Love, Gun, Cupid

Two days later, on January 7, Lin Jiade went to the hospital and was told that his knee surgery could be performed mechanically or psionicly. The former was more expensive but had simpler aftercare and could give him stronger performance.

But Lin Jiade didn't have the money to get the Blue Steel Shadow, so he chose psionic substitution. Jianlan took leave to accompany him and signed the surgery consent form as a family member. In the afternoon, Lin Jiade was under general anesthesia and soon fell into a coma. The next second, he was held in a pair of soft hands.

"Miss Dujuan?"

"It's me. You're having surgery. Would you like to see what your knee looks like?"

"I only got general anesthesia because I didn't want to watch it," Lin Jiade said.

Cupid, whom he hadn't seen for several days, appeared in his dream. The cheongsam, pigtails, and plum blossoms drawn on his eyebrows and eyes brought Lin Jiade a unique impact.

He wanted to give Dujuan a hug, but he held back because Dujuan had been avoiding him ever since he had expressed his desires that day.

"Aren't you going to give me a hug?" Du Juan opened her arms.

Unable to contain his passion, Lin Jiade hugged her tightly, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, and asked, "What's it for this time?"

"I was originally planning to revise my thesis, and I'm annoyed that you put three marks on Kapok... Okay, I just have a prejudice against her."

But more importantly, the moment I looked away, the arguments I'd drawn in my paper became a joke.

Lin Jiade, you always think you've grown up enough to not need me anymore, that you can handle life on your own, but in reality, you're messing everything up.

Du Juan broke free from him and said, "The values ​​of all the people around you with a compatibility score of over 50 are slowly decreasing. I suppose you've noticed the anomaly, but if you don't act quickly enough, not only will your happiness be ruined, but my thesis will too."

For my own sake, and for yours, I have no choice but to come back, even if when you look at me, your mind is filled with R18 content.

Lin Jiade shrugged: "When you were as dignified as a goddess, I dared not have any improper thoughts, but Miss Du Juan herself shed her goddess-like appearance and became within reach, so my thoughts naturally had to change..."

"Alright, let's get back to business. How can I resolve our shared crisis?"

Chapter Three: Replacement

"You understand, right? Your wings are each trapped in the mire of life, unable to support each other. They seem to be on the same side, but that's just for your sake, pretending to be good sisters."

Jasmine wouldn't tell Gladiolus her most crucial secret, and Gladiolus wouldn't confide in Jasmine about anything important. They were both wary of Kapok, and as for Albizia, they were even less familiar with her, thus becoming isolated individuals.

"Luckily, you and Wei Ying aren't very familiar with each other, otherwise that child might have acted impulsively and taken sides, which wouldn't do. We can help, but we can't directly take over the fight," Du Juan said.

Lin Jiade shook his head: "Wei Ying has helped me a lot. I never thought of dragging her down with me. After all, we... have different identities."

I understand what you mean. I need to play the role of a midfielder, dribbling the ball forward and connecting these isolated players?

Du Juan said, "Almost, because you have already escaped the quagmire of your own life. At least for now, your life is free... free to enter other people's lives, free your trapped companions, and liberate their power."

This involves several steps, the first of which is your own injury; you must recover as quickly as possible. The second step is passing the promotion exam, the third is learning new magic, and the fourth is observing how things develop and choosing a target for liberation.

“Indeed, sigh, it sounds exhausting. Miss Dujuan, I feel like you know something, please give me a spoiler, I'm begging you,” Lin Jiade said.

"Alright, then I'll say it: You already know that kapok is not kapok, but jasmine is not jasmine, gladiolus is not gladiolus, mimosa is not mimosa, your teacher is not a teacher, and your classmate is not a classmate."

As for me, I'm not a cuckoo either. Everyone you know has a side to them that you don't actually know... Just kidding, look how scared you are."

Azalea's shadow fell on Lin Jiade, and for a few seconds her face turned into a distorted mass of black lines. Then, her beautiful face reappeared, and she reached out and gently flicked Lin Jiade's forehead.

“Don’t scare me,” Lin Jiade said, feeling his heart pounding like a drum. “After what happened with Kapok, I’ve developed PTSD.”

"To overcome PTSD, you transformed Kapok into a woman?"

“This is for revenge,” Lin Jiade said softly.

Du Juan shook her finger: "But in my opinion, if you turn her into a woman, you're prepared to sleep with her. Is this revenge or cultivating love? Plus, with jasmine and gladiolus, your body might not be able to handle it."

"I... will try my best to learn how to operate on multiple fronts."

"This is the price of having a harem. You're morally at a disadvantage by bringing them into your life—because you're not faithful, and you don't have the money, power, or other resources to compensate for it."

Therefore, you can only take on more of their suffering to make up for your emotional debt... oh yes, you can also repay it with your body.

Du Juan seemed to remember something and covered her mouth with a smile, saying, "Remember when you were promoted to intermediate magic researcher, you bought yourself a set of magic to enhance your body. Your harem has a big appetite, and their passion is extremely dangerous. If you can't satisfy them, they will use you in their own way to satisfy themselves."

