In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the beggar had swallowed all the food on the table.
He sat down on the bench, rubbing his stomach contentedly, with his legs propped up on another bench, leisurely picking his teeth with a crudely made toothpick.
Yin Ming felt a lump in his throat looking at his arrogant attitude, but then thought, "Oh well, I'll just do a good deed for the day, pay the bill and go upstairs to sleep."
Just as Yin Ming was about to get up, the beggar spoke up: "You guys are actually quite good. How about this, I won't eat your food for free. Judging from your fine clothes, you must be rich kids who have come out to gain experience, right?"
Yin Ming immediately stared at him warily. Could it be...?
"Wait, don't..." Before he could finish speaking, the beggar ruthlessly interrupted him.
"I have reliable information that says there's a treasure appearing on that Hidden Mountain! Hey, are you doubting me? You better believe me."
Legend has it that a peak ninth-realm expert once lived in seclusion on that mountain, hence its name. This treasure is very likely left behind by that ninth-realm expert!
Yin Ming was on the verge of tears. He wasn't just doubting himself; he was doubting the meaning of life itself.
Sure enough, no matter where the protagonist goes, he always manages to run into the main storyline [manually bye-bye].
The beggar looked at Yin Ming's solemn expression with smug satisfaction: "How about it? Isn't this news worth more than your meal?"
Not many people know about this yet. If you go now, you'll definitely get a lot of good stuff. I overheard the city lord saying this after going through great lengths..."
"Um, cough, don't worry about these little details. You don't need to thank me too much, but if you really feel bad and insist on repaying me, could you order a few more dishes for me to take away?" The beggar rubbed his hands together expectantly with a grin.
Actually, he overheard this news when he went to the most luxurious Fuyuan Inn in the city to beg for leftovers. He was chased out by the waiter guarding the door, and as he passed by the window, he happened to see the city lord and a few people huddled together. He mustered up his courage and sneaked closer to eavesdrop.
What he just said wasn't an exaggeration, because normally he would have been kicked away if he got within two meters of the city lord. Fortunately, there were people coming and going in the inn at the time, and there was a window for cover, which allowed him to get close. Although it wasn't as dramatic as going through countless hardships, it was definitely a close call.
But what Yin Ming, who appeared solemn in his eyes, was actually thinking—"Heh...heh heh, I'm so grateful to your whole family, but what the hell? I feed you and give you drinks, and why did you have to hurt me!"
Unlike Yin Ming's stunned silence, Ling Yao was quite excited after hearing this: "Yin Ming, shall we go take a look?"
Yin Ming mechanically turned to look at Ling Yao in disbelief—he could sense that Ling Yao's tone wasn't as cold as before when he said those words, but his attitude had warmed up at this moment. Was he sure he wasn't just playing with him?
"...No." I think I can still be saved! Yin Ming weakly declined Ling Yao's invitation to team up.
Seeing that Yin Ming neither agreed nor refused, the beggar assumed that Yin Ming was overjoyed by this incredible windfall. He happily called over the waiter and ordered about ten dishes. When he was packing them up to leave, he grinned and told Yin Ming that he didn't need to be delivered.
Yin Ming was so angry he almost vomited blood. I'm totally losing my mind!
Lingyao, oblivious to Yin Ming's breakdown, asked curiously, "Why? Don't you want to go treasure hunting?"
"I don't want to." Yin Ming really didn't want to go, he just wanted to cry—Boss, you clearly didn't want to go in the original story, why have you changed your mind now that I don't want to go either?
Ah, fickle men.
"Then, if I go, will you come with me?" Lingyao's thin lips were pressed into a line, and two dimples appeared symmetrically on her jade-like cheeks. Her bright, dark eyes looked at him expectantly, complementing her stunningly beautiful face...
Yin Ming's eyes lit up, feeling that his heart couldn't take such a beauty attack—oh my god, this little expression is too cute!
You have to give him whatever he wants!
So, on a whim, he answered, "Okay!"
He regretted it as soon as he said it—damn it, he was the one who would suffer in this dungeon, why did he agree so readily?
Moreover, given Lingyao's protagonist aura, he would be perfectly fine going there on his own. Why did you agree to go with him? It was really rash.
Speaking of which, Lingyao's little expression looks strangely familiar. Where did this little brat learn those tricks from?
