A young man could be seen beside a high hill, drenched in sweat, with a tired look barely concealed on his face and his muscles feeling weak from exhaustion.
At the top of a grand, towering building in the distance, a beauty stood motionless, unaffected by the heavy flow of wind humming around her at that height.
With a serious expression, her eyes never once left the young man in the distance.
'It's already late into the night, yet he shows no sign of stopping, not even after hours of effort. His determination is incredible, driven by an unshakable will to achieve his goal. He's different from the rest. No, he may not rival those arrogant prodigies in terms of talent,' her eyes flickered with deep thought. 'But there's a unique air of confidence and presence about him that others lack, making him truly stand out.'
Just at that moment, the young man in the distance looked towards her direction with a weak smile on his face.
Qiao Mei was surprised by the timing, giving her a weird feeling. "This…." She muttered.
However, Qiao Mei silently stood there with a dumbfounded look. She was completely caught by surprise. It wasn't coincidental to her; he stared at her for a few seconds as if he was seeing her.
"Just these few days with him, and I can already sense he's hiding something—something that could become a threat if not carefully monitored. Is this really the same dumb Mo Shen that Qiao Lian instructed me to train? From my observation, he's intelligent and someone to be cautious of. I can't read his thoughts or predict his actions—this kind of feeling isn't something an ordinary person can evoke." Qiao Mei's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Qiao Lian despises the weak, let alone takes an interest in them. With so many powerful suitors seeking her attention, even Lord Shadow, there must be a reason she brought Mo Shen home. There is a probability that Mo Shen is aware of her ill intentions toward him. That scheming bitch is in for a hell of a surprise."
Meanwhile, Liam stood beside the big hill, his expression dark as he gazed in a particular direction, sensing the weight of someone's watchful eyes on him.
'I know that lass wouldn't leave me unguarded. She might be trustworthy and will help me escape this place,' he thought with an unreadable expression.
Trust was to be earned, not given. Qiao Mei was slowly gaining his trust, but Liam was also conscious of her and mindful of his guard in case she suddenly turned against him, while the reverse was the case for Qiao Lian, the dangerous lady. He wouldn't trust her a tiny bit and would always be careful of her.
A creepy smile was on his face, which he hid under his stern expression.
'Bastards…' he cursed in his thoughts.
There were eyes on him, which he had taken notice of since the moment he came out of his room for training. He already knew about the guards who were under Qiao Lian's command to keep their eyes on him, watching him from a far distance and pretending to be like other guards that were patrolling about the place.
He had to be cautious and play his cards right. The game was on, and Liam was determined to outsmart his enemies and secure his freedom.
Liam continued his training even though he had already received the system notification that his daily quest was complete.
His muscles were experiencing pain from hours of training, while his body was simultaneously undergoing changes to adapt to the training.
Following Qiao Mei's advice, he lifted the number one boulder, the weight he could currently handle without much struggle, continuously moving his hand up and down with difficulty.
He kept up with the number two until he reached his limit, which was ten minutes, before throwing the boulder to the ground.
He sighed deeply before sitting down on the ground, then closed his eyes to give his body the chance to adjust to the situation.
As the night deepened, the moon hung high in the sky, shining down its holy light.
Liam slowly opened his eyes with a smile on his face as he felt his body pulsing with new energy—evidence of his training.
"Just two days of training had increased my body strength so much."
Ding!
[Rewards processing….]
His eyes flickered at the system alert, but he maintained his facial composure to avoid arousing suspicion as people's eyes were on him.
'I already received the daily quest reward,' he thought, feeling confused.
He concluded that perhaps it was just his luck.
[Rewards processing completed and now available]
[«Select one of the following rewards»]
[Reward 1: Get an additional +10 points to upgrade any of your stats except erotic points.]
[Reward 2: 1000 erotic points available]
[Reward 3: Receive a random dagger
Three reward options were displayed on the holographic screen.
Liam didn't immediately choose any reward; instead, he decided to return to his room and settle down to decide which one to choose.
Meanwhile, at the top of the grand, towering building, Qiao Mei stood silently, her gaze fixed on his every move.
Without a sound, her cousin, Qiao Lian, silently appeared beside her. Despite her arrival, Qiao Mei didn't turn to look at her.
"What do you think of him? Is he worth my time?" Qiao Lian asked, her eyes also fixed on Liam in the distance.
For a moment, Qiao Mei said nothing, letting the question linger in the air. Then, without shifting her focus, she replied, her tone indifferent.
"Why are you so interested in a weakling like him?"
Instead of answering, she posed a question of her own.
Qiao Lian's lips curled into a cold smile, her voice sharp as a blade as she responded, "Mei, just continue to do what I asked you to and don't dare meddle in my affairs, or else..." She let the threat hang in the air, her tone dripping with icy authority.
"Or else you'll learn the consequences of overstepping. I chose you for a reason. Don't make me regret it."
With that final statement, Qiao Lian vanished into thin air.
Qiao Mei shook her head, a faint smirk playing on her lips.