My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Okay, it was my fault for not closing the door when I came in!

When Shangguan Mengqing arrived at the door, she seemed not to notice Mu Shishuang hiding nearby, and slammed the door shut with a "bang".

After seeing the door close, Mu Shishuang approached it but heard no sound from inside. She went around to the window and found that it was also closed.

"I knew I shouldn't have called that fake aloof woman. As soon as we met, her feet were glued to me like that. She kept pestering Lin Ran to have a baby. If Lin Ran drags you into having seven or eight more, you'll be in big trouble..." Mu Shishuang mentally ranted about Shangguan Mengqing, angrily kicking a pebble by the roadside.

She should be worried about Lin Ran, but now she should be worried about her own sister. When she comes back to see her husband and finds that there are many more children, won't her sister be furious?

Inside the house, Shangguan Mengqing unconsciously snuggled into Lin Ran's arms, and she talked about what she had been doing recently, while Lin Ran chatted about cultivation.

Lin Ran, however, started to drift off as she listened, becoming increasingly restless. She touched and pinched things, kissed one person, and bit another, acting like a complete idiot, utterly brazen and unrestrained.

Comrade Mengqing's inaction only emboldened the criminals. Just as Lin Ran was about to unbutton her dress, Shangguan Mengqing's icy voice entered Lin Ran's ear: "If you continue forward, you will have to bear the corresponding price!"

"What price?" Lin Ran asked boldly.

Shangguan Mengqing lowered her head and seemingly unintentionally made a scissor gesture, calmly saying, "I don't know, it depends on my mood. What do you think? What price should I pay?"

Lin Ran: "..."

You've made it so obvious, what else can I say? Lin Ran can tell the difference between having a full meal in one sitting and having a full meal every day in the future.

He's living a pretty good life now, with a fairy in his arms—something he wouldn't have dared to dream of before!

He couldn't help but happily kiss the fairy's cheek and said with a smile, "Thank you for your comfort!"

"You're welcome, old man!" Shangguan Mengqing said with a smile in her eyes.

"Can you please stop calling me an old man? I'm still young!"

"Hmm, old man!"

Lin Ran: "..."

Fairies are really not cute!

……

157. What exactly is your strength?

Linghua Academy, behind the mountain, a bamboo house sits in a quiet bamboo forest, and inside the bamboo house, a woman dressed in a white martial arts uniform leans against the window, calmly watching the scenery outside.

Before long, the clear sky outside suddenly became covered with dark clouds, and large raindrops fell as if they were free, dripping onto the slender bamboo leaves. However, the bamboo leaves could not bear the weight and could only send the rainwater to the ground. The already wet ground suddenly became muddy, and it was easy to get covered in mud if you stepped into it.

The woman in white was not surprised by the sudden downpour; it would have been surprising if it hadn't rained today.

The bamboo door behind the woman was pushed open with a slightly sour sound, and a woman dressed in a rather flamboyant manner walked in. The woman's alluring face showed a hint of impatience as she fiddled with her wet long hair and complained, "Every time I come here, it suddenly rains heavily on my way. I suspect there's something wrong with this place!"

"Shouldn't you be the one with the problem? Just accept your bad luck!" the woman in white retorted.

Upon hearing this, the glamorous woman sensed something was amiss. When did the usually aloof Dean Wen learn to speak like this?

"Damn Lin Ran, she corrupted Qianyi, and now the younger sister has corrupted the older sister!" Qiu Qingzi naturally blamed Lin Ran for this in her mind.

Qiu Qingzi stopped tidying herself up. She took a jade tube out of her spatial ring, placed it on the table, sighed, and said, "This is a report from Lin Ran. The timing is a bit off. Take a look... To be honest, that old man Lin Ran did a really good job this time..."

Qiu Qingzi had already read the contents of the bamboo tube before she arrived. She had rushed over to report to Wen Bixuan.

Wen Bixuan channeled her soul power into the jade tube, carefully studying the information inside. After she finished reading it, the atmosphere in the bamboo house suddenly became somewhat stagnant. Holding the jade tube, Wen Bixuan involuntarily exuded the aura of the Dragon Transformation Realm, making it difficult for Qiu Qingzi to breathe.

After a while, Wen Bixuan noticed Qiu Qingzi's unusual behavior and quickly withdrew all her imposing aura. She looked at Qiu Qingzi with some concern and asked, "Qingzi, are you alright?"

"It's okay, I'm used to it. I'll just take a shower when I get back!"

Qiu Qingzi waved her hand. She was used to it. As a low-ranking figure within the academy's upper echelons, she was well aware of her place... Waaah~

Seeing that Qiu Qingzi was alright, Wen Bixuan didn't think much of it. Looking at the jade tube in her hand, she said to herself, "If I had known, I would have gone with her. That way, Lin Ran and those kids would have been more confident."

