Listening to the woman's tearful pleas in his arms, Lin Xiao Tian felt an overwhelming warmth.
He had been an orphan from a young age and had never experienced the feeling of being cared for.
Only Qin Yu Xiang had always put him first. This feeling of being loved was something Lin Xiao Tian was experiencing for the first time.
"Alright, don't cry. I'll be careful. How could I bear to leave you alone at home?"
"But..."
Qin Yu Xiang still wanted to say more, but Lin Xiao Tian gently pressed his lips to hers.
"I promise you, no matter the circumstances, I will prioritize my own safety and never make you worry."
Looking at the determined expression in Lin Xiao Tian's eyes, Qin Yu Xiang's emotions began to calm.
"What a beautiful face. You look so ugly when you cry," Lin Xiao Tian teased.
"Disgusting! You're the ugly one!" Qin Yu Xiang playfully slapped Lin Xiao Tian's chest.
But with a quick pull, Lin Xiao Tian swept Qin Yu Xiang into his arms in a princess carry.
Before Qin Yu Xiang could react, Lin Xiao Tian kissed her.
"What are you doing in broad daylight?" Qin Yu Xiang's eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water.
"What's wrong with daytime? We're at home," Lin Xiao Tian said mischievously.
"Disgusting!" Qin Yu Xiang exclaimed.
The next moment, the bedroom was filled with a passionate embrace.
Although Lin Xiao Tian and Qin Yu Xiang tried to keep the noise down, they were so immersed in the moment that sounds were inevitable.
In the adjacent room, hearing the sounds of their passionate encounter, Fang Ying and Fang Yan both blushed.
"Sister, how long has it been?"
"Nearly an hour."
"Mr. Lin is truly energetic! How long do you think he can last?"
"Why are you asking me? I'm not next door."
"Oh! Sister, let's just guess!"
"Fine, within half an hour!"
"Then I bet on half an hour to an hour. If you lose, you're treating next time."
"You little rascal, you're setting me up, aren't you?"
"Hehe! It's settled then. No backing out!"
"Hmph! A bet is a bet! Fang Yan, I just want to say, you really don't understand men at all," Fang Ying said with confidence.
Just like that, half an hour passed.
Listening to the continued vigorous sounds from next door, Fang Ying fell silent.
"Haha! You lost. You're treating!" Fang Yan said triumphantly.
Fang Ying's forehead was covered in dark lines. It seemed she still didn't understand men enough, but she wasn't ready to admit defeat.
"What's the hurry? Didn't you say within an hour? What if it goes over?" Fang Ying pouted.
"Hehe! Sister, you truly don't understand men!" Fang Yan said with a smile.
But her smugness didn't last long.
An hour later, Fang Yan helplessly shrugged her shoulders.
After he finished, Lin Xiao Tian looked at Qin Yu Xiang, who was sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he decided to take this opportunity to access the Sky Net.
Previously, Yang Xin and Yang Lin had always called Black Mountain a forbidden area, and Lin Xiao Tian could never understand why.
Before long, Lin Xiao Tian opened the Sky Net and entered the information about Black Mountain.
"Another million..."
Lin Xiao Tian was annoyed.
The Sky Net's fees were truly exorbitant. He had already spent the equivalent of two houses for two accesses.
However, despite the high cost, the information provided by the Sky Net was timely.
Lin Xiao Tian clicked on the files and finally learned about Black Mountain.
It turned out that the reason Black Mountain remained undeveloped was due to the machinations of the reclusive medical families.
Black Mountain was the location of a dragon脉 (dragon vein), and the mountains contained many rare treasures. To maximize their acquisition of Black Mountain's resources, the various reclusive families had reached an agreement to designate Black Mountain as a forbidden zone, never to be developed. This allowed them to continuously extract its resources.
To monopolize Black Mountain, the reclusive families had erased most of its detailed information, leaving only a point on the map. Most people remained unaware of Black Mountain.
Of course, there were some adventurous individuals who went to explore Black Mountain. For example, an expedition ten years ago ended in complete annihilation, a fact that was then amplified by the reclusive families to warn those who dared to enter.
In addition to Black Mountain, there were many similar forbidden zones in the world.
It was rumored that these forbidden zones contained items left behind by immortals, which the reclusive families had been secretly searching for over millennia.
Lin Xiao Tian frowned. He suddenly thought of the Shen Nong Medical Codex.
Could the items left behind by immortals be related to the Shen Nong Medical Codex?
Furthermore, he had only found a partial copy of the Shen Nong Medical Codex in Black Mountain. Would the remaining parts be found in other forbidden zones?
It seemed he would have to visit those forbidden zones at some point.
Meanwhile, within the Lin family.
"What did you say? He failed again?" the old matriarch raised an eyebrow.
The old man beside her nodded. "That's what our people reported."
"Hmph! Little brat, he was so confident about refining it. Always boasting." Although the old matriarch's words were scolding, her face radiated joy.
She seemed very pleased to see Lin Xiao Tian falter.
"Oh, and the Yang family just called, asking about Lin Xiao Tian. They said he has entered Black Mountain and taken some medicinal herbs. The Yang family claims these herbs cannot be taken by outsiders. Qingzhou is within our Lin family's territory, and they hope our Lin family will intervene..."
Upon hearing the old man's words, the old matriarch couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Does the Yang family take me for a fool? Can't they tell what they're really after? They want to know if Lin Xiao Tian has any connection to our Lin family, don't they?"
"So, how should we reply, Old Matriarch?" the old man asked.
"Tell them these herbs are for our Lin family. Whatever Lin Xiao Tian does, he does on behalf of our Lin family."
"The Yang family probably won't be satisfied with such a reply. According to the agreements between the families, entering Black Mountain to collect herbs requires prior notification to all families..."
Before the old man could finish, the old matriarch slammed the table.
"Then tell them that the Lin family does not need to report our actions to other families."
"A bunch of petty people! Do they think I don't know? When did they ever notify our Lin family about their own private ventures into Black Mountain?"
Seeing the old matriarch's anger, the old man immediately fell silent.
"By the way, have you still not investigated Lin Xiao Tian's background?" the old matriarch asked.
"To thoroughly investigate Lin Xiao Tian's background, we need to know about his parents. But strangely, these two individuals seem to have vanished from existence. We can't find any information about them."