The Crazy Son-In-Law

Half an hour after Xiao Shun left, laughter echoed again from the depths of the rainforest.

This time, the laughter was hearty, carrying a sense of liberation.

The next morning, a richly rewarded Xiao Shun returned to the Xia family.

Xia Li was quite surprised by his return, especially since Xiao Shun had said it would take at least a day to return, yet here he was back after just one night.

Seeing the bulging backpack on Xiao Shun’s shoulders, a smile crept onto Xia Li’s face: “Hehe, it looks like congratulations are in order, Mr. Xiao!”

Xiao Shun, uncomfortable with the formal address, had given up correcting the old heads of the New School Society, but he felt he should remind Xia Li.

“You’re not much older than me; can you drop the formalities? It feels odd!”

Hearing this, Xia Li’s face turned slightly embarrassed. She was only twenty-three years old, and having been informed of Xiao Shun’s age by Song Linger, she felt a bit uneasy and couldn’t help but ask.

“Do I really look that old?”

Xiao Shun instantly realized his mistake.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant, it’s just that you…”

He wanted to say “mature beyond your years,” but thinking it over, he felt it was inappropriate and was at a loss for what else to say.

Xia Li, with her strikingly beautiful features and mature charm, had momentarily led Xiao Shun to misjudge her age.

It was the first time Xia Li saw the usually composed Xiao Shun show such an expression, and she couldn’t help but laugh, finding him more approachable this way.

Now that the “Taboo Gu Techniques” of summer had been lifted, Xia Li could finally relax, regaining some of her youthful grace.

She glanced at Xiao Shun awkwardly and inquired, “Now that you’re back, when do you plan to leave for this country? I’d like to coordinate with you so we can set off together.”

Curious, Xiao Shun replied, “After Linger makes her breakthrough, I’ll head back.”

That afternoon, Song Linger burst into Xiao Shun’s room, excitedly skipping greetings, and exclaimed, “Master, I’ve made a breakthrough! I’m now an ‘Anterior Heaven warrior’!”

Seeing his disciple’s excitement, Xiao Shun nodded happily, “That’s great, we should still-”

He hadn’t finished his sentence when Song Linger grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the Xia family garden, chattering as they walked.

“Master, skip the small talk. Come and spar with me, let me test my new strength.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Watching the eager Song Linger, Xiao Shun could only smile helplessly.

As he reached the garden, he noticed Xia Li standing in the pavilion, smiling and greeting him.

Acknowledging her, he positioned himself opposite Song Linger.

Before they even began, Song Linger warned, “Master, you have to go easy on me, no bullying!”

Xiao Shun nodded and chuckled, “No problem, let’s see what level you’ve reached with the help of the Spirit Essence.”

With the body-quenching Spirit Essence he had given her, she could potentially breakthrough from a half-step Anterior Heaven to as high as the third level of Anterior Heaven.

Given Song Linger’s exceptional talents, this should not be difficult.

“Hehe, don’t be shocked by my strength now, Master!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Linger’s body trembled, and she swiftly dashed towards Xiao Shun with incredible speed.

From just this move, Xiao Shun deduced that her cultivation had certainly reached the second level of Anterior Heaven or higher.

At that thought, he also suppressed his own realm to match that level, engaging in a duel with Song Linger.

“Master, the second level of Anterior Heaven isn’t enough, I haven’t even used my full strength yet!”

As she spoke, Song Linger smiled brightly, and then her aura surged, instantly surpassing the second level of Anterior Heaven and reaching the third level.

Seeing this, Xiao Shun chuckled, “Ha, I knew you were holding back, but you still need more practice to beat me!”

He deflected Song Linger’s incoming fist with a palm strike, then stepped sideways and shouldered into her seemingly delicate body.

Just as his shoulder was about to collide with Song Linger’s, she teased with a smile, “Master, that’s still far from enough!”

With that, Song Linger’s aura climbed again, and in the blink of an eye, she reached the fourth level of Anterior Heaven.

She then shouted softly and pressed her palm against Xiao Shun’s shoulder.

“Bang!”

A burst of water-attributed Arcane Vigor exploded on his shoulder, causing Xiao Shun’s tall frame to sway slightly.

Seeing that revealing her trump card still didn’t push Xiao Shun back, Song Linger’s face fell, and she pouted, “I’m not playing anymore, you’re cheating, Master!”

Xiao Shun, paying no mind to her girlish complaint, stepped beside Song Linger and took her pulse.

Upon examining her, Xiao Shun was shocked, “What’s going on here?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’?” Song Linger looked at him, puzzled.

Xiao Shun replied, “Why does the Arcane Vigor in your channels have an attribute?”

Song Linger couldn’t understand his words at all and just stared at her master with wide, curious eyes.

Seeing this, Xiao Shun shared his astonishing discovery, “Arcane Vigor is supposed to be attribute-less, merely the internal energy within your body. But now, your Arcane Vigor contains the qualities of water. How can this be?”

Song Linger weakly asked, “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

“A good thing, a very good thing!” Xiao Shun replied without hesitation.

Relieved, Song Linger rolled her eyes at Xiao Shun, “You scared me! I thought something bad had happened. You really had me fooled with that expression!”

Looking at his naive student, Xiao Shun was truly amazed.

He knew that the water-attributed Spirit Stone had been obtained from the Silvermeadows clan, and the wooden box it came in was likely given to Miao Xiuyun by a powerful figure in a gray robe.

Initially, he thought it was merely a common “Water Spirit Stone,” but the situation seemed to exceed his expectations now.

Ordinary Spirit Stones would at most enhance one’s power, but Song Linger’s cultivation had unexpectedly increased with the help of the “Water Spirit Stone,” and her body had even produced a special water-attributed Arcane Vigor.

This was something Xiao Shun had never even heard of before.

Things seemed to be getting a bit unusual.

He couldn’t help but think, recalling a phrase Miao Xiuyun had mentioned about the mysterious person who had handed him the wooden box. They had vaguely mentioned something about a “Cultivation Fruit” and a “Wood Spirit Stone.”

Could there be a connection between these three?

His thoughts reached this point, and Xiao Shun couldn’t think further.

With only limited clues in hand, he couldn’t draw a reasonable conclusion based on this information.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Shun warned Song Linger.

“If you encounter anything unusual in your cultivation, tell me immediately!”

Hearing this, Song Linger hesitated, “Master, why do I feel uneasy hearing you say that? Do you know something?”