Ling Haoran's lips twitched, but he could only say, "Of course, Brother Ling will accompany you."
There's no way around it; lying is easy, but covering it up is hard.
One lie leads to another, which must be covered up with more lies.
Ling Haoran didn't mention Qi An vomiting blood again. Of course, he almost disassembled him into parts; there was no way he could tell there was anything wrong with him.
He comforted himself, thinking that this was for the best. The more capable Ye Ran became, the more he would benefit. He couldn't wait for Ye Ran to become even more powerful.
After giving Ling Haoran his usual instructions to cultivate diligently and not slack off, he was about to leave when Qi An stopped him.
"Brother Ling, do you still have those candies you gave me last time? I'm injured and hungry."
"Where are you injured?" Ling Haoran asked, puzzled.
Qi An rolled up his sleeves and pointed to his arm to show him.
Ling Haoran stared at the red mark that was barely visible unless he looked closely, and his lips twitched violently.
This is what you call an injury? He had more than a dozen bones broken all over his body.
But looking into the little girl's big eyes, Ling Haoran couldn't bring himself to refuse in order to maintain his public image.
He happened to have a few bottles of pills that he had just put in his storage ring, which he had asked the old sect leader about after he returned.
He was scolded by the old man for several hours like a grandson before he was given a few bottles of pills like a beggar. Before he could even enjoy them, the old man had his eye on them.
He even doubted that the girl could smell it.
Ling Haoran reluctantly took out the pill, comforting himself that this was an investment, and then handed the pill to Qi An.
Seeing the little girl happily accept the pill, Ling Haoran asked the system with anticipation.
[System, what is your current favorability rating?]
He thought that since he had been so obedient to Ye Ran, both by being beaten and by giving her pills, her favorability rating should have increased by at least forty or fifty percent.
After all, she's just a child, and she's been neglected by her parents since she was little. I'm so good to her, she must be very touched.
Ling Haoran was thinking happily when, a second later, the system's cold, mechanical voice rang out.
[Reporting to the host, the target's current favorability is 2 points. Please keep up the good work.]
Ling Haoran: "..."
Damn it, where did this freak come from? He's even more ungrateful than me.
He turned his head in disbelief. The little girl was holding the pill and smiled sweetly at him: "Brother Ling is so kind. I like you the most."
Ling Haoran gave her a fake smile, but his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot when he turned around.
Is your liking only worth two points? A child's words are deceitful.
Zhang Wuji's mother was right. The more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive people, and the same goes for young girls who haven't grown up yet.
Women are all the same, no good at all.
Watching Ling Haoran stagger away, Qi An's lips curled into a smile.
Grandson, there's plenty of time. Watch how I slowly and thoroughly destroy you.
After tossing the pill to Ata, Qi An continued to sit cross-legged, absorbing spiritual energy to repair his soul.
For half a month, Qi An asked Ling Haoran to spar with her every day, dismantling her beloved grandson again and again, each time hitting him harder than the last.
Oh, right, they also took all the rare and precious materials from his storage space, leaving him with nothing.
They euphemistically call it a requirement for cultivation.
"Bang……"
"Oh dear, Brother Ling, I'm so sorry, I dialed the wrong place again, boohoo, you're not angry with me, are you? I really didn't mean to."
Ling Haoran lay lifelessly on the ground, his whole body convulsing in pain, his eyes dull and lifeless.
[System, did my egg break again?]
[Reporting to the host, yes, this is the eleventh time. Do we still need to divert some of our resources to repair it?]
[Nonsense! Those are eggs, eggs! Do you know how important they are to a man?]
The system remained silent. It wasn't human; how could it know whether that thing was important to a man?
Besides, in its view, there's nothing to repair. Since it breaks every day anyway, why waste that luck?
But Ling Haoran insisted, so it did as he asked.
After the repairs were completed, Ling Haoran stood up as if nothing had happened, skillfully brushed off the dirt, picked up his golden crown, and tied up his messy long hair.
Looking at the little girl with tears in her eyes and a guilty expression, he still had to comfort her against his will.
"Ranran, don't cry. How could Brother Ling be angry with you? I told you, you can't hurt me. It's all fake."
Qi An rubbed his eyes: "That's good. I thought you were angry and ignoring me."
"No, Brother Ling won't ignore Ranran."
Ling Haoran gritted his teeth, thinking that he had invested too much in this little bitch. He had traversed several worlds and had never suffered such a great loss.
I'll definitely get my revenge on her tenfold in the future.
Qi An looked at him with starry eyes: "Brother Ling, you are so kind, Ranran likes you so much."
Ata: "...Ugh!"
The eldest brother's acting skills are becoming more and more controlled. And his eyes, they turn red so easily, he doesn't even need to pinch his thigh anymore, he just can't squeeze out any tears. He still needs to work on it.
Almost every time Ling Haoran was beaten, Ye Ran would say that she liked him, but her affection level was as slow as a snail's pace.
He asked the system, without much hope, "How much did it increase this time?"
[Reporting to the host, this time the favorability has increased by 10 points, currently at 30 points.]
It actually went up by ten points? Ling Haoran's eyes widened in surprise.
No wonder he was so surprised, as if he'd never seen anything like it before. Usually, his money would only go up a little or two at a time, and occasionally drop a few points. Today, he'd really struck it rich.
He thought to himself, "It seems this little girl has really started to like me."
Haha, he knew it! There's no female lead he can't win over. All those beatings he took these past few days weren't for nothing.
Ata scoffed, "Idiot, if I don't give you some hope, do you think you'll just obediently take the beatings and be fleeced every day?"
The system sensed Ling Haoran's ecstatic joy and wanted to ask him, "Is thirty points a lot?"
Have you forgotten how many things you gave away, how many beatings you endured, and how much luck you wasted?
However, it didn't say anything; it knew Ling Haoran wouldn't listen.
This lowly host was extremely insecure in his previous life, but after successfully roaming freely through several worlds, his insecurity transformed into arrogance and conceit.
It only reminded Ling Haoran, "[Host, the ten-thousand-year-old ice jade marrow from the original text has appeared. Do you wish to go and obtain it?]"
[Of course I'm going! This is a rare treasure that can help me break through a major cultivation level. It was originally Ye Ran's opportunity, but now it's mine, haha.]
Qi An listened to their conversation, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Idiot, with me here, you won't get a single hair of Ye Ran's opportunity.
The conversation continued, with Ling Haoran complaining to the system.
[I just went down the mountain to hide for a few days, damn it, that little bitch's cultivation is increasing way too fast. My injuries are getting worse every day. But this is really weird, why aren't the painkillers working?]
Regarding the issue of the pain relief charm failing, the system also doesn't know why; it has scanned countless times but hasn't found the cause.
Therefore, although Ling Haoran's injuries could be repaired afterward, the pain was real and unexaggerated.
[Perhaps because it's a cultivation world, there are more restrictions.] That's the only explanation it can offer.
[Damn, I get hammered like a punching bag every day, it hurts like hell! Now, just seeing that little bitch makes my whole body ache.]
Qi An thought gleefully, "You'll only feel more pain when you see me in the future."
It's just an appetizer, and you can't even handle it?
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