"Lin Tang, you bastard!" Shen Youling wept silently.
It was too tragic, too hopeless. He must be tired of already. Why else would he be so heartless? Even if I'm violated in a few monts, he'll probably just laugh and say I deserved it, right?
「Villa Number One.」
Lin Tang was on his phone, chatting casually. The caller was Wei Zichu.
"Brother Lin, there's a new update on the local news! Guess what it is? I guarantee it'll shock you!" Wei Zichu exclaid.
Lin Tang sounded impatient. "If you have sothing to say, spit it out!"
"Tch—" Wei Zichu pouted and read the announcent from Shen Qiushi about expelling Shen Youling from the Shen Family, leaving her completely destitute.
Lin Tang was stunned. "What's wrong with Grandpa Shen? Why would he disown his most beloved granddaughter?"
Wei Zichu was just as puzzled and asked Lin Tang if sothing had happened between him and Shen Youling again. Lin Tang recounted his refusal to get back together with her.
"I get it now!" Wei Zichu said, a spark of realization in her voice. "It's a self-inflicted injury ploy! Old Master Shen is deliberately kicking Shen Youling out without a penny just to give her a legitimate reason to co find you!"
And believe it or not, she had guessed right. That was indeed Shen Qiushi's plan.
Lin Tang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Grandpa Shen, you really didn't have to go this far…
"So, Brother Lin, are you going to rekindle things with her?" Wei Zichu asked, feigning casualness.
Without a mont's hesitation, Lin Tang replied, "I just said a good horse doesn't return to old pastures. If I imdiately went and made up with her, wouldn't that make look like a pushover? No way. I'm definitely not going."
"I see. Well, do you want to go help her out a bit? For such a beautiful woman to be penniless and stranded on the streets… it's just too pitiful," Wei Zichu said, her tone laced with teasing.
Lin Tang replied nonchalantly, "I refuse to believe she's completely broke. Besides, she's an adult with a university degree and is perfectly capable. If she can't even support herself, that would be truly shaful!" He thought of how Huang Jifen and Wu Xinyu, an old woman and a child, were managing to live on bravely.
"Alright, I'm done with this nonsense. I'm going to take a shower." He hung up before Wei Zichu could ramble on.
Just as he placed his phone on the table, it rang again.
"I told you I was going to shower, why are you still—"
"Lin Tang, a group of hooligans is chasing ! Please, co save !" a faint, urgent female voice cried through the phone. It was Shen Youling.
She had been in utter despair, but thanks to the complex, pitch-black terrain of the woods, she had luckily avoided being caught imdiately. Clinging to a sliver of hope, she had kept dialing his number, determined to get through.
First, she gets kicked out of the Shen Family, and now she runs into hooligans, just waiting for to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress? Isn't one plot after another a bit too convenient? After she vaguely described her location, Lin Tang voiced his skepticism.
A heavy silence fell on the other end of the line.
"What do you an by that, Lin Tang? Do you think I hired people to put on an act to fool you? Is that how despicable, shaless, and cheap you think I am? Fine! I'll give you what you want. I'll go die right now!" Shen Youling was truly incensed.
She hung up and grabbed a crooked wooden stick, preparing to fight the hooligans to the death. But after scurrying through the woods for a while, she didn't encounter them. It seems… they've disappeared? Have they given up and left?
"Am I safe?" Shen Youling panted heavily, her body drenched in fragrant sweat. Heedless of the dirt on the ground, she collapsed to rest.
Once she had recovered so strength, she stood up. As she fumbled her way out of the woods, a relieved smile spread across her face. "It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Sotis, you're more—"
"Hey there, little beauty. Why'd you stop running?"
"Those pale, tender little legs of yours run pretty fast! I wonder what they'd feel like clamped together!"
"Hehehe…"
The gang of hooligans reappeared, and Shen Youling's face went deathly pale once more. As they began stripping off their clothes and reaching for her, she scread, "Get away! All of you, get away from !"
She swung the stick, but her blows were powerless. The more she resisted, the more excited they beca.
SNAP!
One of them snatched the stick and broke it in half. Two others grabbed her wrists, one on each side. The overpowering stench of sour sweat washed over her, nearly making her vomit.
It's over. She closed her eyes, her expression desolate. She could face the point of Yan Renjie's sword and die with composure, but she could not accept being subjected to such humiliation while still alive.
Just as their filthy hands were about to touch her…
"You're courting death!"
A figure leaped down from the overpass above, landing precisely on one man's head.
SPLAT!
It burst like a waterlon, spraying blood and gore everywhere. The other n saw only a blur before they were sent flying, their bones shattering upon impact.
"AHHHHHHH—"
They scread in unison, writhing on the ground like worms sprinkled with salt.
"HMPH!" His anger still not sated, Lin Tang released his True Qi. It stabbed into their nerves like countless needles, amplifying their senses and multiplying their pain until they lost control of their bowels and their blood vessels ruptured.
