Afterward.

  Xia Li and Lin Ye chatted while continuing to wait. Not long after Lin Qi, another person came forward.

  This time it was a graceful young woman with quite beautiful features.

  "Lin Ye... you should leave quickly. You really shouldn't have come."

  "Also, don't drag your friend into this."

  The young woman's expression carried worry. After warning Lin Ye, she also glanced at Xia Li—she didn't seem to be looking for trouble.

  "Sun Yue, my affairs are none of your concern."

  "But..."

  "I don't need your self-righteous reminders!"

  Lin Ye's attitude was terrible. Sun Yue bit her lip upon hearing this, her expression quite dejected as she turned and left. She didn't even try to explain herself.

  Witnessing this scene, Xia Li tactfully didn't ask about their relationship. That Sun Yue must have done something to wrong Lin Ye.

  But though Xia Li didn't ask, Lin Ye looked at him and spoke up himself.

  "She's my childhood sweetheart. Sun Family's direct bloodline. She was willing to be close to a bastard son like me—she actually hasn't wronged me..."

  "I just don't want to drag her down."

  Lin Ye had the urge to confide. Keeping many things bottled up made him uncomfortable, but he'd never had a close friend before.

  "You're right. She looks like the type who'd act impulsively if she knew the truth."

  Xia Li glanced around. Many people were whispering, and some were repeatedly sizing up Lin Ye with hostile expressions.

  Those were probably Sun Family people.

  The Sun Family certainly didn't want to see Sun Yue getting too close to Lin Ye.

  Before long...

  Another woman approached on her own initiative. This one was even more beautiful and spirited than Sun Yue.

  Xia Li was starting to feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. Lin Ye was way too much of a trouble magnet. Being around Lin Ye was practically asking to share his aggro.

  "Brother Lin Ye, impressive—I knew you wouldn't miss this opportunity. Whether you can beat Lin Yu flat is all on you."

  The young woman's tone was relaxed, showing no distance from Lin Ye at all. Lin Ye's demeanor improved considerably as well.

  "Xiao Ge, what are you doing here?"

  "Of course I had to come. My grandfather's old eyes are dim, favoring Lin Yu of all people. I don't like that guy. If I hadn't come, you'd have trouble passing."

  With that, the young woman turned to look at Xia Li.

  "You're Brother Lin Ye's friend, right? Hello, I'm Lin Ge."

  Lin Ge smiled and extended her hand toward Xia Li—clearly intending to use a handshake greeting to show goodwill.

  After all, being brave enough to befriend Lin Ye required some courage.

  "Hello, I'm Xia Li."

  Xia Li extended his left hand to shake Lin Ge's, but Lin Ge immediately withdrew hers.

  "If you're going to use your left hand, then let's just forget it."

  Displeasure flashed in Lin Ge's eyes. This left Xia Li utterly baffled—was there some significance to handshakes?

  So Xia Li immediately looked to Lin Ye, hoping for an explanation.

  "Brother Xia, you didn't know?"

  "Know what?"

  "Handshake etiquette. Left hand means distance, unwillingness to befriend. Right hand means closeness."

  "I... really didn't know. Sorry, sorry."

  Xia Li immediately smiled and apologized, then extended his right hand again. Seeing this, Lin Ge also reached out once more.

  Their hands clasped, and Lin Ge immediately noticed something was off.

  The texture was wrong!

  Cold, hard, no blood flowing—only powerful spiritual energy coursing through.

  "Though I did have a reason for extending my left hand first. I imagine Miss Lin already knows."

  "Your right hand... is a prosthetic?"

  "Yes. So for me, shaking with my real left hand is actually the sign of closeness."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Then it seems I misunderstood. I apologize."

  Lin Ge nodded slightly while secretly applying pressure to probe Xia Li's true strength—not just anyone was qualified to be Lin Ye's friend.

  Though she also bore the Lin surname as a Lin Family member, she'd grown up in Lingxu Cave Heaven. Besides blood ties, she really wasn't familiar with the Lin Family at all.

  Of all the Lin Family members, Lin Ye was the only one she found agreeable. After all, Lin Ye's bloodline purity was genuinely the Lin Family's number one.

  Unfortunately, Lin Ye didn't dare reveal it—exposure meant death with no burial ground.

  "Hm?"

  Soon, Lin Ge detected something unusual. Spiritual artifacts of unknown function were operating throughout nearly all of Xia Li's body.

  What Dao was this?

  Mechanical arts? Puppet Dao?

  No, neither...

  Unheard of, absolutely unheard of!!

  "Big Brother Xia, there's something interesting about you. Even that Golden Core of yours—is that really a Golden Core?"

  "How interesting, so very interesting!"

  Lin Ge suddenly gripped Xia Li's hand tighter, eyes full of curiosity, eager to learn the mysteries hidden within Xia Li.

  What power had forged those internal spiritual artifacts spread throughout his body?

  "What? Brother Xia has a Golden Core inside? But isn't Brother Xia at Foundation Establishment?"

  Lin Ye immediately looked at Xia Li with shock. Xia Li was actually Golden Core realm?

  But...

  But...

  No matter how he looked, Xia Li was Foundation Establishment!

  "I do have a pseudo-core in my dantian. Just adds a bit of self-defense capability—nothing remarkable."

  "Also... Miss Lin Ge, I'd appreciate if we could maintain some distance."

  Xia Li furrowed his brow. This behavior of probing him right off the bat was extremely annoying.

  He could defend against remote divine sense probing, but he couldn't block direct probing through physical contact. He hadn't learned any related counter-detection techniques.

  The Divine Sense Intrusion Defense Chapter didn't have methods for blocking physical contact probing.

  "I apologize for my earlier rudeness. But what if I don't want to keep my distance? I want to have an in-depth exchange with you."

  Lin Ge gripped Xia Li's prosthetic even harder, not letting him pull his hand back.

  "Xiao Ge, stop! And apologize to Brother Xia!!"

  Seeing this, Lin Ye grew anxious and hurried forward to separate them. Lin Ge simply shot Lin Ye a glare.

  "You don't want to enter Lingxu Cave Heaven?"

  "I..."

  "Brother Lin Ye, I'm just curious about your friend. I hope he can become my friend too."

  "Xiao Ge, you've gone too far. If I can't enter, then I won't!"

  Lin Ye ignored Lin Ge's warning and stepped in front of her, forcefully pushing her away.

  Lin Ge immediately raised her hands, putting on an innocent expression as she played pitiful.

  "Don't be like that. It's not a big deal. I admit I was a bit rude, but my apologies are always very sincere."

  With that.

  Lin Ge suddenly moved close to Xia Li. Some peculiar force instantly bound Xia Li, rendering him immobile.

  Xia Li could only watch helplessly as Lin Ge leaned in and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

  "Sorry, won't happen again. Of course, if you're willing to let me be presumptuous next time, I have even more sincere apologies."

  Lin Ge smiled slyly like a fox, then left immediately without giving Xia Li time to react.

  Only after Lin Ge had disappeared into the distance did Xia Li feel the binding force release.

  "Brother Lin, your cousin... why was she coming for me?!"

  Xia Li was completely bewildered. He'd thought this was a touching family moment between Lin Ye and his cousin—never expected the other party to shamelessly ambush him!