Wait, why was that brat's body visibly turning paler?
"Wait... something doesn't seem right."
Tang Hao's eyes widened as he pushed his vision to the limit, staring fixedly at every change in the room.
No, Xiao San had not merely "seemed" to grow quite a bit.
She had genuinely grown quite a bit!!!
No matter what, doing that sort of thing could not possibly cause such drastic changes, could it?
Wait, could it be that they were absorbing Whale Rubber? Whale Rubber could produce such effects when used for cultivation?!
As he watched helplessly, that brat sitting cross-legged seemed to grow taller at a visible rate. Tang Hao's breath caught, and his pupils trembled uncontrollably.
Could it be... could it be that nothing had actually happened tonight? And that Whale Rubber could temper the body and reshape the bones, possessing such powerful body-refining effects?
That was why that brat had been so excited, dragging Xiao San to the hotel to absorb it at the first opportunity, avoiding the work-study students in the dormitory?!
His powerful gaze swept across every corner of the hotel room. With the focus of a Titled Douluo, the clearheaded Tang Hao instantly realized that the entire room was neat and orderly. Even the little white sheet on the bed was immaculate, without the slightest sign of being soiled.
Just now, his rage had clouded his judgment. Overwhelmed by worry, he had not even noticed something so obvious.
So that meant nothing had happened at all, and everything had merely been his own imagination?
His state of mind had only just settled, but at the thought of this, Tang Hao felt his blood surge again, leaving him incomparably stifled.
That damned brat—if he did not have such intentions, why had he not said so earlier? Why had he not said so earlier?!!
There were plenty of places to absorb Whale Rubber. Why had he insisted on bringing Xiao San somewhere like a hotel to be alone with her, keeping silent as though he were hiding some treasure? Looking so impatient too!
Nothing had happened between the two children, yet he had acted like a clown, vomiting blood three times and trembling with rage, only to discover that it had all been an illusion born purely from his own overthinking?
In that instant, Tang Hao felt an unprecedented sense of shame, as though a basin of cold water had been poured straight into his soul from above.
For some reason, a few twisted hopes arose within him.
Compared to this futile worry over nothing, it would have been better if something really had happened between those two little brats. At least it would have settled the matter once and for all, completely ending this old father's worries and letting him utterly give up.
Rather than being driven into a fit of rage time and again by that unfilial daughter's actions, vomiting three liters of blood...
"Ugh..."
Worn out in both body and mind, Tang Hao suddenly had a feeling amid his indescribable melancholy.
If those two little brats kept this up, sooner or later, that unfilial daughter who had been handed to him for free would literally anger him to death...
"Phew..."
With a long exhale, Lin Yue emerged from his meditative state. The instant he opened his eyes and sensed the changes in his body, he could not help but marvel!
This body-strengthening Whale Rubber was even more effective than he had expected!
Lin Yue clenched his fist and felt every inch of muscle in his body had been strengthened by the Whale Rubber. With a casual wave of his hand, he could even produce a faint tearing sound through the air.
After refining his body with Whale Rubber, his body felt exceptionally light. The massive strengthening in such a short time gave him an otherworldly sensation of discomfort, yet it left his body in better condition than ever before.
Even without obtaining a Spirit Ring, if he fought barehanded, the current him after being tempered by Whale Rubber should have no problem defeating two of his former selves.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Body refinement really has a future. It even saves more resources than other cultivation methods, and the resources saved can be used to refine the body again..."
As Lin Yue waved his fists and sighed, Xiao San's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear—
"Brother Lin, thank you."
Xiao San bit her lip, though a trace of shame appeared on her face.
Such an excellent body-tempering medicine, and Brother Lin had thought of her the instant he obtained it, splitting it evenly with her.
Yet she had been the one receiving Brother Lin's help since childhood. Still, she had kept the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record to herself, never sharing it with him.
Though this was partly because Tang Sect techniques from her previous life could not be passed on to outsiders, and though she had considered making an exception several times, not doing it was not doing it. She would not make excuses for herself.
But this time, she would not keep anything hidden any longer.
"Brother Lin, actually... I've always been cultivating this..."
The girl gritted her teeth and took a copy of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, which she had transcribed long ago, from her bag...
"Hm? I know this... It's what Xiao San used to practice, right?"
Seeing that Xiao San had even brought out the technique she had fought to the death to obtain in her previous life, Lin Yue sighed inwardly. At the same time, he became increasingly aware that the current Xiao San seemed to be drifting farther and farther from the original world... She was almost becoming someone he no longer recognized.
"I'm sorry, Brother Lin. Actually, it's because..."
Seeing the contemplative look on Lin Yue's face, Xiao San thought he was blaming her. Her rosy cheeks immediately went a little pale, and she hurriedly tried to explain, only to see Lin Yue raise a hand.
"All right, I understand."
