Chapter 14: The return of the strong
Xie Junyan was livid as he stood along the corridor of his classroom. He was staring silently at his phone before sending Li Lei a text.
“Meet me after school!”
On the other hand, the infuriated Zhuang Meina could only stare grudgingly at Ling Yun’s figure as he ran the ninth round. The expression on her face was as if she had just lost a million dollars. Both of them felt as if they were had been a tight slap across their face by Ling Yun. One round? Four rounds? Ling Yun was already on his ninth round!
Back on the track.
There was a contingent of people chasing after Ling Yun, cheering and encouraging him on. The now emotional Ning Lingyu decided to join in as well. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Her emotional face showed that she was deeply worried about her brother’s health.
Big brother, please stop! You’ve done more than enough! You have won everyone’s heart! It’s okay to stop now! Ning Lingyu screamed in her heart as if hoping her thoughts would reach Ling Yun.
However, Ling Yun was fully aware and was in control of his movements. He could sense the spiritual energy in his body rapidly depleting and knew that it could only last him another three rounds. That would be the indication for him to stop running. Any further would no longer strengthen his body but would only cause more harm. Therefore, for now, it was imperative for him to continue running at a faster pace in order to exhaust all the spiritual energy. This was so that he could reach his goal. That being said, back in the Cultivation World, this level of body strengthening was a common sight. That was also why Ling Yun could not wrap his head around why his training would garner so much attention. He had hoped to keep a low profile but it was evident that he had failed to do so.
As Ling Yun reached his tenth round, he started to change his breathing pattern. He also switched the sandbag onto his right shoulder as he ran. Knowing that he was reaching the last leg of his run, Ling Yun decided to go all out, sprinting with all his might!
The tenth round.
The eleventh round.
Just as Ling Yun began his twelfth round, all the spiritual energy in his body was used up. Not even a single trace of it was left. As a result, he started gradually slowing down before completely stopping at the fifty-meter mark. All eyes were on Ling Yun. Many were waiting to see the aftermath of his run. Some were worried that Ling Yun would collapse while others thought that he would surely roll over and die from the fatigue. But, once again, they were treated to an unexpected sight.
A relaxed Ling Yun slowed down his footsteps to a natural halt. In no hurry at all, he removed the bag from his shoulder and held it in one hand. Even though his whole body was starting to tremble, he was still standing straight as an arrow! It was a sight for everyone to behold and for some, this scene was being etched into their mind.
“That was too awesome!”
“He is just too charming! And that elegant running form of his… if only he was slimmer. He would be my ideal man!” One of the lower-grade girls screamed with passion.
“You wish! Everyone knows that Ling Yun is only interested in our school Madonna! I bet all of this was to get her attention!” One of the friends replied.
“Yeah, I heard that Cao Shanshan took part in this wager too!”
The crowd was buzzing with chatter.
…
On the other hand, the man known as the Little Gambling God could only lower his head in defeat. Tang Meng’s savings had taken a serious blow. “What was I thinking? Setting the winning rate to twenty-fold? Now that Ning Lingyu is the sole winner, with her bet of 500 dollars, I’ll have to return her 10,000 dollars! It’s all over!” Tang Meng lamented.
“Hey wait a minute… Don’t tell me those two siblings planned this all along?” Tang Meng thought. Tang Meng despaired in the stands. It was too late. He felt like slamming his head against the wall. He was the one that started the bet and decided on the conditions. He was confident that he had a decent chance of winning and yet the impossible just had to happen.
*Ring* The bell signaling the start of the fourth period rang. The students in the field and stands slowly started dispersing back to class. A mixture of expressions could be seen on the faces of different students. Some were in awe while others were in shock and disbelief. For some, it was that of respect for Ling Yun. Everyone was so engrossed in their own discussions that only a few realized they were going to be late for class.
“With how things are, I should be able to strengthen my body by a level or two if I get lucky tonight!” Ling Yun spoke to himself as he regulated his breathing back to normal. With his body released of its tension, he dropped the sandbag onto the ground and sat down beside it.
As exhausted as he was, Ling Yun’s face was filled with joy. At that moment, a sweet voice spoke from behind him. “Brother…” Ling Yun turned around and was shocked when he saw Ning Lingyu. Was this his ‘self-proclaimed’ sister? Her beauty was dazzling, even for one such as Ling Yun who had seen all kinds of gorgeous beauties during his time in the Cultivation World. He had to admit that Ning Lingyu’s beauty was one of a kind.
With an adorable face, a curvy body and a sense of elegance, even Lin Menghan could not hold a candle to her! But then again, Ling Yun eyes had been focused solely on Lin Menghan’s chest and long legs yesterday. As such, he did not quite get a good look at her face.
