The Moonlit Begonia, the Jealous Beauty Snake, and... a "Special Tutoring Session" Late at Night

The night market in Heaven Dou City was as bright as day.

Unlike the Great Soul Arena, where the air was thick with blood and hormones, the night market smelled of cumin from grilled meat, the milky sweetness of desserts, and all sorts of everyday warmth.

"Boss! Ten more skewers of kidney! Extra spicy!"

Pang Hu shouted, the plates in front of him already piled up like a small hill. As he stuffed food into his mouth, he mumbled, "Brother Yu, that was so satisfying today! You should've seen that bald guy's face at the end. He looked like he'd swallowed a fly! Nobody at the academy will dare bully me now!"

Yu Tianyu sat across from him with a cup of tea in hand, his movements so elegant that he looked as if he were attending a noble's banquet. He seemed completely out of place amid the noisy surroundings.

"Have some dignity."

Yu Tianyu chuckled. "A few no-name thugs get you this excited? If I take you along to beat up a Titled Douluo someday, you'll wet your pants on the spot."

Pang Hu grinned. He thought "beating up a Titled Douluo" sounded like bragging, but right now, he had blind faith in Brother Yu.

Ye Lingling, seated beside Yu Tianyu, had now removed her mysterious veil.

It was the first time she had shown her face in public.

She had a stunningly beautiful face, with skin fair as snow and features so exquisite they seemed carved from ice. In the warm glow of the lanterns, her usually cool demeanor softened with a touch of everyday warmth. She was so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

Quite a few diners nearby were sneaking glances at them, but Yu Tianyu's aura of menace from the Soul Fighting Arena still lingered. No one dared approach her.

"Have some of this. It's sweet, and it'll help calm your nerves."

Yu Tianyu pushed a delicate plate of Osmanthus Sugar Lotus Root in front of Ye Lingling.

Ye Lingling paused. She was used to the cold food served by her family, and to staying calm and restrained as a Support Spirit Master. She had hardly ever touched snacks this sweet in her life.

"I don't like sweets..."

"Whether you like them or not, you're eating some."

Yu Tianyu boldly picked up a piece and held it to her lips. "You were one of the heroes today, too. Without your light, I couldn't have made that kick look so cool. Open up."

Ye Lingling looked at the chopsticks by her mouth, then at Yu Tianyu's eyes, which brooked no refusal.

A faint blush crept across her cheeks. After hesitating for two seconds, she parted her lips slightly and gently bit down on the lotus root.

Sweet.

The soft, sweet flavor melted across her tongue. It felt as if even the block of ice that had sat unmelted in her heart for years had thawed a little.

"Is it good?" Yu Tianyu asked with a smile, his gaze tender.

Ye Lingling lowered her head and murmured a tiny "Mm," her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Across the table, Pang Hu watched them, and suddenly his skewered kidney didn't taste so good anymore.

He felt like a giant lightbulb, shining so brightly it hurt his eyes.

"Um... Brother Yu, Goddess Ye."

Pang Hu leapt to his feet and wiped the grease from his mouth. "I just remembered—I left my laundry hanging in the dorm! Anyway, take your time. I'll pay the bill! I'm heading out!"

With that, the big guy displayed agility that belied his size and vanished into the crowd in a flash.

"At least the kid knows when to leave."

Yu Tianyu watched Pang Hu go and nodded in satisfaction.

Now there were only two people at the table.

The lively atmosphere suddenly quieted, and a delicate sense of intimacy drifted between them.

"Pang Hu is a good person." Ye Lingling broke the silence, a little awkwardly smoothing the loose hair by her ear.

"A good person? In this world, good people usually don't live long."

Yu Tianyu turned to look at her, his gaze intent. "Lingling, were you scared up there today?"

"No."

Ye Lingling raised her head, her gaze unusually resolute. "Because you were in front of me."

Those six simple words meant more than countless declarations of love.

Yu Tianyu's heart stirred. He reached across the table and gently took Ye Lingling's delicate hand, resting on its surface.

