Xiao Ning'er

As Shangguan Ye's blood flowed out, the dagger in Xiao Ning'er's hand fell to the ground.

Xiao Ning'er was terrified by the scene. She had only wanted to scare him—why had he suddenly decided to end his life?

Yet the sight of Shangguan Ye dying never appeared. Xiao Ning'er stared at the scene before her in disbelief.

His wound was actually healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within a few breaths, it had completely recovered.

"You..." Xiao Ning'er was about to ask if Shangguan Ye was alright when he interrupted her.

"Don't worry about me. Let me ask you—does your body ache and burn every night? Especially the bruises on your body." Shangguan Ye gestured with his eyes toward the bruises on Xiao Ning'er's leg.

"How did you know?" Xiao Ning'er was deeply puzzled. Not even her father knew about this condition.

"You absorb Moonlight Essence every night to cultivate. Although your cultivation speed is fast, your body cannot fully absorb it. On top of that, you were born with an Extreme Cold Physique, which is why you ended up in your current condition." Shangguan Ye shook his head.

"If this continues, you might die."

"What..." Xiao Ning'er could not accept it.

"I cultivated desperately to avoid marrying that bastard Shen Fei, and now you're telling me I might die?" A trace of resentment and helplessness appeared in Xiao Ning'er's eyes.

"I said you might. If you're willing to let me help you, there's still time."

Xiao Ning'er fell silent. There was no such thing as a free lunch. The person before her surely had a motive for helping her, but given her current situation, if she wanted to change things, she had no choice no matter what his intentions were.

Gritting her teeth, Xiao Ning'er nodded in agreement.

"Alright, please help me. Afterward, I'll give you whatever you want."

"Come, sit down." Shangguan Ye was the first to sit cross-legged.

Xiao Ning'er did not understand, but she sat down as well.

"Don't move." Shangguan Ye reached out and pressed a finger against Xiao Ning'er's forehead, silently calling out to the system in his heart.

"System, first transfer some of my cells to Xiao Ning'er."

"Okay."

Xiao Ning'er suddenly felt a warm current flow into her forehead before spreading throughout her body. The bruises on her legs vanished, her Soul Power increased greatly, and she broke through to the Bronze Realm in one go.

"Shangguan Ye, thank you." Xiao Ning'er's face flushed slightly. She had already begun imagining that Shangguan Ye would make all sorts of excessive demands, but instead, he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Huh?" Xiao Ning'er looked at Shangguan Ye, who was about to leave, and asked, "What do you want?"

"I never thought of taking anything from you. I simply couldn't bear to see a genius fall." With that, Shangguan Ye vanished from before Xiao Ning'er.

"Shangguan Ye..." Xiao Ning'er looked at the empty space where he had disappeared, a faint blush rising to her face.

The next day, Shangguan Ye overslept and rushed to the classroom. He did not even have time for breakfast, and his stomach growled embarrassingly.

Just as Shangguan Ye was starving, Xiao Ning'er walked over and sat beside him. Shangguan Ye lay sprawled over his desk, turned his head to glance at her, and asked, "It's you. Are you feeling better?"

"Mhm... I'm all better. The bruises are gone. Thank you. You haven't eaten breakfast, have you? I made too much this morning, so I'll share some with you." Xiao Ning'er took a food box from her Spatial Ring. Inside were colorful pastries that looked especially appetizing.

"Oh, thanks." Shangguan Ye did not stand on ceremony. He took it and began eating heartily, while Xiao Ning'er rested her chin on her hand and watched him wolf down the food, the corners of her lips curving upward.

"Um... can I call you Shangguan from now on?" Xiao Ning'er asked shyly.

"Whatever makes you happy." Shangguan Ye was busy stuffing his face and answered hurriedly.

"Thanks for breakfast. It was delicious." After finishing, Shangguan Ye handed the food box back.

"No need to thank me. As long as you like it. If I make too much in the future, I'll share it with you." Xiao Ning'er's face had turned completely red.

The two chatted happily, and Nie Li and the others nearby were all suspicious as they watched their intimate interaction.

"My god, has Goddess Ning'er really been won over by Shangguan Ye?" Lu Piao clutched his chest, unable to stop the sound of his heart breaking.

There were not many pretty girls in the class to begin with—Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er. Now Xiao Ning'er had been swept away by Shangguan Ye, while Ye Ziyun was the City Lord's daughter, far beyond their reach.

"Wait, wasn't Xiao Ning'er engaged to Shen Fei of the Sacred Family?" Du Ze suddenly said.

"Right! How did I forget about that?"

"Wow, one is the Patriarch of the Shangguan Family, and the other is the direct heir of the Sacred Family. We actually ran into such a melodramatic plot." Lu Piao snickered.

"Nie Li, what do you think about this?" Du Ze turned to ask.

"It looks like we'll have to help this Shangguan Ye. As long as we help him, we'll gain the support of a super family in the future, and many of my plans can be put into action." Nie Li said calmly.

"But we're not even on the same level as them. How can we get close to him?" Du Ze asked worriedly.

"I have my ways. I'll handle the negotiations." Nie Li was brimming with confidence.

After the day's lessons ended, Shangguan Ye walked out of the school gates and was about to board his carriage when Nie Li stopped him.

"Patriarch Shangguan, may I have a word with you in private?"

Shangguan Ye smiled. I hadn't even figured out how to befriend you, and you delivered yourself right to my door.

"Sure."

The two arrived at a teahouse, where Nie Li mysteriously leaned closer to Shangguan Ye.

"I wonder if Patriarch Shangguan would be interested in doing business with me? The kind that guarantees profit without loss."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Shangguan Ye knew that Nie Li likely wanted him to help buy up Purple Mist Grass, but he did not expose him.

"I hope Patriarch Shangguan can help me purchase a large quantity of Purple Mist Grass. As for why, that will remain a secret for now." Nie Li made a shushing gesture.

"Alright. I'll personally deliver it to you when the time comes." Shangguan Ye readily agreed. The two shook hands, and the transaction ended perfectly.

After returning home, Shangguan Ye gathered all the Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters in the courtyard.

"System, distribute the rewards."

"Yes, Master. Distributing rewards now."

As the system's words fell, Shangguan Ye felt a warm current flow through his body. A Golden Giant Dragon appeared in his Sea of Soul, radiating an imposing aura. Normally, one needed to reach the Silver Rank to fuse with a demon spirit, but with the system's help, that was no issue. Moreover, after fusing with the demon spirit, Shangguan Ye's strength directly broke through to the Silver Rank. In addition, the demon spirits of the Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters had all been replaced with Dragon Blood Demon Spirits. Shangguan Xun directly broke through to Black Gold Five Stars, just one step away from Black Gold Peak, needing only a little consolidation. Shangguan Long and Shangguan Yun reached the peak of Black Gold Four Stars, while everyone else made considerable breakthroughs. The Shangguan Family's overall strength rose to another level.

"Uncle Xun, send people to purchase Purple Mist Grass in bulk. Buy as much as you can find." Remembering his deal with Nie Li, Shangguan Ye entrusted the matter to Shangguan Xun.

"Yes!"