Chapter 83: A Kiss
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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Flight truly was a wonderful ability.
If Lin Xiu, like Xue Ning’er, could fly, when encountering assassins, he would only need to take to the skies. Apart from assassins skilled in archery, most people would be helpless against this ability, only able to watch.
Of course, flight wasn’t the only way to become airborne.
As far as Lin Xiu knew, the four-times awakened Ice Aether Art allowed one to manifest a pair of ice wings. Princess Minghe’s ability could also transform flames into wings for flight. Furthermore, some object manipulation abilities could indirectly achieve flight by utilizing certain objects.
Come to think of it, the Beast Speech ability could also be used for flight.
As long as there were large birds of prey capable of carrying a human, Lin Xiu could command them to carry him. However, none of these methods were as convenient and swift as Xue Ning’er’s ability.
Moreover, Xue Ning’er’s flight ability could evolve. After the fifth awakening, the ability itself would undergo earth-shattering changes.
On their return, Xue Ning’er remembered Lin Xiu’s instructions and didn’t fly too fast. It took more than a quarter of an hour before they slowly landed at the Xue residence gate.
After landing, Lin Xiu released her hand. Xue Ning’er looked at him and said, “Thank you for today.”
Lin Xiu smiled slightly and replied, “You’re welcome. I told you, we’re friends.”
Xue Ning’er whispered, “I, I’m going home…”
Lin Xiu nodded, “I’m going back too.”
He couldn’t wait to experience his new ability.
Xue Ning’er turned and walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back, “I, I still have something important to tell you.”
Lin Xiu walked over and asked, “What is it?”
“Come closer, this can’t be overheard.” Xue Ning’er stood on tiptoe, as if to whisper to Lin Xiu. Lin Xiu leaned in, but instead of hearing anything, he felt a soft touch on his cheek.
By the time he realized what had happened, Xue Ning’er had already turned and run into the Xue residence.
Lin Xiu stood there, stunned—Xue Ning’er had kissed him!
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The warmth of Xue Ning’er’s kiss still lingered on his cheek. Lin Xiu was genuinely surprised by her actions. Was she willing to go this far just to humiliate Zhao Lingjun?
Zhao Lingjun, oh Zhao Lingjun, she probably had no idea how much she was hated…
However, for Lin Xiu, being kissed was no big deal. He wasn’t the one at a loss. He had obtained Xue Ning’er’s ability, and there was no need to invest any more effort in her.
To withdraw after obtaining something precious from a girl—although it sounded rather callous—who was it that had been callous to him first?
Being callous to others was truly being callous, but with Xue Ning’er, Lin Xiu felt entirely justified, completely righteous.
After so much planning and effort, he had finally reaped the rewards. Lin Xiu was in high spirits. He discerned his direction and started walking towards his home.
Of course, before leaving, Lin Xiu vigorously rubbed the cheek that Xue Ning’er had kissed. He wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
Now that he thought about it, the road in front of the Xue residence seemed strangely familiar, especially the house opposite the Xue residence. Lin Xiu felt he had seen it before. The stone lions at the gate… he had definitely seen them somewhere.
Oh, he had seen those stone lions. Weren’t they the same stone lions at Lingyin’s house…?
Even the gatekeeper of the Zhao residence recognized Lin Xiu, greeting him warmly and shouting towards the inside, “Second Miss, your husband is here…”
Lin Xiu quickly said, “No, no, I’m just passing by, passing by…”
But soon, a figure in white flashed out from the Zhao residence. Zhao Lingyin walked up to Lin Xiu and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Lin Xiu felt a little guilty and immediately said, “Passing by, just passing by.”
“Passing by? What business do you have passing by here?” Zhao Lingyin clearly didn’t believe him. She scrutinized Lin Xiu, her gaze suddenly focusing on his right cheek. “Why is your face so red?”
