Chapter 44 Pretending (Second Update) Pretending to be someone you like...

(44)

Twenty-six, twenty-seven...thirty.

They have beaten him thirty times. How can a five-year-old child endure such beatings?

Chu Li had stopped looking at them and hid under the window, tightly covering her ears.

She remembered being beaten with a broom by her stepmother, and she also thought of her Yin Yin. At this time, Shang Xinglan was the same age as Yin Yin. She couldn't imagine what she would do if Yin Yin had been beaten like that.

After a pause, Chu Li suddenly realized what was happening.

If it were Yin Yin being beaten, she would rush to protect him without hesitation. But why is she hiding here when it's Shang Xinglan?

Just because he didn't cry out or ask for help, does that mean he wasn't in pain?

Just because he is an ascended being with cultivation, do you think he will be fine?

She had to save him, even if everything here had already happened before; she had to save him.

Just as Chu Li was about to get up and leave, she saw the head of the family leaving with his servants through the window.

Shang Xinglan was left where he was. He didn't cry or make a fuss. He just lay quietly on the ground, the sun shining on his small body covered in bloodstains. It was a pitiful sight.

She missed a golden opportunity.

Chu Li cursed herself inwardly in frustration, pushed open the door, and carefully walked to his side, wanting to hug him.

Before even encountering anyone, Shang Xinglan got up on her own as if nothing had happened.

He casually brushed the dust off his clothes and, under Chu Li's shocked gaze, calmly said, "I'm fine. I'm not like ordinary people like you. My physical body is very strong. I have the Heavenly Yang Body, which is indestructible."

Chu Li stared at him blankly for a long time before reaching out and pinching his ear hard.

Shang Xinglan didn't expect her to do this suddenly. She winced in pain and subconsciously slapped her hand away.

What are you pretending for?

Chu Li's voice was deep and somber.

Shang Xinglan paused for a moment, realizing she had given herself away. Before she could figure out how to explain, she was pulled into the other person's arms.

Her movements were gentle and meticulous, as if she had done this countless times before. He couldn't help but look at her profile, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

He must have a child with her; the way he holds the baby is so skillful, just like when the wet nurse held him.

She was very gentle, and there was a hint of heartache in her eyes.

She was indeed his wife. Who else but his wife would look at him like that?

As for his mother... he has hardly ever seen her in all his years.

"You've been beaten like this, you need to apply medicine quickly. How could the patriarch treat you like this?" Chu Li said with resentment, but her hands didn't stop as she carefully lifted his clothes.

Those two servants must have used a clever technique; otherwise, thirty blows would have either killed or crippled him. Shang Xinglan's back injury looked frightening, but it didn't break any bones; it only caused him some physical pain.

Shang Xinglan let her hug him without struggling; it was indeed too painful, and he didn't even want to move.

"Linshui Pavilion has medicine."

He leaned on Chu Li's shoulder and whispered.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li immediately led the person into the Linshui Pavilion.

"Which compartment contains the ointment?"

“The east cabinet has three rows and five columns.”

Shang Xinglan was laid flat on the desk by her. Bored, he shifted his attention, his gaze following Chu Li's figure back and forth.

Does he really like her?

And why do I like her?

He couldn't understand it. He had always thought he would never fall in love with anyone, after all, he would only stay in this world for twenty-five years at most.

Twenty-five years is far too short; it's simply not enough to prove whether someone truly likes another.

Guided by Shang Xinglan, Chu Li found a small box containing ointment.

"There really is medicine. How come this place has everything?" Chu Li examined the medicine bottle carefully, puzzled. "But it doesn't say whether it treats external injuries."

Shang Xinglan said in a low voice, "Everything here is a relic of an ascensionist. What you have is the All-Cure Ointment, which can cure anything."

Remains?

Chu Li's eyelids twitched.

The fact that Shang Xinglan's immortal bones have appeared here shows that the patriarch really did have the heart to treat Shang Xinglan as dead back then.

She unscrewed the bottle of ointment, took some, and gently applied it to Shang Xinglan's back.

The lightning marks on my back are still very shallow, almost invisible unless you look closely. They probably don't hurt at this point.

He is very good at enduring pain. Is that how he survived being beaten since childhood?

"May I have your name?"

When Shang Xinglan asked out of the blue, Chu Li paused for a moment, but quickly resumed applying the ointment.

"Chu Li, the Li of dawn."

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan chuckled softly, "I thought it was the 'Li' in 'Xing Chen Li Xiao,' which would be a perfect match for me."

Chu Li's fingertips trembled slightly, but her tone remained calm. "Why do you say that?"

“Because we are destined to be together,” he said matter-of-factly. “I am of the Yang body, and you are of the Yin body. I am a man, and you are a woman. I can ascend to heaven, and you can divine destiny. I have a curse, and you can help me alleviate it. Everything is arranged by God… hiss.”

The pressure on her wound caused Shang Xinglan to gasp in pain, and she turned around incredulously to glare at her, asking, "What are you doing?"

What did he say wrong?

"I hate you." Chu Li threw the ointment on the table, turned around and went to find the notebook again. "Apply it yourself."

As her fingertips moved away from his back, Shang Xinglan looked up in astonishment, utterly puzzled, and asked, "How come you applied it yourself? I couldn't reach it."

"What does this have to do with me?" Chu Li retorted.

"You... how could you..." Shang Xinglan stared at her speechlessly, "Aren't we husband and wife?"