Her hand was cold, just like her Martial Soul, the Nine Heart Begonia, and carried the same icy chill. But when Yu Tianyu's warm hand enveloped it, she didn't pull away. Instead, she instinctively squeezed his hand back.

"The Ye Family's curse kept you from getting close to people when you were little, didn't it?"

Yu Tianyu's voice grew low and gentle. "You're afraid that if you grow attached to someone, losing them will hurt even more. So you shut yourself inside a shell of ice and reject everyone's kindness."

Ye Lingling's body trembled slightly.

It was the deepest secret in her heart, and her greatest weakness.

The Nine Heart Begonia was passed down through a single bloodline. Each new Begonia's bloom often meant the previous generation's Begonia withered. This cruel way of passing down the legacy had left her living in fear from childhood.

"Yes." Ye Lingling's eyes reddened, and her voice caught in her throat. "Someone destined to be lonely doesn't deserve warmth."

"Bullshit."

Yu Tianyu suddenly pulled her closer. "Who says it's destiny? The heavens?"

"If the heavens say so, then I'll pierce the sky."

"Lingling, look at me."

Yu Tianyu let go of her hand, cupped her face, and made her meet his gaze.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer Mage. Dragons are the most unreasonable creatures in this world. If I choose someone, even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take her—let alone some little family curse."

"Stay with me. As long as I'm alive, you don't have to worry about losing anyone. I'll be stronger than anyone else, and I'll live longer than anyone else."

The young man's vow was arrogant and domineering, but beneath the moonlight that night, it carried a power that made it easy to believe.

Ye Lingling looked into his fiery, confident eyes, and her heart pounded like a drum.

In that moment, the defenses she had built up over more than a decade collapsed completely.

"Yu Tianyu..."

She murmured his name, and, as if possessed, leaned forward and gave the corner of his mischievous smile a light peck.

It was no more than the briefest brush of her lips, but to Ye Lingling, it was the craziest thing she had ever done.

"This is... a down payment."

Ye Lingling's face flushed bright red. She lowered her head, quickly put on her veil, grabbed her backpack, and ran. "It's late. I... I'm going back to the dorm!"

Watching her flee, Yu Tianyu touched the corner of his mouth, his smile widening.

"A down payment, huh?"

"Looks like I got a great deal."

The next morning.

Yu Tianyu walked into the classroom in an excellent mood, even humming an unfamiliar tune.

But as soon as he reached his seat, he felt a murderous aura.

Dugu Yan sat with her arms crossed, her dark green snake eyes fixed on him as if she wanted to bore two holes through him.

"Morning, Yan Yan." Yu Tianyu greeted her as if nothing had happened.

"Morning?"

Dugu Yan sneered. "It certainly is early. Some people stayed out enjoying themselves until the middle of the night, and still managed to drag themselves to class. You've got quite the stamina."

The air reeked of jealousy.

Clearly, word had already reached her that Yu Tianyu had taken Ye Lingling to the Great Soul Arena the day before, then out for a late-night snack—and perhaps there were even juicier rumors.

She hadn't been able to go because of her training, but that didn't mean she could tolerate someone "stealing her man."

"What, are you jealous?"

Yu Tianyu didn't even bother to explain. He plopped down in the seat beside her and turned to look at her. "I can smell the sourness from three streets away."

"Who... who's jealous!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Dugu Yan instantly bristled. "I just think you're neglecting your duties! You promised to help cure my poison, but then you went off fooling around with another woman! Do you even care about my life?"

As she spoke, her eyes actually grew a little red.

She really did feel wronged.

She had met Yu Tianyu first, and she and Yu Tianyu had shared more intimate physical contact, even if it had been for treatment. So why did Ye Lingling always manage to cut in?

And she had heard that Yu Tianyu had crippled the man who harassed Ye Lingling at the Great Soul Arena the night before.

Why couldn't she be the heroine in that kind of story, where a man flew into a rage for a beauty?

Seeing Dugu Yan look so hurt while stubbornly trying to act fierce, Yu Tianyu's heart softened.

He knew there was no point explaining himself to someone with a tsundere personality. The best solution was—

action.

"Come with me."

