Chapter Fifteen: Courting Disaster

In the blacksmith shop, only Liu Xianyang, Chen Pingan’s close friend, would ignore the gaze of others and take the initiative to speak to him.

He was Chen Pingan’s childhood friend, and because of this, he also drew the attention of Liu Xianyang.

"Wow, little junior brother, what is that iron gadget you’re wearing on your arm?"

A pleasant, surprised voice rang out. Without needing to look, he knew it was the senior sister, Ruan Xiu, who had just returned from the small town.

"Oh, it's just a test piece I made for training."

Although his strength was immense, he still required some weaponry for self-defense, if only to avoid being underestimated by enemies as nothing more than a reckless brute.

The arm guards were forged in a modern, utilitarian style. They were seamless, simple in structure, yet sturdy. The dark, somber metal, upon touching the outdoor air, caused the intense heat trapped within to instantly transform into blinding wisps of steam. When worn, they looked like two dragons exhaling clouds and mist, drawing everyone’s attention.

Su Ling could move the nearly 100kg arm guards with ease, barely exerting any effort. Using his gauntleted fingers to scratch his itchy scalp, feeling the rough, warm sensation, he didn't turn his head to look at the approaching Ruan Xiu.

He felt a bit annoyed by this senior sister who loved to stir up trouble, though that was hardly surprising. Ever since he had mastered basic forging techniques and began creating various items with a modern, practical style from his past life during his spare time, this sheltered senior sister would react like a tabby cat spotting a fish.

Her eyes would light up with curiosity, and she would hover by his side all day, asking all sorts of absurd questions. Whenever he couldn't answer, a "loving" strike was inevitable.

People said that physical discipline was a form of affection, but in his case, it didn't feel that way. Master Ruan had seen him being bullied many times and turned a blind eye, though the knowing, maternal smile at the corner of his lips was impossible to hide.

Fortunately, his physique was superhuman and growing stronger by the day. Moreover, his martial arts foundation had reached the third stage, the Martial Courage Realm. His soul was tempered to near perfection, needing only to grasp his own fist intent to advance into the three stages of Spirit Refining. His martial techniques were also on the verge of breaking through to the second level...

It was precisely because of this that Ruan Xiu's punches and kicks caused him no real harm. Still, being beaten—especially by a woman—was a bit damaging to his pride.

"Aha! So you were hiding these fun gadgets from your senior sister, were you? You deserve a beating!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ling’s muscles tightened. Before he could make a run for it, he felt a faint, ant-like prick of pain on his skull.

He didn't ignore it; he pretended to be severely injured, let out an "ouch," and stumbled to the ground, clutching his head with a pained expression.

"Senior sister, stop hitting me! I’ll give it to you, okay?"

"Hmph, that’s more like it."

For the sake of his senior sister's reputation, Su Ling had no choice but to play along to avoid bruising her dignity.

On Ruan Xiu’s side, hidden from Su Ling’s view, she was rubbing the fist that had struck him. Her delicate knuckles were red and swollen where they had met his forehead, as if she had been injured by the recoil.

*Hiss!*

That really hurt. She wondered what kind of external martial arts this kid was practicing; his bones were incredibly hard, and his physique was nearly impossible to damage...

Ruan Xiu felt a wave of annoyance and regretted her carelessness. After all, every time she beat her little junior brother, she ended up hurting herself more. The problem was that if she didn't hit him, a fire would burn in her heart, and she felt she had to let it out. She couldn't resist striking the iron-like Su Ling. Each time afterward, she would reflect and swear never to hit him again, but she broke that vow every single time.

This created a subtle comedy: Ruan Xiu, knowing full well that Su Ling was faking his pain, still held back from hitting him again, pouting to the side in a fit of pique.

"Strange, has this spitfire finally turned over a new leaf?"

Su Ling crouched for a long time, waiting for the "loving" beating that never came. He felt a bit surprised, and even a little uncomfortable.

To outsiders, however, this scene looked like a textbook example of lovers flirting, making the apprentices watching from the sidelines green with envy, wishing they could take his place. After all, Ruan Xiu was the apple of the Master's eye; getting close to her would mean a smooth path ahead.

"Senior sister, here."

Helpless, Su Ling took off the arm guard and handed it to her like a child admitting his mistake.

"Hmph, that’s better."

Ruan Xiu’s hand had recovered. She puffed out her cheeks and snatched the arm guard from Su Ling’s hands. Though it looked effortless when he held it, the weight of it caught her off guard, and she nearly dropped it.

*It’s so heavy!* she thought. But to maintain her dignity as a senior sister, she held her breath and refused to let go until her pretty face turned beet red and her tear-filled eyes were on the verge of spilling over.

Only then did the dim-witted Su Ling notice something was wrong and took the arm guard back from her.

Ruan Xiu couldn't help but exhale in relief. Not wanting to lose face, she managed to maintain a haughty, delicate appearance, hiding her trembling, sore arms.

"Hmph, I'm not playing with you anymore."

Even though Ruan Xiu was the reincarnation of a supreme deity, her current physical body was no match for his. Her arms were still trembling, her muscles aching.

Su Ling was speechless. He watched as Ruan Xiu greased her feet and hurried away, a faint smile playing on his lips.

It seemed he would have some peace and quiet for a while. After this lesson, the proud Ruan Xiu would likely think twice before bothering him again; the cost of doing so was simply too high.

"Hey, what’s going on? How did you manage to tick off Junior Sister Ruan?"

A slightly flippant voice broke the silence. Liu Xianyang appeared from nowhere, first glancing at Ruan Xiu’s retreating figure, then looking at Su Ling with curiosity.

"It’s nothing."

Su Ling didn't want to explain. After a brief chat, he put his arm guards back on, continuing to familiarize himself with the weapon he had forged.

"You two must have something going on. Why, won't you tell your big brother?" Liu Xianyang teased, pointing at Su Ling.

"..."

"You really shouldn't say things like that around Senior Sister Ruan, or else..."

"Or else what?" Liu Xianyang raised an eyebrow, looking indifferent.

Su Ling knew that Liu Xianyang was a bit thick-skinned. Based on the original story, the man seemed to care about nothing, always maintaining a carefree and relaxed demeanor. However, he clearly didn't understand that loose lips sink ships.

Just as Liu Xianyang was still teasing him and winking about him and Ruan Xiu, his back suddenly went cold. As if by telepathy, he turned his head and locked eyes with Ruan Xiu, who had returned halfway back.

Liu Xianyang was caught off guard. His teasing expression froze, and his right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.