"Dad, use my card for lunch. I always take from you but never say thank you~~ 'A child wishes to provide, but the parents are no longer there'—I need to start showing my filial piety early. Time, slow down a little, don't let you grow old so fast~~" Bai Bufan began singing praises of fatherly love.
"Alright." Lin Li accepted without hesitation, then suddenly realized, "Wait, 'a child wishes to provide, but the parents are no longer there'—are you fucking saying I'm about to die?"
Ignoring whether holding his deskmate's hand while talking was gay or not, Bai Bufan eagerly continued, "Whether you die or not isn't important right now. What matters is when we're going on our adventure! I can't wait to let others taste my signature dishes and give them a Xiling-style surprise!
I've had enough of life at the Daoist Temple."
His so-called signature dishes were chicken rolls and fermented mung bean soup—purely and utterly authentic.
Lin Li shook off Bai Bufan's hand and waved dismissively. "I just said maybe. I don't even know which places in Xiling are still raising chickens—I need to look into it first. We'll act once I find the right spot."
"But Bufan, let me make this clear—I'm technically an informant now. Looking into this is actually part of a mission they assigned me." Lin Li first justified his actions with legal reasoning.
"When I take you there, our ultimate goal will still be to report them. I'm only bringing you along so you can experience what it's like to get caught—it's honestly quite thrilling. As for the forbidden experience you're after...
If you're not afraid of your family finding out, then given your age, and my connections, they'd probably just call your parents for a lecture instead of detaining you. It wouldn't be a big deal."
Lin Li analyzed the situation seriously.
"Heh, Father—no, no, no—your thinking is too narrow," Bai Bufan wiggled his index finger mysteriously. "Didn't you just tell your child that your superiors said, if it's an emergency, even if you really surrendered your weapon to Xiao Jing's mom last time, they'd still consider the situation and let you off?
So whether it's an emergency or not—isn't that up to us to decide?
Your past regrets—this time, as your son, I'll help you make up for them!
Even if the police come, I'll stand at your door and stop them! If they want to get past, they'll have to step over my dead body!"
Lin Li: "..."
You're really bringing up 'Xiao Jing's mom' in this conversation?
His son was quite smart—just not using his intelligence in the right way.
…Though, it did sound feasible.
But Lin Li quickly shook his head. "Bufan, if you're seriously planning on doing this, I'm not taking you."
Joking was one thing, but he wouldn't drag his buddy down the wrong path on purpose.
This wasn't like sneaking off to an internet café or getting into a schoolyard fight—it was a bit more serious than that.
If Bai Bufan ended up catching something or getting addicted, Lin Li would feel responsible.
Besides, if he led his fellow disciples there and they got devoured by Hehuan Cult demons, would his dumb system still consider the mission complete?
Not that this was his main concern, of course.
"Relax, I was just joking. I'm actually scared of catching something too. And I don't want to waste my first time in that kind of place." Bai Bufan laughed.
"Swear on your chicken rolls, then." Lin Li was a quick learner.
Bai Bufan: "..."
"You don't trust me?" Bai Bufan was offended.
"Mm-hmm. Swear on it."
"You know what kind of person I am—what was it again? Forgot the start, forgot the middle, forgot the end… Whatever, I'm still a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"Mm-hmm. Swear on it."
"Fine, fine. I swear. I, Bai Bufan…" This time, Bai Bufan actually finished the oath.
Of course, oaths were meant to be broken. Just like how Loshui was still a joke because of Sima, but between Bai Bufan and Lin Li, it wasn't like that.
Honestly, there was no need for an oath—Bai Bufan was just talking sht* this whole time.
Forget a fifteen-year-old Bai Bufan—most people in this world were curious about that kind of thing. But even if they knew where to go, only a handful would actually dare to go alone.
Humans need companionship.
One of the biggest sources of courage is having someone with you.
It's like when the teacher asks students who didn't do their homework to stand up.
If you're the only one standing? Your heart drops. F**, I'm dead.*
But if a whole group stands up? Heh, no big deal.
At the end of the day, this was illegal. If Lin Li really went through with it, Bai Bufan might hesitate and then follow along.
But if he was alone? Yeah, screw that.
Just imagining getting caught and being the only one in trouble scared the hell out of Bai Bufan.
"Just think of it as you treating me to a free foot massage." Bai Bufan nodded.
"Good enough. Wait for my signal—if I find a lead soon, we can go on our adventure this weekend." Lin Li nodded back, then stood up—there was only one minute left before class started.
"Since we've settled it, I gotta head to the office."
"Father, are you going to pre-register me on the whitelist so I won't really get caught? Damn, you're so well-connected." Bai Bufan was a little awestruck.
Being a police informant was seriously badass.
"So powerful."
"I'm going to the restroom." Lin Li didn't even look back.
"C you—" Bai Bufan paused for a second before cursing, then abruptly stopped.
Wait.
Lin Li was his father now.
Filial piety prohibits XP abuse.
…
"Until you confirm our adventure date, I'm back to being Bai Bufan, you fucking bastard." Bai Bufan stated blankly.
Their father-son bond officially disappeared at lunchtime—when Lin Li recreated his previous stunt of ordering five meat dishes without rice.
Lin Li sneered in disdain.
The two parted ways at the bottom of the teaching building, acting like complete strangers.
Bai Bufan went back to the dorm, while Lin Li, as a day student, had no choice but to return to the classroom.
If the monthly exams were approaching, the classroom would usually be full of students staying for self-study. But today, when Lin Li got back, there were only two—one boy, one girl—sitting in the front rows. He wasn't familiar with either of them.
"My memory really has improved…" Lin Li glanced at the passage the English teacher wanted him to memorize for the next class and tested himself. To his surprise, he recalled it perfectly.
At this moment, his memory had already increased by 100%.
Halfway through the fourth period in the morning, Lin Li received a system notification:
[Mission 3 Completed]
[Reward Acquired: Physical Enhancement – Memory +100%; System Currency 💵 50.]
However, just like with his Eight-Section Brocade training, this also unlocked a longer follow-up mission.
[If one wishes to wear down stone, persistence is key. Cultivation has no end. Once a step is taken, one can glimpse the wisdom of those before.]
[Six hours pass in the blink of an eye. Why not persist further in your pursuit of the Dao?]
[Mission 3: Attend lectures from sect elders, stewards, or guardians and study diligently for a total of 24 hours.]
[Reward: Physical Enhancement – Comprehension +10%; Memory +100%; Random Martial Art * 1.]
The new requirement was four times as long, but the rewards were solid.
His comprehension would increase by 10%—which probably meant getting 10% smarter. Not bad.
And studying was no big deal—if he wasn't in class, he had nothing better to do anyway.
If he kept up this pace, he could finish the mission in two weeks.
This system was really pushing for both academic excellence and vice dens.
A true balance of body and mind.