Chapter Sixteen: From Now On, I Will Protect You

Although Lin Doudou’s movements were subtle, they couldn’t escape Lin Yi’s notice. He asked, “What’s wrong? Do I smell bad or something?”

Doudou’s eyes darted mischievously. Instead of answering directly, she asked, “Lin Yi, didn’t you say there was over a hundred thousand in your little private stash? Is that really true?”

“It’s true,” Lin Yi nodded.

“Then let me look after it for you. They say men go astray when they have money, and I don’t want you to change,” Doudou said, pouting.

Her reasoning was simple: she didn’t want Lin Yi to get entangled with other women.

Even though she knew she couldn’t truly control him, she couldn’t help feeling upset and uneasy.

“Go bad, huh?” Lin Yi found this amusing. Even he couldn’t say for sure whether he was good or bad. The path of cultivation was never smooth; to reach the Golden Core stage, he had tread over countless bones. It was only after the great upheaval of heaven and earth and the fading of the cultivation world that he began to restrain himself and try to live as an ordinary person.

Seeing Lin Yi remain silent, Doudou clung to his arm, her voice sweet and coaxing: “Pretty please?”

“Alright,” Lin Yi nodded and immediately transferred a million into Doudou’s account.

He himself had lived for over a thousand years and could remain indifferent to all worldly things, but Doudou was just a girl of fifteen or sixteen. While she’d been easy to please as a child, as she grew up, she was inevitably exposed to the temptations and confusions of the world.

He still hoped Doudou could keep her innocence and simply be a carefree foodie.

When Doudou heard her phone chime, she quickly checked her messages. Seeing the figure displayed, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. “A—a million? Oh my god, Lin Yi, you claim you didn’t rob a bank?”

Lin Yi smiled, “Even robbing a bank wouldn’t be as quick as how I make money. Besides, all of this was gifted by others.”

“Gifted?” Doudou looked unconvinced, practically wearing “Do you take me for a fool?” on her face.

“There was someone I saved years ago. He’s doing well now, so he’s just repaying me a bit,” Lin Yi replied, half-truthfully.

“Oh,” Doudou said, as if suddenly understanding. “Then last time when Xia Tao and Zhao Huan helped you out, was that him too?”

“You could say that,” Lin Yi replied.

“Lin Yi, you’re amazing!” Doudou beamed, patting her little belly. “Now I can finally eat my fill.”

Lin Yi was left speechless—why did it sound like he’d been starving her all this time?

Maybe Doudou sensed his thoughts, for she stuck out her tongue and admitted sheepishly, “I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been eating way more. I used to be nearly full after seven or eight steamed buns, but now I’m only a third full.”

Lin Yi smiled faintly. He knew the reason, of course. Over the years, he’d secretly used his true essence to nourish Doudou’s body. The little girl had always been frail—if he hadn’t intervened, she might not have lived past twelve.

“To have a good appetite is a blessing,” Lin Yi said, ruffling her hair. By now, she was probably stronger than most grown men.

“Hehe,” Doudou giggled, her large eyes curving into crescent moons.

Lin Yi reached into his pocket and took out the Profound Gourd.

“This is for you,” he said.

“You’re giving me a gourd?” Doudou asked, puzzled.

“This is no ordinary item—it’s priceless,” Lin Yi replied with a mysterious smile.

Since the decline of cultivation, the art of refining pills and tools had all but vanished. If Lin Yi were to put this artifact up for sale, there would be no shortage of people willing to pay tens or even hundreds of millions.

Moreover, the Profound Gourd was a support-type artifact. The spiritual liquid within it could not only enhance a person’s innate potential, but also help martial artists increase their strength.

With that, its value would multiply several times over.

“It’s just a gourd—how could it be priceless?” Doudou shook her head in disbelief.

“Fine, if you don’t want it…” Lin Yi pretended to put it away.

Doudou snatched the gourd at once. “Who said I didn’t want it? You’ve never bought me a present all these years—this makes up for it.”

…

The next afternoon, Lin Yi rode his bicycle to Yang Junqi’s home.

Unfortunately, there were guests already— a middle-aged couple.

The woman was well maintained and wore a white suit dress. The man had a square face and an air of authority.

“Oh my, little sister, it seems you haven’t been doing well these years. I heard your Chinese medicine clinic is about to go under?” the woman said with a smile.

Yang Junqi didn’t take offense. She sipped her tea calmly and said, “Sister, if you have business, just say it. No need for these little games.”

The woman, visibly pleased with herself, said, “Dad’s just been appointed director at the Provincial First People’s Hospital. My husband here’s also been promoted to department head. We’re throwing a banquet on the 28th—make sure you come.”