Yu Tianyu abruptly stood up, grabbed Dugu Yan by the wrist, and dragged her out of the classroom without a word.

"Hey! What are you doing? Class is about to start!" Dugu Yan cried out.

"What class? You're not feeling well. We're going to the infirmary."

Yu Tianyu casually made up an excuse. Ignoring the gazes of the entire class—especially Ye Lingling, who had just walked in—he pulled Dugu Yan straight out of the classroom building.

The small grove behind the academy, a familiar place.

It was where they had first "met in secret," and it was also the most private place in Dugu Yan's heart.

Yu Tianyu pinned Dugu Yan against a big tree, bracing his hands on either side of her and forming a textbook "tree pin."

"W-What are you planning to do?"

Dugu Yan stared at the handsome face so close to hers. Her heart raced, and all her earlier bravado vanished, replaced by flustered embarrassment.

"Didn't you just say I didn't care about you?"

Yu Tianyu leaned down until his nose nearly touched hers, his warm breath brushing her face. "Now I'll show you just how much I 'care.'"

"Don't move. I'm going to check the results of your training yesterday."

As he spoke, he deftly lifted the hem of Dugu Yan's uniform and placed his hand on her slender waist.

"Mm!"

The moment their skin touched, Dugu Yan shuddered all over. She instinctively tried to push him away, but her body felt weak, and she couldn't summon any strength.

This time, Yu Tianyu didn't rush to use Dragon Slayer Magic to draw out the poison.

His palm radiated warmth as it wandered gently across her smooth, flat stomach. The feeling of his fingertips brushing her skin sent a shiver through Dugu Yan unlike anything she had felt before.

"Here... and here..."

Yu Tianyu's voice was low and husky. "The poison seems to have built up again. Your grandfather must have put you through intense training yesterday, forcing you to draw on the poison in your core?"

"Mm... Grandpa told me to try controlling the poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor... It hurt..."

Dugu Yan's voice had gone soft as water, her gaze unfocused. She could barely stand without leaning against the tree behind her.

"It's supposed to hurt. You have to break before you can rebuild."

Yu Tianyu's gaze sharpened, and a powerful suction force suddenly burst from his palm.

"Bear with it. I'm going to draw it out more deeply this time."

"Ah—!"

Dugu Yan tilted her head back, her long neck forming a graceful curve.

This time, the extraction was more intense than ever before. It wasn't just the poison being drawn out of her body; it felt like something was being taken from her soul.

The Poison Dragon Factor within Yu Tianyu seemed like a ravenous beast, greedily devouring the high-grade serpent poison in Dugu Yan's body. As it did, their Soul Power began to resonate in a subtle way.

It was a fluctuation much like the precursor to a "Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Dragon and snake.

One above, one in submission.

Dugu Yan felt as if her very soul were being drawn out by this man. The emptiness that followed, and the sudden sense of fullness as it was filled again, left her mind completely blank.

She wrapped her arms around Yu Tianyu's neck without thinking and clung to him, her nails digging deep into the muscles of his back.

No one knew how long it lasted.

The wind stopped, and the leaves fell silent.

Yu Tianyu let out a long breath and slowly withdrew his hand.

Dugu Yan's eyes were closed, her eyelashes still trembling slightly. She looked as if she had just been fished out of water, her clothes slightly disheveled and a lingering flush on her face.

"How is it? Do you still think I don't care about you?"

Yu Tianyu straightened her clothes and gently flicked her on the nose.

Dugu Yan slowly opened her eyes. Her once wild, snake-like gaze was now full of tenderness.

She bit her lip, then suddenly leaned forward and sank her teeth into Yu Tianyu's neck.

"Ow—are you a dog?" Yu Tianyu sucked in a sharp breath.

"That's interest!"

Dugu Yan let go and looked at the clear bite mark, giving a satisfied snort. "If Ye Lingling gets one, I get one too. And I want more than she does!"

"From now on... you're not allowed to take only her to the Great Soul Arena! I want to go too!"

"I want to team up with you! I've even thought of a name: 'Dragon Snake Romance'! Got it?"

Looking at Dugu Yan, her usual tsundere self once again, Yu Tianyu smiled helplessly.

