I really don’t seem to deserve it, do I

People like Zhou Nianqian were nothing more than ants that Lin Mo could crush at will.

As for Jiang Yeqiu, he couldn't even be bothered to give him a second thought.

Lin Mo's interest in these jumping clowns was far less than his desire to check on Jiang Yunlu's cultivation progress.

He strolled toward the tearoom that previously belonged to Jiang Chengshan.

The place had lost its former elegance. Once Situ Yunshu confirmed her daughter was going to practice martial arts, she took drastic measures and directly transformed it into a training room.

After all, Jiang Yunlu's cultivation was meant to be a secret; she couldn't exactly practice out in the courtyard.

Lin Mo walked to the door, raised his hand, and knocked with a bent knuckle.

"Who is it?" Situ Yunshu's voice rang out, carrying a trace of vigilance.

"It's me, Lin Mo."

As soon as he spoke, a slight commotion broke out inside the training room. It sounded like someone was frantically tidying things up, accompanied by a few muffled gasps.

After waiting for over a full minute, the door was finally pulled open a crack from the inside.

Jiang Yunlu leaned half her body out. Her pretty face was flushed red, and fine beads of sweat clung to her temples and the tip of her nose.

"You... why didn't you tell me you were back? You didn't even say you were coming over."

Her voice carried a hint of breathlessness from her recent workout, mixed with a bit of girlish shyness.

Lin Mo's gaze swept over her.

The girl was wearing a tight-fitting sports tank top. Sweat had soaked through the fabric, outlining her impressive, undulating curves.

He couldn't resist reaching out and gently pinching her flushed cheek. It felt smooth and tender.

"Ah! My mom is still here!" Jiang Yunlu shrank her neck back as if electrocuted, protesting in a hushed voice.

Lin Mo then looked inside and smiled at Situ Yunshu not far away, his attitude polite and thoughtful. "Hello, Auntie. I came to see Yunlu and check on how she's been doing lately."

Hearing this, Situ Yunshu revealed a meaningful smile and nodded. "Her? She's suffered quite a bit recently. You really must take a good look."

She placed particular emphasis on the words "take a good look."

Lin Mo didn't hold back either. His gaze returned to Jiang Yunlu, but his eyes darkened.

"Right. You only learned a bit of the basics, yet you dared to face bullets head-on, and you didn't even wear the jade pendant I gave you."

His tone was flat, but it made Jiang Yunlu's heart skip a beat.

"Ah, I wore it, I wore it! Look, aren't I wearing it right now!" Hearing this, Jiang Yunlu grew anxious and quickly defended herself.

Saying so, she somewhat bashfully extended two fingers and carefully hooked the warm jade pendant out from the deep cleavage on her chest.

Tainted with the girl's body heat and sweat, the jade pendant appeared even more crystal clear.

Lin Mo naturally knew she was wearing it today, so he raised his hand and rubbed her head, his movements as natural as if he had done it a thousand times before.

"Keep it on. With it, you won't easily get into trouble."

The atmosphere between the two instantly became somewhat intimate, as if there was no one else around.

Situ Yunshu watched from the side with amusement and finally couldn't help but cough lightly, breaking the romantic tension.

"Ahem, I'll go have a cup of tea first. You two young people take your time and chat."

That single sentence made Jiang Yunlu blush all over again.

Situ Yunshu smiled, shook her head, turned around, and closed the door behind her.

The training room instantly quieted down. All that remained in the air was the sound of their intertwined breathing and the faint, unique, sweet scent of the young girl's sweat.

The two who were a step apart just a moment ago were practically pressed against each other the very next second.

Jiang Yunlu's body was very soft. When she leaned in, she felt like a boneless ball of cotton.

"Mom says I have a talent for martial arts, and I'll definitely be able to catch up to you very soon."

Jiang Yunlu sat cross-legged on the floor, looking as if she were longing to roam the martial world proudly with Lin Mo in the future.

"It's not impossible, but I heard that in this operation, you were the only one who got hurt, and you even made Yu Ling use two Rejuvenation Talismans."

At the mention of this, Jiang Yunlu couldn't help but playfully punch Lin Mo.

"I know, I've only learned the basics. You've already mentioned this."

Lin Mo reached out and grasped Jiang Yunlu's soft hand.

He slowly transferred spiritual energy into Jiang Yunlu's dantian.

Logically speaking, the dantian was meant to hold true qi. Having spiritual energy enter might normally make a mess of Jiang Yunlu's dantian.

However, Lin Mo's spiritual energy slowly merged with her true qi.

This was also because Jiang Yunlu had completely opened her mind and body, allowing Lin Mo's spiritual energy to flow freely through her meridians. (Don't get the wrong idea!)

"What... what are you doing?"

"Adding some insurance to your true qi. If one day you suddenly fall short of strength and exhaust your true qi, the thing I left inside will be able to help you."

Hearing this, a sweetness welled up in Jiang Yunlu's heart, and she couldn't help but grab Lin Mo's arm.

"Actually, when Miaomiao took out the divine pen, I was really jealous of her. Especially after she turned into her other personality, I felt like there was a huge gap between us."

Jiang Yunlu looked up at Lin Mo, hesitation in her eyes. For the past few days, the phrase 'you are not worthy' had been lingering in her mind.

She wondered, was she really unworthy?

"Are you worried about falling behind her, or are you more worried about her condition?"

Speaking of this, Jiang Yunlu finally remembered Chu Miaomiao's problem.

"Is she okay?! That state of hers... I..." Jiang Yunlu couldn't find the right words to describe it for a moment.

"Rest assured, she's fine. Her situation is quite special. It can be considered what we call a split personality, but that version of her can't appear for long periods anyway. Miaomiao said she wants to learn how to strictly control her, so you don't need to worry."

Jiang Yunlu seemed to think of something.

"Will it be dangerous?"

"With me here, there won't be any danger. This is her talent, just like how Yu Ling can see ghosts and you can practice martial arts. Everyone has their own unique talent."

Hearing that Xie Yuling could see ghosts, Jiang Yunlu was instead startled.

"She... she can see ghosts?!"

"Yes, why? Are you interested in going on a grand adventure with her?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yunlu felt a bit scared, but also found it somewhat thrilling.

"Anyway, I came to find you today for official business as well."

Saying that, Lin Mo pulled a notebook out from his chest pocket.

"This contains the Heavenly Realm insights of the Situ family's old patriarch and the improvements to the Situ family's cultivation techniques. I wrote them down in this notebook; it should be useful to both you and Auntie."

Saying that, he took out another bottle.

Inside were many pills.

"And this. This is the Body Strengthening Pill I refined myself. You practice martial arts, so this can help enhance your physical fitness. You can take it yourself, or give it to Auntie..."

Jiang Yunlu watched Lin Mo as he rambled on.

She suddenly realized why Chu Miaomiao had said she was unworthy. Was she really worthy of someone as good as Lin Mo?

She was the one who liked Lin Mo first, yet here she was, stressing over all these trivial things.

It seemed she really was unworthy.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yunlu took a deep breath and cupped Lin Mo's face in her hands...