Yang Junqi was a bit surprised. The Provincial First People’s Hospital was one of the top ten in Jiang Province; her little clinic couldn’t even compare.

Let alone the fact that her father was now the hospital director—a position with significant power. No doubt her brother-in-law’s promotion was thanks to her father’s influence.

“Congratulations, brother-in-law,” Yang Junqi said, looking at the man.

He nodded, his tone carrying a hint of officialdom.

The woman continued, “I have to say, you’re too short-sighted. Our family’s always practiced Western medicine, yet you insist on being a Chinese medicine doctor.”

“I happen to think Chinese medicine is impressive,” Yang Junqi replied with a gentle smile.

“Impressive? Little sister, Western medicine dominates now. Chinese medicine is ancient history. Who knows, in another decade or so, Chinese medicine might not even exist,” the woman sneered.

A trace of frost appeared on Yang Junqi’s face, though she didn’t let it show.

“Let’s go, we need to inform the others,” the man said.

The woman smiled, stood up, and reminded her again, “Don’t forget—the 28th.”

With that, they left.

Yang Junqi’s face revealed no emotion, but her fingers clenched tightly, veins standing out. To outsiders, she was a workaholic; to her family, she was a joke.

The Yang family had studied Western medicine abroad for generations and only returned home when the country was invaded, to help heal the wounded.

To this day, the Yang family’s name carried weight in Jiang Province. While not one of the great clans, they were still highly esteemed.

But over the years, the family’s values had grown muddled. Their ancestors valued saving lives, but now, profit came first. It was deeply disappointing.

“The 28th…” Yang Junqi murmured. Then she called toward Yang Yujia’s door, “Yujia, I’m off to work.”

No reply came, but she was used to that.

After Yang Junqi left, Yang Yujia turned to Lin Yi, who was in her room, and asked, “Which do you think is better, Western or Chinese medicine?”

“Each has its own merits,” Lin Yi replied.

In his eyes, both were merely ordinary healing arts, so it made little difference.

Yujia said nothing more, instead opening her textbook to study. The afternoon passed quietly.

…

When Lin Yi returned home, he began revising the Body Strengthening Technique.

Doudou peeked into his room several times, but seeing him busy, she tiptoed away without disturbing him.

Half an hour later, Lin Yi finished the modifications. “Perfect. Doudou can practice this too.”

Although he had spent years secretly nourishing her body, he had never formally taught her any techniques or cultivation methods.

Now, however, her appetite would likely become even greater.

Lin Yi left his room. “Doudou, do you want to learn martial arts?” he asked.

“Martial arts? Like taekwondo or something?” Doudou blinked her big eyes at him.

“No, something much stronger than taekwondo,” Lin Yi replied with a smile.

To him, taekwondo was child’s play. Even a random move from him could crush it. But he kept this to himself—no one would believe him and would only think him arrogant.

“Really?” Doudou looked excited.

“Of course. But once you start, you won’t have as much free time as you do now,” Lin Yi warned.

He couldn’t always be with her, and besides, the little girl had grown into a young woman. It was time she learned some means of self-defense.

Doudou hesitated. Her ideal life was simply spending each day eating and having fun with Lin Yi. But seeing his thin frame, she bit her lip and said resolutely, “I don’t mind working hard. Lin Yi, you’ve always protected me. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”

Lin Yi felt a warmth blossom in his heart. He ruffled her hair. “Alright, then—I’ll wait for you to protect me.”

He then passed the Body Strengthening Technique on to her.

Since Doudou’s body had been nourished from a young age, she picked it up much faster than most, mastering the movements after only a few tries.

This gave her a great sense of achievement. Giggling, she said, “Lin Yi, am I a genius?”

“Maybe,” Lin Yi replied ambiguously.

…

Meanwhile, at the Timely Rain Bar.

Sun Lei summoned Cai Qing to his office. “Cai Qing, I heard your family’s in some trouble, isn’t that right?”

Cai Qing’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t believe Sun Lei could be a good person; everyone at the bar knew he was a ruthless thug.

She steadied herself. “Manager Sun, my family’s doing fine.”

“No, I know your parents are from the countryside, and you have a sister who’s paralyzed from the waist down, right? Her treatment costs a lot each month, doesn’t it?” Sun Lei smiled like an old fox, playing psychological games.

Cai Qing was clever for her age, but she was still a university student new to the world. He believed a few tricks would be enough to deal with a mere waitress.

“You investigated me?” Cai Qing’s brows knitted.

“I’m just concerned about my employees,” Sun Lei said, stepping closer.

Cai Qing quickly retreated, feeling more disgusted by the moment.

Sun Lei stopped, then said, “Someone’s offering a hundred thousand. All you have to do is keep someone company for a while—what do you think?”