Husbands and wives should take care of each other and support each other. How can she just stop applying makeup like that?

Chu Li ignored him and started rummaging through the clothes he had taken off, wondering where the little rascal had hidden the notebook.

On the desk, Shang Xinglan shifted his body, grabbed the hem of her clothes, and tugged at it gently. "Chu Li, what did I say that made you angry?"

That's right, it must be a storage ring.

Chu Li grasped his slender wrist and spread his fingers to search for the ring.

Shang Xinglan was taken aback, and somewhat awkwardly withdrew her hand. "No, I won't hold yours."

Chu Li: "?"

Who would want to hold his hand? He's such a tiny little guy, yet so narcissistic. She wouldn't even glance at him if he were on the street.

Chu Li grabbed Shang Xinglan's wrist, took the ring off his hand, and sure enough, found the notebook.

She eagerly opened it, but Shang Xinglan didn't stop her. He just rested his chin on his hand and said, "Chu Li, it's rude not to listen to people. I'll ask you one more time, why are you angry?"

Chu Li casually flipped through the pages and happened to find the page about the towering stone, but the contents of the page greatly disappointed her.

So, she can only leave the Towering Stone after this memory ends? Does that mean that no matter what she does, she won't be able to leave early?

She glared at the child on the table, annoyed. "I told you I hate you, didn't you understand?"

Shang Xinglan smiled and said with absolute confidence, "No one will hate me. Everyone who sees me likes me."

"..."

Nonsense, I hate you because of you.

Chu Li gritted her teeth and said, feeling annoyed, "Then what about the patriarch? Why did the patriarch have someone beat you? If he liked you, why would he beat you?"

Shang Xinglan said nonchalantly, "He likes me the most, but he's too stubborn."

"I think you're just fooling yourself." Chu Li sneered. She couldn't see that the family head liked him. If he liked him, would he have him cut out his immortal bones and then kicked him out of the family?

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan paused for a moment, then said softly, "He was just too anxious."

He was different from all the previous ascendants.

In the past, those who ascended to heaven had already arranged their marriages before birth, finding their destined partner.

He was born weaker and thinner, with less spiritual energy and weaker magical power, far inferior to any of the previous ascendants. Not even a Heavenly Yin cultivator appeared in the world, as if they felt he was not qualified.

No matter how hard Shang Xinglan cultivated, he still couldn't catch up with those people, so the patriarch used rules a hundred times stricter to demand things of him.

He was not allowed to indulge in play or waste time. He was forbidden from doing anything other than cultivation. For Shang Xinglan, even reading was a luxury.

He knew that the patriarch was doing this for his own good; otherwise, if he couldn't ascend to immortality by the age of twenty-five, he would die.

The patriarch ordered him to be beaten because he was too unambitious. He had only reached level seven of the twenty-nine levels of the cultivation technique after half a month, and he even secretly went to Linshui Pavilion to slack off. He was really useless.

"Say what you will, I hate you now." Chu Li threw the notebook on the table and said mercilessly, "Don't talk to me, you hate me anyway, didn't you just call me a thief?"

Shang Xinglan suddenly laughed again and poked her, "You're angry about this? Then I won't say anything more. You're not a thief. You just happened to be passing by my house and accidentally got lost and ended up in the place where I hide treasures. Is that okay?"

Chu Li found these words more palatable; they sounded like something Shang Xinglan would say.

He's good at coaxing her.

"Anyway, you can't leave anytime soon. Finish applying the medicine and come with me to cultivate." Shang Xinglan put the medicine bottle into her hand and said gently, "Hurry up, it hurts so much."

Hearing him cry out in pain, Chu Li was slightly taken aback, and her heart ached for some reason.

If only she had gone out and stopped the head of the family...

Why are you always so slow to react, so slow that you only think of being nice to him after everything is already over?

Chu Li unscrewed the ointment again and silently applied it to him.

Shang Xinglan finished dressing, took out a talisman from her storage ring, and handed it to her. "Invisibility talisman, do you know how to use it?"

Yes, she knows how to use it. Xie Liyi gave her one last time.

Chu Li took the talisman and heard him say with a smile, "After you stick it on, no one will be able to see you. You can quietly stay with me, and after I finish my cultivation, I'll take you out to play by climbing over the wall."

"Going out to play?" Chu Li frowned. "You just got beaten up, and you still dare to go out to play?"

Shang Xinglan clicked her tongue lightly and fastened the buttons on her clothes. "It's okay. He hit me hard today. He won't hit me again."

If he cultivates two more levels of the technique, the patriarch will turn a blind eye even if he catches him.

Chu Li stared at him intently for a long time before finally asking the question that had been on her mind, "Why don't you look like yourself at all now that you've grown up?" You look just like the Fallen Demon Queen.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan looked up at her and asked casually, "What will I be like when I grow up?"

Have you lived past twenty-five?

"If you weren't so irresponsible now, there's absolutely no way you would have climbed over the wall to go out and play." In Chu Li's mind, he had always been kind, gentle, polite, and serious... basically, he was good in every way, a perfect gentleman.

Upon hearing her words, Shang Xinglan pondered for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "That must be an act."

Chu Li: "...?"

Shang Xinglan took in the astonished look on her face and couldn't help but want to laugh.

Isn't it human nature to pretend to be someone you like?

Did Chu Li steal something the first time they met? She must have been pretending to be docile, timid, and naive, or maybe she was even more blatant than him.