Lin Jiade shuddered. Taking the initiative to satisfy his partners was the difference between heaven and hell. Nevertheless, he did not regret meeting them and falling in love with them.

“Your eyes have become more resolute, a good look.” Du Juan tapped Lin Jiade’s head with her finger. “Wake up, someone is watching you.”

Lin Jiade opened his eyes, and his blurry vision cleared after a few seconds, revealing Hehuan's slightly surprised face.

Hehuan hurriedly tidied her hair and clothes; her haggardness was clearly visible. Lin Jiade's gaze swept over her unmade-up face, her loosely tied hair, her bright red cotton-padded jacket, black thermal pants, and cotton slippers. When their eyes met, Hehuan looked away.

"I just came to see you," she said softly. "I have to go now. I'm in a lot of trouble, so don't get involved with me too much..."

"I won't abandon you, Senior Hehuan. As long as I'm alive, you'll have food to eat."

Hehuan shook her head: "If things go well, I won't need you to support me; if things go badly, you won't have the chance to support me; if things are neither good nor bad, then I'll stay here as a female mental patient for the rest of my life."

Hehuan was once as proud as a phoenix, but now, when she left Lin Jiade's sight, she was as dejected as a chicken. When Lin Jiade felt sorry for her, he suddenly felt that the barrier between him and Hehuan had disappeared... probably because she had fallen to the same social class as him.

Soon after, the Reed Warbler appeared. She glanced at Lin Jiade's legs and studied the magical structure of his legs. She saw through the spellcasting unit that resembled a meniscus and continuously adjusted the energy to form an elastic buffer, reducing the wear and tear on Lin Jiade's knees.

At the same time, due to the existence of the spellcasting unit, Lin Jiade's left leg stores more energy than his right leg, and under the stimulation of energy, his left leg will gain stronger performance.

She said, "Then you can resume training tomorrow. I'll see how good your leg is then."

Lin Jiade sighed, "Seriously? You came to the hospital to see me, and you didn't even say anything to comfort me?"

"That's your girlfriend's business. I see you're doing great. The psionic accessory implanted in you is a high-end product from the Empire. Theoretically, your legs can be improved by 150%... Tsk, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. How about I remove your right knee and replace it with the same one as your left?"

Where did you come from, you devil!

Lin Jiade wasn't a robot who could update his body parts without any burden. Seeing that he absolutely refused, Wei Ying had no choice but to give up. Not long after, the effects of the anesthesia wore off. He tried to sit up, but swayed and fell back down, only to be caught by Wei Ying.

“What good is a girlfriend? At times like this, it’s still up to me,” said Wei Ying. “Oh right, Mu Mian came by, but ran away when she saw me. She probably came to see you. She has a dog, it’s quite interesting.”

“I see,” Lin Jiade said, closing his eyes. “I’ll be done soon, then we’ll go home.”

In the evening, Lin Jiade had already returned home. Jasmine and Jianlan curiously touched his left leg, feeling the faint energy seeping from his skin. Just to be safe, his leg was still wrapped in protective gear. When they removed it, centipede-shaped scars were visible.

"Does it hurt?" Jasmine asked.

Lin Jiade stroked Jasmine's head and replied, "I'm used to it."

Chapter Four: Resumption of Training

Jasmine empathized with her boyfriend's words, and tears welled up in her eyes. But in Wei Ying's eyes, this was undoubtedly proof that Lin Jiade had recovered.

"Now that you've gotten used to it, you should resume your training. Time is precious to you."

Wei Ying snapped her fingers, and Lin Jiade's vision blurred. When he came to his senses, he had been pulled into a virtual space. The school's football field appeared before him, and Jasmine and Jianlan, wearing football jerseys and shorts, looked at each other in surprise.

“What’s this?” Lin Jiade asked.

"In short, you and Jasmine fight for the ball, and once you get it, just shoot at the goal guarded by Gladiolus. This is to help you get used to the feeling of having a foreign object implanted in your body, and to experience your powerful new left leg," said Reed Warbler.

“I understand the logic, but why are you wearing a referee’s uniform?” Lin Jiade asked.

"Because you are all extraordinary beings, you need an adjudicator to safeguard the boundaries of the game for you."

Lin Jiade scoffed, "Jasmine, let's play her!"

"If you want Lin Jiade to get back into action, you'd better not hold back and aim to exhaust him."

“Hey, this is already abuse!” Lin Jiade protested.

Wei Ying pointed to Lin Jiade's feet: "This is a great opportunity to surpass it."

Lin Jiade's passion for football sometimes surpassed his girlfriend's, especially when he secretly went out, pretending to be having an affair, but in reality, he was just watching live football matches. Jasmine was annoyed, but too embarrassed to be jealous of football. But today, her chance for revenge had arrived.

With a whistle from Wei Ying, Lin Jiade, who kicked off first, faced off against Jasmine. He made a move to break through to Jasmine's left. Jasmine lunged in the direction he was going, but saw Lin Jiade flick the ball with the outside of his foot. The ball rolled under her legs and into another direction. Lin Jiade changed direction and caught up with the ball.