"Huh?" Xiao San looked bewildered.
"Right, don't storybooks always say things like this? Some master passes down a technique, but you can't reveal my identity, and you can't casually teach my technique to others... Isn't that kind of thing common?"
Grinning, Lin Yue patted the bewildered girl, signaling for her to relax.
"It's fine. If learning this technique would make you break the rules, Xiao San, then I don't have to learn it."
As he spoke, Lin Yue spread out his limbs and lay comfortably on the large bed.
To be honest, though Tang Sect techniques were powerful, whether they would be useful to him... well, that was hard to say.
The difference between having them and not having them was not great. At most, they would be icing on the cake. With the DNF System, Lin Yue was already satisfied. Whether Xiao San wanted to break the rules for him or keep the technique to herself, it did not really matter. Lin Yue would not hold the slightest grudge.
But... had he prepared tomorrow's rations in his backpack? Why could he not remember? He should go check...
Lin Yue had only just sat up when he saw Xiao San pressing her lips tightly together, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
"Ah... what's wrong?"
Lin Yue had never expected Xiao San to react like this. Panic appeared on his face, and he truly had no idea what he had said wrong to make the girl so upset.
"Brother Lin... do you hate me?"
Holding the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, the girl could not stop the tears in her eyes at the thought of that possibility...
"No, how could I hate you..."
A few drops of sweat slid down Lin Yue's forehead as he immediately came to Xiao San's side, looking nervous.
The girl stared at him with reddened eyes and choked out, "Then why... have you always been refusing..."
Actually, she had sensed it from the very beginning.
Ever since her martial soul awakened, Brother Lin seemed to have gradually lost that sense of closeness and care he had shown her during childhood.
It was not that their relationship had worsened in any way, but... Xiao San had a very strong feeling that whenever she wanted to get closer, Brother Lin would deliberately maintain a subtle distance from her.
That had been true during this half-month break, and it had also been true just now, when she wanted to give him the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
Clearly, she had already regarded Brother Lin as the most important person in her life, yet he seemed to be avoiding something...
"Brother Lin, why don't you dare look into my eyes... Do you really despise Xiao San that much?"
Grasping Lin Yue's collar, the little girl was already crying bitterly, her frail body trembling in the cold wind.
"No..."
Gently patting Tang San's back, Lin Yue wore a strange expression.
How was he supposed to explain this?
Because you are Tang San, I keep seeing another God King Tang I knew in my previous life whenever I look at you, so being around you always feels strange. I'm afraid you'll declare that I have a path to death?
After all, whenever he heard the name Tang San, he could not help thinking of that other pure and flawless Xiao San, which made Lin Yue slightly uncomfortable... The sense of disconnect was too strong, and it always made him instinctively reject it.
When all was said and done...
"Xiao San, why are you called Xiao San?"
Gently holding the girl by the shoulders, Lin Yue asked softly.
"..."
Resting in Lin Yue's arms, the girl stiffened.
Yes... why?
She had never thought about it.
From the moment she had memories in her previous life, she had already been called Tang San.
In fact, Tang Sect had not only had Tang San. There had also been Tang One, Tang Two, Tang Four, and Tang Five.
She had merely been a tool among the sect's outer disciples, responsible for handling dirty and exhausting work. Even when cultivating the core Tang Sect techniques, she had to hide like a rat in a gutter. Her name had merely been a number, something to distinguish her from others. Its meaning had never mattered.
After being reborn, her father had never explained why she still had this name. It was only because it was the same as in her previous life that she had accepted it without a second thought.
Whether she was treated as a tool or treated coldly...
She had merely... grown used to it.
"It's not that I don't like you. I just don't like this name. It doesn't sound like a girl's name."
Seeing the blank look on the girl's face, Lin Yue sighed inwardly as well.
She was merely the third orphan adopted by Tang Sect... Her childhood in both lives had been so miserable...
"Then... what name does Brother Lin like?"
Biting her lip, the girl stubbornly raised her head, hope flickering in her eyes.
"How about... Tang Yin, little Blue Silver Grass..."
Tang Yin?
No longer a cold sect number, but a name bestowed upon her by the person she loved.
There would no longer be the restraints of sect rules, nor any other restrictions... In Tang Yin's heart, there would no longer be a world, only...
Him.
The girl tightly wrapped her arms around Lin Yue's arm, her body trembling slightly...
"All right, from now on, I'll be called Tang Yin."
No longer Tang San of Tang Sect, nor Xiao San in the eyes of others, but...
"I'll be Tang Yin who belongs only to Brother Lin..."
The girl's whisper sounded beside his ear. Lin Yue's spine tingled, and when he lowered his head, he saw Tang Yin's eyes, filled with boundless tenderness...
A pair of delicate hands looped around his neck. In the next instant, Lin Yue felt a warm, sweet touch against his lips...