“Actually, I should be the one visiting to express my thanks…”
Lin Wuming looked at Miss Liu’s departing figure with a bitter smile but ultimately didn’t speak the words aloud.
He still hadn’t figured out how to face her—how to deal with the marriage arrangement between them.
He could endure trouble coming to himself, but no one knew what kind of means those influential and powerful young nobles might use.
If they ever found Newbie Village…
Just sending a couple of assassins could easily wipe out the entire place.
Even his senior sister might…
Lin Wuming shook his head.
No—no matter what, he couldn’t let any harm reach his senior sister or the others.
“Senior Brother?”
There weren’t many people left in the arena.
He Yingying cautiously looked at the silent Lin Wuming and tentatively called out to him.
Could he still be mad at her?
“Let’s go back…”
Lin Wuming rubbed her head and turned to walk toward the inn.
He Yingying quickly followed, keeping half a step behind, her face full of concern.
“Um… Senior Brother…”
After walking for a while, He Yingying finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
“I’m sorry…”
If you make a mistake, you have to admit it, and if you’re punished, you must accept it.
From the look on her senior brother’s face, even though he said nothing, he was probably still upset at her for acting on her own and hiding her identity.
If she didn’t come clean now, the gap between them would only widen…
In the end, her senior brother might never want to deal with her again and go off with that well-endowed woman from the Tai Xu Hall.
“What’s wrong?”
But Lin Wuming looked genuinely puzzled as he turned to her, even a bit nervous.
After learning his little junior sister was actually a princess, he was still flustered.
Even if he kept telling himself she was still the same person, it was hard to act as casually as before.
After all… if the emperor found out he had been sleeping in the same room with his daughter for days, seen her naked, and even once held “justice” in his hand…
Wouldn’t that old man skin him alive and hang him up to dry?
“I… I shouldn’t have acted on my own, or gone to the city lord instead of listening to you. And I shouldn’t have hidden my identity…”
“Oh, that…”
Lin Wuming scratched his head.
“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t exactly (daring enough to be) mad. Besides, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it? But if you’re a princess… why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
That was what really bothered him.
If he had known earlier, things could’ve gone much more smoothly.
“I… I didn’t really mean to hide it…”
He Yingying lowered her head, looking pitiful.
“I just thought… being a princess isn’t that big of a deal, right?”
Compared to the village full of mysterious powerhouses, or her senior brother’s incredible talent, her little bit of status didn’t seem worth mentioning.
“Ha?!”
Lin Wuming was dumbfounded.
—“I’m just a princess, no big deal.”
Did she just say that out loud? Is she even human?
She was a princess.
A real one.
Of the Yanhuang Empire.
How many people in the world had higher status?
If that’s not impressive, then what is?
The emperor?
In that moment, Lin Wuming truly felt the chasm between social classes.
Could he still cling to his little junior sister’s thigh?
Thinking of how cold he’d been to her while completing missions, Lin Wuming broke out in a cold sweat.
Thank goodness she was broad-(hearted)—err, forgiving. If she were the petty type, wouldn’t he be doomed?
“Hey, little junior sister, is there anything you’d like to eat? Or maybe some new clothes you want?”
Walking through the street, Lin Wuming bombarded her with warm and attentive questions, clearly much more solicitous than before.
He Yingying, stunned, blinked at his reaction.
“Senior Brother… doesn’t seem mad?”
Since she had convinced herself Lin Wuming had a terrifying background and solid backing, she didn’t think for a second that his change in behavior had anything to do with learning her identity.
She simply thought that even after she messed up, her senior brother didn’t blame her and was instead trying to comfort her.
“Senior Brother really… spoils me too much…”
Though happy, He Yingying also began to reflect on her shortcomings.
She had been too immature.
Her thinking, her strength, even her methods for handling problems—none of them were up to par.
Looking back, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, that woman from the Taixu Hall had handled things far more thoroughly and wisely.
To avoid losing to that woman, she would need to temper herself more, and show her best side in front of her senior brother…
***
The family competition had ended.
Luo Haonian worked quickly, and it wasn’t long before news spread throughout half of Luoshui City: the Lin family had committed treason by offending the princess.
The remaining Lin family members began packing and quietly leaving the city.
Some followed the family’s migration, while others chose to strike out on their own.
In the coming days, Luoshui City was bound to be anything but peaceful—but none of that concerned Lin Wuming anymore.
Back at the inn, sitting on his bed, he opened his system interface with great excitement, ready to check the results of his last mission.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission: ‘Resolve Family Affairs’]
[Mission Completion: Terrible]
[Reward: Nascent Sword Soul]
“Nascent Sword Soul? What’s that?”
Lin Wuming asked with confusion.
[Nascent Sword Soul: A sword spirit with basic consciousness. Host may cultivate it.]
“A sword spirit? So, it’s like the spirit in a spiritual weapon?”
[Host may think of it that way. In other words, you’re raising a daughter. Whether she turns into a rare beauty or an absolute disaster depends entirely on you.]
“If that’s the case… this might be good…”
Lin Wuming’s eyes lit up.
That meant he basically had a spiritual weapon now, right?
As long as he could find a suitable weapon to serve as her vessel, he’d essentially have a spiritual weapon!
Though he once again got the “pity prize,” this one actually felt kind of sweet.
Just as he was thinking this, the wisp of spiritual consciousness released by the system suddenly flew out of his body—and dove straight into… uh… that “fruit knife.”
“……”
No way.
Lin Wuming was stunned.
His brand-new “silly daughter” had gone into that trashy little sword?
He quickly grabbed the short sword and muttered like a madman,
“Come out! Get out of there! Daddy will find you a better body! Don’t stay in that dump!”
But no matter how he called out, the sword spirit gave no response.
It seemed to have fallen asleep—completely silent.
“This… this can’t be happening! I can’t accept this!”
Lin Wuming rolled his eyes and started to question his life choices.
Just then, his little junior sister walked in with a tray of tea.
Seeing her senior brother talking to a sword, she froze.
“Senior Brother’s… under a lot of stress lately, huh…”