The horrifying screams made Shen Youling shudder. Just as she was about to open her eyes, Lin Tang gently covered them.
"Don't look…"
"Lin Tang?" Shen Youling instantly recognized his voice, a wave of both sorrow and joy washing over her. The world spun, and she fainted, collapsing into his arms.
Lin Tang sighed, then turned his gaze back to the human scum on the ground, his expression growing even colder. Thank God I ca. If I hadn't, what would have happened to Shen Youling? The thought is unbearable! He was furious, so he continued his ruthless thods, forcing the n to howl in an agony worse than death for the entire night.
Of course, Lin Tang couldn't stand guard there forever. After doing a little sothing extra to them, he swept Shen Youling up and left.
「Back at Villa Number One.」
Lin Tang took her pulse and examined her. She had fainted for the sa reason as before: extre emotional fluctuation combined with her unique constitution. A night's rest would be enough for her to recover. But she was covered in dust and splattered with blood. He couldn't just throw her on the bed and dirty the sheets, could he?
There was no other choice. Lin Tang had to personally help her change her clothes. And, well, while he was at it, he helped her take a bath. With his level of cultivation and strength, her light weight was a re trifle…
「The next morning.」
Soone arrived on the shore across from Villa Number One, waiting for Lin Tang. He respectfully presented five full doses of Centennial Elixir, fulfilling the promise Chen Shanchun had made upon returning to Donghai.
Lin Tang took one dose, brewed it into a dicinal soup, divided it into two bowls, and carried them into the bedroom. "You're awake? Here, drink this."
Shen Youling was staring blankly at the pajamas she was wearing. Hearing his voice, she looked up and fixed him with a quiet, searching gaze.
"Why are you looking at ?" Lin Tang asked, baffled.
"We aren't husband and wife anymore. Is it really appropriate for you to take advantage of like this?" Shen Youling asked calmly.
"Ah… well, saving your life counts as taking advantage?" Lin Tang rolled his eyes dramatically to hide his guilt.
"Forget it. I don't want to argue about it. You did save , and I thank you," Shen Youling said sincerely. She took the bowl and sniffed it. That unique, invigorating dicinal aroma… "Is this a Centennial Elixir too? Using it for breakfast seems a bit extravagant, don't you think?"
Her eyes went wide as she watched Lin Tang slurp down his own bowl. She rembered how difficult it had been for her to obtain just one dose to save her grandfather. "That bowl you left at the hotel last ti… was that also a Centennial Elixir?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing…" Shen Youling was inwardly astounded. Good thing I drank it instead of throwing it away. Otherwise, it would have been such a waste.
"You should drink this bowl too. Since I have a terminal illness, it would be wasted on …"
"I already told you, you're not sick. Why do you always treat what I say like it's hot air?"
"Huh?" Shen Youling was stunned. Right. Before, I didn't know he knew dicine, so I thought he was talking nonsense. But now, even Sun Siwei praises his dical skills… "I… I really don't have a terminal illness?"
"Believe it or not."
"I…" Shen Youling covered her mouth as large teardrops stread down her face. Ever since she ca to believe she could die at any mont, she had been emotionally and ntally exhausted. No one who hasn't been in that situation could possibly understand that suffocating tornt.
Lin Tang, however, just wondered, Is this woman made of water? Does she cry at the drop of a hat? If I were so smooth-talking ladies' man, I would have seized the opportunity for tender comfort, pulled her into my arms, and then…
But Lin Tang had no such thoughts. Having just drunk the elixir, it was the perfect ti to cultivate, and he couldn't let it go to waste. So, he turned and walked out.
When Shen Youling had finally cried her heart out and released her pent-up emotions, she wiped her tears and went to wash up. Afterward, she decided to change, only to discover a walk-in closet that looked more like a boutique, filled to the brim with neatly separated n's and won's clothing. These were the clothes Lin Tang had bought at the departnt store; Chen Yuyan had only taken a small portion, leaving the rest here.
"This…" Shen Youling stood there, dumbfounded. Could all these clothes belong to Wei Zichu? Have they already moved in together?! It makes sense. In terms of looks, she's my equal. In terms of status, she's leagues above . If I were him, I'd choose her too!
For a mont, Shen Youling couldn't describe what she was feeling. Now that she knew she wasn't terminally ill, her mindset had changed. The thought of having a child was extinguished. As for Lin Tang… love doesn't just appear out of thin air. The divorce itself hadn't made her sad; it was being disowned by her grandfather that truly made her feel lost.
This isn't a place where I should stay any longer…
After choosing an outfit and changing, Shen Youling felt a wave of lancholy. She went to find Lin Tang to say goodbye, planning to wish him and Wei Zichu well in a carefree manner. However, Lin Tang had already left, rushing to Lee Encai's ho.
「A few minutes earlier.」
Lee Encai had called him in a panic. "Brother Lin, help us! My whole family's chests suddenly started hurting so much! My parents fainted… Ah, I can't hold on any longer…"
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