Chapter 20 One Morning

Early the next morning, while still soundly asleep, Lin Xing felt his covers being yanked away. He felt a wave of helplessness and opened his drowsy eyes. Without even looking, he knew it was Shi Ya, that girl, who had done it. She was the only one who would dare to yank his covers off, and Lin Xing wouldn't blame her for it.

Sure enough, a cheerful voice chirped in his ear: "Brother Lin Xing, get up quickly! The sun is already shining on your butt."

Lin Xing peeked outside at the dim, early morning light and couldn't help but roll his eyes. He said helplessly, "Sister Shi Ya, it's still dark out. Where's the sun? Even if the sun were up, it wouldn't be hitting my butt yet."

After saying that, he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to drift off again, but he knew it was hopeless.

Sure enough, seeing Lin Xing trying to fall back asleep, Shi Ya quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Get up already! Play with me!" As she spoke, she kept shaking his arm.

Lin Xing rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll get up. Don't shake my arm off. You go wait outside for a minute. In a little bit, I'll take you somewhere fun."

"Really?" Shi Ya said happily. "Then hurry up! I'll wait for you outside. Don't go back to sleep, and don't lie to me, or you'll be in big trouble." Shi Ya said, trying to sound stern.

Looking at Shi Ya's adorably fierce look, Lin Xing smiled and said, "I won't lie to you. I'll really take you somewhere fun later."

"You better remember! I'll wait for you outside. And don't lie to me!" Shi Ya said as she skipped out of the room.

Looking at her cute antics, Lin Xing wore a smile on his face. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Ever since he met her, he'd been hauled out of bed by Shi Ya nearly every day. Lin Xing had also said a few times that he would get up and asked Shi Ya to wait outside, but he ended up sleeping soundly in his room! This drove little Shi Ya up the wall. So every time Lin Xing asked little Shi Ya to leave, Shi Ya repeatedly emphasized that Lin Xing must not lie to her again.

Don't be fooled by little Shi Ya's usual cuteness—that's only when she's not angry. If she gets angry, she could drive Lin Xing crazy. So now, Lin Xing humors her, not wanting to cause trouble. Besides, a woman's heart is truly hard to understand. Even though little Shi Ya is still young, she is, after all, a girl, and every time, she gives Lin Xing a headache.

Lin Xing didn't dawdle and hurriedly washed up. He didn't want to deal with another headache.

Logically, with Lin Xing's current cultivation level, he should be able to hear everything within a several-mile radius. So why did he only realize it when she pulled off his blanket? This had something to do with Lin Xing's carelessness.

But mostly, it was because Lin Xing no longer had the same vigilance as before. He thought he would be completely safe in the Prime Minister's estate, and that was indeed true.

Lin Xing's mindset had also changed a bit compared to his previous life. In the past, he focused solely on training and didn't get to enjoy much. That monotonous and boring life of training was something Lin Xing didn't want to repeat in this life.

Now that he had such good conditions, why not enjoy them properly? Although he was enjoying himself, Lin Xing hadn't neglected his training—he just wasn't as diligent as before.

Besides, he was still young now, only a few years old. With such a good family, he should properly enjoy a happy childhood, something he'd never had before. Without a good childhood, his life would be filled with regret.

Moreover, Lin Xing wasn't without a plan. It was possible that he wouldn't have the chance to live such a leisurely life in the future.

After washing up, Lin Xing walked outside. As soon as he stepped out of the room, he felt a small figure come barreling toward him. Lin Xing wasn't surprised at all because he knew who it was.

Sure enough, a cheerful voice came from Shi Ya's mouth: "Brother Lin Xing, why are you so slow? You're dragging your feet like a woman. Do you need to put on makeup too?" After saying that, she deliberately looked at Lin Xing's face with her bright, big eyes, examining him as if checking whether he had put on makeup.

Lin Xing felt helpless, knowing that if this continued, it would become an endless topic, just like before. He had no choice but to change the subject: "Sister Shi Ya, your strength has increased quite a bit now. You already have the power of an intermediate mage."

Sure enough, Lin Xing successfully shifted the topic. "Of course," Shi Ya said proudly, tilting her head. "Just look at who I am—a genius. Isn't it just a small intermediate mage? It's as easy as pie."

After saying that, she looked at Lin Xing smugly.

"Sister Shi Ya is truly amazing, a real genius. So young and already an intermediate mage. I doubt there have been many geniuses in history who reached the intermediate mage level at such a young age, right?"

Lin Xing didn't disappoint Shi Ya and praised her appropriately, satisfying her little vanity.

Lin Xing also understood a bit: when a child tells you how amazing they are, aside from showing off, the only other reason is to get praise from those around them. A child's mind is that simple. There's no ulterior motive or bad intentions—they just want to receive praise from the people they care about.

So, sometimes, in reality, when parents deal with their children, please don't be stingy with phrases like "You're so smart, you're the best." Sometimes, when children show off in front of you about what they did today or how they got praised at school, their only goal is to receive praise from their parents.

If you understand this, then please praise them. That way, they will work even harder to do well. If you remain indifferent and can't even spare a few words of praise, think about how your child will feel.

Back to the topic.

After receiving Lin Xing's praise, Shi Ya seemed even happier, chattering nonstop. It had only been a few days since she last saw Lin Xing, but it felt like decades, with endless topics to talk about. Lin Xing could only respond with a smile on his face. He was also a bit happy—with such a cheerful person by his side, it was impossible not to be happy.

As they walked and chatted happily, Shi Ya suddenly asked, "Brother Lin Xing, you said earlier that you would take me to a fun place. So where is that fun place?"

Lin Xing looked mysterious and said, "For now, it's a secret."

"Hmph, fine, don't tell me. I don't even care," Shi Ya said, pouting a bit angrily.

"I'm ignoring you," she said, letting go of Lin Xing's hand and walking ahead on her own.

Lin Xing shook his head and smiled, letting it go.

Sure enough, after a while, Shi Ya ran back on her own and said, "Hmph, if it's not fun later, I'll tell Grandma that you bullied me."

The Grandma Shi Ya mentioned was Lin Xing's grandmother, Dikalin—a grandmother with a very youthful heart.

"I promise, that place is really fun. You'll find out later. I guarantee you'll be surprised."

"Hmph, we'll see about that," Shi Ya said, still pouting.

"So where are we going now? The fun place you mentioned isn't in the mansion, is it? I know the mansion so well I could walk around with my eyes closed and not get lost. Where could there be a fun place?"

"Hehe, let's go find Lin Feng and the others first. We'll take them with us."

"Lin Feng? Who's that?" Shi Ya asked doubtfully.

"They're the four brothers we rescued from the slums that day. I'll introduce you to them later."