Yan Tian Zhao kept up a display of bashfulness and would frequently blush throughout their meal. When Lady Yan saw this, she felt both heartache and fondness. This also increased the positive feelings that Liu Yu Tong and Yun Shuang Shuang felt for him, who both doted on him like he was their little brother.
But precisely because of his display, the coldness in Ling Han's heart grew even further.
But, with the indulgent love that Lady Yan was showing for him, if Ling Han actually declared something like eliminating him at this moment, then she would definitely become hostile on the spot and suppress him like some kind of terrible monster—Ling Han would never underestimate the insane and extreme lengths that a mother would go to for her child.
Moreover, this was only an intuitive feeling of his.
…Unless he had reached a point where he was invincible. Then, as long as he thought so, he would be able to do as he wished, with no need to care for what others would think of his actions.
The unfortunate thing was, he was only in the seventh layer of Element Gathering Tier now.
"Big Brother Ling, why do you look a bit moody?" Yan Tian Zhao suddenly asked Ling Han, a hint of a smile flickering at the corners of his lips, his gaze deep.
A smile appeared on Ling Han's face as he asked, "What do I have to be moody about?"
"Mr Ling has Miss Liu to accompany him by his side. How could he possibly be unhappy?" Lady Yan pursed her lips in a tender laugh. She was the lady boss of an entertainment business, so she was naturally rather outspoken in her speech.
Liu Yu Tong immediately reddened at her words, but a hint of delight flickered in her eyes. She turned to glance at Ling Han but when she saw that he looked extremely composed, she could not help but feel a little disappointed.
"I have not yet congratulated Big Brother Ling. When will you be getting married with Big Sister Yu Tong?" Yan Tian Zhao asked in a very innocent-looking manner.
This brat was indeed strange!
Or so Ling Han thought secretly. When Yan Tian Zhao fell asleep, he should have only been about 5-6 years old. Then, now that he was awake, he should only have the limited intelligence of a young child of 5-6 years old, and would need to recover for some time before his intelligence would catch up with others within the same age range as he.
But, just looking at the way he was speaking now, who would believe that this youth had been asleep for over ten years?
However, Lady Yan, Liu Yu Tong, and Yun Shuang Shuang all did not notice this discrepancy—even if they had noticed, they'd most likely think that this brat was a genius who could immediately adapt and get used to having a normal life.
Then he'd just have to see exactly how strange this brat was.
Ling Han smiled. This youth did not even have a sliver of cultivation on him, so why was there need for him to be afraid? He had already mentioned it before. He only sensed a very discomforting feeling from this Yan Tian Zhao, as if there was an incomparably evil soul hidden within the youth's body that incited disgust from him.
"Lady Yan, it's best to serve more food. This little girl is a true glutton," Ling Han said with a laugh, pointing at Hu Niu who had already begun scarfing down the food.
Lady Yan and Yun Shuang Shuang were both astonished. How could such a tiny little child have such a terrifyingly huge appetite?
"It's a good thing to be able to eat," Lady Yan said with a smile.
"But, she can eat too well. I'm about to be driven into poverty by her humongous appetite," Ling Han sighed.
Meanwhile, Liu Yu Tong rolled her eyes at his words. This guy earned over a hundred million in a few moments; no matter how big a glutton Hu Niu was, she would not be able to catch up to the rate he was earning money at. And he still dared to moan about being poor! What an actor!
With Lady Yan's command, a large amount of food was served one after another. Hu Niu did not refuse any dish, and eventually decided not to use chopsticks anymore but rather her bare hands to grab the food. She moved at such a quick speed that Lady Yan and the others all looked shocked at the speed at which she could eat.
They had seen people who could eat a lot, but those who could eat so much … they had definitely never seen before.
Yan Tian Zhao stared at Hu Niu for a moment longer, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips—he was obviously very intrigued by her. However, Hu Niu was a very sensitive little girl, and she immediately raised her head to glare at him. Her gaze was filled with ferocity and killing intent, causing his already pale face to pale a few shades further.
Aside from Ling Han, no one else noticed this little episode.
