Love, Gun, Cupid

"make a deal!"

"Oh, right, this is for you." Lin Jiade handed over the fried chicken. "This is a new business that this supermarket has expanded into. I don't know if it will suit your taste, but you can try it out first."

Wei Ying opened the packaging, took a bite, and held out her arm to Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade didn't want to eat it, but Wei Ying persisted, so he had no choice but to bend down and open his mouth, only to bite into a wisp of air.

He looked up and saw the warbler make a face and then run away.

Chapter 87 The Final Link

From that day on, Wei Ying resumed her guidance to Lin Jiade, but her training became more fragmented. Every morning, when Lin Jiade was half-awake, Wei Ying would pass through the wall and chop him on the head with a hand chop.

Lin Jiade was mostly unable to dodge and was struck by the blade. His forehead did not hurt, but the attack from the reed warbler disrupted his energy, causing Lin Jiade to feel a stinging sensation as if he had been electrocuted. This was probably what it felt like when a thunder spell hit an enemy.

Similar sneak attacks occurred frequently while he was dressing, using the toilet, showering, and eating. In just three days, Lin Jiade became extremely nervous around her. Whenever someone approached from behind, he would quickly dodge and warily observe the other person.

"Seriously, can you please stop this?" Lin Jiade turned on the shower. "Today, when Teacher Yang greeted me, I instinctively treated her like a monster, making her feel awkward and me awkward too, as if there was something between us."

Wei Ying was a little surprised: "You and she aren't having an affair?"

"Do I have to flirt with everyone I know?"

Isn't that right?

"I'm the grass next to your nest, the one who gets eaten!" Lin Jiade waved his hand. "Also, I'm taking a shower!"

"Tch, it's not like we haven't seen even more explicit ones before," Wei Ying muttered.

Lin Jiade smiled bitterly. The "exposed" thing Wei Ying was referring to was the time she tried to turn him into a divine protector, when his flesh and bones separated, revealing his complete structure.

"But I'm very unhappy!"

"You're the one who made me imitate you at the end of the month, aren't you?" Wei Ying said matter-of-factly. "If I don't understand you, how can I play Lin Jiade well?"

"There's no need to know that much!"

"But your body says otherwise."

Before Lin Jiade could see anything, Wei Ying was already right behind him, her mouth close to his ear as she said, "My sister told me that you're very sensitive to things like ASMR."

Different voices, the same tingling sensation swept over Lin Jiade's head. Wei Ying's hands wandered restlessly. Lin Jiade tried to push her away, but unfortunately, he could not defy the gods, even if the gods were still minors.

"Why?" Lin Jiade said, "You and I... are clearly not in a relationship that involves this kind of thing."

"Because there is no energy exchange, it's just play. Don't you humans also observe and even control the mating behavior of animals with great interest?"

Besides, we've already done *that* kind of thing, so it's okay to have some lighthearted fun, right?

The warbler's hands began to change, and various things that challenged Lin Jiade's psychological endurance began to engulf him. The warbler brought him far more fear than joy, and she did this only for her own pleasure.

With his younger sister's overly strong personality as a contrast, Lin Jiade found his older sister endearing and lovable. Although Miss Dujuan was arrogant, she was generally considerate of his feelings.

On Thursday, before Wei Ying ambushed Lin Jiade again, Jian Lan took out her phone and glanced at it. She then nudged Lin Jiade next to her. Lin Jiade, with his back against Jian Lan and holding Jasmine in his arms, reluctantly turned around and heard his bedmate say, "Your lion skin has been taken care of."

Lin Jiade immediately perked up. His last spell of the "Laughing Magic" was also the strongest spell in this magic system, the Lionheart spell. Its potion required a part of a lion's body. Even though Gladiolus rewrote the Lionheart spell, it still couldn't get around the lion in terms of raw materials.

In modern times, lions are protected animals, and only materials obtained after a lion dies are supplied to those with extraordinary abilities, making these materials highly sought after but rarely available, and their acquisition is entirely dependent on chance.

Lin Jiade's attempt to hunt lions for materials is tantamount to stepping halfway into prison, and if he buys illegally obtained lion materials from the black market, he will have to pay a huge fine if he is discovered.

Lin Jiade wanted his resume to be clean, so he preferred to wait. More than a month passed, so he excitedly asked, "Has the Magic Registrar's Office's points exchange center received the goods yet?"

