Lingyao touched the beast's head with its toes and landed steadily on the ground.

He looked up at Yin Ming with a complicated expression, then walked back to his original spot without saying a word.

The man and woman breathed a long sigh of relief when they saw that the monster that had threatened their lives was dead, and thanked Lingyao repeatedly with gratitude.

"My benefactor, is your hand alright?" one of the girls asked, her sweet voice filled with nervousness, worry, and a hint of obvious shyness.

Look at all those hearts on the screen! It's no wonder that any woman would fall for the male lead.

Hey girl, could you turn around and look this way? I'm handsome too!

Yin Ming was annoyed. Although the villain was hateful, he was also an absolute handsome man.

Although she's a little less attractive than the male lead, she shouldn't be completely ignored.

But she really didn't even glance at Yin Ming, which made Yin Ming feel wronged.

"It's nothing," Lingyao replied calmly, but glanced at Yin Ming without making a sound.

The girl's concern was rejected, so she awkwardly hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

The surroundings fell silent instantly, with only the occasional crackling sound of burning firewood.

The atmosphere was too oppressive. The man and woman probably knew that something was wrong. After finishing their food, they found a place to sleep. Only Lingyao and Yinming were still sitting in front of the fire.

The firelight flickered, and Yin Ming couldn't see the expression on Ling Yao's face.

Recalling the way Ling Yao had looked at him just now, Yin Ming felt somewhat bewildered.

Or does he already know that Yin Ming has seen through his concealed strength and is waiting for Yin Ming to question him?

Since that's the case, he'll be frank: "Ah Yao, come here."

Upon hearing this, Lingyao's face seemed to stiffen. His movement to stand up was somewhat resolute, as if he were going all out. He lowered his head and obediently walked to Yin Ming.

Yin Ming looked at his death-defying appearance and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Why is the male lead so easily startled, like a rabbit? Does he think this matter is particularly serious?

“Yin Ming…” Ling Yao spoke first, seemingly wanting to explain something, yet seemingly unable to explain it.

"Give me your hand." Yin Ming patted the seat next to him, gesturing for Ling Yao to sit down.

Lingyao, that dim-witted kid, blocked the girl from bandaging his hand with a single sentence, leaving Yin Ming with no choice but to do it himself. He couldn't just watch the guy's hand bleed.

Lingyao obediently sat down next to Yin Ming, extending her right hand with some confusion, seemingly not understanding what Yin Ming wanted to do.

"The other one."

Yin Ming rolled his eyes inwardly. Had this guy forgotten he was injured? Did he not feel pain?

Lingyao then extended his left hand.

Yin Ming naturally took his hand and handed it to himself. The firelight was dim, and he could only see it clearly when he got close.

The wound isn't big, but it's not small either. If it's not treated properly, it could become infected and leave a scar.

Lingyao tried to shake off Yinming's hand with some resistance, but Yinming gave him a disapproving look, and he finally behaved himself.

Yin Ming smiled with satisfaction at the male protagonist's pragmatism. He took out the wound medicine from his spatial ring and sprinkled it little by little on Ling Yao's wound, then wrapped it with bandages.

Lingyao looked at Yin Ming's serious expression, as if he was doing something worth paying attention to. Under the firelight, his already flushed face seemed to turn even redder.

The cool autumn night breeze gently brushed against my ears, and the babbling brook in the distance was accompanied by the occasional soft cries of unknown birds and animals, making me feel relaxed and at ease.

After finally finishing wrapping the bandages, Yin Ming was about to stretch his stiff neck when he looked up and met a pair of eyes as bright as stars.

They're still very close.

Yin Ming was startled and instinctively leaned back to create distance.

"Hey, you scared me! Why did you get so close?" Seriously, I almost bumped into you.

Lingyao quickly realized what was happening. He sat up abruptly, his face flushed, and explained softly, "It was a bit tiring to keep my hand outstretched like that, so..."

"Never mind," Yin Ming said, too lazy to dwell on such a trivial matter. "Your cultivation has improved quite quickly, though."

Now that the wound has been bandaged, it's time to get to the important part.

"I didn't mean to hide it from Yin Ming." Ling Yao lowered her head slightly, her expression hidden in the darkness.

He mumbled, "It was last time, the last time at Shenyin Mountain... Yin Ming was still recovering from his injuries then, so I never had a chance to tell him. But now that I have the chance, I don't know what to say..."

So you're just going to stop talking about it?

Yin Ming suddenly remembered that the villain in the original novel never inquired about the male protagonist's cultivation level, and would even be furious every time he heard that the male protagonist had made a breakthrough in his realm.

He was clearly jealous of the male lead's talent, yet he still stubbornly mocked the male lead for getting arrogant, saying that he had to show off even the smallest progress.

It's probably because the male lead has been criticized by the villain for so long that he doesn't dare to mention it to him anymore.

It's really not their fault; it's all the fault of the villains in the original work.

Remembering this, Yin Ming half-clenched his right fist and pressed it against the tip of his nose, pretending to be deep in thought as he asked, "Then tell me, what is your cultivation level now?"

