511. Desperate

"Something else?"

Ye Lingling's charming brows raised slightly.

Just as she was about to ponder further, she finally noticed Dugu Yan staring at her.

Her already flushed cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

Hurriedly biting her red lips, she quickly concealed the crystal remnants left behind by Qian Renjue.

Dugu Yan pouted in jealousy, her lips curling in displeasure.

One after another, everyone seemed to forget their principles in the face of beauty, treating her as if she were invisible.

Ye Lingling quickly buried her head in Qian Renjue's chest.

Shaking her head gently, she rubbed against him and whispered softly,
"Jue, I don't want anything else. I just want you to make me yours, that's enough."

As she spoke, Ye Lingling felt utterly embarrassed, her delicate earlobes almost dripping blood from the intensity of her shyness.

Her jade-like hands clutched Qian Renjue's robes tightly as she murmured in a muffled voice.

"Alright," Qian Renjue replied with a faint smile, not pressing further.

After all, preparing a gift was simple.

But the idea of just giving himself to her still felt a bit odd.

Who exactly was going to be the one devoured here?

Dugu Yan silently hugged Qian Renjue's arm, leaning against his shoulder.

"..."

Qian Renjue pulled his thoughts back.

With soft fragrances and tender beauties surrounding him, the allure of this moment was indeed hard to resist.

However, there were important matters to attend to.

He couldn't help but wonder if Grandpa Golden Crocodile and the others had found a hundred-thousand-year soul beast yet.


---

Outside Heaven Dou City.

Ling Yuan drove the carriage and stopped by a clear stream where fish could be seen swimming.

Qian Renjue casually set up a boiler on the nearby grass.

Watching Ye Lingling, who was usually so elegant and composed, lifting her skirt and catching fish in the stream, he observed a mix of emotions on her face—annoyance, regret, joy.

Each expression on her face was so pure and vivid.

Meanwhile, Dugu Yan sat in Qian Renjue's lap, grilling fish, thoroughly satisfied with her spot.

Although Qian Renjue's gaze wasn't on her, his hands had been tucked inside her clothes!

Ling Yuan stood perched on a tree branch, keeping watch.

On her head lay Ice Empress, who watched Ye Lingling in the stream with some disdain.

"Hmph! So useless!"

"How could Qian Renjue fall for such a weak human?"

Ling Yuan chuckled softly.

"If His Highness ever became weak, would you stop liking him?"

"Who said that! Of course not."

Ice Empress retorted immediately but soon realized her slip and hastily explained,

"I—I didn’t mean it like that! Don’t twist my words!"

With a cold tone, Ice Empress warned,
"Hmph! Don’t make assumptions! Even if he truly became weak, I’d still be his eighth soul ring."

"Whoever bullies him, bullies me!"

"Oh~" Ling Yuan responded lightly.

His Highness had it right—this scorpion was always so stubborn.

She maintained her airs, but Ling Yuan knew it wouldn’t last.

When the day came that His Highness subdued her, she would melt from ice into flowing spring water.

Ling Yuan was certain!

Once the last layer of her pride was gone, there would be no airs left to maintain.



——————

Shrek Academy.

While Qian Renjue waded into the stream, blocking fish with his fiancée, Tang San finally woke up.

His hair, styled into an unflattering mess thanks to Luo Sanpao's outburst, carried a lingering stench, leaving him thoroughly uncomfortable.

Opening his eyes, Tang San saw Yu Xiaogang standing before him.

He immediately covered his nose and mouth, pleading,
"Teacher? Please don’t fart again!"

"..."

Yu Xiaogang’s expression froze, unsure how to respond.

Indeed, the fart from earlier that morning had been an unfortunate loss of composure on his part.

"Xiao San, what’s done is done."

Standing up, Yu Xiaogang fetched some chicken soup, opened the lid, and handed it to Tang San.
"Drink some chicken soup to recover your strength."

Tang San hesitated for a moment, still uneasy, but eventually sat up and accepted the steaming soup.
"Th-thank you, Teacher."

"You’re welcome. After you eat, summon your spirit for me to examine."

Yu Xiaogang gently patted Tang San’s disheveled hair.

Hearing this, Tang San silently nodded and sipped the soup cautiously.
Slurp, slurp.

The taste made Tang San pause. Why did the soup remind him of Luo Sanpao’s fart?

Unsure, he took another sip. The odor seemed fainter, but he gulped down a few more mouthfuls, determined to figure it out.

Finally, he was sure—this was chicken soup infused with Luo Sanpao’s stinky fart!

Tang San’s face turned pale, and he stopped eating.

"Xiao San, what’s wrong? Does your wound hurt?"

Yu Xiaogang looked concerned.

"Teacher, it’s not—"

Tang San began to explain, holding the soup, but before he could finish, Yu Xiaogang took it from him.

"Xiao San, let me feed you instead."

"Wait, Teacher, don’t—"

"Xiao San, after all these years, do I still have to force it down your throat?"

"Ugh! Teacher, that’s my nose!"

"Ah, my apologies, Xiao San, I misjudged."

"..."

Under Yu Xiaogang’s forceful care, Tang San eventually swallowed every drop of the soup tainted by Luo Sanpao.

His face turned green, and he barely held back his nausea.

At Yu Xiaogang’s insistence, he reluctantly raised both hands and summoned his spirits.

To Yu Xiaogang’s shock, Tang San revealed an unprecedented sight: three white soul rings.

"This… this is…"

Yu Xiaogang’s lips trembled, and his single eye widened in disbelief.

The sight of the Clear Sky Hammer adorned with one purple and one white soul ring made his face turn pale, then flush red with rage.

"You… you ungrateful student!"

Yu Xiaogang roared, slapping Tang San hard across the face.

Smack!

"Ah! Teacher?!"

Tang San cried out, clutching the bright red handprint on his cheek.

His mind buzzed, but the pain helped him shake off his earlier nausea.

"Don’t call me Teacher! I, Yu Xiaogang, the strongest theorist, will not acknowledge a student like you!"

"Have you forgotten the advantages of twin spirits?!"

Yu Xiaogang’s voice was filled with both pain and anger.

Tang San was his hope for proving his theories right.

Precisely because of this, he couldn’t tolerate Tang San recklessly cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer spirit ahead of time!

And yet, here Tang San was—not only cultivating it prematurely but delivering such a shocking blow!

"Teacher…"

Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang in confusion. Hadn’t he already known?

Yu Xiaogang’s body trembled as he leaned on his cane, barely suppressing his fury.
With a stern voice, he demanded, "Tang San! Why are you degrading yourself like this?!"

Tang San, still holding his stinging cheek, ignored Yu Xiaogang’s attitude. His eyes filled with resentment and tears as he responded bitterly,
"Teacher, I didn’t degrade myself! My soul rings were originally millennium rings!"

"The third ring for my Blue Silver Grass was even a Man-Faced Demon Spider!"

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang was stunned. His single eye went blank with shock.

Although he was angry, he knew Tang San wouldn’t lie about something so absurd.

Gripping Tang San’s shoulders tightly, he demanded,
"Xiao San, what on earth happened? Tell me everything!"

"It was my mother!"

Tang San’s voice cracked with emotion.

"Your mother?!"

Yu Xiaogang’s face was filled with confusion.

By all accounts, wasn’t Tang San’s mother long dead and gone?

Tang San declared firmly,
"Yes, it was my mother! That night—Father told me himself!"

"What? Even His Excellency was there?!"

Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded.

If Tang Hao had been present, how could Tang San have ended up so grievously injured?