The many unfair treatments Lin Ran suffered on this trip were precisely because Linghua Academy was too weak and not valued. If... she were stronger, perhaps this situation wouldn't have occurred?

“Bixuan, don’t overthink it. You used to lead teams with me, and those guys were indeed treated fairly because of you, but that’s all. The contempt ingrained in their bones still exists. Only when our academy as a whole becomes strong enough to make them fearful and wary can we have real confidence!” Qiu Qingzi said.

She came from a humble background and experienced the most sordid and dangerous triangle, which made her understand that dignity is not given by others, but earned by oneself.

Wen Bixuan paused, looking at Qiu Qingzi's expression. Recalling past events, a rare faint smile appeared on her face as she said, "I remember, you said something like that to me before..."

Qiu Qingzi's expression froze. She forced a smile and said, "That's not true at all, Dean Wen, you must have remembered it wrong!"

"Alright, let's not talk about that here. Tell me... how should we reward Lin Ran when she comes back?" Wen Bixuan poured a cup of tea for herself and Qiu Qingzi and said.

Qiu Qingzi took a sip of tea and said, "This is indeed a difficult question to answer. Perhaps we should wait until he returns before making a decision. The Secret Realm Competition isn't over yet, so discussing this now is a bit premature..."

"You're right, let's postpone it then!"

Wen Bixuan nodded, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. Suddenly, she asked, "What kind of results do you think Lin Ran's team can achieve in the secret realm? Will any of their students be able to enter a super sect?"

In the Continental Academy Competition, the quality of students from various academies is usually measured by the number of their students who enter super sects. The pinnacle Linghua Academy has produced many outstanding students who have entered super sects.

As for these past years, not a single one has been able to get in. The neighboring Songling Academy is in the same boat. The two are in the same boat. Some smaller academies can occasionally have one or two special cases recruited by super sects, but Linghua Academy and Songling Academy haven't produced a single special case.

So when Qiu Qingzi heard that Wen Bixuan even thought that Lin Ran could lead a team to have a student infiltrate a super sect, she thought that was giving Lin Ran too much credit. If Lin Ran could lead the team for more years, there might be that opportunity, but at most, Lin Ran would only lead the team for less than half a year. What could he possibly teach?

"Well, I think there should be a chance, um, I believe in Lin Ran!" Qiu Qingzi said ambiguously.

Seeing Qiu Qingzi like this, Wen Bixuan knew very well that Qiu Qingzi was sometimes very greedy, always wanting more, and thus ignoring many objective difficulties.

"That's all, you can go back and get busy. If you receive any news from Lin Ran, let me know as soon as possible..." Wen Bixuan said.

"I see!"

Qiu Qingzi was about to get up and leave with the jade tube in her hand when she suddenly remembered something. She stopped at the door, turned around to look at Wen Bixuan, tossed the jade tube in her hand, and asked, "Should we show this to Qianyi?"

"Show it to that girl. If she doesn't know about her predecessor, she probably won't be able to concentrate on refining medicine..." Wen Bixuan waved her hand and said.

"Hey, your standards as an older sister are too high! I think Qianyi's alchemy skills are already quite good. She could easily be called the best in Jiezhou. Moreover, she often takes on alchemy orders outside to practice, providing a lot of funding for the alchemy department!" Qiu Qingzi said.

If other families had a seventh-level alchemist like that, they would worship her. Unlike them, they treat her like a beast of burden. Sometimes when she saw that girl with disheveled hair, she was afraid that Lin Ran would dislike her.

"I see Qingzi, you haven't been cultivating with me lately, have you?" Wen Bixuan said coldly.

"I have something to do, I'll be going now!"

As soon as Qiu Qingzi finished speaking, the figure disappeared, and the speed at which it ran even exceeded what it could achieve with its own strength.

“This Qingzi is getting more and more cunning…” Wen Bixuan shook her head with a light laugh. She glanced at the sky outside, then stepped out of the bamboo house and braved the heavy rain to head towards the deep mountains.

She needs to work harder to become stronger...

……

On a white beach in a mysterious space, two figures are engaged in a fierce battle, each wielding a strange longsword that has neither a sharpened edge nor a tip.

The longswords clashed together, producing a crisp sound and occasionally sparking fiercely. Together with the ebb and flow of the waves, they created a unique and rhythmic melody.

If you look closely, you'll see that these two are Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing, and they are carrying out their daily cultivation practice.

Shangguan Mengqing swung her Autumn Rain Sword, aiming straight for Lin Ran's right shoulder. This move was extremely sharp and caused Lin Ran's body to tense up. She tried to break the sword move, but found no way to counter it. So she blocked with her sword, pointing the tip diagonally, and stabbed Shangguan Mengqing in the lower abdomen.

