Ye Lingling: Give Me a Chance

"Special feeling?"

Dugu Yan's words made Qing Mu pause, and he immediately turned his gaze toward Ye Lingling.

Seeing Qing Mu staring at her like that, Ye Lingling shyly lowered her head. Her heart raced like a startled deer, and one of her feet began to fidget unnaturally.

"Why would Dugu Yan say that? Could it be that Ye Lingling has some special feelings for me?" Qing Mu was filled with confusion as he looked at Ye Lingling.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. His eyes flickered as he thought, Could it be the Wood Spirit Seed? Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia is a top-tier plant-type Martial Soul. Perhaps she can sense the aura of the mutated Wood Spirit Seed that I've been desperately concealing!

Just as Qing Mu suspected that the Wood Spirit Seed was at work, a strange sensation suddenly arose within him, making him instinctively feel a trace of closeness toward Ye Lingling.

No, this feeling of closeness is definitely more than just the Wood Spirit Seed. Could this be a sign of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

Once that thought arose, it became like a surging river that could no longer be contained, filling Qing Mu's eyes with shock.

"Hehe!"

Watching Qing Mu's expression gradually change, Dugu Yan smiled smugly. Clearly, Qing Mu had sensed the feeling too, though wasn't he being a little too slow to notice?

"Phew..."

A moment later, Qing Mu let out a long breath and looked seriously at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. "This isn't a good place to talk. Let's find somewhere else."

"Of course."

Dugu Yan nodded as well. The fewer people who knew about something like a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the better. After all, it could serve as a trump card at a critical moment.

At that moment, Ye Lingling suddenly spoke. "I know a relatively secluded place. We can talk there."

Ye Lingling's voice was exceptionally ethereal, a rare sort of ethereality that made even Qing Mu glance at her again.

Seeing Qing Mu look at her, a blush immediately rose to Ye Lingling's cheeks. Still, she quickly walked ahead and took on the role of guide.

About half an hour later, led by Ye Lingling, Qing Mu and Bulbasaur arrived at a quiet little courtyard. Though it was not particularly large, its decorations were exquisitely refined, giving it the feeling of a painting.

"Miss, you've arrived!"

Not long after they entered the courtyard, a man who looked like a steward came forward and gave Ye Lingling a slight bow.

Ye Lingling nodded slightly and said in her ethereal voice, "Uncle Liu, I need to discuss something with two friends. Please make the arrangements."

"Certainly. Esteemed guests, please follow me."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liu swept his eyes over Dugu Yan, lingering briefly on Qing Mu—especially Bulbasaur—before smiling and leading them deeper into the courtyard.

Dugu Yan curiously surveyed the surroundings and smiled at Ye Lingling. "Lingling, I didn't expect your family to have a property like this in Suotuo City. You never mentioned it before!"

Ye Lingling replied, "My mother arranged it. I only found out about it after coming to Suotuo City, so I didn't know much about it before either."

Hearing this, Dugu Yan nodded as though she deeply related. "Yes, my grandfather is the same. I don't even know how many properties he has. Only after I arrive somewhere do the people managing those assets come looking for me themselves."

"..."

Listening to their casually extravagant conversation, Qing Mu's lips twitched slightly. Was this what the true upper echelon of this world was like? It seemed he had underestimated just how wealthy these people were!

Dugu Yan was the granddaughter of Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo. As the pinnacle of this world, a Titled Douluo's wealth was already beyond calculation in Gold Soul Coins.

Even if Dugu Bo had the weakest individual combat strength among Titled Douluo, he was still a Titled Douluo. The gifts he received each year alone were likely an astronomical sum.

No wonder Dugu Bo had not cared much when Tang San dug up the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Aside from not understanding their true value, he simply possessed too much wealth himself.

Therefore, unless something could increase Dugu Bo's strength or help him advance even further, it truly held little meaning for someone of Dugu Bo's standing.

Soon, led by Uncle Liu, Qing Mu and the others arrived at a room filled with antique charm. After serving Qing Mu's group of three some tea, Uncle Liu withdrew.

"Little brother Qing Mu, judging by your expression earlier, you should already know why we came to find you, right?"

Dugu Yan was impatient by nature. After Uncle Liu left, she got straight to the point.

Qing Mu nodded. "I have a rough idea, though I'm not completely sure. It should be about a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, right?"

"That's right!"

Dugu Yan said decisively, "The moment Lingling saw you, she sensed a disturbance from her Martial Soul. That means the two of you should be able to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. You know what a Martial Soul Fusion Skill between soul masters means, don't you?"

"I naturally know that. But this is only our first time meeting. What does Miss Ye think about this matter?"

As he said this, Qing Mu turned his gaze toward Ye Lingling, seemingly waiting for her answer.

To Qing Mu, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill was useful, but it was not essential. He had quite a few secrets, while a Martial Soul Fusion Skill required the fusion of two souls. Therefore, unless the other person was someone he trusted deeply, he could never perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with them.

What was more, with the Bulbasaur Martial Soul, he was already strong enough on his own.

Even without taking Qing Mu himself into account, Bulbasaur in its Ivysaur form could now deal with high-level Soul Ancestors as easily as eating and drinking.

If it stacked enough Growth boosts, then so long as it was not countered in terms of compatibility, it could even fight a Soul Emperor.

That was the intimidation brought by more than a dozen moves!

One had to know that even a Titled Douluo only possessed nine spirit rings and nine spirit skills.

Even with the aid of Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Rings and Soul Bones, the number of moves they could learn was only a little over ten, barely matching the current level-thirty-something Bulbasaur.

As its level rose, Bulbasaur would eventually learn even more moves. Qing Mu could also gain additional moves by attaching spirit rings and absorbing Soul Bones, endlessly compensating for the weaknesses of being a trainer.

When that time came, what did it matter if he lacked a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Who in the world could possibly be his opponent?

After hearing Qing Mu's words, Ye Lingling took a deep breath and looked directly at him. "Mr. Qing Mu, could you give me a chance? Although we are strangers to each other now, I believe that as we come to understand one another better, we will eventually become partners who can entrust ourselves to each other!"