Seeing Ye Lingling's hesitation, Su Ming decided to remain silent, trusting she'd work things out herself.
Moments later, Ye Lingling looked at him with renewed resolve and said, "Alright, I'll absorb it!"
She had made her decision. After four months with Su Ming, she'd come to see him as a solid choice—someone with a good character. He had expressed his interest in her, yet hadn't pursued her aggressively. Instead, he quietly supported her, helping her train every day.
It was different from other noble suitors, whose flashy and repetitive advances often annoyed her. Had it not been for her close friendship with Dugu Yan, some of those nobles might have even tried to take her by force. Naturally, she hadn't accepted any gifts from them; she understood well that these "presents" came with hidden intentions.
Su Ming, on the other hand, had always respected boundaries. Even with Dugu Yan away, he hadn't taken any liberties with her, further raising her opinion of him.
In short, though Su Ming's thoughts might be intense at times in his diary, he maintained a clear moral line in real life, never overstepping bounds without consent. His only flaw was having several women around him, but compared to nobles who had dozens of concubines, Su Ming's current count of two was modest.
With a look of determination, Ye Lingling accepted the Yin-Yang Twin Lotus. The moment she touched it, a wave of familiarity washed over her, as if this flower had been destined for her.
She sat cross-legged and began the process of absorption, while Su Ming stood guard, erecting a barrier around them to contain any aura that might arise from her martial soul's evolution and to keep watch for any approaching figures.
Around noon, her energy shifted dramatically, embodying the essence of the Yin-Yang Twin Lotus itself: one side radiated purity and sanctity, the other a profound darkness. Her Nine-Hearted Begonia also began to change, its once-pure white petals now interlaced with black, mirroring the lotus she had absorbed.
Boom!
An aura exploded from her as her spirit power surged to level forty. With her next spirit ring, her power would undergo another transformation.
Ye Lingling opened her eyes, filled with joy. Her martial soul had evolved!
Not only that, but she had indeed gained a new ability, and while it wasn't supportive, it was precisely what she had hoped for. She was no longer just a helpless healer.
Su Ming smiled, "Lingling, how does it feel? Your martial soul is entirely different from before; calling it Nine-Hearted Begonia doesn't seem fitting anymore."
She smiled back, "You're right. My spirit now resembles the Yin-Yang Twin Lotus I absorbed, so why not call it Yin-Yang Twin Lotus from now on?"
Su Ming nodded, finding the name entirely suitable. "So, aside from healing, what's this new ability?"
Ye Lingling explained, "The new ability is poison. Like my healing, it's independent of my spirit rings—its potency is directly proportional to the spirit power I invest in it."
"It's also an area-effect poison. My soul petals, each black and white, can cover allies and enemies alike. And here's the twist—I can choose to alter the effect as I please."
Su Ming's eyes lit up. In other words, when Ye Lingling used her wide-area abilities, her allies would receive healing while her enemies would suffer poisoning—undetectably so.
Her poison could cover the entire arena. Unless her opponents had advanced aerial capabilities, their only escape would be to jump out of bounds. But Su Ming knew this was a tactic best saved for a single use; once revealed, opponents would wise up to it. He pointed this out to her as well.
Ye Lingling clarified, "That shouldn't be a problem. My poison isn't like Yan Yan's, where the effects appear immediately upon contact. It's a slow-acting toxin that lies dormant, only surfacing once it accumulates enough and I choose to trigger it."
Su Ming was surprised. A hidden poison—this could perfectly complement Dugu Yan's Phosphorus Snake Emperor poison. With one poison in plain sight and the other concealed, teams in the tournament would only guard against Dugu Yan, while overlooking Ye Lingling. She had now transformed into a covert threat on the battlefield.
"This is great! If you and Yan Yan coordinate well, you'll catch opponents off guard. They might think they've evaded Dugu Yan's poison, only to suddenly find themselves incapacitated. They'll be totally baffled, wondering how they lost their fighting strength," Su Ming laughed.
Ye Lingling shared his excitement, although she felt her new ability might hold more than just poisoning potential. Poison seemed to be only the surface, and there could be more to uncover as her powers grew.
Just then, her stomach grumbled loudly, making her blush in embarrassment. She felt mortified, blaming her stomach for acting up at such a time.
Su Ming chuckled, "Let's go get some lunch; it's past noon now. Besides, I didn't hear a thing~~," he teased, lowering the barrier with a grin.
Ye Lingling glared slightly in jest. Usually, she'd never let her hunger show, but the strain of absorbing an immortal herb and evolving her martial soul had drained her reserves faster than expected.
Trying to ease her embarrassment, Su Ming asked, "So, you've reached level forty now. When do you plan to go for your fourth spirit ring?"
But before she could answer, he felt a warm, soft sensation graze his cheek.