Lin Xiu froze, explaining, “Uh, it’s probably the wind…”
Zhao Lingyin asked again, “Then why is only one side red?”
…
Zhao Lingyin was like an experienced detective, her two sentences leaving Lin Xiu speechless.
She stared at Lin Xiu’s face, as if realizing something. Suddenly, she reached out, kissed her own palm lightly, then pressed her palm firmly against Lin Xiu’s left cheek.
When she removed her hand, a faint lip print remained on Lin Xiu’s face.
Lin Xiu exclaimed in surprise, “Lingyin, what are you doing?”
Zhao Lingyin didn’t answer. Instead, she rubbed the lip print on Lin Xiu’s left cheek, the one she had just made, with the back of her hand. Then… then both sides of Lin Xiu’s face were equally red.
Zhao Lingyin’s face darkened. “Who did this?”
Before Lin Xiu could say anything, she looked towards the other residence not far away and gritted her teeth, “It was Xue Ning’er. Xue Ning’er kissed you!”
Her intuition and observation skills were remarkable. It was a pity she wasn’t a detective. Lin Xiu could only admit, “It was Xue Ning’er, but Lingyin, don’t be impulsive. It’s not what you think…”
…
A moment later, Lin Xiu shrugged. “That’s how it happened.”
Zhao Lingyin sneered. “You saved her, and she kissed you out of gratitude? Do you even believe that yourself?”
This time, Lin Xiu truly had nothing to hide. He looked at Zhao Lingyin and said, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask at the palace gate or the Aether Arts Institute. Many people saw it. Of course, under normal circumstances, even if I saved Xue Ning’er, she wouldn’t thank me with a kiss. But she has always had ulterior motives towards me, wanting to use me to humiliate your sister. This was probably part of her plan.”
Zhao Lingyin was stunned, then shocked. “You knew!”
Lin Xiu shrugged. “I knew from the day she approached me.”
Zhao Lingyin was furious. “You knew, and you still flirted with her! Do you know what people are saying about my sister behind her back?”
Lin Xiu said, “She’s allowed to scheme against me, but I can’t turn her scheme against her? Didn’t she want me to fall for her and then reject me? Why couldn’t I let her fall for me first, and then reject her?”
Zhao Lingyin was extremely surprised. “You’ve been thinking this the whole time?”
Lin Xiu looked at Zhao Lingyin and asked, “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
In Zhao Lingyin’s eyes, Lin Xiu was certainly not stupid. This meant that even Xue Ning’er didn’t know that Lin Xiu had seen through her scheme from the very beginning. All this time, he had been giving her a taste of her own medicine…
Zhao Lingyin looked at Lin Xiu with astonishment, remaining silent for a long while before saying, “Xue Ning’er has countless pursuers, and the Xue family is a Third Rank Duke. Provoking her won’t do you any good. Let this matter end here. Don’t provoke her again…”
Lin Xiu nodded. “Alright.”
Zhao Lingyin said in surprise, “You’ll listen to me?”
Lin Xiu said, “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re my sister-in-law. You wouldn’t harm me, so why wouldn’t I listen to you?”
Zhao Lingyin glanced at him and said, “Did you listen to me when I told you not to flirt around? Forget about Xue Ning’er, what about that actress from Pear Blossom Garden, and the female physician from the Imperial Hospital? You think I don’t know you’ve been hanging out with them while I’m away?”
Lin Xiu was startled. “Did you plant a spy on me?!”
During the month that Lingyin was away, Lin Xiu had been quite the playboy.
But how did she know?
Could Sun Dali have betrayed him?
Or had Lingyin planted a spy by his side?
Seeing his panicked expression, Zhao Lingyin snorted, “I wasn’t sure at first, but seeing you like this, it seems I was right…”
“…”
Lin Xiu gradually realized that Lingyin wasn’t as naive as she appeared. Her schemes ran deep, and even someone as experienced as him could fall into her traps if he wasn’t careful.
