Versatile Sword Cultivator

Chapter 104 – My little landlord

In the end, under Ren Lan's strong insistence, Lin Jichen made her an extra dish of scrambled eggs with ham to satisfy her craving for meat.

Ren Lan works out every day, so a meat supplement is indeed essential.

Lin Jichen had been practicing Inedia for years, so when he rented the apartment and bought groceries, he only thought of eating light and didn't consider her needs.

"Make do with this for now. I'll make you some braised ribs tonight."

"Mm, mm, mm! You're the best, buddy!" Ren Lan smiled contentedly.

The two chatted about their game while eating at the dining table.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door.

They thought they had misheard until it knocked again.

"Could it be my parents have tracked me down to catch me?" Ren Lan said in a panic.

"Don't scare me, I'm getting nervous too."

Lin Jichen started to feel uneasy as well.

"Never mind, I'll hide first. You handle it." Ren Lan put down her chopsticks and quickly hid in the room.

Lin Jichen swallowed hard and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole to observe.

But there was no one outside.

Could it be a ghost? Did the game merge with reality so quickly? Have the spirits and demons come out?

Knock, knock.

The door knocked again, but Lin Jichen still didn't see anyone.

Even as a master of the Enlightenment Realm, he felt inexplicably nervous.

If it really were a ghost, he'd be done for.

He steeled himself and opened the door. Standing there was a little girl, about eight or nine years old.

She looked up at him with wary eyes, her big, sparkling eyes fixed on Lin Jichen.

Relieved to see it was just a child and not a ghost, Lin Jichen sighed. No wonder he couldn't see her through the peephole.

"Little one, did you get the wrong floor? This is the fifth floor."

Lin Jichen assumed she lived on a different floor and had just made a mistake.

But the girl shook her head and said, "No, I didn't get the wrong floor. I'm here to inspect my house."

"Inspect your house? You mean... this is your house? You're the landlord?" Lin Jichen asked in surprise.

This unassuming, troublesome landlord the agent mentioned was this little girl?

"Yes, big brother. Are you Lin Jichen?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Then it's right. The agent told me about you. I'm here to inspect my house, so please cooperate."

The girl spoke with a faux-mature tone, which made Lin Jichen laugh. He stepped aside to let her in.

At this moment, Ren Lan came out and saw the little girl.

"Isn't this the little girl I saw on the road this morning? Wow! You're so cute!"

But the girl wasn't swayed by Ren Lan's charm and turned away, hands behind her back.

She asked Lin Jichen, "Mr. Lin, how many people live here? Our contract states no more than two."

Lin Jichen smiled and replied, "Just me and her, no more than two."

"That's good." The girl was relieved and began to seriously inspect the apartment.

Ren Lan walked over to Lin Jichen and whispered, "What's going on?"

Lin Jichen smiled wryly, "Can't you see? This is my landlord."

"A child this young? Where are her parents?"

"How would I know?" Lin Jichen rolled his eyes.

The girl quickly finished her inspection and nodded in satisfaction.

"Mr. Lin, I've finished checking. You've done well; the place is very clean. But I have a question."

"Go ahead, landlord," Lin Jichen said, matching her mature tone.

The girl asked, "Are you two a couple? Why are you living separately?"

"Uh..."

Before Lin Jichen could respond, Ren Lan jumped in to deny it, "Little girl, we're not a couple, just roommates, good buddies."

"Oh, then Mr. Lin, you should take care of yourself," the girl advised.

Lin Jichen burst into laughter.

Ren Lan, on the other hand, was exasperated. She squatted down to the girl's level and asked, "What do you mean by that, little sister? Do I look like a bad person?"

The girl seemed a bit scared of Ren Lan and quickly retreated behind Lin Jichen, saying, "I think Mr. Lin is a handsome brother, and handsome brothers are easily taken advantage of."

"Argh! I'm so mad!" Ren Lan was furious. She stood up and questioned Lin Jichen, "Did you hire her to get back at me for this morning's workout?"

Lin Jichen was speechless, "Am I that petty?"

"Who knows," Ren Lan huffed. "Why else would this kid side with you? I've been so nice to her, and she's still afraid of me. What's the deal?"

"I don't know. Kids have sharp eyes, and you're always so fierce," Lin Jichen said, gloating.

Growl...

Suddenly, a sound came from the little girl's stomach.

Lin Jichen and Ren Lan turned to see the girl standing by their dining table, staring at the food.

The growling sound came from her stomach.

"Little sister, are you hungry? If you want to eat, just tell me the truth. Did this bad brother send you to annoy me?" Ren Lan tried to use food to get the girl to confess.

The girl shook her head, "No, I came on my own."

She continued to stare at the food longingly.

Ren Lan sighed, "Alright, you win. Are you hungry? Would you like to eat with us?"

The girl shook her head again, mumbling, "Auntie said I shouldn't eat food from strangers."

She lowered her head, looking a bit dejected, and started to walk out.

"Mr. Lin, I'll be going now. Goodbye."

Seeing the cute little girl, Lin Jichen couldn't help but call out to her.

"Little one, hasn't your family cooked? Would you like to eat here? I made all this food. After you eat, I'll take you home. How about that?"

Lin Jichen didn't expect her to agree.

But to his surprise, the girl stopped, her eyes filled with hope.

"Really?"

Lin Jichen smiled, "Of course. Come on, I'll get you some utensils."

"Thank you, big brother!" The girl immediately ran to the dining table, climbed onto a chair, and sat obediently.

Ren Lan was exasperated.

"Ah! I can't take it anymore. I take back what I said earlier. This little girl is not cute at all!"

Lin Jichen brought a bowl of rice over, laughing, "Kids say the darndest things."

Ren Lan, annoyed, said, "Of course you'd say that since she's siding with you. I think this kid is too precocious. She already knows what a handsome guy is at such a young age. She'll definitely be part of the looks-obsessed crowd when she grows up."

"Alright, alright, let's eat. I still have to go back to the sect after this."

Hearing this, Ren Lan had no choice but to sit back at the table. She deliberately sat next to the girl, close to her.

The two childish ones, one big and one small, stared each other down, neither willing to back down.

"Alright, let's eat. Don't be shy, eat as much as you want, my little landlord."

Lin Jichen smiled as he handed her the bowl and even gave her some extra food.

The girl seemed really hungry and started eating obediently, eating a bit too fast.

Ren Lan couldn't help but worry and handed her a bottle of milk.

"Eat slowly, or you'll choke."

She wasn't really mad at the little girl.