Because, just like no one would think that Yan Tian Zhao possessed an evil soul, naturally no one would think that such a tiny, little girl like Hu Niu would have any ability to harm others. They would only think that she was a big eater.
Yan Tian Zhao very quickly discovered Ling Han's gaze on him, and offered up a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Ling Han gave him a very meaningful look, causing the smile on Yan Tian Zhao's face to slowly fade and hidden depths to appear in his eyes. This did not look anything like a youth of merely 15-16 years old, what more one that had been in a coma for over ten years and had just been awake for a few days.
"Please accept this Cherishing Flower Command, Mr Ling." Lady Yan gifted him with an intricately-carved jade plaque that was carved into the shape of a flower. "The holder of this plaque would not only be able to enjoy a twenty percent discount in Cherishing Flower Pavilion, but can also come without any kind of reservations. There are a few side courtyards that have been set aside specifically for extremely honored customers like Mr Ling."
Ling Han received the plaque, smiled and said, "Thank you, Lady Yan."
Overall, both hosts and guests quite enjoyed this feast. Of course, the happiest person was definitely Hu Niu. She had eaten so much that her little tummy was slightly rounded. But, when one considered the fact that she had eaten so much food, and yet her tummy was only slightly rounded from the colossal amount she had consumed, it was a practically inconceivable concept.
Ling Han now was not so curious about where the food she had consumed had gone. In comparison, the Spirit Base in the little girl's body was something even more shocking.
Lady Yan sent out a carriage to deliver the three of them back to the Academy. Yun Shuang Shuang did not accompany them this time; only Lady Yan and Yan Tian Zhao escorted them to the door and saw them off.
On the carriage, Hu Niu, being a very good eater and a very good sleeper, had already found a comfortable spot in Ling Han's arms and gone to sleep peacefully. In a few moments, a long snoring sound could be heard from her.
"Lady Yan is really too pitiful. She had to support the business of the Cherishing Flower Pavilion all by herself and still take care of her comatose child. If I were her, I would most probably have broken down long ago," Liu Yu Tong said ruefully.
Ling Han thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever thought about why Yan Tian Zhao had fallen into a coma in the first place?"
"It should have been some kind of inborn illness, right? Something like my Three Yin Vanishing Veins," Liu Yu Tong said. And it was exactly this fact that caused her to empathize with Yan Tian Zhao and dote on him like a little brother.
"Then, when he fell into a coma, he should have only been about 5-6 years old. He has just barely woken up and yet can completely behave like a normal person. Isn't that strange?" Ling Han asked.
"Maybe he's a natural-born genius?" Liu Yu Tong paused, then said, "Yi, you seem to be a bit unfond of Tian Zhao?"
"I don't like this person." Ling Han did not hide anything.
"Niu doesn't like too!" Hu Niu suddenly awoke, and sat upright on Ling Han's lap, looking extremely serious.
"Why?" Liu Yu Tong felt a bit curious.
Ling Han shook his head, and said, "I can't describe why. I keep feeling that this brat is extremely evil, making me have the urge to thrash him. Therefore, it's best if this brat does not appear before me again, or I will definitely have fun thrashing him."
How willful.
"Thrash him! Hit him!" Hu Niu waved her little hands too.
"You guys!" Liu Yu Tong was completely speechless. ‘Why would Ling Han dislike Yan Tian Zhao? Ah, could it be because I doted on him too much, so this guy is jealous?’ When she thought of this, Liu Yu Tong's heart could not help beating wildly.
"Since you don't like it, then I won't see him again," she said, tugging at her sleeve. A beautiful blush rose up on her face, giving her a very tempting look.
Was this girl misunderstanding something?
But never mind; as long as she did not come into contact with Yan Tian Zhao again, that would be fine. Though this brat did not have a single bit of power in him, Ling Han still felt he was really too strange. And if his deductions were not wrong and Yan Tian Zhao had fallen into a coma because of something someone else did, then perhaps it was because someone had discovered his evil nature, yet could not bear to kill a young child of 5-6 years old, and so merely caused him to fall into a coma.