"It's already dark, how about we go tomorrow?" Yin Ming tried to make a last-ditch effort.
What if the city lord goes on an adventure tonight to find treasure? Once he takes everything, I won't have to enter this instance anymore. Just thinking about it makes me so happy.
Lingyao lowered his head in silence after hearing this, his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his lower eyelids, radiating a depressed mood, looking like a pitiful little puppy that had been abandoned.
here we go again.
"Okay, okay, let's go now."
Yin Ming resignedly stood up; he really had no resistance to cute girls who acted coquettishly and pitifully.
Who can withstand this? Isn't this a stumbling block on the road to success?
Oh well, what's meant to be will be. It's bound to happen sooner or later, so might as well just die sooner and be reborn sooner.
Lingyao also stood up, his starry eyes shining, and a triumphant smile appeared on his lips. Where was the negative and pessimistic look from before? It was all an act after all.
Goodness, is this what a pure and innocent male lead should look like? But this guy's smile is actually quite handsome, hehe.
Lingyao noticed that Yin Ming was staring at her face, her face flushed, and the corners of her mouth quickly turned down.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
"Why are you apologizing?" Yin Ming was puzzled. Did his smile just now have a hidden meaning? Did he scheme against him and that's why he apologized?
"You said you hate seeing me smile the most, did I upset you again..." Lingyao fidgeted nervously, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
In the past, whenever Lingyao laughed, Yinming would scold him with a cold face, so he learned to always have a cold face like Yinming.
After two years of getting along, he could vaguely sense that Yin Ming didn't really like him. Perhaps Yin Ming had already regretted the vow he made, but was forced to keep him by his side because of the promise.
Having experienced the coldness of human relationships and the fickleness of the world, Lingyao feared being abandoned again, so he restrained his thoughts and obediently became a emotionless follower to repay the kindness. There was no other affection between them except for the debt of gratitude for being raised.
Although Yin Ming didn't take much care of him, stray cats in winter always cherish any warmth they receive.
For Lingyao, being able to stay by Yinming's side was already a blessing. Yinming was his safe haven and his sun.
I'm already content to be able to bask in the sunlight; getting too close to the sun will burn me.
But recently, Yin Ming has become less gloomy than before, and much more talkative. He even said that they were friends, and everything seemed to have returned to when they first met. That's when he tentatively let loose once.
The situation spiraled out of control.
Although Yin Ming had agreed to let the beggar eat and accompany him on his training earlier, he had now crossed a line, and Yin Ming would probably still be unhappy.
He was too complacent and carried away.
Yin Ming felt a pang of heartache for no reason as he looked at the boy's cautious manner. Even when he smiled, he had to be mindful of others' expressions. How could the villains in the original story have the heart to torture this poor little guy?
"I was just joking before. Don't take the past to heart. Smile more in the future; it's very funny."
Yin Ming reached out and patted Ling Yao's head reassuringly, then patted his shoulder with a smile, "Let's go."
Ling Yao stood there, stunned, staring at Yin Ming's retreating figure, her eyes seemingly sparkling like a galaxy.
He smiled and followed Yin Ming's steps.
Yin Ming didn't notice Ling Yao's expression. He only had one thought in his mind right now—how could he heal the psychological trauma this child had suffered? The villain was simply inhuman!
However, upon closer reflection, it seems that Lingyao's psychological trauma extends beyond what the villains in the original story inflicted upon him—
The extraordinary nature of the Demon Sect's heaven-defying magic lies not only in enabling the male protagonist to reincarnate, but also in the fact that the memories of his nine lifetimes accumulate deep within his soul, returning in their entirety when he undergoes Nirvana, and all the cultivation he gained in those nine lifetimes is also accumulated.
Because the male protagonist only cultivated in his last life, his cultivation level after Nirvana was only at the eighth realm.
However, relying on the resentment accumulated from his nine lifetimes of memories, the male protagonist broke through the bottleneck in one fell swoop, and his cultivation reached the early stage of the ninth realm, making him virtually unmatched in the world.
What is easily overlooked is the endless psychological torment brought about by these nine lifetimes of memories.
Normal people feel that life is not worth living if they suffer a little injustice, but the male protagonist has been persecuted for nine lifetimes. If it were Yin Ming, he would probably collapse and die on the spot.
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