Caught in the Act-Too Passionate? Too Intoxicating? Too Lost in the Moment?

The moment Lin Qingmo caught sight of the four figures at the door out of the corner of his eye, he felt his Soul Power freeze.

Only one thought was flashing through his mind: It's over.

Barbie Q is here.

This is completely over.

The kind of indelible stain that even jumping into Sea God Lake wouldn't wash away.

"Um?

Liu Erlong also sensed the movement behind him.

She seemed to be frozen in place, stiffly turning her head, her lips slowly leaving Lin Qingmo's.

The movements were so slow, it was like a soul-guided image slowed down ten times.

Then she saw the four people at the door.

In that instant, Liu Erlong's changing expression was arguably the most brilliant micro-expression textbook in the history of the Douluo Continent.

It took 0.3 seconds for her to go from a dazed state to full consciousness.

It took 0.1 seconds for him to go from being fully awake to completely frozen.

From stiffening to blushing, it took... well, no time at all, she just exploded into a bright red on the spot.

One, two, three, four—four eyewitnesses, standing in a neat row.

Moreover, one of them was her goddaughter, and also Lin Qingmo's boyfriend.

Liu Erlong's only thought right now is—let me die, immediately! Right now!

If someone were to unleash my ninth Soul Skill, I, Liu Erlong, promise not to resist.

"..."

A suffocating silence.

The group of people just stared at each other, and no one said a word.

If only the director could yell "Cut!" at that moment.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".

This damn reality never gives you a chance to NG (make a mistake).

Finally, Ning Rongrong spoke first.

As the eldest daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she received rigorous training in social etiquette from a young age, including but not limited to "how to pretend nothing happened in awkward situations."

She cleared her throat and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Um... we were just passing by, just passing by, understand?"

She spoke as she backed away, laughing awkwardly as she went.

"I just happened to be passing by, just happened to hear the noise, just happened to push open the door, and then... just happened to see nothing."

When she said this, her tone was full of guilt, and every word seemed to be written on cotton.

So... do you believe it?

After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes.

Because the expression on her face clearly said something else entirely: I don't even believe it myself.

Dugu Yan wasn't as nervous as Ning Rongrong.

Instead, she revealed an expression of enjoying the show, her lips curving upwards even more than her serpentine Martial Soul.

She nudged Xiao Wu's shoulder, her tone full of teasing. "Your man and Teacher Er Long are kissing, Xiao Wu, aren't you going to say anything?"

Dugu Yan, you really aren't afraid of causing trouble.

Are you afraid the fire isn't burning bright enough, so you poured a bucket of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison on it?

"..."

Xiao Wu didn't say anything.

Her expression was calm, unusually calm.

Those eyes, which were always sparkling with lively light, now seemed as Youyou and unfathomable as two pools of water.

If that gaze could be described using the term "Soul Skill," it would probably be at the level of a death stare.

Her gaze was fixed on Lin Qingmo, and also on Liu Erlong.

That look wasn't one of anger, questioning, or even resentment.

Rather, it's a kind of wistful resentment that says, "I'm waiting for your explanation."

To be honest, she's already used to it.

After all, there was the precedent set by Master A-Qing.

The helplessness she felt watching A-Qing being violated was something she would never forget.

In comparison, Teacher Er Long... well, how should I put it, is definitely not even a fraction of the same level.

The problem is, this kind of thing can't be categorized by rank!

Just because there was an even more shocking one before doesn't mean we can gloss over this one.

Lin Qingmo felt a chill run down his spine from Xiao Wu's gaze.

His mind raced, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

The problem was that the warmth of Liu Erlong lingered on his own lips, making any explanation he gave seem weak and ineffective.

It's as unconvincing as someone with Fire Dragon fruit pulp still on their lips insisting they've never eaten Fire Dragon.

And what about Liu Erlong?

She was utterly ashamed.

His facial expressions completely collapsed, and he became as stiff as a stone statue.

If stone statues could blush, they must be the kind that have been heated until they're red-hot and smoking.

Moreover, she dared not look anyone in the eye.

At that moment, her greatest wish was to simply vanish on the spot.

If there were a crack in the ground in front of her, she would crawl into it without hesitation.

If the crack in the ground wasn't wide enough, she would use her Fire Dragon Martial Soul to tear it open.

It's a pity there's no crack in the ground.

She could only endure the gazes of four girls.

Every gaze was like a knife, piercing her already riddled heart of shame.

A moment later.

In the living room.

Six people sat in a circle.

Lin Qingmo and Liu Erlong sat on one side, while the other four sat on the other side.

A four-on-two formation looks more like an interrogation of someone caught in adultery.

And in fact, it seems that's really the case.

Liu Erlong sat upright, his hands on his knees, his back ramrod straight, like a prisoner being interrogated.

Her expression remained relatively calm.

If you only look at her from the neck up and ignore her bright red ears and her eyes that dare not look at others directly...

"Cough cough."

Liu Erlong cleared his throat and began to explain.

Her voice tried to maintain the authoritative tone she usually used when teaching practical classes.

But if you listen carefully, you can hear a slight tremor of guilt.

"Here's what happened."

"After I returned from Soul Hunting and became Soul Douluo, I also fused with the Soul Bone that A-Qing gave me, raising my Soul Power to level eighty-six."

"As you know, I've been stuck at the Soul Saint realm for a long time."

"This breakthrough is of great significance to me."

As she said this, the tremor in her voice subsided slightly.

After all, what she said was true, and this breakthrough was indeed of great significance.

"So..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly considering her words.

It was as if he had gone through the entire vocabulary of the Douluo Continent in his mind, trying to find the safest, most harmless, and least likely to cause misunderstanding.

However, she failed.

"So, in a moment of excitement, I couldn't help myself and... I kissed A-Qing."

She spoke haltingly, and when she said the word "dear," her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

The volume was about the same as when she reprimanded some ignorant student at the Soul Master Academy.

After listening, Ning Rongrong nodded thoughtfully.

She nodded very deeply.

It was so large it looked like drawing a complete arc with the chin, clearly indicating that the speaker was buying time to think of what to say.

"Oh... so Teacher Er Long was just too excited about breaking through."

"I understand, I get it, I can understand that situation."

She gave a knowing look and even clapped her hands, trying to create an atmosphere that suggested the matter was over and done with.

"After all, breaking through a bottleneck is a very happy thing for Soul Master, and it's normal to be so happy that you lose your composure."

"Being so happy that you kiss your benefactor, and in a very... very tender? very ecstatic? very deep... uh... that's probably reasonable?"

When she got to the last few adjectives, she couldn't keep her expression straight anymore.

It wasn't that she wanted to describe it that way; that's just how the scene was.

All she could say was that Teacher Er Long was too bold and too thirsty!

With each word she uttered, Liu Erlong's body stiffened a little more.