Su Ming was caught off guard when he felt a soft, warm sensation on his cheek—without a doubt, Ye Lingling had just kissed him!
He turned to face her, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other in silence. Ye Lingling was blushing furiously, steam practically rising off her cheeks, as if she could barely believe her own daring move.
Su Ming gazed at her, finding her even more beautiful in her shyness. Since she had taken the initiative, he felt he ought to return the gesture. He reached out, pulling her in close and, with a boldness she hadn't expected, kissed her deeply. A simple peck wouldn't do for him.
Ye Lingling's eyes widened in shock at his sudden move, her hands instinctively pressing lightly against his chest in a half-hearted attempt to push him away. But as she experienced the sweetness of the kiss, she gradually surrendered, caught up in the unexpected rush of emotions.
After all, she was nearly twenty and had never been in a relationship due to her dedication to cultivation. Girls her age, many of whom had even started families, often spoke of the sweetness of love. Now, she finally understood what they meant.
When Su Ming finally let go, she gasped for air, almost breathless from the intensity. Though the kiss had been thrilling, he had taken control so completely that she could hardly keep up.
Once she'd caught her breath, she looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes and a bit of exasperation. "You… how could you kiss me like that without my permission? You always said you'd never force anything on me and that you'd let things happen naturally."
Su Ming simply nodded, unfazed. "That's true; I did say that."
Ye Lingling gave a small huff, "Then why did you—"
Before she could finish, Su Ming teased, "But didn't you kiss me first? I'm not the type to let something like that slide, so I had to return the favor—tenfold!"
Ye Lingling was left speechless. She realized she'd fallen for his little trick; he'd taken advantage and still managed to make it sound justified. She glared at him, feeling an urge to bite him in retaliation.
Trying to recover, she explained, "I kissed you as a thank-you for the rare herb you gave me. It helped resolve the flaw in my martial soul, so it was just to show my gratitude. But you turned around and kissed me like that—isn't that a bit too much?"
Su Ming waved her words away. "How can it be too much? You kissed me first, so I figured we were already close enough for that. Unless… you don't actually want to be my girlfriend and just kissed me out of gratitude?"
Su Ming looked at her with open sincerity, hoping for a clear answer. While his approach was straightforward, he believed honesty was the ultimate charm.
"Girlfriend?" Ye Lingling stammered, shyly avoiding his gaze.
Seeing her reaction, Su Ming sensed her hesitation wasn't about him, so he took a deep breath and asked earnestly, "Lingling, will you be my girlfriend?"
After a pause, she asked hesitantly, "But, Su Ming, don't you already have Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong? Are you sure you can add one more?"
He shook his head, "Don't worry. I've spent almost every morning with you these past four months. They've noticed, though no one's said anything outright."
Ye Lingling pondered this, then nodded slightly, finally reaching a decision. Su Ming grinned, realizing she'd agreed, and couldn't help but lift her in his arms, spinning her around in excitement. "Haha, this is amazing!"
Ye Lingling smiled softly, a warm feeling spreading through her. Though she'd tried to take things slowly, Su Ming had completely won her over.
"Then tomorrow, let's head to the nearby Sunset Forest to find a spirit beast for your fourth ring," Su Ming offered. "There are plenty of suitable ones there, no need to go all the way to Star Dou Forest."
Ye Lingling nodded, happy to leave the details to him.
Hand in hand, they headed to the dining hall, meeting up with Xiao Wu and the others for lunch. As soon as the trio saw Su Ming and Ye Lingling's closeness, they quickly picked up on the change. It seemed even the reserved Ye Lingling had finally fallen for Su Ming's charm!
The three girls exchanged glances, unsure whether to feel happy for their taste in partners or slightly troubled.
Feeling embarrassed by their knowing looks, Ye Lingling slipped her hand free from Su Ming's grasp.
Su Ming broke the silence. "Alright, alright, you can stop staring. Yes, it's what you think—we've just made it official."
He started confidently but grew a bit sheepish towards the end.
"Ahem… Aren't you going to say something? It's a little unnerving to just sit here in silence, you know."
Xiao Wu spoke up first, "Su Ming, we already knew this day was coming. You've been spending every morning with her; it was obvious you had feelings for her. We've seen it all."
Ning Rongrong nodded, adding, "Honestly, we thought Lingling would hold out a bit longer, but I guess not! I mean, Lingling, you're usually so composed and reserved. How did you fall for him so quickly?"
Ye Lingling felt a wave of embarrassment; she wasn't aloof—it was just that she was quieter by nature! And as for falling for Su Ming, he'd simply managed to charm her in those subtle, surprising ways, and he'd even solved the flaw in her martial soul.
Given how much he'd done for her, she couldn't help but feel grateful, maybe even indebted in a way. Thinking this, she realized how much she felt like the heroines in those romantic tales she'd heard about.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT