Wang Haoran discovered that in the system’s marketplace, a large amount of true qi could be exchanged for a small portion of spiritual qi at a certain ratio. Spiritual qi is something only cultivators possess.

Pessimistically speaking, there might be protagonists in this world who are cultivators. In some cultivation-themed stories, the protagonist often shows off in the city before venturing out to other planets to continue their exploits.

For example, stories like “The Farmer Who Inherited Cultivation,” “The Immortal Returns to the City,” “The Immortal Emperor Returns to the City,” “The Immortal King Returns to the City,” “The Demon Emperor Returns,” and so on, all feature protagonists who are cultivators.

These cultivation protagonists often have a disregard for life, treating human lives as insignificant. They rely on their cultivation abilities to kill antagonists as easily as cutting vegetables, leaving no evidence behind. It’s simply lawless.

If Wang Haoran were to encounter such a cultivation protagonist, no matter how high his martial arts skills are, he would be easily defeated. How could a martial artist possibly defeat a cultivator?

It’s always good to be prepared. To avoid being easily defeated by a cultivation protagonist, Wang Haoran must become stronger as soon as possible. He needs to exploit weaker protagonists to accumulate more antagonist points. Once he has amassed a large amount of true qi, he can convert it into spiritual qi, transitioning from martial arts to cultivation.

While Wang Haoran was contemplating this, Zhen Li approached the hospital bed, having already inquired about Old Tang’s condition. She then signaled to her son with her eyes.

Wang Haoran noticed this and immediately collected his thoughts, preparing to greet Old Tang.

“Grandpa Tang, I am…”

Wang Haoran gently held Old Tang’s hand, intending to introduce himself and offer some comforting words. However, before he could finish, he suddenly looked at Old Tang with a peculiar expression.

Although Old Tang’s face appeared waxy and deathly, his pulse was calm and healthy. This old man was clearly pretending to be sick to force Tang Bingyun into marriage. What a cunning old man, even deceiving his own granddaughter!

Wang Haoran saw through Old Tang’s act but remained composed on the surface. Exposing Old Tang’s deception would be like slapping him in the face and could strain their relationship, which would be counterproductive. Knowing this key information about Old Tang’s feigned illness was enough.

The key to whether the marriage would proceed lay with Tang Bingyun. As long as she could withstand the pressure, the marriage would not happen.

After sorting out these thoughts, Wang Haoran, in the role of a junior, offered some words of comfort. Then, he suddenly turned to Tang Bingyun and said:

“Aunt Tang, the jade necklace I asked you to help me choose last time, is it ready?”

Hearing this, Tang Bingyun was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on and nodded seriously:

“It’s ready. It’s in my room. Come with me to get it.”

The two left everyone’s sight and went to Tang Bingyun’s room.

“Now that there’s no one else around, what do you want to tell me?”

Tang Bingyun, being smart, understood that Wang Haoran wanted to speak with her privately.

“Your grandfather is pretending to be sick,” Wang Haoran said bluntly.

“Pretending… how did you figure that out?” Tang Bingyun asked, bewildered.

“How was your grandfather’s health before? How was his appetite during meals?”

“His blood pressure was a bit high, and he had some rheumatism, but his appetite was quite good,” Tang Bingyun recalled and responded.

“Someone with stomach cancer, especially in the late stages, wouldn’t have such a good appetite,” Wang Haoran guided Tang Bingyun’s thoughts. “And think about it, your grandfather didn’t get sick earlier or later, but right when the marriage proposal was made, and you refused. Suddenly, he fell ill with a terminal illness. Don’t you find that suspicious?”

Hearing this, Tang Bingyun began to have doubts.

“Let me ask you, who examined your grandfather?” Wang Haoran pressed on.

“It was my grandfather’s personal doctor, who has been treating him for about 15 years.”

“With such familiarity, wouldn’t it be easy for your grandfather to have the doctor lie?” Wang Haoran pointed out.

Tang Bingyun nodded in agreement but still had some doubts.

“But I clearly saw my grandfather coughing up blood.”

“Actors in TV dramas cough up blood too.”

“It seems my grandfather anticipated my refusal and set this up in advance…” Tang Bingyun’s thoughts became clear, and her doubts vanished.

“My grandfather, pretending to be sick to trick me into marriage. I’ll go expose him right now.” Her sadness was replaced by anger.

“If you expose your grandfather now, he might threaten you with jumping off a building. What will you do then? This method only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. It won’t change your grandfather’s determination to marry you off. You should abandon the idea of exposing your grandfather’s trickery,” Wang Haoran advised.

“Then… what should I do?”

Due to the marriage issue and her grandfather’s feigned illness, Tang Bingyun was feeling overwhelmed and sought Wang Haoran’s guidance.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to help you,” Wang Haoran reassured her confidently.

Tang Bingyun was touched, gazing at Wang Haoran with admiration.

[Ding, Tang Bingyun’s affection for the host has increased by 5. Current total affection: 60 (Budding Admiration).]

[Ding, the host has stirred Tang Bingyun’s heart, earning 100 antagonist points!]

“Why are you so good to me?” Tang Bingyun’s usually cold eyes softened as she looked at Wang Haoran.

“Aunt Tang, you’re beautiful like a fairy. That man doesn’t deserve you. I couldn’t stand it, so I had to help you,” Wang Haoran fabricated a reason, avoiding his true intentions.

Is that all…

Tang Bingyun felt a bit disappointed but hid it well.

“Has that man asked you out?” Wang Haoran inquired.

“He wanted to invite me to dinner, but I was worried about my grandfather’s health and wasn’t in the mood. Besides, I don’t like him, so how could I agree?”

“No, you should agree,” Wang Haoran said with a mysterious smile.

“Huh?!” Tang Bingyun thought she misheard and was momentarily stunned.

“I’ll go with you,” Wang Haoran winked at Tang Bingyun.

“You mean…” Tang Bingyun caught on, vaguely guessing his plan.

“Yes, make him retreat.”

“But will he believe it?” Tang Bingyun doubted the plan’s effectiveness.

“I’ll find a way to make him believe it, but Aunt Tang, you must cooperate with me,” Wang Haoran warned.

“How should I cooperate?”

“Just follow my lead and actions when the time comes, and you’ll understand,” Wang Haoran said vaguely.

“Okay.” Trusting Wang Haoran, Tang Bingyun agreed without further questions.