He took half a step back, dodging Xiao San's proactive attack. Looking at her adorable yet timid little appearance, Lin Yue truly did not know whether to be angry or laugh.
Having missed her strike and fallen onto the bed, the little girl immediately hid her head beneath the blanket like a quail. Yet she still turned herself toward Lin Yue, toes curled inward and hands clutching the bedsheet, looking timidly prepared to receive his favor.
At the sight, the veins on Lin Yue's forehead throbbed, and his temples ached...
Really, he was at his wit's end. He did not know how to explain it.
He wanted to teach the little rascal a lesson or two, yet feared hurting her fragile self-esteem. He could only soften his tone and coax her gently.
"Be good. I didn't mean that. This is Whale Rubber. Using it can strengthen your body, making it easier to absorb Spirit Rings and allowing you to obtain a higher-level First Spirit Ring."
"What?"
She timidly poked her head out, brought her legs together and turned them aside. At last, Xiao San's overloaded little brain understood the purpose of the Whale Rubber...
So Brother Lin had not been thinking about that sort of thing... He had only wanted to strengthen the Spirit Ring she might obtain tomorrow...
In an instant, a powerful sense of loss spread through Xiao San's heart.
Although she knew Brother Lin Yue meant well, it turned out not to be...
Waaah, then everything I did...
The moment she realized it had all been her own wishful thinking, the little girl became like a half-cooked shrimp, her entire body flushing an utterly mortified pink. Steam seemed to rise from her little head.
"Alright, alright. I know how you feel, but now isn't the time for that sort of thing."
Knowing that if he did not comfort her now, this little girl might embarrass herself to death, Lin Yue could only soften his voice, pat her shoulder lightly, and give her a warm hug.
"Be good. Thinking about those things so early is bad for your health. Come, refine the Whale Rubber."
"Mhm..."
Ashamed to the extreme, Xiao San buried her head deeply and dared not look into Lin Yue's eyes. She could only circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill with all her strength to suppress the faint romantic thoughts rising from her dantian.
Seeing that she had finally entered a cultivation state, Lin Yue let out a long breath.
Hah, this was practically harder than coaxing a girlfriend... Though he had been single in his previous life and had no idea how difficult it was to coax a girlfriend, it probably wasn't any harder than this...
Once the little girl had finally settled down, Lin Yue sat cross-legged and began refining the medicinal power of the Whale Rubber.
If he had known this kind of mess would happen, he should have explained it to her beforehand. Sigh, who knew this little girl never read proper books, yet had somehow learned about the effects of Whale Rubber and created such a misunderstanding.
Wait, if Xiao San had misunderstood, then Tang Hao, who had always been secretly monitoring her movements...
The horrifying thought flashed through his mind, but before Lin Yue could think further, the immense medicinal power of the Whale Rubber bore down on him, leaving him no room for distraction...
Not long afterward, as the final trace of medicinal power was absorbed by her flesh and bones, Xiao San opened her eyes and immediately noticed a faint glow radiating from her body and skin.
The petite girl's body had somehow shot up by several centimeters, making her considerably taller.
Her skin, which had not been particularly fair before, now carried a milky, lustrous whiteness. It was as though she had been reborn, her complexion and temperament both elevated by several levels.
For a moment, Tang San forgot all about her previous embarrassment and anger. She could only marvel at the changes in herself!
What potent medicinal power! This body-tempering effect was practically comparable to some exceedingly rare precious medicines recorded in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record!
Brother Lin Yue had worked tirelessly for her in the pharmacy for half a month. So it had all been for this moment.
With the help of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San naturally refined the Whale Rubber far faster than Lin Yue could. Thus, with nothing to do, Xiao San could only sit there and look at the young man seated cross-legged before her, her pearly teeth lightly biting her red lips. Her thoughts became incredibly complicated as her mind ran wild.
Why exactly had Brother Lin Yue rejected her? Was it because he did not like her, or because he truly feared hurting her?
Could it really be because he did not like her?
The instant that thought appeared in her heart, Xiao San's face turned deathly pale. Her lips lost all color, and her eyes filled with terror and panic.
No, it could not be. Brother Lin Yue definitely liked her. Otherwise, how could he have rejected Spirit Hall's invitation because of her? Yes, that had to be it.
At the thought that Lin Yue's care for her might merely stem from familial affection, Xiao San's body stiffened, and she began trembling uncontrollably.
She absolutely could not accept it. Whenever she imagined Brother Lin Yue one day looking at her coldly before throwing himself into another woman's embrace, it felt as though her heart were being cut apart, making it hard even to breathe.
But she believed it would never be like that.
For her sake, Brother Lin Yue had even brought out a treasure comparable to a ten-thousand-year spiritual medicine. Surely... surely he would never leave her.
Watching Lin Yue quietly sit in meditation as he refined the medicinal power, the little girl could no longer restrain the surging emotions in her heart. She gently leaned forward, cautiously approached his cheek, and pressed her cherry lips to it, leaving behind a light kiss.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
Tang Hao sat cross-legged on a mountaintop, gasping heavily. At last, he suppressed the pain in his heart, forcibly pushing down the torment of his old injury flaring up again.
But when he opened his bloodshot eyes, panting like an ox, scene after scene in the hotel room nearly made him vomit three liters of blood and suffer another relapse!
At some point, his daughter's face had gained traces of undisguised tenderness and love. It was as though she had instantly grown several years older, becoming even more beautiful. An indescribable charm emanated from her.
Damn it, damn it! That brat had already done it in just a few minutes... And it had even involved Whale Rubber. He had used Whale Rubber, and it had still taken this long! No, his Xiao San!!!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, gritting his teeth as the aura of a Titled Douluo nearly burst beyond his control.
The intense hatred and humiliation made his eyes split with rage. He nearly seized the Clear Sky Hammer, rushed to the hotel in an instant, and smashed that damned bastard into meat paste with a single blow.
But even if he truly did that, what could it change?
Clutching his chest in agony, Tang Hao felt the last traces of strength in his body being completely drained away.
Xiao San's heart had long since belonged entirely to that brat. She would never refuse any request from him. If he truly did this, not only would it change nothing, it would also make Xiao San turn against him completely. He would forever lose his chance to return to the sect and revitalize the Clear Sky Sect.
Heavens, why were they so cruel to him, Tang Hao?
Large tears streamed from his eyes. Overwhelmed by grief and indignation, Tang Hao raised his head again, only to see that in the inn, his most precious daughter had flushed cheeks and was taking the initiative to kiss the cheek of that young man cultivating in meditation.
"Pfft—"
He vomited another mouthful of blood. Tang Hao staggered to his feet, squeezing his eyes shut, his heart shattered beyond measure.
He could stop nothing. He could stop nothing at all!!!
He could only watch that face, which looked more and more like Ah Yin's, nearly ninety percent identical to hers, draw close to that brat and reveal a deep love he had never seen before.
Deep within Tang Hao's heart, something seemed to quietly shatter...
Enough, enough. Let it be. Things had come to this, and he had nothing left to say.
In unbearable pain, Tang Hao staggered away, intending to find a dark corner. After completely suppressing his injuries, he would return to the waterfall, look upon his Ah Yin, and properly tell her what her unfilial daughter had done.
Yet when he raised his eyes toward the inn one final time, his expression changed again.