Zhang Lexuan watched Jiang Yang disappear into the distance, no longer able to suppress her emotions. She burst into tears.
Beibei. Those two characters had become a blade, buried in her heart for far, far too long.
It left her feeling close to suffocation.
And as the Inner Court's eldest senior sister, after what had happened when Xuan Zi led the team all those years ago, there were even fewer people she could confide in.
All these years, she had kept this inexplicable feeling buried deep in her heart.
She wanted so badly to tell herself that this feeling was love, that she had fallen in love with Beibei. But deep down, she resisted this love.
There was no reason to love him.
There was only one thing: the name of love given to her by her teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En.
The feeling was like a rootless duckweed—she wanted to grasp it, but could never quite hold on.
And yet, if she stopped trying to grasp it, that feeling would rise in her heart all over again.
"Ah—"
"Ah!!!!!"
Zhang Lexuan threw her head back and screamed.
The moment she did, Jiang Nannan, who had come to the Inner Court looking for Jiang Yang, stopped in her tracks.
"Could it be over there, Sister Luochеn?"
At Jiang Nannan's words, Ling Luochеn, who had been leading the way, froze too. She looked up toward the direction of the voice.
"Ma Xiaotao's room?"
"Why would he be in Ma Xiaotao's room?"
"But—"
"Earlier, you suspected Jiang Yang had Ultimate Ice... Could it be that Jiang Yang really does have a Second Martial Soul, and it's Ultimate Ice?"
As Ling Luochеn spoke, her eyes lit up.
If that was true, then everything could be explained.
They were both Inner Court disciples and members of the Shrek Seven Devils. Though Ling Luochеn and Ma Xiaotao didn't get along particularly well, that didn't mean they held any grudge against each other.
So she naturally knew this not-so-secret secret.
Though Jiang Nannan had kept her promise and hadn't told Ling Luochеn what Dean Yan had said to her or what she had witnessed, Ling Luochеn had always known Dean Yan was looking for a Soul Master with an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul for Ma Xiaotao. She immediately understood what had led to this.
"Sister Luochеn, then let's hurry!"
At the thought of what Dean Yan had told her earlier, and Ma Xiaotao and Dean Yan's relationship, Jiang Nannan could barely contain herself.
It felt as if someone had stolen her home.
"Mm!"
Ling Luochеn didn't waste time. She immediately took two Flying Soul Tools out of her Soul Tool—one for Jiang Nannan, and the other for herself.
They flew toward the courtyard where Ma Xiaotao was.
"Jiang Yang!"
They hadn't gone far from the courtyard when Jiang Yang spotted Ma Xiaotao, who had run off earlier.
She stood with her hands behind her back. Turning slightly, she let her dark hair sweep lightly with the movement, then glanced back over her shoulder. A faint smile curved her lips; her lovely eyes held a hint of languid defiance, and her allure seemed to seep into her very bones.
"What now?"
"Y-you really hate me that much?"
"..."
At her words, Jiang Yang fell silent for a moment before adding, "I don't hate you. I just haven't gotten over it either."
He wasn't lying to Ma Xiaotao.
It really was his first time, too.
He was at a loss. Why had his first time been taken from him in such a muddled, inexplicable way?
He had simply woken up, heard a scream, and then seen Ma Xiaotao in that state. He'd stood up on instinct.
And just like that, he'd inexplicably lost his first time.
And they'd barely even gotten started.
The next moment, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had flared up and swept toward him before she could think.
Fortunately, his mental strength was far beyond ordinary, and growing up in the wild had taught him to react quickly. He'd managed to retreat outside the door.
Otherwise, his life probably wouldn't have been in danger—but turning into a "green dragon" would have been unavoidable.
"Then are you planning to just let it go?"
Ma Xiaotao asked, sounding a little shy.
"..."
Jiang Yang fell silent again.
Let it go?
Of course not!
But who should be held responsible?
And how, exactly, should he hold them responsible?
"What does your silence mean?" Ma Xiaotao pressed.
"We've only just met, haven't we?" Jiang Yang asked instead of answering.
"Mm-hmm!"
Ma Xiaotao replied without thinking.
But she quickly realized what he meant.
"Are you questioning my motives?"
"..."
Faced with that question, Jiang Yang fell silent once more.
Honestly, he didn't really believe in love at first sight.
Especially not under circumstances like these.
He couldn't help but deeply suspect Ma Xiaotao's motives.
But just because he didn't believe in it didn't mean it was impossible.
What if it was true? Right?
Jiang Yang already had a good impression of Ma Xiaotao.
He just didn't want to be an unwitting pawn.
Even if he wanted Ma Xiaotao, he would win her over openly and honorably, not through some underhanded scheme like Yan Shaozhe's.
Looks like I'll have to make Yan Shaozhe suffer a little more and bleed him dry.
At the same time, Ma Xiaotao walked toward him.
Though it was already late at night, the moonlight still revealed the tears turning in the corners of her eyes. Jiang Yang's heart tightened at the sight.
He really had never dealt with a situation like this before.
He was used to fighting and killing. It was simple: yes or no. But then she suddenly pulled something like this...
"You're always like this. Whenever you're faced with a question that's hard to answer, you go silent."
"Forget it. If I make it so... hard for you to say anything... then I'll just leave!"
"Waaah—"
As soon as Ma Xiaotao finished speaking, she couldn't hold back her tears. She turned and ran off.
But just then, Ling Luochеn and Jiang Nannan landed one after another, blocking her way.
"Xiaotao, what's wrong?"
"Huh? Nothing!"
Ma Xiaotao looked up and saw Ling Luochеn. In a panic, she hurried away even faster.
Am I seeing things?
Ma Xiaotao actually crying like a pear blossom in the rain, then running off all bashful?
And there's a handsome young man standing beside her...
Tsk, tsk, tsk—
You two sure are having fun this late at night.
"You're Jiang Yang, right?" Ling Luochеn jeered.
Though she seemed to be speaking up for Ma Xiaotao, she was really standing up for Jiang Nannan.
Jiang Nannan's eyes were also brimming with tears, but she still held back and said nothing, apparently waiting to hear what Jiang Yang would say.
"Nannan, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Yang didn't answer Ling Luochеn. He didn't even look at her.
"I—I couldn't... couldn't see you anywhere, and I was worried about you, so I asked Sister Luochеn to bring me here to find..."
"Nannan, why bother telling a man like him all that? You still have hopes for him?"
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