Li Xin's Past

Li Xin cast Long Haochen a suspicious glance, but in the end, she chose to believe him.

In truth, Long Haochen had indeed been telling the truth. Back when he was only nine, he truly had no improper intentions toward Sheng Cai'er. He had merely wanted to protect her.

Seeing that Long Haochen was somewhat displeased by her suspicion, Li Xin felt a little guilty. She wrapped her arms around him and planted a hard kiss on his cheek.

Long Haochen was left dazed by Li Xin's sudden kiss, his handsome face instantly flushing bright red.

"I'm sorry, Haochen. I admit it—I really was jealous just now. I shouldn't have doubted you."

As she spoke, Li Xin kissed his other cheek as well.

Seeing the red lip prints on both of Long Haochen's cheeks, Li Xin could not help but laugh. "You really do look a little like a young lecher now. Come on, let's head back."

Li Xin pulled the dazed Long Haochen toward the Hao Yue Sub-Temple, while Long Haochen had yet to recover from those two kisses. Unlike her fiery personality, Li Xin's lips were cool and smooth, and the sensation had been deeply imprinted in his heart.

"Sis, what exactly happened between you and Sister Lin?" Long Haochen asked curiously.

Li Xin hesitated slightly before finally answering, "We were childhood sweethearts and could talk about anything when we were little. Five years ago, we both fell for a boy from the Mage Temple. Out of consideration for our friendship, I could only painfully give him up."

"One day, that boy came to tell me that Lin Jialu had used her family's influence to force him to be with her, and that he had only agreed out of helplessness. After that, I never saw him again. I never imagined that the friend I had grown up with could be so despicable, so I went to confront Lin Jialu."

"Who would have thought that Lin Jialu would turn the tables on me, claiming that I was the despicable one and calling me a liar? We came to blows over it, and our friendship of many years shattered because of it."

After hearing Li Xin's story, Long Haochen felt that something about it was off.

"Sis, I think that boy deceived both you and Sister Lin."

"Oh?" Li Xin had never considered that possibility.

Long Haochen paused before continuing, "That boy didn't want to be with either you or Sister Lin, so he prepared a different story for each of you before running away."

Hearing Long Haochen put it that way, Li Xin immediately came to a realization.

"So that was it. Thinking about it now, that really is the most likely possibility. Otherwise, Lin Jialu wouldn't have turned against me for no reason."

Li Xin turned her head and gave Long Haochen a meaningful look. "Haochen, you seem to know quite a bit about relationships between men and women."

Long Haochen helplessly spread his hands. "Sis, you're too involved to see clearly. I'm just an outsider looking in."

Seeing Long Haochen's calm expression, Li Xin could not help asking, "Haochen, don't you mind that I once liked another boy?"

Long Haochen waved his hand. "Sis, I don't want to pry into your past relationships. I only need to know that the one you like now is me. That's enough."

"Haochen..."

Li Xin was deeply moved. Just as she was about to give Long Haochen a loving kiss regardless of the surrounding stares, Long Haochen hurriedly took a step back and changed the subject. "By the way, Sis, what exactly is that Radiant Shield?"

"Aren't you planning to train as a Guardian Knight? The Radiant Shield is the most practical shield below the fifth tier. With it, your defense will rise by at least a level."

Long Haochen's heart warmed. Li Xin had made that wager with Lin Jialu precisely to get him a good shield.

Li Xin let out a quiet sigh. "It's all my dad's fault. He gives me too little spending money, and I eat so much every day. Otherwise, I would have just bought you equipment directly with money. Why go through all this trouble?"

Long Haochen helplessly rubbed his forehead. With Li Xin's appetite, she truly could not save much money.

The moment the two returned to the entrance of the Hao Yue Sub-Temple, they found an unfamiliar middle-aged man waiting there, holding a large cloth bundle in his hands.

"Miss Xin, my young miss asked me to deliver this to you. Please inspect it."

Li Xin took the cloth bundle from the middle-aged man and smiled. "That girl's allowance isn't much more than mine. I really took her for a ride this time, so she must be hurting badly."

Although she had cleared up the misunderstanding from years ago, Li Xin still could not let go of Lin Jialu trying to seduce Long Haochen. Even if she wanted to repair their relationship, it would probably not happen anytime soon.

Li Xin followed Long Haochen to his Knight's residence. The moment they entered, she impatiently opened the cloth bundle.

"Haochen, look. This is the Radiant Shield. See whether it feels right in your hand."

Li Xin handed the Radiant Shield to Long Haochen. He took it and examined it carefully.

The Radiant Shield was a medium-sized round shield, around two and a half feet in diameter. It was entirely dark silver, giving off an ancient and imposing air.

At the very center of the shield was a pale gold circular gemstone the size of a pigeon's egg. Centered around that gemstone was an engraved sun pattern, its lines radiating outward all the way to the shield's edge.

From its appearance alone, the Radiant Shield was clearly extraordinary. Long Haochen slid his arm into the bracer-like metal sleeve on the shield's inner side. When his hand reached the very end, there was a metal handle perfectly placed for him to grip.

Li Xin slowly stepped forward and thoughtfully adjusted the metal sleeve around Long Haochen's arm, fastening its metal clasp to the size that suited him best.

"Haochen, hurry and try it," Li Xin said softly.

Long Haochen nodded, grasped the handle, and lightly swung his arm. The Radiant Shield was not heavy and fit his hand perfectly.

"Without infusing it with inner spiritual energy, the Radiant Shield itself can block attacks below three hundred spiritual energy. If you infuse it with inner spiritual energy, its defensive power will rise greatly. It can block the negative effects of most magic. Also, the Gold-Melting Stone on it can repair the shield on its own, giving it a certain degree of self-repair."

After hearing Li Xin's introduction, Long Haochen tried infusing a trace of spiritual energy into the shield. The sun pattern at the center of the Radiant Shield lit up, and the entire shield shimmered with a pale golden glow. There was even a flow of light spiritual energy returning to him. With Long Haochen's current spiritual energy cultivation, the shield did not consume much energy.

Long Haochen unconsciously compared the defensive shield of the Forget-Me-Not Ring with the Radiant Shield. Based on his estimate, the Forget-Me-Not Ring's defensive shield could currently withstand impacts below five hundred spiritual energy, but as Long Haochen's spiritual energy rose, it could eventually resist attacks from professions below the fifth tier.

The defensive shield had a higher limit than the Radiant Shield, but it consumed more spiritual energy. For now, the Radiant Shield was indeed the most practical choice for Long Haochen.

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