Shangguan Mengqing was surprised that Lin Ran had such a brilliant idea. A smile flashed in her eyes, and she immediately retracted her longsword to block the attack.

With a sword strike, they exchanged blows. In just half a minute, they had already exchanged dozens of moves. Lin Ran was not a professional swordsman. Even though he had been guided by the Azure Spirit Sword Saint, his swordsmanship talent was still mediocre. Facing Shangguan Mengqing, who was performing better and better and whose sword moves were becoming more and more tricky and exquisite, Lin Ran could not stop the unstoppable momentum that was like a rainbow piercing the sun. His Autumn Rain Sword was knocked away and stuck upside down on the beach.

Meanwhile, Lin Ran's chest was being pointed at by another Autumn Rain Sword.

Shangguan Mengqing said softly, "You lost again. It seems you owe me another favor. This is so much, can you ever repay it?"

"You can insult my swordsmanship, but you can't insult my character. I'll definitely retaliate!" Lin Ran said angrily.

Shangguan Mengqing slung her longsword behind her back and teased, "With so many restrictions added, you still can't beat me? Old man, aren't you ashamed?"

"That's not fair! Next time you're not allowed to use your right hand; you can only use your left hand to wield the sword!" Lin Ran said shamelessly.

He refused to believe it; couldn't he beat Shangguan Mengqing just once?

“Okay, next time I’ll use my left hand to compete with you!” Shangguan Mengqing agreed readily. Sometimes it’s quite fun to tease an older man.

"Take a break, I'm exhausted!"

Lin Ran lay down on the white sand beach in a starfish position.

Seeing this, Shangguan Mengqing gracefully sat sideways on the white sand beach, quietly watching the waves repeatedly crashing against the shore, making her feel as if she had returned to that time, those years that absolutely changed the trajectory of her life...

"By the way, Mengqing, what is your current strength? Can you tell me?" Lin Ran turned to the side and took Shangguan Mengqing's small hand, asking.

Shangguan Mengqing turned her head, smoothed her hair which was being blown about by the sea breeze, and said, "What's wrong? Do you want to know? I'm afraid that telling you will undermine your confidence, and that you won't have the confidence to marry me."

"Then how about..."

Lin Ran wanted to do something reckless, but he quickly felt a chilling killing intent pointing directly at him, so he quickly changed his tune and said, "How could I not be confident? I said I'd marry you, and I definitely will!"

"Hopefully!"

Shangguan Mengqing gazed at the sea for a long while before calmly saying, "I've already reached the fifth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm, and soon I'll be at the sixth level..."

"No way, how could it be so fast?" Lin Ran was so shocked by this level of strength that he sat up straight immediately. He asked worriedly, "You haven't been practicing some kind of evil method, have you? Your strength has increased faster than I can drink water!"

Shangguan Mengqing punched Lin Ran in the chest expressionlessly and said coldly, "I haven't cultivated any evil methods. I have the blood of the Jade Tiger, so my advancement is very fast. In addition, the Mirror Moon Sacred Flame itself seals a large amount of energy. Conservatively speaking, I will only encounter a bottleneck after reaching the Saint Realm!"

"No ..."

Lin Ran's expression changed involuntarily. He had to reach the Saint Realm to catch up with the fairy and relive his old dream with her. With his talent, this was no joke!

"So, old man, keep up the good work! I'll be waiting for you in the Saint Realm!" Shangguan Mengqing patted Lin Ran on the shoulder, then quickly turned her head away, afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold back her laughter.

.....

158. A pair with perfect chemistry

Since learning about Shangguan Mengqing's true strength, Lin Ran couldn't help but feel like giving up. But Shangguan Mengqing, like a psychologist, saw through Lin Ran's thoughts and refused to give her any chance to slack off. In fact, she made Lin Ran cultivate for much longer each day than before, and Lin Ran rarely saw her.

Mu Shishuang is the most qualified to speak on this point. Normally, Lin Ran would take care of her breakfast and dinner, but now she can only see Lin Ran at dinner time. And every time she sees Lin Ran, Lin Ran looks completely exhausted.

Mu Shishuang, who had already become successful through reading countless books, couldn't help but feel sorry for Lin Ran. He was already quite old, yet he insisted on finding a woman who was much younger than him. Now he was being tormented so much, would he die?

If Lin Ran knew that Mu Shishuang had such thoughts, he might not be able to resist giving the girl a beating. He also wanted to torment the fairy's belly every day.

Unfortunately, he was constantly tormented by the fairy in various ways, getting beaten up in all sorts of ways. Despite having so many restrictions added, he still couldn't win. Occasionally, he would see a chance to win, but he wouldn't seize it, ending up with nothing to show for his efforts. He owed her so many favors that he had to fill several pages of his notebook with notes.

However, the fairy was not heartless; she would still give Lin Ran time to relax. After a few days of intense training, she would give Lin Ran a short half-day off.