— 2 Years Later —
"Look at this, Xue!"
SHA!
"Are you seeing this!? Look how awesome I am!"
SHA! SHA!
Linghua was practicing her sword techniques in the backyard of their mansion. She wanted to show off to Xue Ren but received cold indifference.
"T-This… My Xue, why won't you pay more attention to your big sister!?" Linghua whined while groveling at the feet of an adorable 3-year-old. "Even though I've reached the 4th Layer of Qi Condensation and become the #1 genius in the Sect, you still won't praise me…! Whyyy…!?"
Xue Ren gave no response. His gaze remained averted, with his mind elsewhere.
Tears began to well up in Linghua's eyes as she shouted, "Y-You big meanie!" before running off in the direction of her mother.
"That girl still giving you trouble, Little Xue?" Fang Ren appeared behind the expressionless toddler, laughing. "I would tell you to be nicer to her, but I wouldn't do that knowing what happened the last time you praised her for something."
*Flashback to a year prior*
"Nice stab," Xue Ren said apathetically while glancing up from his book.
"!!!"
"Little Xue, did you just say that you love me too!?" Linghua practically teleported next to him, her eyes shining and crazily spiraling at the same time. "You also want to spend every waking moment with me from now on!?"
"No… When did I say all that…?"
"It's okay, Little Xue, there's no need to be shy!" Linghua hugged him tightly, nearly suffocating him. "I can read your inner thoughts!"
"...."
For the next few months, Linghua rarely left Xue Ren's side. This made it extremely difficult to do well… anything…
'Never again,' he vowed to himself. 'Praising her is akin to self-harm.'
After that, Xue Ren kept to his word. Not a single word of praise ever left his mouth.
The only one unhappy with this development was Linghua, who, more than anything else in the world, just wanted the acknowledgment of her younger brother.
"You know, Son," Fang Ren said while patting his head. "Sometimes, I start to think that you're the reincarnation of some diligent old man. From the moment you could first talk and walk, you've mostly kept to yourself, immersed in your books. Even your facial expressions rarely change from that deadpan look you have on right now."
"It's as if you've already lived a more eventful life than I have," he joked. "But that's just absurd, isn't it?"
"...Yes…"
Xue Ren stared blankly at his father.
"How absurd that would be."
Fang Ren laughed as he patted him harder. "Even the way you talk is like that of an old man. You silly kid; you read too many books, already believing yourself to be an adult."
Xue Ren endured the hits without flinching, still unblinkingly staring at his father.
"Hey, stop doing that to our baby, you doofus!"
*Thwack!*
A slipper hit Fang Ren straight across the forehead, making him hold his head in pain.
"D-Dear, is there really a need to be so violent—"
"You want another one??" Lan Yue threatened while holding her second slipper.
"N-No…"
Instant folding!
'This father of mine really is a coward,' Xue Ren thought. 'He could use some training.'
"Aww, my baby boy!" Lan Yue buried him in the cavern between her breasts. "Did that mean, mean man hurt you anywhere??"
"...Hey, I'm the hurt one over here—"
"Shut your mouth."
Fang Ren felt a chill while looking at the scary expression his wife was making.
"Y-Yes ma'am…" he mumbled like a quiet church mouse.
'Father wears none of the pants in the household.'
Even Xue Ren felt a little bad for him.
However, right now, he was more concerned with the lack of oxygen coming into his lungs. Any longer and he might really pass over into the afterlife.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Lan Yue's devil-like glare quickly morphed into a loving one as she pointed to a mother and daughter coming over the hill. "Your playmate Mei Mei is here to see you again! I know how you like your alone time, but she seemed so excited to see you that I had no choice but to tell her it was okay."
Xue Ren turned to look at the cute 4-year-old girl walking up the hill holding her mother's hand. Even while so young, one could immediately tell that she would be a stunning beauty when she grew up.
But Xue Ren wasn't into kids. And neither did he want to play with one.
"Tell her to go away," he said apathetically. "Just say I fell into a pothole and died."
"Yeah, tell her to get lost, Momma!" Linghua pulled down an eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the approaching pair. "My Xue only has eyes for me anyhow!"
"Okay, I'm leaving now—"
Xue Ren tried to slip away while he had the chance, but his mother prevented him from doing so.
"Not today, mister." Lan Yue wagged her index finger at him, positioning him to face the now running girl. "Just look at her. You know you're her only friend, right? She absolutely adores you."
Silence…
"Fine," said Xue Ren, sighing. "But only a few hours at most. Last time, she took up almost my entire day. Lots of hours of reading were squandered."
"Alright, alright, Mr. Smarty Pants," replied Lan Yue. "I'll go inform Ji Ya right away. Make sure to be nice as well, Linghua dear."
— Next time on Spamming Fireball: Mei Mei, The Training Begins! —