C2 The Stupidest Host in History!(2)

Qin Hao's heart was still too tender; he even provided an antidote, unworthy as he was to know it.

After all, with no proof of Lin Xiuxiu's poisoning, who could say it was Zhang Lin Xiao's doing?

Elder Leng wouldn't be able to figure it out, would he?

Lin Xiao produced the antidote, uncapped it, and poured it onto the ground. "I want you to experience the most excruciating pain in the world.

This bottle contains the antidote. I want you to know that, and then I'm going to destroy it right before your eyes!"

"You're heartless!" Lin Xiuxiu's face was already flushed with heat, a clear sign the poison was taking effect.

Quickly, her whole body grew hot, her cheeks reddening like a perfectly ripe red apple.

"Give me the antidote, please. I'm begging you, I'm in pain, I feel terrible..." Lin Xiuxiu's eyes were desperate as she gazed at Lin Xiao.

Unmoved, Lin Xiao shook his head.

"You're merciless. I won't forgive you, even in death. I want to see your face! I'll drag you to hell with me!" Lin Xiuxiu raged.

Lin Xiao removed his black cloth.

Take a good look.

It doesn't matter.

You're going to be dead soon anyway.

"Remember me, just as I have remembered Ye Chen. I won't forget in this lifetime or the next," Lin Xiao said calmly, before re-covering his face with the cloth.

"I recognize you, Lin Xiao. You're a good man. The Outer Sect is abuzz with how well you treat female cultivators. Please, save me. Let's pretend nothing happened today, okay?" Lin Xiuxiu implored.

But Lin Xiao shook his head again.

He had pleaded just like that in his past life when he was rendered powerless.

He had begged Lin Xiuxiu, claiming his innocence, but her cold indifference that day was unbearable!

"I can't take it anymore! I just can't!"

Suddenly, Lin Xiuxiu broke free from her bindings.

Lin Xiao was startled. With only the Qi Training First Layer, where did Lin Xiuxiu get such a surge of spiritual energy?

It's important to note that the hemp rope binding him was provided by Qin Hao. Without having reached at least the Fifth Layer of Qi Training, there was no escaping its grasp.

"Lin Xiao, I despise you!" Lin Xiuxiu lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him in a sudden embrace.

"What's gotten into you?"

"This poison seems off, doesn't it?"

"Hey, cut it out! Stop tugging at my clothes. It's freezing, and I'll catch a cold!"

...

...

Following their tumultuous encounter, Lin Xiuxiu slowly regained her composure. However, the sight of the disarray around her reignited her anguish. After a fleeting moment of peace, she could no longer contain her pain and charged at Lin Xiao with a vengeance.

"Back off!" Lin Xiao straightened his attire and shoved her aside.

It was bizarre. Now, pushing Lin Xiuxiu away was effortless, but moments ago, it was impossible. She had been like a ravenous beast, her strength seemingly boundless as she overpowered Lin Xiao.

"Damn, there's something wrong with this poison. It's not meant for killing. Looks like I'll have to finish you off myself. If you live, I die." The glint of a dagger peeked from Lin Xiao's sleeve.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to act, he heard Lin Xiuxiu's tearful voice. "Lin Xiao, listen well. Do you know why someone at the mere First Layer of Qi Training like me is valued by Elder Leng? I'll tell you, my background is significant! Ye Chen is nothing more than a bodyguard sent to protect me. And one more thing, you're doomed! You've insulted me! I demand retribution a hundredfold!"

Lin Xiao's gaze turned frostier by the second.

The greater Lin Xiuxiu's influence, the more resolute he needed to be.

But just then, the door burst open.

Lin Xiao turned, only to find Lee Si's shadow had vanished.

The newcomer was Ye Chen, accompanied by Chung Tong, a disciple under Elder Leng from the Inner Sect.

Inner Sect disciples must meet one crucial criterion: achieving the Foundation Stage.

Chung Tong had been at the Foundation Stage for years, his formidable presence suffocating Lin Xiao.

And Ye Chen's aura alone was potent enough to give Lin Xiao a run for his money.

"Miss, are you alright? We had agreed to meet in the library. I waited a long time for you and never expected an accident to occur. I failed to protect you," Ye Chen approached, his voice tinged with guilt.

"Get lost!"

Lin Xiuxiu's brows knitted together in a slight frown.

