Feeding by the elder sister

[Xiao Yuer is worried about you, Reputation +3000]

In the hospital.

Shen Tianling felt as if heavy weights were pressing down on his eyelids. It took considerable effort just to slowly open them.

Through his hazy vision, he saw a graceful figure quietly sitting at the bedside. The girl’s delicate hands were trembling slightly as they tightly held the boy’s hand.

“Ah Ling, you’re awake? Are you still feeling unwell?” Seeing her younger brother wake up, Xiao Yuer finally let out a breath of relief. Her hands slowly lowered as she handed him a cup of water.

“Thank you.” Shen Tianling took the cup, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Xiao Yuer’s slightly swollen, reddened eyes.

“…I’m sorry.”

“How long was I out?”

“Six hours,” Xiao Yuer replied.

“So… it’s just six in the evening?”

“Mm. Once the doctor finishes the discharge procedures, I’ll cook dinner at home for you.”

Shen Tianling nodded.

He’d been unconscious for six hours?

He clenched his fists.

The power in his body had clearly increased—he could feel it tangibly.

He even tested his ability to cultivate, confirming that there were no lingering effects before turning to Xiao Yuer.

Her mood was obviously off.

“Sis… I made you worry again.” Shen Tianling scratched his head awkwardly. “I—I just wanted to grow stronger. My current physical stat has already reached 5.5.”

Smack—

A crisp, loud slap rang out.

Shen Tianling’s cheek turned red. He looked at his teary-eyed sister, unsure what to say.

“…Still mad?” he asked meekly.

“Ah Ling, have you ever thought about how I feel?” Xiao Yuer choked up. “What would I tell Uncle Shen and Auntie Shen if something happened to you?”

“I get that you want to become stronger. That’s a good thing. But you can’t just throw your body away like this!”

“I don’t need you to protect me. You have me to protect you!”

“You’re all I have left! You’re my only family!”

“I became a martial artist so our lives could get better. I just want you to live safely and happily!”

“I’ll take care of everything.”

[Xiao Yuer is frightened—she’s afraid of losing you. Reputation +1500]

Shen Tianling’s eyes softened.

All these years, how much pressure had Xiao Yuer endured alone?

He knew.

When she hadn’t awakened any exceptional talents years ago, things had been unbelievably hard.

She’d had to raise a younger brother while barely eighteen herself—still just a girl.

Unlike her peers, she couldn’t focus solely on cultivating.

She had to work to survive.

Sparring partner, private swordsmanship coach—any job she could find, she took.

Once, a classmate saw her working one of those jobs and asked:

“Xiao Yuer, why aren’t you focusing on training? Why are you working so hard to earn money?”

Xiao Yuer had only smiled in silence.

Why?

How else was she supposed to support herself—and her brother?

All the hardship, all the pain—only Xiao Yuer knew.

Everyone saw the girl who awakened an SSS-grade talent at eighteen.

No one saw the life she’d lived before that.

“Big sis,” Shen Tianling said quietly, “I want to be strong—at least strong enough that only you can be stronger than me.”

He reached out and gently wiped the tears from her eyes, saying no more.

When he made up his mind, he never went back on it.

“Okay,” Xiao Yuer nodded.

“Once you’re discharged, I’ll take you to the martial training chamber,” she said, gently cupping his cheek. “Even though I don’t know why you’ve changed so much lately—from scoffing at martial artists to now being so determined…”

“Whatever it is, I’ll always, always support you.”

Linhai South Lake District, Zone 1.

As the most upscale villa community in Haidian District, each property took up a massive amount of land.

The martial chamber Xiao Yuer mentioned was located right here.

Three floors above ground, over 800 square meters in area, with a 500-square-meter garden and over 1,000 square meters of underground space.

The martial chamber was the entire underground floor.

After Xiao Yuer used facial recognition to open the villa’s main gate, Shen Tianling followed her inside—still stunned.

“This villa was loaned to me by my teacher,” Xiao Yuer explained. “I use it for training and refining techniques.”

“Oh, and there’s one other person who often comes here too.”

“She’s my junior sister, Su Wanrou.”

“Mm,” Shen Tianling responded.

Wanrou, Zao-rou, Wu-rou—whatever.

He didn’t know her, and as long as their paths didn’t cross, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

They took the elevator down to the first basement floor.

Standing inside the martial training chamber, Shen Tianling looked around.

The chamber was over 800 square meters and spotless.

There were tons of training machines—so many it bordered on excessive.

Even something like a pull-up bar had five different variants for different grips and postures.

Besides the basics, there were force measurement machines, speed tracks, vitality and energy sensors, spiritual scanners, holographic projectors—even a premium Tianxing-brand coffee machine.

Xiao Yuer walked up to the AI terminal and initiated a new facial recognition setup for Shen Tianling. A light scanned his face in detail.

After a few moments, she said, “Alright. Now you’ll be able to use facial recognition to access the martial chamber anytime.”

“This is the dedicated AI system—it’s called ‘Pigeon.’ It manages training regimens, nutritional plans, and more. You can ask it anything.”

“Greetings, Master. I am Teacher Pigeon. It’s a pleasure to serve you,” a male voice rang out.

In the current era of the Seven-Star Alliance, artificial intelligence was not some far-off dream.

It was deeply embedded in daily life—answering calls, surfing the net, or even managing a smart villa like this.

Wake-up calls, cooking, watering plants—it could do it all.

“Ah Ling, here’s a first-tier mental source fluid and a vitality enhancement fluid,” Xiao Yuer said, handing him two vials. “They boost your spirit and physical attributes. Just remember—never take them at the same time.”

Shen Tianling accepted the vials and quickly noticed they looked exactly the same as the second-tier versions he’d taken before—aside from the tier marking.

“…What happens if you take both at once?” he asked.

“You’ll die,” Xiao Yuer said bluntly. “The two potent energies will violently clash. Best-case scenario: your meridians rupture.”

“Hah? That bad?” Shen Tianling murmured.

This damn system.

Couldn’t even give a warning about something so important?

Trying to kill him for real.

But he was lucky—ridiculously lucky.

After taking both together… he only slept six hours and came back full health.