Seeing how Ling Yun seemed to be in a daze as he stared at her, Ning Lingyu could not help but feel a sense of regret and self-reproach. How long had it been since she had called him ‘Brother’? “Hey, big brother, whats wrong? Are you bleeding?” Ning Lingyu panicked as she frantically ran to Ling Yun’s side. Seemingly not bothered by the stench of his sweaty body, the young lady was only focused on wiping away the blood stains on Ling Yun’s face with her handkerchief.
Looking at her tired and disheveled brother, Ning Lingyu could not help but ask him in a reproachful tone, “As much as you wanted to prove yourself, that was just too reckless! Do you even know how many rounds you ran?” However, Ling Yun was deaf to her words as he slowly moved closer to Ning Lingyu’s body. His eyes were unable to hide his astonishment.
An innate spiritual body?
To think that people with innate spiritual bodies exist on this planet! Ling Yun shouted in his mind.
An innate spiritual body was a special body constitution which was beyond rare even in the Cultivation World. If someone with such a constitution engages in self-cultivation, the training progress would be unimaginable. It was a body that even genius practitioners could only dream of in envy.
In disbelief, Ling Yun put his face even closer to Ning Lingyu’s body and gave it a deep sniff. He felt a trace of spiritual energy enter his body from the girl and he suddenly felt refreshed. The fatigue in his body was reduced.
Ning Lingyu in contrast, was oblivious to Ling Yun’s actions as she continued to wipe her brother’s face and chest clean of blood stains. The pretty girl only noticed what Ling Yun was doing after hearing no response from him despite her long rant.
Seeing how Ling Yun was only inches from her neck and the way he seemed to be sniffing her wildly, Lingyu’s face started flushing.
“Brother!” Ning Lingyu cried out in embarrassment. Even though they were siblings, such intimate contact was still a bit embarrassing for her.
“Look, I’m all sweaty from running three rounds with you but the smell will be gone after a bath.”
Lingyu was under the impression that Ling Yun had noticed her sweat smell. This was the reason her face was as red as an apple as she rushed to explain herself to her brother.
Realising that he had lost himself for a moment, Ling Yun’s face turn pinkish red as well. However, in his mind, he was practically on cloud nine. What a find! Even the Heavens are on my side! This little sister of mine is not only lovely but also possesses the innate spiritual body! It might just rain gold tomorrow!
Regaining his composure, Ling Yun sat up and spoke in a stern tone, “It’s lesson time. Why did you come here? Now hurry back to class, your brother is alright!” In return, Ning Lingyu feigned ignorance as she raised her hands to wipe away the remaining stains on her brother’s face.
Standing up with a cheeky smile, she replied, “Really? I should be the one saying that…” She stopped abruptly after realizing that she might hurt her brother’s pride. “Anyway, you’re the one that caused such a big commotion. How am I supposed to go to lessons with a peace of mind?” Ning Lingyu retorted.
Seeing how gentle and caring his beautiful sister was, Ling Yun could not help but soften his tone. He replied, “Of course I wanted to stay lowkey, but who knew that everyone here likes to make such a big fuss over nothing? All I did was run a few rounds with a sandbag…”
“How was that lowkey?” Ning Lingyu laughed wholeheartedly as her enchanting and seductive body shifted back and forth, enrapturing Ling Yun.
“Brother, how you were in the past was considered lowkey. It was so low that I wondered how you were even able to do it.” That was also why Ning Lingyu was so proud of her brother, so much so that she could die from happiness. For the first time, her brother had actually stood up and accomplished such an amazing feat.
Looking at the sandbag, Ning Lingyu asked, “I heard that that bag is 25 kilograms and that you actually ran with that for 4.4 kilometers! Everyone thought you were going to die!” As proud as she was of Ling Yun, she was also just as worried.
“Die? That ain’t my style!” Ling Yun immediately refuted.
Stunned, Ning Lingyu looked at her brother who looked the same, yet different as compared from the past. He seemed to be exerting a certain kind of temperament now,ne that she could not put a finger on.
Ling Yun’s hair was heavy from the sweat and sweat trails were all over his face. It looked as though he had just come out of the bath after three long years. Despite all these, Ning Lingyu could still feel it. Her brother was giving off a kind of unique vibe. It was soothing yet invigorating… A form of charisma. If only he could slim down… But I wonder, would his dimple still remain then? Ning Lingyu thought absentmindedly.
As time passed, Ling Yun rested and recovered by slowly absorbing the spiritual energy pervading from Ning Lingyu’s delicate body. This allowed him to recover seventy to eighty percent of his strength. All of a sudden, he felt a growl from his stomach. After such a run, anyone would be hungry.
Having finally decided to accept this sister of the deceased Ling Yun as his own, Ling Yun spoke, “I’m going to keep the sandbag before going for a bath. Let’s go for a feast in the afternoon! My treat!”
“Really?” Ning Lingyu’s face lit up with delight.
“Of course! Lying isn’t my style…” Ling Yun replied while stretching his sore body.
Ning Lingyu smiled again. She was overjoyed for her protector. The person that pampered and loved her the most. Her brother was back!
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