"Miss?" Ye Chen had never seen his mistress so enraged. An odd tension filled the air.

What had happened?

"Why didn't you come sooner?!" Lin Xiuxiu's voice was hollow with despair.

"I did wait for a long time. When you didn't show up, I started looking for you. If I hadn't asked Elder Leng for help, I wouldn't have even known to come here," Ye Chen explained, a note of helplessness in his voice.

"Hehe, this dilapidated place is deserted. I've looked everywhere, and it seemed only here remained. Luckily, I found Junior Sister Lin," Chung Tong said with a chuckle. "Seeing Junior Sister Lin safe, with cheeks flushed like peach blossoms, I knew you were alright—more than alright, healthier than most."

"Say one more thing, and believe me, I'll have Elder Leng banish you!" Lin Xiuxiu snapped, her anger flaring.

Chung Tong, unsure of his misstep, could only offer a sheepish grin. His master had instructed him to always accommodate Lin Xiuxiu, and he understood that she was no ordinary person.

After all, given his master's aloof nature, he wouldn't take an interest in a girl who was merely at the Qi Training First Layer.

"Scared now?"

"Keep up that arrogance!"

"Hit me!"

Lin Xiuxiu's eyes narrowed, and Lin Xiao instinctively stepped back.

He wasn't afraid of Lin Xiuxiu, but seeing Ye Chen's panic struck a chord of fear in him.

He kept retreating until his back hit the wall.

"Examine this. There's an antidote on the floor. Find out what's in it!" Lin Xiuxiu commanded Ye Chen.

She needed to know the nature of the drug that had wronged her and tainted her purity.

"I'll handle this. I'm quite familiar with pharmacology."

Seizing the chance to impress Lin Xiuxiu, Chung Tong picked up the antidote from the ground, inspecting and sniffing it. His face suddenly turned grave. "Lin, Junior Sister Lin, did you ingest this?"

Lin Xiuxiu shook her head, puzzled. "What's the matter?"

Chung Tong exhaled in relief. "This isn't an antidote; it's lethal poison that causes heart failure upon ingestion! You're lucky you didn't take it. I wonder who was so 'generous' to concoct such a deadly substance and then scatter it around."

Lin Xiuxiu was at a loss for words.

So was Lin Xiao.

At that moment, Lin Xiao was sweating bullets.

In his past life, Lin Xiuxiu hadn't even ingested the poison before Ye Chen showed up. He had no idea that the supposed antidote was the real poison, which had disastrously led to him losing his virginity...

How cruel!

Unbelievably cruel!

He had sorely underestimated Qin Hao's tactics!

Handing him the actual poison was a ploy to kill Lin Xiuxiu and then pin the blame on him!

What was he to do?

Lin Xiuxiu was out for his blood, and Qin Hao probably wanted him dead as well!

"Ding!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Lin Xiao's mind.

"The most foolish host in history, you've been reborn for years and only now have you activated me. Congratulations on binding the Supreme Merit Salvation System. By neutralizing the lethal poison and rescuing Lin Xiuxiu, you've earned ten Merit Points! The item bar is now active. Please redeem your Merit Points within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. After that, any unused Merit Points will be erased."

Lin Xiao didn't bother to question this miraculous turn of events and focused on the item bar in his mind.

He was astonished by what he found.

There it was—the Great Recovery Pill that could even impress Qin Hao, available for just one Merit Point!

His gaze darted over the options.

He skipped past the assortment of cultivation methods and pills, fixating on the cultivation levels. Qi Training Ninth Layer for five Merit Points, Early Stage of Foundation for ten, Middle Stage of Foundation for a hundred...

Wait a minute.

"I'm at the Foundation Stage! I've reached the Foundation Stage!" Lin Xiao's inner voice thundered with excitement.

Soon after, he felt a surge of strength flood his body, a power he had never known in his entire life.

In his past life, when his cultivation had only reached the Qi Training Third Layer, he had prematurely bid farewell to the joy of cultivation.

As Lin Xiao underwent his transformation, Lin Xiuxiu's gaze shifted like the unpredictable winds and clouds, constantly changing.

"Why did he save me?"

"Could all the rumors about Lin Xiao be true? That he's the kindest to female cultivators, both thoughtful and gentle?"

"But then why did he strike me? It really hurt..."