"No, I posted the request for materials on the forum using both my ID and yours. Today someone messaged me privately, saying she can provide the materials I need. She lives in Baiyuan City next door. If you have time, you can go and check the goods before making a deal."

“But I don’t have the ability to inspect the goods. Why don’t you come with me?” Lin Jiade said.

"Do you think I'm unemployed? As for inspecting the goods, that's simple."

Gladiolus opened her mouth, and a magic circle spun on the tip of her tongue. She leaned in, leaving a wet mark on Lin Jiade's cheek and a stinging sensation around his left eye.

"Alright, now you have the ability to examine objects." Jianlan covered her chest. "What are you looking at?"

Lin Jiade smiled and said, "Let's try out the magic."

"What are the results of the test?"

"great."

Lin Jiade buried his face in Jianlan's chest, the part of her that fascinated him most. However, all of this could only happen before Jasmine woke up.

Five minutes later, Jasmine opened her eyes groggily with a soft groan. The two, who already had a tacit understanding, immediately separated. Lin Jiade turned around and affectionately nuzzled Jasmine's forehead, while his hand reached behind his back and clasped Jianlan's hand.

For safety reasons, Lin Jiade needed to be accompanied on this trip. He was not yet famous, but due to the influence of those around him, he had become the object of curiosity or interest for some people.

Gladiolus has work, Jasmine has school, and Lin Jiade originally wanted to call Kapok, but Azalea once again pushed Reed Warbler in front of him. Perhaps Azalea wanted Reed Warbler to get out and relax, perhaps she wanted to dump the trouble of caring for Reed Warbler on Lin Jiade, or perhaps…

The last possibility was extinguished the moment it arose. A person's imagination can leap forward, which will awaken new and dangerous thoughts in him. He had barely managed to partially rid himself of his thirst with Jasmine and Gladiolus.

He made one last attempt: "Reed Warbler, if you don't want to..."

"No, I'm willing. It's better than staying cooped up at home."

Wei Ying seemed to just want to go out and play, and Lin Jiade breathed a sigh of relief. He bought two tickets and arrived at the bus station an hour later. Three hours later, he arrived in Baiyuan City.

He contacted the seller, who sent him the address. He and Weiying took a taxi to the office building. On the 30th floor, he met the seller, and the sisters of Kapok appeared before him.

Lin Jiade couldn't tell which of the Kapok sisters this was, but he wasn't too flustered because the powerful Celestial Observer was beside him.

"Who are you?" Lin Jiade asked.

“Hibiscus, the sister closest in age to Kapok. First of all, let me apologize, Mr. Lin Jiade. Perhaps you think this is a scam, but we have prepared what you want.”

Mu Jin instructed someone to bring Lin Jiade what he needed. Lin Jiade used the appraisal spell that Jianlan had given him to identify that the item was genuine.

But what does the other party want in exchange for it?

Extra chapter added

Chapter 88 Recalling the Past (3)

“Don’t look at me so warily. I have no intention of harming you. On the contrary, we sisters admire you,” Mu Jin said.

"Admire me?"

"Mumian is the youngest of us sisters. She claims not to be a Hart, but she is the most Hart-like Hart. She will stop at nothing to get anything she likes."

Our parents did not forbid us from seeing each other, because Kapok was the only child who was acknowledged. So we spoke to her with jealousy and envy, and were as careful as maids serving a princess.

Then, everyone distanced themselves from her, not out of jealousy, but because of her arrogance; she was simply spoiled rotten by her parents. And Mr. Lin Jiade was able to tolerate her personality and go to great lengths for her, doing so willingly and happily—that's why we admire him.”

Lin Jiade frowned: "If you're here to badmouth me, then we have nothing to talk about."

"No, no, no, the main topic is the transaction. I just happen to be selling off some things I don't need. When I saw Ms. Korobochka's post, I knew she was asking for items for her partner, Lin Huang, who is famous on the forum."

Everyone is curious about Ms. Korobochka's reasons for choosing a novice magic researcher. Could you please reveal them?

"If this is a condition for exchange, please forgive me for refusing."

"No, it's just a little bit of gossip."

The price offered by Mu Jin was 20% higher than the internal exchange price of the Magic Registration Department, but it was still within Lin Jiade's tolerance range. However, because he was doing business with the Hart family, Lin Jiade couldn't help but look at it a few more times.

