. Girls where I come from have already begun getting married..."

"No, Xiao Yixian, remember this: you're different from everyone else, and so am I. Besides, you're already mine. You can only obediently wait to become my wife. Don't tell me you still want to run away someday?"

Lin Qing opened his eyes, tilted his head back, and looked at Xiao Yi Xian with a smile.

Looking at the handsome youth before her, his face full of smiles as he spoke such moving words of affection, Xiao Yi Xian's already crimson cheeks became even redder. She quickly turned her head away, then thought of how good the youth had been to her. Gathering her courage, she slowly turned back and looked earnestly at Lin Qing, only to find that he was looking at her just as earnestly.

It was as if there was only the other person left in each other's eyes.

"Young master, I won't run! I'll wait for that day."

Xiao Yi Xian blushed, her tone resolute.

"Good!"

Unlike the fondness that had gradually developed through his time with Xiao Xun'er, he had truly liked the kind and filial person before him at first sight.

That night, Lin Qing did not cultivate. Having finished the most important matter at hand, he could finally sleep comfortably until late the next morning.

But his dream of Qi Refining in a day, Foundation Establishment in a hundred days, and Core Formation in a year was quickly shattered, because he encountered an assassination by the demonic path in his dream—and then woke up.

The moment Lin Qing opened his eyes, a delicate and breathtakingly beautiful face appeared before him. Lin Qi sat at the edge of the bed, her clear, bright brown eyes glistening with tears as she gazed at him gently.

"Brother, aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

Lin Qi asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"What time is it now? How long did I sleep?"

Lin Qing swiftly got out of bed. As usual, he glanced at the pair of slender jade-like legs he never tired of looking at and casually asked,

"Oh, brother, it's already noon. Brother, you slept for six hours."

Lin Qi said after thinking seriously for a moment.

"Alright! Maybe I've been too busy lately!" Lin Qing said.

"Brother, these are the Medicinal Herbs I picked!"

Lin Qi handed a Storage Ring to Lin Qing.

As usual, Lin Qing selected several Medicinal Herbs that he might need, then lit the furnace again and refined some Medicinal Pellets for Lin Qi.

"Here! A new flavor! This time, I added spirit tea and royal jelly!"

An hour later, Lin Qing handed the Storage Ring back to Lin Qi.

"Mhm, bwother, tasty!"

Lin Qi quickly took a Jade Bottle from it, poured a bottle of Medicinal Pellets into her mouth, and spoke to Lin Qing while chewing.

Lin Qing smiled softly. He simply could not refuse a beautiful, gentle-tempered Tuntun Crane who spoke softly, called him brother, asked him for Medicinal Pellets to eat, and loved hoarding supplies!

"Eat slowly. No one's going to fight you for them! And girls shouldn't talk while eating!"

Lin Qing smiled gently as he stroked Lin Qi's dark hair.

He suspected that if Zi Yan and Lin Qi ever met, the two would probably fight, putting on a battle between dragon and crane.

But they were both simple-minded people, so there should not be any major conflict. He was also looking forward to their meeting.

After Lin Qi left, Lin Qing took out the Soul-Nourishing Saliva he had refined yesterday. He wrapped it in his Soul Strength and made it float in the air, then slowly brought his left hand—the palm containing the Ancestral Stone—closer to the Soul-Nourishing Saliva.

Suddenly, Lin Qing felt the Ancestral Stone in his left palm erupt with a strange suction force, and its target was precisely the Soul-Nourishing Saliva.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The Soul-Nourishing Saliva entered the Ancestral Stone.

Since it was a Medicinal Pill for repairing the soul and its grade was just right, Lin Qing felt only a slight coolness in his soul and did not suffer the pain Lin Dong had experienced.

In fact, Lin Qing knew that whenever he used the Ancestral Stone to refine Medicinal Herbs, some energy would remain within the stone. But it was a win-win arrangement, so Lin Qing had never concerned himself with it.

As for where that residual energy went, it naturally went to Yan and Little Marten.

After a while, he sensed that the Soul-Nourishing Saliva had been digested, but Little Marten had not emerged. Lin Qing could only go in to look for him himself.

Lin Qing lightly touched the center of his left palm with his fingertips and slowly closed his eyes. As his eyes shut, his soul became dazed, and that familiar dark spiritual space appeared once more. The little mouse he had previously discovered was nowhere to be seen.

This space came with the Ancestral Stone, or rather, it had been independently created by it. The body that entered the Ancestral Stone's space was actually formed from his soul.

So he hid as soon as he woke up?

"Come out, little mouse! I've found you!"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Qing decided to bluff him out and smiled into the surrounding darkness.

Yet the surroundings remained silent. Lin Qing could not help snorting coldly, then a powerful Soul Power spread in every direction. At last, he detected something unusual in the darkness behind him.

"Heh heh heh, you're not coming out? Then I'll devour your Demon Spirit!"

Lin Qing suddenly turned and sneered at the anomaly. Soul Strength rapidly gathered before him, and in the blink of an eye, it condensed into a long, slender needle. This was the Deity-Transforming Needle he had used some time ago to kill the members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, a spiritual soul-type Dou Technique from Martial Movement World that he had obtained through the system.

"If you truly refuse to show yourself, then I'll attack!"

The Deity-Transforming Needle glimmered faintly before Lin Qing as his voice slowly echoed through the dark space.

He was feeling somewhat irritated. Little Marten really was an expert at hiding!

Then he condensed another four Deity-Transforming Needles and aimed them toward the target.

Seeing that Little Marten was still hiding there without making a sound, Lin Qing hesitated no longer. The Deity-Transforming Needles floating before him shot forth directly, fiercely piercing into the darkness.

Swoosh!

As the Deity-Transforming Needles rushed in, a flash of light suddenly appeared from the darkness in the next instant, then fled toward the depths of the darkness like lightning.

How could Lin Qing allow him to escape like that? His soul stretched out like countless ropes, catching up with the light in an instant, trapping it, and yanking it back hard.

Thud!

The light dimmed, and a palm-sized little mouse, black as ink all over, fell before Lin Qing.

He bent down and picked up the little mouse. Its tiny eyes were not muddy at all; instead, they were filled with an intensely humanlike fury.

Seeing Little Marten's angry expression, Lin Qing gave a wicked grin and said,

"Heh heh heh, little mouse, I've caught you now, haven't I?"

"Bastard! You're the little mouse! Your whole family are little mice! And how exactly did you discover me?"