In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

Instead of offering words of comfort, Xu Shi patted her head and said earnestly, "Have you forgotten everything I taught you before?"

"But, but this concerns me after all..."

"Then you should keep a calm and composed attitude."

Xu Shi advised, "Only by stabilizing your mindset can you view most things rationally."

"As for your relationship with your brother Luo Yu... I'll say it again, do whatever you want to do, I won't interfere."

You clearly just want to see me reject him, don't you... Pan Ling thought to herself, I know what you're thinking, Master. Everyone says girls are petty, but I'm not much better than that, even though I'm a grown man.

But is this just human nature? The foolish apprentice didn't realize how serious the conflict between his master and Luo Yu was before, but now that he sees it, it's actually quite deep. It's like the relationship between royalty and the Papacy.

If that's the case, why would you wish for someone's good fortune rather than their bad? The master himself seems to have never denied it...

"Add one rule to the rules: from now on, you are not allowed to pry into your master's mind."

Seeing her look of realization, Xu Shi also came to his senses and added with a stern face, "I'll let it go this time, but if I find out again, I'll spank you every time. I won't let you off easily."

"Then, Master, please teach me how to control it. It's not like I did it on purpose..."

The silly apprentice muttered, "You still say you're not petty?" But she also suddenly found Xu Shi's serious demeanor quite amusing.

He even wanted to spank himself... Logically speaking, it's reasonable for a master to discipline and punish his apprentice, but when the image flashed through her mind, the little girl still felt something was off.

She herself was a little embarrassed, perhaps because there were too many women around her master? There were already two or three mistresses... Hmm, it wasn't Xiaoling's fault!

"...You're right, let's start tomorrow."

Xu Shi remained noncommittal, his expression softening somewhat. "Go and comfort your sister first. I think she's probably feeling even worse. Consider this your homework for today."

"Yes."

Pan Ling nodded quickly and then prepared to slip away. If she stayed with her master any longer, her mind would turn into mush again.

"Where's Butler Chen? Would you like me to treat you to a late-night snack?"

Xu Shi then looked at Steward Chen, who was standing to the side, and asked indifferently.

"...How could I trouble Mr. Xu?"

Butler Chen shook his head. "I'm just here to deliver something to you. Now that I've delivered it, I should go back and report."

After saying that, his figure disappeared instantly.

"So, do you still think I should try to win over Luo Yu?"

After finishing up the remaining tasks, Xu Shi yawned and put his arm around Xia Wuyou's waist.

"...You'd better clean him up quickly."

Xia Wuyou was both amused and exasperated, genuinely apologizing for her immature idea earlier. "But you're not good at fighting... shall I?"

It can only be said that Xu Shi was absolutely right. You can't use someone who is too stupid, no matter if he is the so-called protagonist or what kind of strength he has. This impetuous personality has destined many things to happen.

She didn't like Luo Yu to begin with, and now she hates him to the extreme. She just can't stand him contacting her husband repeatedly.

"Yeah, he was trying to bully me just now."

Xia Ke'an raised her hand and jumped up and down. "Dad has to stand up for me, or I'll run away from home."

"Huh? I didn't even notice you were still here until you said something."

Xu Shi feigned surprise, "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be a little more careful? It seems like you're getting more and more into the role."

Seriously, the old lady's behavior just now was quite realistic, especially the way she hid behind me and made faces at Luo Yu. If you're not a little devil, who is? Compared to her, Gu Yi is nothing!

You know, there's only one fate for female devils: they'll be stuffed with cream puffs...

“Indeed, our child is too naughty. No matter how busy you are, you must not forget to discipline him.”

Xia Xiaomao wholeheartedly agreed, suppressing a laugh as she looked at the white-haired loli, "Or should I do it for her? No, a mother's duty is to be a good wife and mother..."

"What are you going to do?!"

Xia Ke'an took a step back, adopting an adorable defensive stance, "I'm warning you, don't go too far, Xia Wuyou!"

Calling Xu Shi "Dad" is fine, but calling Xia Ke'an "Mom" is absolutely unacceptable; that's the bottom line for this old lady.

Besides, what kind of mother is you, always trying to lecture me? How vicious!

Just wait, I'll get my comeuppance with you sooner or later!

Xu Shi burst into laughter as he watched the interaction between the Xia family aunt and niece.

I have to say, although the ethical relationships around me are somewhat chaotic, they are surprisingly interesting.

Not only is there a well-behaved daughter, but there's also a younger sister who's just as fun... He hadn't forgotten about Shen Qin here, and he smiled and waved to her.

"Well done, you deserve praise."

He looked at Miss Shen Qin with a hint of relief, because she really did a good job, protecting Xia Ke'an and the others as he had instructed... and she wasn't just going through the motions.

You see, for her, only the order to "protect Xu Shi" is absolute; it's not the same for others.

"...I just didn't want you to take this opportunity to humiliate me."

Shen Qin turned over with a long face, not wanting to look at him at all, and replied indifferently, "Besides, that Luo Yu is really awful. Don't compare him to my brother in the future."

Xu Shi never shied away from the theory of protagonist versus villain, and the girls around her knew about it to some extent, and she was no exception.