He kicked the ball forward, leaving room for it, and then his long legs began to sprint at top speed. His movements were so fast that when Jasmine turned around, she saw that she had already been pulled several meters ahead of Lin Jia.

Lin Jiade also made a mistake. His left leg was no longer the same as before. His left leg was strong while his right leg was as usual, which made him feel like his left leg was an engine, while the rest of his body passively followed the rhythm of his left leg, which was very awkward.

His running rhythm was disrupted, and naturally, his ball-handling rhythm was also disrupted. He stumbled and ran to the edge of the penalty area. Jasmine had already caught up with him, landed, and blocked his shooting angle with a less-than-perfect sliding tackle. Lin Jiade paused for a moment, cut past Jasmine, and pushed the ball towards the upper left corner of the goal with his left foot.

He hoped to launch a ball with a slight inward spin, but his left leg didn't want to, so it went straight into a powerful shot. Gladiolus moved a few steps to that side and watched as Lin Jiade missed the target.

"Swearing on the court!"

Lin Jiade stomped his foot in anger. Wei Ying whistled and said, "Look, now the rest of your body—including your brain—is dragging your left leg down. If you ask me, you should just change your right leg to the same style as your left leg. That way you'll adapt much faster."

“I refuse! This thing is too expensive. Just implanting one would have used up all the prize money that Kapok gave me for the competition.”

The reed warbler asked in bewilderment, "Can't you also make a profit from the auction of the right to battle the King of the Forest?"

"...That might not be able to be sold."

The position of King of the Forest has long been vacant. Lin Jiade was a candidate for the next King of the Forest, but he refused for the sake of the Kapok Tree. Diana's Virgin said that the position of priest would be reserved for him, so the challengers who come here every year can only be sacrifices offered at the altar.

Lin Jiade didn't want to use it to harm innocent people. If possible, he would like to lure his or his family members' enemies there, but the probability of that was too small, so he didn't consider it realistically.

"Oh, I see." Wei Ying showed little interest in Lin Jiade's financial calculations. "Then let's continue playing football."

Lin Jiade stood in the center circle again, with Jasmine on the opposite side. On the field, confidence is a very important part of an attacker, and after his successful dribble just now, Lin Jiade was bursting with confidence.

He used the same trick again, dribbling towards Jasmine, then changing direction. If Jasmine didn't fall for the fake, he would accelerate past her. If Jasmine did fall for the fake, he would turn and nutmeg her, breaking through from the other side of Jasmine.

The script was already written, and Jasmine still fell for the feint. So Lin Jiade used the same trick again. As the ball rolled between Jasmine's feet, Jasmine's tail drooped down and blocked the ball.

And this kind of operation? !

Lin Jiade paused for a second, his center of gravity shifting forward. By the time he turned around, Jasmine was already dribbling the ball toward the goal behind him. Lin Jiade was glad she hadn't chosen to lob the ball, otherwise he would have had to run a long way to retrieve it.

He ran to a position parallel to Jasmine and kicked out first to reach the football that Jasmine was kicking forward. Jasmine lifted the ball up, and Lin Jiade jumped up to compete for the header. He had a clear advantage in the air, but Jasmine did not jump up. Instead, she used her tail to lash at the football.

Lin Jiade landed, turned around, and watched the ball fall into the penalty area, then bounce and roll into the goal. His mouth opened slightly, but he didn't know what to say, while Jasmine smiled.

Jasmine hadn't laughed like that in days, so Lin Jiade stopped caring whether Jasmine was committing a foul by hitting the ball with her tail.

The joy quickly spread to Jianlan. Lin Jiade, who was working hard, kept Jasmine from even touching the ball. With each run, change of direction, and exertion, Lin Jiade became more familiar with his left leg. He finally felt that it was his own leg, not someone else's leg that he had borrowed from somewhere.

His shots became more and more threatening. Jianlan was too lazy to make saves, so she simply used magic to seal the entire goal, automatically blocking the incoming football.

The warbler blew its whistle, indicating that this wouldn't work, so Gladiolus changed her body shape, transforming herself into a giantess who sat in the penalty area, completely blocking the goal.

The warbler whistled again, pointing to Lin Jiade, who was already lying on the grass, looking at the sky with a lazy, nonchalant expression. Gladiolus covered her mouth, but finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, feeling a little relieved.

“I don’t understand,” the reed warbler said to the air, “it was your idea, so why did you make me do it?”

A cuckoo's voice came through the air: "If I do it, they'll become even more reserved, especially that silly little Jasmine."

It's not just Lin Jiade who needs adjustments; the oppressive atmosphere surrounding him is having a completely negative effect. While entertainment can't solve their problems, it can increase their resilience, prolonging the time until Lin Jiade is able to help them…that's my plan,” Du Juan said.

Chapter Five: Chi You (9→8)

If Lin Jiade's recovery training could be described as joyful, then all he gained from his subsequent sword training was pain.

Wei Ying was pleased that Lin Jiade behaved like a swordsman, so she made even higher demands on top of what she had already done.