"Mid-stage of the sixth realm." Ling Yao looked up and met Yin Ming's eyes, answering honestly.

Mid-stage of the sixth realm? Shouldn't it be early-stage of the seventh realm?

But Lingyao's expression didn't seem like he was lying. Besides, if he really wanted to hide it, he could have told Yin Ming that he was only at the initial stage of the fifth realm.

Because he had just defeated the Purple Thunder Beast using his cultivation at the initial stage of the fifth realm.

That's strange. Wasn't it said that the male protagonist would gain three realms of cultivation after receiving the inheritance of a powerful being? How come Lingyao has only gained two realms so far?

Could the problem lie in the powerful relics that Lingyao gave him?

Yin Ming hadn't had a chance to check what was in the Qiankun bag Ling Yao had given him. He assumed it was just some rare and precious materials, which he didn't need right now, and that he could check it when he had some free time.

It now seems that things are not as he imagined, which makes him even more curious about what's inside.

So Yin Ming, full of suspicion, focused his consciousness into the spatial ring, opened the Qiankun bag, and casually rummaged through it.

You won't know until you look into it, and once you do, it's incredible.

There was actually half a golden skeleton inside the Qiankun Bag!

How could this kid have taken someone's skeleton? What a sin!

Yin Ming quickly clasped his hands together and bowed towards the void, saying, "The child is ignorant, please don't be offended..."

Wait, a golden skeleton? Yin Ming frowned in thought, finally recalling more details.

This skeleton does appear in the original work, specifically in the section about Hidden Mountain.

The original work only mentions that there is a golden skeleton in the treasure trove. The male protagonist accidentally touched it and obtained the cultivation inheritance, but it does not describe in detail how the inheritance was done.

Yin Ming immersed his consciousness into the skeleton, and a continuous stream of resentment flowed from the bones into his body through his consciousness.

The bones at the front of the golden skeleton began to turn into dust, scattering in the void within the spatial ring.

Sure enough, the inheritance was simply absorbing the resentment from this skeleton.

Good heavens, Yin Ming was absolutely right.

Is that even possible?!

In the original novel, when the male protagonist inherits his cultivation, a voice will resound in his mind. That voice will dictate some peerless secrets and insights into cultivation realms, helping the male protagonist to steadily improve his cultivation level.

Yin Ming didn't hear any sound; all he felt from the skeleton was pure resentment.

It's estimated that only the male protagonist can hear that voice, or perhaps the consciousness of that voice resides in the head, but the head has already been absorbed by the male protagonist, so Yin Ming can't hear it anymore.

Therefore, the remaining skeleton is simply a reservoir of resentment, originally intended to help the male protagonist raise his cultivation level to the seventh realm.

The male protagonist forcibly cut off the transmission of resentment, which is why it didn't reach the level it should have in the original work.

If that's really what Yin Ming thinks, then there's no need to feel too sorry for the male lead.

Although the male protagonist is currently only at the mid-stage of the sixth realm, he has already raised his own realm. Once he absorbs enough resentment, he will naturally advance to the seventh realm.

Although the progress will be slower than before, there will always be bread.

Once Yin Ming understood the reason, his consciousness tried to detach from the skeleton, but it was as if he had sunk into a swamp and could not struggle. It took him a lot of effort to finally get free.

The mental struggle had lasted too long, and Yin Ming rubbed his aching temples. He hadn't expected that forcibly cutting off the flow of resentment would be such an uncomfortable thing.

Waaaaah, the male lead is really... Yin Mingbao is crying, what an adorable little god!

However... thank you, but it's not necessary.

Skeletons and such are really considered very unlucky.

That feeling, um, how should I describe it... oh right, it's like your stray cat suddenly bringing you a half-eaten mouse.

Although the half-rat was indeed roasted very well and looked very tempting, no one could eat it with a clear conscience, except for people who like to eat rats.

Of course, this analogy isn't quite accurate, but that's exactly how Yin Ming feels right now.

However, to Yin Ming's relief, it seems that everything he did was not meaningless. At least he gained the male lead's trust, and the plot was successfully steered slightly astray by him.

I just don't know if this off-center angle can change his original fate.

Yin Ming took a deep breath and patted Ling Yao on the shoulder: "Very good."

Remembering something, Yin Ming frowned again and said, "But what happened to you just now? How could you so easily expose a flaw in the battle? So what if you took that palm strike? Your clothes are torn, so what? If that magical beast had been stronger, you would have suffered more than just this minor injury."

Male lead, you need to be more careful. You can't just do whatever you want because you have the protagonist's halo.

Or perhaps the male lead feels embarrassed by having his clothes ripped off in public? That would be a bit too polite. Yin Ming wouldn't mind appreciating the male lead's perfectly sculpted physique from the original work.

Lingyao pursed her lips and lowered her head as if looking at the clothes he was wearing: "These clothes were given to me by Yin Ming."

Yin Ming was completely bewildered. "It's just a piece of clothing, who cares who gave it to you? You can just buy another one when it's worn out."

"This is the first gift I've ever received."