Chapter 142: Smoothly Leaving Seclusion, Inviting Ye Chenjing to Come Inside and Sit

I don't know how long it had been, but Lin Meng went from screaming in pain to finally feeling numb, her lips bitten raw, and her whole body bruised black and blue from rolling around, looking utterly miserable.

But she could no longer think about anything else; she had never felt such pain before, not even when hit by a car.

If this training room hadn't been remodeled with excellent soundproofing, her initial pig‑like howls would surely have drawn attention.

Finally the pain faded; Lin Meng was already exhausted, unable to move, lying still where she fell, devoid of will to live.

Just then, the effects of the marrow‑washing and tendon‑cleansing began to show.

Lin Meng suddenly felt warm all over; a cool, refreshing sensation rose from her repeatedly tempered meridians and bones, soothing the pain she had just felt.

How miserable she had been just moments ago, now she feels just as comfortable!

Lin Meng couldn't help but squint her eyes in enjoyment, then she sat up straight and activated the Refining Qi Technique to guide her spirit power vessel.

The next second, her cultivation bottleneck broke through without warning, reaching the Second Layer of Qi Refining.

After circulating her qi a few cycles, the tempering effect finally subsided; Lin Meng slowly opened her eyes, and before she could feel happy for even a few seconds, she discovered her body covered in filth, sour and stinking.

"Is this the impurity expelled from my body after tempering?"

I never expected the book's description to be completely true—tempering really does need to be done in a secluded place, otherwise it's easy to suffer social death.

Prepared mentally, Lin Meng was only surprised for a moment, then calmly took a shower to cleanse all the filth.

Her biggest feeling now is that her whole body feels incredibly light, a comfort she has never known.

It's like having a stuffed nose for ages, then suddenly one day it's completely clear—breathing in with no obstruction, able to reach the top of her head, that kind of relief!

Lin Meng didn't become arrogant because of this; instead she stayed home, carefully sensing and adapting to her new body.

Her athletic ability has naturally increased significantly—for example, she can now easily jump high enough to reach a ceiling over four meters tall with a casual hop.

A casual bounce lets her leap a considerable distance.

Her agility has improved somewhat beyond its previous level; now even against professional thugs she can easily dodge their attacks.

Besides that, her Second Layer of Qi Refining cultivation also gave her heightened senses.

Although she still falls far short of clairvoyant hearing and wind‑ear, at least the saying 'walls have ears' now holds true for her.

For example, right now, if she listens carefully she can hear someone passing outside the villa.

Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Lin Meng's expression flickered; she guessed it must be Ye Chenjing, so she left the training room.

Ye Chenjing habitually, upon returning home, would come by Lin Meng's place to take a turn, pressing the doorbell in case she was home and willing to open the door.

After pressing it twice he lowered his hand, having expressed his thought for the day; seeing the door still silent, Ye Chenjing knew he would be disappointed again tonight.

But as he turned around, the sound of the door opening came from behind him, and immediately he heard the voice he had been longing for.

"General Manager Ye, it really is you—coming to knock at this late hour, is there something urgent?"

Ye Chenjing's face lit up with a hint of surprise and joy; before turning, he glanced at the sky—the moon was perfect—and he could again see the person he had been yearning for, destined to sleep well tonight.

Ye Chenjing turned to face Lin Meng, having composed his expression excellently, and spoke softly:

"My grandfather grew the leeks himself and wrapped some dumplings, wanting to let you try them."

Lin Meng blinked; it was just leek dumplings, nothing special to a country girl like her.

But for a noble family like the Ye clan, an elder having the leisure to grow his own vegetables is indeed considered a good thing, and sharing it naturally shouldn't spoil the mood.

So Lin Meng spread her hands and smiled at Ye Chenjing.

"Please thank your grandfather for me—where are my dumplings?"

She had already seen Ye Chenjing's hands empty; hearing this, he instantly felt a bit embarrassed, a faint blush rising on the tips of his ears.

"Sorry, I didn't bring them; I'll go get them for you right now."

It was rare to see Ye Chenjing flustered; Lin Meng, already in a good mood, found his fleeing back increasingly amusing, and she burst out laughing involuntarily.

Her hearty laugh reached Ye Chenjing's ears; he couldn't help but slow his steps, wanting to hear more.

At some point Ye Chenjing had opened his thin lips in a wide grin, revealing two rows of white teeth, a smile more open‑hearted than he had ever shown.

If anyone familiar with him saw his smile now, they would surely be astonished, then relieved.

This Ye family heir, since his parents passed away when he was ten, has rarely shown a smile on his face, let alone such a heartfelt, open‑hearted one.

The leek dumplings became Lin Meng's night snack; she was also unusually in high spirits, and invited Ye Chenjing to come inside and sit.

"Please have a seat, General Manager Ye; I have no coffee or tea leaves, so I can only offer you a soft drink."

Ye Chenjing normally doesn't drink carbonated beverages, but since Lin Meng gave it to him, he made an exception and took several sips.

Lin Meng knew Ye Chenjing wasn't good at small talk, so she broke the awkwardness by bringing up a topic.

"I've been in closed‑door cultivation these past few days; has anything major happened outside?"

Ye Chenjing caught the word 'closed‑door cultivation'; adding to that, Lin Meng had earlier remodeled the villa's basement into a suspicious‑sized training room, so a big question mark appeared in his mind.

But he was tactful and didn't ask, knowing Lin Meng disliked others probing her privacy; if he overstepped and made her uncomfortable, she might never let him visit again.

So Ye Chenjing pretended he hadn't heard the term 'closed‑door cultivation', thought for a moment, and said:

"Do you still remember Director Chiang of Li Shi? Yesterday he contacted me saying the International Stone Gambling Convention has been postponed, because a mysterious mineral vein was unearthed in an uninhabited area, and many jewelry tycoons and stone‑gambling masters have already headed there."

Lin Meng raised an eyebrow, not taking it to heart.

Lin Meng's entry into the stone‑gambling world was purely accidental; she had originally wanted to train her mental power, but ended up making some money from stone gambling by a twist of fate.

But for her now, stone gambling is no longer on her mind.

The new betting pool will inevitably draw various factions into covert rivalry, and she doesn't want to get involved.

Seeing Lin Meng not respond, Ye Chenjing knew she had lost interest in stone gambling, so he brought up something else.

Someone from the Fang family has been investigating you, but after the blessing ceremony they stopped; on the contrary, several other aristocratic families have begun covertly investigating you.

Lin Meng didn't care; she curled the corner of her mouth and gave Ye Chenjing a teasing look.

"You must have investigated me too, right?"

Ye Chenjing's face fell into an awkward expression; he dared not argue and gave a solemn nod.

Hmm, sorry.

"It's fine." Lin Meng said with a smile:

I suddenly appeared in the sight of the aristocratic circles; being investigated is unavoidable. Since our two families still have the childhood engagement, it's not strange for you to investigate me.

So, did you find anything special?

Ye Chenjing's expression stalled, looking at Lin Meng, he said cautiously:

You like burning paper money for your grandfather; you're the most superstitious young person I've ever seen.

Lin Meng: "..."