Chapter 83: Am I Truly Someone So Blind to Courtesy?

Liu Ruyan watched Lin Xiao’s departing figure, still feeling as though reality was somewhat unbelievable. Yet soon, her face was once again adorned with that honeyed, self-assured smile. Surely, this man was heading to the capital for her—there was simply no other explanation that made sense. She was taking the same train after all; since it was the same carriage, there would certainly be another chance to meet.

With that in mind, Liu Ruyan chose not to continue pestering Lin Xiao and instead went off to find Ji Boxiao. From afar, Ji Boxiao had already guessed that Lin Xiao hadn’t given Liu Ruyan much kindness, so he didn’t ask further. He had also seen Lin Xiao go off to have his ticket checked, which filled him with a faint excitement.

“That guy is going to the capital too?”

Liu Ruyan nodded; when Lin Xiao had shown her his ticket earlier, she’d clearly seen that his destination was the capital, with no plans to get off midway.

“That’s perfect. Once we get to the capital, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to deal with him. Let’s go get our tickets checked as well.”

Lin Xiao quickly passed through the ticket gate, and only then did he notice he had purchased a business class ticket. Not long after, he boarded the train. As he gazed at the rows of luxurious seats, a smile crept onto his face. It looked like this journey would be quite comfortable.

The high-speed trains of this world were much like those of his previous life, but to guard against possible attacks from spirit beasts, each train was accompanied by powerful guardians. Such attacks were rare—perhaps only happening once every few years—and Lin Xiao didn’t believe he’d be so unlucky as to encounter one on his first trip. In any case, it wasn’t his concern; if spirit beasts did appear, experts would handle it.

His mood was initially excellent, but it didn’t last. When he saw Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruyan seated in the same carriage, he was at a loss for words. For a moment, he even wondered if the elders at the nursing home were deliberately plotting against him, purposely buying tickets for today to make his life difficult.

Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruyan’s expressions were equally colorful upon seeing Lin Xiao. Ji Boxiao, though eager to teach Lin Xiao a lesson, dared not make a move on the train; in this world, the train attendants were all cultivators of considerable skill, their presence meant to prevent trouble from those with abilities. If he really caused a scene, he wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.

Liu Ruyan was surprised as well—Lin Xiao, usually so stingy, had actually bought a business class ticket. She knew he used to be frugal, most of his part-time earnings given to her.

Thinking of this, Liu Ruyan recalled their time in the secret realm—Lin Xiao had earned a fortune there, yet none of that money had gone to her, even though it should have been hers. She’d been with Ji Boxiao for a while now, and though he’d given her plenty of money, the total over the past two months was just a little over two million. It seemed a lot, but in this world of spiritual resurgence, two million meant nothing. He could have easily handed Lin Xiao a five-million check, but after all this time, he'd only given her this little bit. Liu Ruyan truly regretted following Ji Boxiao.

It seemed once they reached the capital, she’d have to consider keeping more “little fish” around. The first would be Lin Xiao. Despite his recent ambiguous attitude, she still believed that if she persisted, Lin Xiao would revert to being her loyal follower.

Lin Xiao couldn’t care less what the two of them thought. Seeing them made him thoroughly uncomfortable. Liu Ruyan and Ji Boxiao quickly found their seats and settled in. Whether Ji Boxiao was trying to provoke Lin Xiao or not, he kept making advances toward Liu Ruyan during the journey. Liu Ruyan didn’t reject him; instead, she kept watching Lin Xiao’s expression.

Lin Xiao was speechless. This was a public place, after all—couldn’t they behave themselves? It was disgust upon disgust, reaching the limits of tolerance. He very much wanted to call over the train attendants and ask if they would intervene.

Fortunately, they weren’t the only passengers in the carriage. Before Lin Xiao could act, someone else called an attendant to complain. After understanding the situation, the attendant spoke to the pair tactfully. Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruyan stopped, their real aim having been to irritate Lin Xiao, and since they’d succeeded, there was no need to continue. Though they restrained their actions, their conversation grew even more saccharine.

Lin Xiao ignored them, reclining in his business seat. As the train started moving, he decided to find some earphones and listen to music. If the disgust continued, he could at least block it out—otherwise he’d be sick to his stomach.

He did have earphones, so he began searching for them in his spatial ring. His expression quickly turned to surprise.

He couldn’t help but marvel—what had once been a nearly empty storage space was now almost full. He sensed what had been added: treasures belonging to the elders at the nursing home, many of them things he’d asked for repeatedly but which they’d never parted with. How had these ended up in his ring now?

A spatial ring couldn’t be opened by just anyone; unless the owner agreed or died, any attempt to open it would be met with resistance. The elders at the nursing home were all far beyond him in cultivation; any of them could have forcibly opened his ring. Was it possible he’d slept so deeply the previous night that he hadn’t noticed?

Soon he understood: among those elders was Murong Yu, a master of spatial arts. His ring had been crafted by Murong Yu; opening it silently and placing things inside would have been effortless. Ah, these elders—if they truly wished to give him these things, could he even refuse? Would he ever be so lacking in gratitude?

Many items inside were worth a fortune; selling just a few would let him live comfortably for life. Dear elders, he truly adored them!

Lin Xiao became lost in his own fantasies, his spirits rising. If the elders knew what he was thinking now, they’d probably chase after him to give him a proper beating. Those weren’t gifts—they were things Lin Xiao had stolen while drunk! Now he’d convinced himself they’d been given to him. Did being blackout drunk mean he could do whatever he wished?

Still moved by his own thoughts, Lin Xiao finally found his earphones among the many items, along with a sleep mask. Wearing both, he settled in to rest. Blocking out the noise and avoiding what he didn’t want to see, he felt much more comfortable.

The train set off, and Lin Xiao finally left Xuncheng. The journey to the capital would take three or four hours, and Lin Xiao was already beginning to look forward to life there.

His behavior did not escape Ji Boxiao’s notice; seeing that they could no longer provoke Lin Xiao, the two fell silent. It felt as though their punch had landed in a pillow, leaving Ji Boxiao thoroughly unsatisfied.