Am I Ugly and Scaring This Little Friend?

The young boy revealed an expression of utter horror and shock.

Seeing the boy's expression, Chen Ping'an touched his own face. Had he not washed properly earlier? Or did he get something on his face while eating breakfast?

Or perhaps...was he just ugly and scaring the little friend?

Chen Ping'an was still quite confident about his appearance. One could say he was refined and elegant, with a dashing demeanor. He shouldn't be frightening to that extent.

The young boy remained stunned for a while before quickly shaking his head to regain his senses. He hurriedly bowed to Chen Ping'an, "L-Little...Bai Xiaochun, g-greetings senior!"

It took him several seconds to get that one line out.

Chen Ping'an blinked. His first impression was that this young boy had a stutter.

His second impression was that this child was a cultivator!

Indeed, for him to address Chen Ping'an as senior, he had to be a cultivator.

"Are you a cultivator?" Of course, Chen Ping'an had to ask to confirm.

Bai Xiaochun quickly nodded, his breathing quite disordered. He was certain he hadn't seen things wrongly yesterday.

And after spending the night thinking it over, he had completely recovered from the initial shock. This also allowed him to finally recall one crucial detail - that old seed vendor!

So early this morning, he went to question that vendor and found out where Chen Ping'an lived, rushing over right away.

Just outside the gate earlier, his heart was full of trepidation but also anticipation, because he was about to confirm if he had really seen things correctly or not.

At the same time, he was also apprehensive because he knew his two guards didn't believe him, so he didn't bring them and had snuck out alone, his heart pounding anxiously.

But the moment he saw Chen Ping'an, he was stunned once more - the rhythm of Dao principles was still surrounding him, just as terrifying as before!

He hadn't seen it wrong after all!

Now facing such a formidable person's questioning, he quickly nodded in response.

Seeing Bai Xiaochun nod, Chen Ping'an slightly furrowed his brow. This young boy was already a cultivator?

Knowing this answer only made Chen Ping'an more perplexed about the hypothesis he had just formed.

His latest guess had been that weaker cultivators wouldn't experience this visual bug, only powerful ones could see it.

But then this young boy addressed him as senior, which didn't make sense, because a child's cultivation couldn't possibly be that high.

This ended up invalidating his hypothesis again.

Chen Ping'an pondered for a moment before deciding to ask.

"Little Xiaochun, let me ask you something - do you think I'm powerful?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. Although it might seem strange to ask that upon first meeting, he wanted to understand what was going on with himself.

Hearing this, Bai Xiaochun nodded vigorously, like a woodpecker drilling into a tree trunk.

Chen Ping'an stroked his chin, finding this odd.

"So is this some kind of random visual bug? Where some people don't experience this visual bug, while others do?" 

Chen Ping'an felt stuck at another dead end.

If that were true, he felt having such a visual bug wouldn't be very useful. You might want to use it to show off, but some would buy it while others wouldn't.

If you tried showing off in front of someone who didn't buy it...well, it wouldn't be surprising to get beaten to death.

"Did you need something?" Chen Ping'an didn't directly invite Bai Xiaochun into the courtyard, instead asking.

He had noticed too many cultivators coming to Qingyuan Town recently, so it was better not to attract too many people.

Plus, those watermelons were rather unusual. He didn't know if they had reached the level of spirit herbs yet.

If they had, and some cultivators without the visual bug saw them, they might just barge into the courtyard to rob them!

Bai Xiaochun said, "N-Nothing, j-just wanted to meet the senior."

Chen Ping'an noticed Bai Xiaochun's clothes and such seemed quite proper, so he likely came from a decent background. But he did feel sympathy for the boy's stutter.

"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I still have things to attend to, so you should head back."

Chen Ping'an smiled. Bai Xiaochun hesitated briefly before nodding quickly and bowing again to Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an felt the boy had good manners, but didn't forget to remind him, "Oh, about what you saw regarding me, I hope you won't mention it to others."

Chen Ping'an didn't know if this visual bug he hypothesized really existed. If it did, he also didn't know how powerful he appeared to the boy.

If he seemed extremely powerful, the boy might tell his family, who could come looking for Chen Ping'an. 

If then a couple people without the visual bug saw he wasn't powerful at all, and noticed those watermelons, it could cause him a lot of trouble.

So it was necessary to prevent any potential issues.

Bai Xiaochun immediately understood upon hearing this. The senior was residing in this mortal town, so naturally he didn't want to be disturbed by others.

After promising, he prepared to leave. But just then, a voice caught his attention.

"Big brother, the watermelons are chilled. What are you doing out here, did someone come over?"

Su Ling was holding a slice of watermelon to eat in one hand and cradling another slice in her other hand. Seeing Chen Ping'an standing outside, she smiled and walked over, thinking the watermelons were deliciously amazing - perfectly ripe and sweet, without a single seed. So juicy and unforgettable!

Chen Ping'an motioned for Su Ling to come over when he saw her approaching with another uneaten slice.

As Su Ling reached the doorway, she also noticed Bai Xiaochun and slightly furrowed her brow - wasn't this the kid who had been secretly watching them yesterday?

Chen Ping'an took the uneaten slice from Su Ling and walked over to Bai Xiaochun, offering it to him, "Here, take this and have a taste."

To Chen Ping'an, Bai Xiaochun was just a child too. Since Su Ling loved the watermelons so much, this young boy should as well.

Bai Xiaochun stared dumbly at the scene before him. The moment he saw Su Ling, he audibly gulped.

Then he quickly bowed again to Chen Ping'an and Su Ling.

Too powerful! Just who exactly were these two?!

That girl who was even slightly younger than himself was terrifyingly strong!!

Chen Ping'an waved to Bai Xiaochun, said goodbye, then took Su Ling's hand and closed the gate.

Bai Xiaochun watched them disappear inside, standing there for a good while before finally coming to his senses. Only then did he look at the watermelon in his hands. 

It didn't seem particularly special at first glance. So he began walking back to the inn where he was staying, eating it along the way.

But the moment he took that first bite, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt. An overwhelming spiritual energy instantly crashed into his entire body!

At the same time, he experienced a feeling he'd never had before - the feeling of gaining an insight!

However, due to this sudden occurrence, his hands trembled and -

*plop*

The watermelon fell onto the ground.

He was stunned, staring at the watermelon on the ground before crouching down to scoop it up with lightning speed, the skill of a long bachelor.

Only then did he look around, exhaling in relief when he saw no one around.