If That Wasn't Love, Then It Was Just Going Through the Motions!
A few seconds after the Snake Matriarch and Meng Yiran left.
"Wow!!!"
Ma Hongjun was the first to jump up, his eyes wide open like saucers.
"Lin Qingmo! You... you... you were kissed?!"
"And it was such a pretty girl who initiated the kiss?!"
"Ugh, I'm so jealous!!"
Oscar was also devastated.
"Why? Why do you always get to have all the good things?!"
"I refuse to accept this!!"
Tang San recalled the scene of Meng Yiran kissing Lin Qingmo just now.
A sinister thought suddenly surged into my mind.
He suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Lin Qingmo, and shouted at Xiao Wu:
"Xiao Wu, look carefully!"
"He's a total womanizer and a scumbag. He flirts with other girls right in front of you!"
He doesn't deserve you!
"??!"
Everyone looked at Tang San with strange expressions.
Lin Qingmo also turned his head to look at Tang San.
His gaze was calm, even remarkably so, and somewhat inexplicable.
Is this person... mentally unstable?
However--
Before Lin Qingmo could speak...
"Smack!"
A crisp, loud slap landed hard on Tang San's face!
Xiao Wu stood in front of Tang San, her hand still raised in mid-air.
"Tang San! Have you no shame?!"
Xiao Wu was so angry that her cheeks puffed up, and her big eyes widened in anger.
Like a protective lioness, she stood firmly in front of Lin Qingmo, her fingers almost poking Tang San's nose.
"You're resorting to such despicable tactics as sowing discord? Do you think we're three-year-olds?"
Tang San covered his face; the burning pain hadn't subsided.
He was extremely aggrieved, and his voice trembled.
"Xiao Wu, I'm doing this for your own good!"
"Didn't you see? Meng Yiran kissed him! In front of so many people!"
"A fickle person like that doesn't deserve you at all!"
"For my own good?"
Xiao Wu laughed in exasperation.
She turned around and grabbed Lin Qingmo's arm, almost hanging on him.
Then she tilted her head back and gave Lin Qingmo a smile so sweet it could make someone sick of it.
"A-Qing, do you like me?"
Lin Qingmo looked down at her, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, but mostly tenderness.
"Like."
He spoke very seriously.
"Then will you not want me anymore?"
Xiao Wu continued asking, blinking her eyes rapidly.
"Won't."
Lin Qingmo answered without hesitation.
"Look!"
Upon receiving the answer, Xiao Wu immediately turned her head, raised her chin at Tang San, and gave him a "I won" look.
"A-Qing said he likes me and won't leave me."
"That's enough!"
She tiptoed and quickly kissed Lin Qingmo on the cheek.
With a crisp, clear sound, it made a "smack" sound.
After kissing him, she deliberately raised an eyebrow at Tang San.
The meaning couldn't be clearer—it's infuriating.
"???"
Tang San froze on the spot.
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his head numb from head to toe.
My mind was buzzing, completely blank.
Why?
Why isn't Xiao Wu angry?
Shouldn't she be crying and making a scene, demanding to know why Lin Qingmo let another girl kiss him?
Shouldn't she be heartbroken and then throw herself into his arms?
That's not how the script was written!
"Alright, alright, stop fooling around."
Zhao Wuji couldn't stand it any longer.
Tang San's thing is truly embarrassing to look at!
Is he even a man?
He patted Oscar on the shoulder, his tone urging him on.
"Little Ao, hurry up, don't just stand there, if we delay any longer, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent will die."
Oscar then suddenly came to his senses.
A flicker of excitement and eagerness flashed in his eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes! The Spirit Ring is the most important!"
He quickly picked up the dagger beside him, took a deep breath, and stabbed it into the seven-inch spot of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
"Hiss--"
The Snake Body twitched one last time, then remained completely still.
The purple Spirit Ring slowly rose, hovering in mid-air, radiating a captivating glow.
Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.
Oscar's eyes lit up.
He immediately sat down cross-legged, formed hand seals, and began to guide the Spirit Ring toward himself.
A purple light enveloped his entire body.
Absorption has begun.
Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun immediately formed a triangle, protecting Oscar in the middle.
They cautiously observed their surroundings.
The forest was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Tang San remained kneeling on the ground.
He kept his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly.
The scene from just now kept replaying in his mind— Xiao Wu hugging Lin Qingmo's arm, smiling so sweetly.
When she kissed Lin Qingmo, the dependence and trust in her eyes stung his eyes.
Why?
On what grounds?
Lin Qingmo stood a little further away.
He released the Blue Silver Grass, its delicate vines spreading silently, sensing any movement within a fifty-meter radius.
This is his habit.
Safety first at all times.
Xiao Wu then pulled Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to sit down on the roots of a tree not far away.
The three girls huddled together, chatting quietly about girls' topics.
"Xiao Wu, you really don't mind at all?"
Ning Rongrong lowered her voice, but her eyes secretly glanced at Lin Qingmo.
"That Meng Yiran just kissed him in front of everyone!"
"If it were me, I'd be furious."
Of course, it was the vixen Meng Yiran who was furious.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, but she turned her head and quietly looked at Xiao Wu.
Clearly, she was also curious about Xiao Wu's thoughts.
Xiao Wu tilted her head and thought about it very seriously.
Then, she smiled.
Her smile was clean and pure, like sunlight filtering through the forest.
"I don't mind."
She said it very casually.
"A-Qing is such a good person, it's normal for someone to like him. As long as he has me in his heart, that's enough."
He paused, then added, "And I trust A-Qing."
Ning Rongrong was stunned.
She opened her mouth, but only managed to utter, "Xiao Wu, you're too magnanimous! I definitely couldn't do that."
She was telling the truth.
But a thought inexplicably popped into my mind—since Xiao Wu doesn't mind, does that mean...?
She stole a glance at Lin Qingmo's profile, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.
Xiao Wu's happy smile was genuine.
Looking at Lin Qingmo's focused and vigilant back, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
But she quickly suppressed those emotions.
Time passed little by little.
The purple aura surrounding Oscar grew increasingly intense.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that the absorption process had reached a crucial stage.
The energy of Thousand-Year Spirit Ring is not so easy to control.
Just when everyone thought the Soul Hunting was about to end smoothly--
"Aaaaaah--!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream suddenly rang out.
Tang San suddenly jumped up from the ground!
He clutched his head, shaking it wildly, his eyes filled with confusion and madness.
"Why?! Why?!"
He seemed possessed, muttering to himself repeatedly.
Why isn't Xiao Wu angry? Why isn't she angry?
"Unless... unless she doesn't love Lin Qingmo at all!"
This thought struck him like a bolt of lightning, shattering his chaotic mind.
Yes!
If Xiao Wu truly loves Lin Qingmo, how could she not be angry to see him being close to other girls?
Unless it's not love at all!
It's just acting! It's just going through the motions!