He chuckled awkwardly, changing the subject. “By the way, Lingyin, my ability has awakened for the third time. Can you teach me how to condense it into a weapon?”
“What?” Zhao Lingyin looked at Lin Xiu in surprise. “How did you do it so fast?!”
It had been less than four months since Lin Xiu’s ability awakened. Three awakenings in four months—even her genius sister couldn’t achieve that.
Lin Xiu sighed. “It cost a hundred thousand taels of silver. How could it not be fast?”
Zhao Lingyin suddenly remembered something. “So it was you who bought all the Second Order Origin Crystals in the capital?”
In the past two days, all the Second Order Origin Crystals in the capital’s shops had been bought out, causing widespread discussion among the nobility. They were curious who was so wealthy, spending a hundred thousand taels of silver just to break through from the Yellow Rank Upper Realm to the Profound Rank Lower Realm. Many families in the capital had such wealth, but few could spend a hundred thousand taels of silver on low-rank Origin Crystals.
Seeing that Lin Xiu didn’t deny it, she frowned at him. “Why are you in such a hurry? That’s a hundred thousand taels of silver! As long as you cultivate diligently with me, you can achieve breakthrough without Origin Crystals…”
Lin Xiu shook his head. “Lost silver can be earned back. Your sister is so powerful, of course, I have to work hard too. Otherwise, people will gossip behind my back, saying I’m a freeloader who relies on women…”
Lin Xiu’s words weren’t unreasonable. The faster his cultivation progressed, the happier Zhao Lingyin would be. Moreover, judging from the results of Lin Xiu’s cultivation these past few months, his talent didn’t seem that bad. Although there was still a gap between him and those geniuses, this gap could be bridged through diligence.
She looked at Lin Xiu and said earnestly, “Although your cultivation has improved rapidly, your understanding and application of your ability are far inferior to those who have cultivated step by step. In the coming days, I will teach you some fundamentals. You must learn them seriously…”
Aether Art cultivation was indeed inseparable from the guidance of seniors. Having a teacher with the same ability and more awakenings could save one from many detours. Lingyin was Lin Xiu’s teacher in this aspect.
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The Aether Arts Institute, Heaven Courtyard, Zhao Lingyin’s courtyard.
A wooden stake stood in the center of the courtyard.
Zhao Lingyin glanced at Lin Xiu. “Watch carefully.”
As her voice fell, the lower half of the wooden stake was instantly encased in ice. At the same time, a long ice spear materialized in Lingyin’s hand. With a swift, sharp thrust, the spear pierced through the wooden stake, sending ice chips flying.
Lin Xiu watched with a start.
If it had been a person standing there instead of a wooden stake, their heart would have been pierced.
Zhao Lingyin explained to Lin Xiu, “Your ability is still too weak to achieve instant kills. If you encounter assassins again, you must first freeze them, restrict their movements, and then deliver a fatal blow.”
This attack method was familiar to Lin Xiu. Wasn’t it Wang Zhaojun’s skill? When Lin Xiu first started playing Honor of Kings, he also learned from Daji, Angela, and Wang Zhaojun. Ambushing in the bushes, controlling and instantly eliminating opponents – that was the essence of playing a mage…
If damage was insufficient, control would compensate. In the early stages of combat, control was indeed the most crucial aspect of the Ice Aether Art.
Zhao Lingyin pointed to another wooden stake. “You try.”
Lin Xiu stepped forward, circulating his Aether Force. The base of the wooden stake began to rapidly ice over, and an ice spear formed in Lin Xiu’s hand. Although the spear was crooked and twisted, it at least resembled a spear.
He thrust the spear forward, the tip landing on the wooden stake. The stake wasn’t pierced, only shaking slightly, while the ice spear in Lin Xiu’s hand shattered.