She didn't mind him saying those things to Miss Shen Qin before, but after today's events, she didn't want to hear Shen He being spoken to like that again.

Xu Shi strongly agrees with this point.

To be honest, although he didn't think Shen He was particularly outstanding, compared to Luo Yu, he was far superior. At least Luo Yu had done a lot, such as annexing "Disgae" and controlling the Sixth District in a short period of time, and later joining forces with the "Forgotten Ones" to launch a riot. To be honest, he had some merits.

Moreover, he was more patient than Luo Yu. When he said he was lying low, he could really stay silent for a long time without making a sound, unlike this guy in the present, who was like a clown. So he didn't really provoke anything or anything, to be honest, it wasn't really provocation.

I won't say you're mean to your sisters, but that's the truth.

Perhaps it's because Shen He also uses his brain? Although "United We Stand" can provide some physical enhancement, it is essentially a mental ability.

Or perhaps Luo Yu lacked a good beating? Compared to Shen He, his life had been quite smooth sailing, and he certainly hadn't experienced the tragedy of his family being destroyed.

Thinking about it this way, it seems to make sense that his increasingly extreme reaction after seeing me is also possible—a young man who has risen to prominence all the way is bound to be arrogant and proud, always feeling that he has the world under his control, and cannot tolerate the slightest grievance, especially emotional grievances.

To be fair, while Feng and Ling's words didn't exactly sever ties with him completely, they might have caused him the deepest damage.

Hey, you still say you're not the protagonist of a bad, wish-fulfillment novel? You fit the bill perfectly in every way.

However, Xu Shi was quite happy to see this happen. It wouldn't be right for his buddy to be his teacher, would it? Such a person would be easier to deal with. He didn't want to waste any more effort on him. He just wanted him to play his part. His plans weren't about him, but about the entire Hualan Empire.

Therefore, he didn't intend to compare Luo Yu and Shen He anymore. He could still show some respect to his old rival, especially one who had already been eliminated.

Or perhaps this is a small reward for Miss Shen Qin? We can't always bully her; giving her a little treat is the perfect way to train a dog.

only.

"If I wanted to humiliate you, would I need an opportunity?"

Xu Shi said playfully, "If you're really looking forward to it, we can continue later?"

"...Shameless!"

Shen Qin was easily angered and felt dizzy from these words.

She accepted that resisting him would only lead to bad outcomes, and now that she had already submitted, why would he still come back?

What's wrong with this person?! What does he expect me to do?!

"What's wrong? Is the puppy trying to bite me again?"

Xu Shike loved seeing her get angry and pinched her cheek playfully.

Don't touch it with dirty hands!

Shen Qin really wanted to bite this bastard to death. The scene in the cabin last time, where he made her naked with a collar, was still vivid in her mind.

She still feels incredibly humiliated thinking about it now... Did they really think they were dogs?! You're dreaming!

Since feigning submission won't get us anywhere, we might as well rebel!

However, just as she was about to pry open Xu Shi's hand, she suddenly felt dizzy.

Immediately, everything went black and he lost consciousness, falling straight down.

Xu Shi reacted quickly and caught her, then checked her and found that she was indeed unconscious.

What happened? Was it because of the fight earlier?

Thinking about it, this seems to be the only possibility, but then again, it seems impossible.

Who is Shen Qin? She's an A+ level dual-ability user with self-healing abilities. She used to be able to fight Xia Wuyou and Su Lin to a standstill, but now she's in this state after just one encounter. No one would believe it if you told them.

"Let's take her back to see her first."

After much thought, I realized that this is something that can only be entrusted to professionals.

"...It must have been influenced by some kind of ability."

The so-called professional was Xie Qingyan, who stayed at the inn with Jiang Chengcheng. She came out to watch the commotion after hearing about the conflict, and was not affected.

After a thorough examination, she came to this conclusion.

"Be more specific?"

Xu Shi blinked.

To be more specific, something is preventing her from healing herself.

The dog-woman put down her stethoscope and said, "You've heard of the term 'bone-deep wound,' right? Her current symptoms are similar, and as for the source... it comes from these wounds."

Xu Shi lifted her clothes and looked at her. There were indeed many small wounds on her front and arms, obviously left from her exchange of blows with Luo Yu earlier. Of course, their exchange was not a simple clash of energy, and some internal injuries were inevitable.

"Your technique is quite skillful."

Xie Qingyan muttered something under her breath, but at the same time she frowned, "But then again, it's actually a bit strange. Rather than saying it's hindering the activation of her self-healing ability, it's more accurate to say that the energy mixed in these wounds is absorbing her life force, and her self-healing ability can't keep up, which is why it's causing this."

Oh?

Upon hearing her say this, Xu Shi frowned, immediately focused his attention to sense the situation, and found that it was indeed the case.

If I had to describe it, Shen Qin right now is like a leaky bucket, or like a Tom Cat showerhead... Her aura is flowing out of her body in a barely perceptible way, then gathering into a thin line and drifting in another direction.

The two exchanged a glance and instantly realized what was going on.

"This must be Luo Yu's ability?"