Inferiority complex stemming from appearance

Hang City.

Early in the morning, Lin Zhaodi excitedly pushed open Su Ming's door.

By the time Su Ming reacted, Lin Zhaodi had already thrown herself into his arms, her little face nuzzling against his chest.

"Brother Su, I did it! I've reached the Longevity Realm now! You can't lie to me!"

From the moment Lin Zhaodi began Cultivating until now, it had only been twenty-five days.

To go from the Mortal Realm to the Longevity Realm in such a short time was enough to make the Geniuses of the Qianyuan Continent blush with shame.

Of course, Su Ming's contribution was no small part of this.

From the moment she seriously began to Cultivate, Su Ming's supply of resources had never stopped.

The combination of internal effort and external support smoothly allowed this Little Girl to step into the Longevity Realm within a month, also allowing Su Ming to complete the task assigned by the System.

"Of course I won't lie to you. When the Treasure Pavilion arrives, I'll take you there and even allow you to pick one thing you like."

Su Ming wasn't the kind of boss who only made empty promises. Since Lin Zhaodi had completed the task, he would naturally keep his word.

"Hmm?" Su Ming suddenly looked towards the neighboring room.

Just a moment ago, he sensed that Su Yingluo's cultivation had also Broken Through a minor Realm. She had now reached the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm, not far from the Longevity Realm.

"Was she spurred on?" Su Ming wondered, stroking Lin Zhaodi in his arms.

The latter immediately looked up at him: "Brother, I've Cultivated to the Longevity Realm. Does that mean I don't have to Cultivate for a while now? Will you take me out to play?"

This was the first time Su Ming had seen Lin Zhaodi's face.

This young girl who had been following him and calling him brother for over a month was actually not good-looking. Combined with the large red birthmark on her face, she could even be called ugly.

But she didn't seem to care about this at all; her eyes held only a yearning for her future life.

"Brother, can we, please? I've really, really worked very hard Cultivating this whole time. Let's just go out and play for a little while."

This wasn't false.

That day, Su Ming had bought a packet of pastries after returning from the city lord's manor. In the end, he discovered that Lin Zhaodi had never left her room, so he gave the pastries to the children on the street.

Su Ming looked at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and pinched her nose: "In light of your hard work, once Yingluo finishes Cultivating, I'll take you both out."

She paid no mind to Su Ming's action, instead happily exclaiming: "Yay, brother is the best!"

But she immediately realized something, her little mouth opening slightly as she looked at Su Ming in disbelief: "Brother Su, you... your eyes..."

"My eyes can see now. Is there a problem?"

"Ah!!" Lin Zhaodi's expression instantly changed. She then let out a cry, covered her face, and ran out.

"This girl..."

Su Ming shook his head helplessly. He had already guessed why Lin Zhaodi had acted this way.

It wasn't that she didn't care about her appearance. It was just that what she cared about wasn't the gaze of others, but the gaze of the person closest to her.

No wonder, even though he had allowed her to go out alone, she always found excuses to have him accompany her.

Originally, Su Ming thought it was just Lin Zhaodi's habit of clinging to him, but now it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

Only when she was by his side did she have the courage to face the outside world's stares.

The smile on her face couldn't hide the inferiority in her heart.

So Su Ming chased after her. Following her aura, he found her hiding on the bed, wrapped up in the quilt.

Faint sobbing sounds came from within.

Su Ming didn't directly pull off the quilt. Instead, he sat beside her and gently patted her back through the covers.

"What's wrong? Suddenly hiding under the quilt and crying? Come, tell me all about it."

"I... I don't want brother to see my face..."

Lin Zhaodi instantly recalled the cold glances back in Lin Family Village and the stares when she first arrived in Hang City.

She wrapped the quilt even tighter around herself.

She was afraid.

Afraid that Su Ming would dislike her appearance, afraid that Su Ming would abandon her because of it.

That's why she adopted an ostrich posture, wrapping herself in the quilt, unwilling to face Su Ming.

"There's nothing wrong with your face," Su Ming said gently. "What kind of person you are is never determined by your appearance."

"Zhaodi, if you don't dare to face me directly, that would be what disappoints me the most..."

Su Ming's words pierced Lin Zhaodi's heart, making her feel utterly miserable.

She especially didn't want Su Ming to feel disappointed in her.

There was a wriggling movement under the quilt. Finally, that face, now smeared with tears, emerged from beneath the covers.

"Crying has turned you into a little mess. That's not pretty at all." Su Ming got up, took a towel from the room, and gently wiped her tears.

"Brother, you really don't dislike me?"

"You should ask me, why would I dislike you? Or are you saying that before, you were willing to stay by my side only because I couldn't see?"

Lin Zhaodi was momentarily speechless. What Su Ming said was actually true.

Initially, the reason she rescued Su Ming and was willing to care for him was precisely because Su Ming couldn't see.

She was lonely in Lin Family Village, so in her longing for companionship, she brought Su Ming back.

He couldn't see, so he wouldn't dislike her appearance.

He didn't know about her past experiences, so he wouldn't see her as a Calamity Star.

His body was extremely weak, in great need of her care, and absolutely incapable of slipping away alone.

But later, Lin Zhaodi's mindset gradually changed. She gradually began to truly regard Su Ming as family.

That's why, after deciding to leave and having already obtained the sword qi grass that would allow her to leave, she chose to turn back to find another one so she could take Su Ming with her.

Later, when the villagers at the entrance intended to burn her alive and Su Ming saved her, a deeper attachment to Su Ming took root in her heart.

Her address for Su Ming also evolved from the initial "Brother Su" directly to "brother."

It was precisely this change in their relationship that made her start to care about her face, worrying that Su Ming, upon seeing it, would be disappointed.

"Don't feel inferior because of your appearance. Let me tell you a little secret: during the continuous process of Cultivation, a Cultivator's body undergoes constant cleansing and refinement, becoming increasingly perfect."

"So, no matter how ugly a person is initially, as long as they work hard at Cultivation and reach a certain Realm, they will become as beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal and dignified in appearance."

After hearing Su Ming's words, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Lin Zhaodi's eyes.

"Brother, you're not lying to me, are you?" she asked, looking at Su Ming hopefully.

"When have I ever lied to you? But as for you, if I see you crying over this again next time, I won't take you out to play."

"Wah..." Lin Zhaodi let out a cute whimper. "I know I was wrong. I won't do it again next time. Brother, will you take me out to play later, please?"

Just as Su Ming was about to respond, a voice suddenly echoed throughout Hang City.

"Hu Xing, come out and pay your respects!"