The moment Huang Shi opened his eyes and felt the power coursing through his body, he felt intoxicated; it was like he could do anything he wanted to before and more.
In fact, Huang Shi had the distinct feeling that if the previous him fought the current him in a battle, the previous him would not even last five minutes before being forced to the edge of death.
He clenched his fist as crimson-colored lightning erupted from his body—not from his spiritual veins, but from his skin, which had just been refined by the Calamity Sunfyre Lightning.
All of a sudden, Huang Shi felt a shift in the air as the formation that had surrounded his body, keeping him trapped in place, disappeared, finally allowing him to move around.
Fuck... that damn dogshit formation is finally gone.
Huang Shi muttered in frustration as he then looked up and once more came face to face with the person who was responsible for this entire thing.
Bai Xinyue…
Truth be told, his feelings towards Bai Xinyue were a bit mixed as of the moment. It was true that the first time they met, he had felt fear towards her—not only because of the warning from the system that he had to be extra careful around her, but also because of her powerful cultivation base.
In fact, he still had no doubt that if she really wanted to, she could easily take his life without even batting an eyelid.
However, it seems that his impression of her had been a bit exaggerated. Even though Bai Xinyue had promised to grant him those three favors—four, if you count the free one—he never really expected her to do her best to achieve those favors.
In fact, based on his impression of her, he expected her to do the bare minimum of her responsibility and basically leave him to his own devices.
But clearly, that was not what she did. Not only did she send him to the equivalent of a cultivation miracle for him, but she had also properly done her job as his Dao Protector—not only making sure that he didn't die from his suicidal cultivation method but also healing and slightly strengthening his body each time.
She had done more than enough for him to be indebted to her, and having a favor being owed to a person so terrifying and mysterious at the same time truly made him feel a certain kind of way.
I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be happy that our so-called "favors" mean that we still have a connection with each other, or afraid that this connection of ours will one day lead to my death.
Huang Shi shivered; he still remembered the stern warning coming from the system, after all. He had only ever heard that kind of severe tone from it when he received his heavenly physique for the first time, when it forced him to stay awake through the process.
Bai Xinyue, seeing that Huang Shi wasn't saying anything and was just staring at her face, suddenly felt a sense of irritation as she spoke out in an annoyed tone.
"What? Is there something on my face? Or are you not grateful for what I did for you?"
The moment Huang Shi heard these words, all of the good feelings he had for the woman suddenly evaporated into thin air. He gritted his teeth, remembering all of the suffering he had experienced while being bombarded by the lightning.
Obviously, Huang Shi had chosen to completely ignore the fact that this entire thing was his decision to begin with and that it had eventually led to him successfully being able to cultivate the first level of the Calamity Lightning Sunfyre Body—totally not relevant to this conversation.
"Aigh, of course I thank the young miss for her benevolence, but couldn't the young miss truly not have used a slightly less potent talisman? You know, something that won't accidentally cause me to die?"
The moment Bai Xinyue heard these words, she quickly raised her eyebrows. She then pretended to be offended, clutching her chest and acting as if his words had hurt her, putting on an aggrieved expression.
"Huang Shi! I can't believe you are the type of person that would accuse me of such malicious deeds. Is this how your mother raised you?"
The moment Huang Shi heard Bai Xinyue's words, he suddenly panicked a bit. Anything related to his beloved Li Mei was a personal problem for him; after all, he didn't want people to think that his beloved was a terrible person.
And so, Huang Shi quickly shook his head like a rattle drum and spoke up in a high-pitched voice.
"Of course not! Of course I'm grateful to you, Young Lady Bai! If it wasn't for you, I probably would have died from that lightning by now and my cultivation would have stood at a standstill. Thank you very much for your help!"
The moment Huang Shi finished his words, he looked back up at Bai Xinyue, expecting her to be happy about his words. Yet, he suddenly felt a pit in his stomach when he saw her expression.
She was smiling—of course she was smiling. It was a very smug smile, like a person who had just successfully accomplished a scheme and was reveling in her victory.
Fuck... this woman scammed me!
Huang Shi felt humiliation bubble up within him at the realization that his emotions had been played with by this woman. His mind started going into overdrive, trying to think of a countermeasure.
Think... think... I can't keep letting this woman get away with this...
A spark suddenly erupted inside of his mind. His expression turned from one that was angry and aggrieved to a smile that was not really a smile.
"Aigh, Young Lady Bai, you acting all coy truly might have worked if your face didn't look as plain as it did. Maybe if you looked just a bit prettier, it would have had an even more marvelous effect."