He turned to look at the reed warbler, who was chewing gum and occasionally blowing bubbles. Her nonchalant manner proved that there was indeed no mechanism inside, and he had been overthinking it.

He paid with his mobile phone, and Mu Jin received the payment a few seconds later. The ownership of the materials was transferred to Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade felt relieved. After learning the last spell of his "Lame Magic," he would theoretically be qualified to apply for promotion to intermediate professional title.

If he can successfully advance and unlock more purchasable items, he will spend all the resources he has accumulated in one go to acquire skills and equipment to arm himself.

“Let’s have lunch before you go,” Hibiscus invited. “It’s perfect, we have the same topic of conversation: Kapok. You’re eager to know about her past, and I’m eager to know about her present. This lunch will be enjoyable for both of us.”

Lin Jiade instinctively wanted to refuse, as Mu Jin's previous bad words about Mu Mian had already lowered his impression of her. However, he felt that given the internal conflicts within the Hart family that were being projected onto this qualifying round, he should try to gain more allies for Mu Mian, or remain neutral, or slow down their shift towards Di Tao.

So he agreed, and Mu Jin led him to the fiftieth floor. Unexpectedly, Wei Ying did not throw a tantrum and tacitly accepted Lin Jiade's follower and bodyguard. She was led to a side hall for a meal.

"I imagine Mr. Lin Jiade must have heard about the internal competition within the Hart family. I still haven't decided whether to side with Kapok or Peach," said Hibiscus.

“You asked me, and I definitely want you to support Kapok,” Lin Jiade replied.

“Di Tao is a madwoman who would rather shorten her lifespan by half than not surpass her sisters, and Mu Mian is no less mad than Di Tao… I know it’s upsetting to say bad things about Mu Mian, but please understand that it is precisely because of this that I find it hard to choose between the two madwomen,” Mu Jin said.

Lin Jiade shrugged: "Then you can remain neutral and not make enemies of anyone, and the Kapok I've come into contact with doesn't seem to have much hatred for her family... well, except for the Harts."

"But there's not much love either, is there?"

"Does Di Tao love you very much?"

"Yes, the ground peach loves us, just as our father and mother love us, but the kapok denies this love."

You call treating family members like tools love?

Lin Jiade understood that the Hart family's education had created an insurmountable gap in their understanding. He patiently asked, "If that's the case, why are you still hesitating between a peach tree that loves you and a kapok tree that doesn't?"

"Because your existence proves that the kapok tree has the emotion of love, and that she harbors a love like that of the Hart family."

“You’re contradicting yourself by saying you deny it, yet you possess it,” Lin Jiade said.

Mu Jin shook her head: "Some things are just so contradictory in us. For example, selfishness. Everyone criticizes selfishness, but everyone carries the gene of selfishness. Denying something has nothing to do with whether you have it or not."

"At least in my opinion, the kapok tree possesses a love based on common sense, not a love based on Hart's principles."

"How is Fuxing City now?" Mu Jin asked abruptly.

"Well, everything is as usual, each day is worse than yesterday, but it's lagging behind in progress because it's not progressing as fast as first- and second-tier cities... Why did you suddenly ask about Fuxing City?"

"Because I've been to that city, and it left a deep impression on me."

"When?"

"five years ago."

Lin Jiade stopped using his chopsticks, put them down, picked up his soup spoon, and took a sip of soup to hide his panic.

"That's great, that's great. I hope you'll like my hometown."

"That's probably difficult, because I only witnessed one horrific thing there, and I'm still afraid whenever I think about it."

Lin Jiade forced a smile and said, "Then let's not talk about it."

Mu Jin shook her head: "No, I think it's necessary for Mr. Lin Jiade to know about this. Five years ago, in the summer in Fuxing City, I came here to chase after a young lady who had run away from home."

Lin Jiade's spoon struck the glass, making a crisp echo. He looked up at Mu Jin, who smiled and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm," he mumbled in response.

Hibiscus continued, "Back then, we were treated as waste and only received limited development. The departure of Kapok became the opportunity for us to break free of our shackles... and also brought us pain."

My father and mother love me, so they gave me power and used magic and witchcraft to turn me into another kapok tree, and I went through the same ritual as the kapok tree of destroying myself and then being reshaped into a sword.

Before I had fully adjusted to my new face and body, they sent me and my sisters out to chase after the kapok trees to prevent the family scandal from being discovered by outsiders.