Zhao Lingyin walked to the wooden stake. “Your spear isn’t hard enough, nor straight enough. This is because your Aether Force is too weak, and your control over it is insufficient. If your opponent is a martial artist, they will break free from your restraints in an instant, like this…”
She lifted the wooden stake with one hand, easily pulling it out of the ground. The ice at the base of the stake crumbled.
Then, she walked to the stake she had frozen and used the same force, but the stake remained firmly in place.
This was a problem Lin Xiu couldn’t currently solve. Lingyin’s strength was inherently greater than his; he couldn’t possibly replicate her results.
At this point, Zhao Lingyin encouraged Lin Xiu, “However, for your first time, achieving this level is already very good. There are no shortcuts in your future cultivation. You must endure the loneliness…”
After the third awakening, Lin Xiu’s path of spending money on cultivation would come to an end. Even if he had money, he couldn’t buy Origin Crystals. However, his actual situation wasn’t as Lingyin described, with no shortcuts available.
He currently possessed nine abilities, ten if including his own Replication. Although most of these abilities were difficult to directly improve, he still had Freeze, Thunder, and Strength.
Prolonged cultivation of a single ability would quickly lead to a bottleneck, requiring a period of rest before continuing. Even Lingyin couldn’t cultivate on the Profound Ice Bed for too long.
But Lin Xiu had three abilities he could utilize.
Three abilities, triple the speed, triple the joy.
If nothing unexpected happened, Lin Xiu could replicate three more abilities before his next awakening. However, he had to choose these three abilities very carefully, not just falling for every new one he encountered. It would be best to replicate three Heaven Rank abilities, or Earth Rank ones if Heaven Rank wasn’t possible.
In a sense, the more Heaven and Earth Rank abilities he had, the faster his cultivation speed. While others cultivated slower with more awakenings, Lin Xiu was the opposite. This filled him with confidence in his future. With sufficient strength, he could transcend any family, even a nation.
By then, fate would truly be in his own hands.
Half an hour later, Zhao Lingyin and Lin Xiu left the Aether Arts Institute. She remembered something and asked Lin Xiu, “Because of Xue Ning’er, you offended Song Yuzhi. That woman is not easy to deal with. If she gives you trouble, tell me.”
Lin Xiu could see that Song Yuzhi was indeed a formidable woman.
As a Duke’s daughter, she lacked the demeanor of a refined lady, openly bickering with another Duke’s daughter at the palace gate and even wanting to resort to violence. She was a shrew.
Lin Xiu learned from Lingyin that Song Yuzhi was indeed an oddity among the capital’s social circles. Her reputation as a shrew was well-established.
In a way, she was also quite pitiful.
She came from a noble family and was of marriageable age. She should have been discussing marriage long ago. However, as a woman, she had neither beauty nor a good figure. These wouldn’t have mattered, as a girl’s soul was most important, but she lacked even that. She had nothing to offer…
Those well-matched noble families didn’t look favorably upon her. After all, those qualified to marry into the Song family were also from prestigious families. The young masters who grew up in luxury wouldn’t be willing to suffer such indignity.
Only those from less prominent families would lower their dignity to climb the social ladder, but the Song family wouldn’t look favorably upon such individuals…
Therefore, Song Yuzhi’s situation was quite awkward. This time, she finally found a well-matched man whom she admired, and they were about to discuss marriage. However, he turned around and fell for Xue Ning’er’s charms. No wonder she was furious. Anyone would be unable to tolerate such a situation…
Furthermore, Xue Ning’er wasn’t entirely blameless.
If she could be as pure and virtuous as Lingyin and Princess Minghe, not attracting bees and butterflies, nor leading men on, she naturally wouldn’t have so many men surrounding her, wouldn’t attract Song Yuzhi’s suitors, and today’s incident wouldn’t have occurred…
Being a “green tea” was inherently wrong.
After returning to the Lin residence, Lin Xiu went to his room alone and closed the door.
Without any visible action, his entire body floated into the air, hovering in the void…
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