"Fine, fine, whatever you say. But next time, could you bite me somewhere else? If someone sees this, how am I supposed to maintain my aloof heartthrob image?"

"I don't care!" Dugu Yan hugged his arm. "You've been marked. You're mine now."

After placating his "official girlfriend"—a title she had given herself—Yu Tianyu returned to the classroom with Dugu Yan.

As soon as they entered, they sensed something was wrong.

Pang Hu was pacing anxiously by the door. The moment he saw Yu Tianyu, he rushed over.

"Brother Yu! This is bad! Something's happened!"

"What now?" Yu Tianyu was in a good mood, so the interruption annoyed him. "Did the sky fall?"

"More or less!"

Pang Hu pulled out a red challenge letter, his hands trembling. "Someone just delivered this and named you as their challenger! And... and it was signed 'Mad Rhino'!"

"Mad Rhino?"

Dugu Yan's expression changed. "Isn't he the famous captain of the Mad Battle Team in the Great Soul Arena? I heard he's already a Level 38 Soul Elder, and he's vicious. He cripples his opponents in every Soul Fighting match!"

"That's right!" Pang Hu said miserably. "That bald guy you crippled yesterday seems to be Mad Rhino's cousin. Now Mad Rhino's said that if you don't show up at the Great Soul Arena tonight, he'll bring people to wait outside the academy and beat us up every time he sees us! He won't even spare Goddess Ye!"

Yu Tianyu took the challenge letter without reading it. A wisp of flame flickered from his fingertip, and he burned it to ash.

"A Level 38 Soul Elder?"

He dusted off his hands, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Perfect. I haven't had a proper fight with someone twenty levels above me since I got my First Spirit Ring."

"That bald guy yesterday was too fragile. He couldn't take a hit. I hope this big rhino's hide is a little thicker. Don't let me down."

Dugu Yan looked worried. "Tianyu, he's a Soul Elder, and the Mad Rhino Battle Team is a seven-person team that works well together. You're strong, but you're only level fifteen..."

"Who said I was going to fight him alone?"

Yu Tianyu looked at Dugu Yan, then at Ye Lingling, who sat quietly in her seat, watching them.

"Have you not been pestering me to let you team up with me?"

"Tonight, I'll show you what that's like."

Yu Tianyu held out both hands, pointing at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

"Poison Dragon in my left hand, Begonia in my right."

"The three of us are going to teach that Mad Rhino Battle Team how to behave."

"And while we're at it, we'll let all of Heaven Dou City know who the real boss is around here."

That night.

On the training grounds of Heaven Dou Junior Spirit Master Academy.

Yu Tianyu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling stood side by side.

"Training starts now."

Yu Tianyu looked at the two beauties, so different in style, his expression serious. "I'm confident I can crush them, but even a lion gives a rabbit its all. Especially you two..."

He pointed at them. "You used to be rivals who couldn't stand each other, but tonight, I want you to trust each other with your backs."

"Dugu Yan, your poison is mainly for control and weakening the enemy. Ye Lingling, your healing provides endurance and support."

"And I'll be responsible for tearing everything apart."

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling looked at each other.

It was as if sparks crackled in the air between them.

"Hmph. As long as she doesn't hold me back," Dugu Yan said, turning her head away with a haughty air.

"I'll do my job," Ye Lingling replied coolly.

Watching them, Yu Tianyu laughed to himself.

Though they still spoke sharply to each other, he could tell that the tension between the two girls had eased considerably. In its place was a subtle sense of competition.

And on the battlefield, that kind of rivalry could often unleash astonishing fighting power.

"Good."

Flames ignited over one of Yu Tianyu's hands, while poisonous mist billowed over the other.

"There's only one goal tonight."

"Break off that big rhino's horn and bring it back as a trophy!"

"Let's go!"

Under cover of night, this fledgling team—destined to shake the entire continent—showed its fangs for the first time.

Whether it was Mad Rhino or whatever forces stood behind him...

Under the iron fist of the Dragon Slayer Mage, they would all become withered bones on the road to the throne.