A few days later, early in the morning, at Shrek Academy.
Yu Daoyun returned to the academy two days before the new term began, bringing some gifts for his senior sisters along with him.
Even while he was away, he still kept his senior sisters in mind.
He hadn't forgotten Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, Ling Luochеn, and the others. The gift he'd brought for Ling Luochеn in particular was sure to make the girl's huge, Kǎzīlán eyes shine.
It was a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus that Yu Daoyun had swiped from the Snow Empress, thanks to his status as the ruler of the Far North. It was tremendously helpful for Ice-attribute Soul Masters and was priceless, with no market for it.
Ling Luochеn was immediately won over. She had never received such an expensive gift before.
She had always been averse to men, but for some reason, she saw Yu Daoyun in a different light.
This junior was just too wonderful!
She got to enjoy all the good fortune Ma Xiaotao had missed out on.
If she could get her hands on lots of Snow Lotuses like this, Ling Luochеn thought she could become an Ultimate Ice Soul Master and bring honor to her family.
Yu Daoyun raised an eyebrow and looked Ling Luochеn over. "Actually... I have more of these. But do you know the unchanging principle of alchemy?"
"What is it?"
Ling Luochеn blinked her huge Kǎzīlán eyes.
Yu Daoyun said calmly, "Equivalent exchange! So you'll need to offer me something in return. Otherwise, wouldn't that make me a simp? I'm not going to be your simp, especially since I think Dai Yueheng is interested in both you and Ma Xiaotao."
I'm not! Don't slander me... Dai Yueheng's face darkened from a distance.
Ling Luochеn hesitated, then said, "I have money!"
Yu Daoyun waved his hand. "I'm not short on money."
"Then what do you want in exchange?" The two cat ears atop Ling Luochеn's head drooped, and her heart sank.
Yu Daoyun thought for a moment. "Tell me a bedtime story every day, and I'll give you one Snow Lotus a month."
Ling Luochеn's pretty face turned red.
That was so embarrassing. There was no way she'd do it.
Even if she never became an Ultimate Ice Soul Master, she wouldn't agree to such an embarrassing demand. What was she, his child bride?
And she wasn't the eldest senior sister!!
What if things went wrong and she ended up with a baby? Ling Luochеn had heard that some Inner Court students went on missions together, told each other little stories, and somehow wound up pregnant. Then they gave birth before even graduating from the Inner Court.
Terrified, Ling Luochеn turned down Yu Daoyun's offer and slipped away like a kitten.
Han Ruoruo, standing nearby, blinked and said with a smile, "You little rascal, you've got impure thoughts. How come your mind is on that kind of thing? Ling Luochеn is the hardest girl in the Inner Court to get close to. All she cares about is cultivating and becoming an Ultimate Ice Soul Master. You'd be better off choosing someone else. Wu Ming would be a good choice. She could be your wife, your big sister, or even your mom."
Wu Ming immediately panicked. She wiggled her hips and shoved Han Ruoruo, saying coyly, "Oh, Ruoruo, you're awful! Who wants to be his mom? He's still just a Little Peanut."
The other female Inner Court students left in embarrassment.
The senior sisters were past puberty and didn't know when to hold back. Most people couldn't handle their talk.
Yu Daoyun's mouth twitched.
That Little Peanut stuff had been true when he was six. He wasn't like that anymore!
The Inner Court senior sisters were even more open than I'd imagined.
But... Yu Daoyun noticed a problem. Why had he been getting more and more attracted to women lately, for no apparent reason?
Could it have something to do with the Golden Dragon King's essence?
Dragons were lustful by nature, and the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline Power was immensely vigorous. It had to be the influence of his bloodline.
Hold fast to my principles. I must hold fast to my principles! Lust is a knife that scrapes the bones; form is emptiness...
With no cultivation duties to keep him busy lately, and Zhang Lexuan still away on a mission, Yu Daoyun decided to visit the Outer Court. He could check what kind of Second Martial Soul Huo Yuhao had absorbed, then listen to Ning Tian's stories.
If Ling Luochеn wouldn't tell him stories, there were plenty of others who would!!
A little over ten minutes later, classes ended at the Shrek Outer Court.
Yu Daoyun first went to Huo Yuhao's classroom and asked, "Has your Soul Power improved lately?"
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and answered softly, "A little."
Without another word, Yu Daoyun grabbed Huo Yuhao's wrist and examined his Second Martial Soul through the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline Power. He was astonished.
He said, "Your Mental Power and Soul Power have both become so profound. Do you have another Martial Soul?"
Huo Yuhao was startled. He hadn't expected his senior to be so clever, so he could only nod. "My Second Martial Soul is also a Mental Attribute. It's my other eye. I don't know why it suddenly awakened during the holiday. I think it's called an Evil Eye."
You sure know how to spin a tale, kid... Yu Daoyun let go of his hand, having figured everything out.
A Child of Destiny was a Child of Destiny. Even without the Ice Empress, he'd still obtained the Mental Attribute Evil Eye Tyrant Martial Soul. It was simply too outrageous.
An Evil Eye in the Extreme North? Could the Plane Master be any more ridiculous?
Never mind... He'd go find Ning Tian instead.
Yu Daoyun turned and went to Ning Tian's classroom to meet her.
When Ning Tian saw the Instructor Brother she'd been longing for, she smiled sweetly. "You're here!"
Nearby, Wu Feng raised an eyebrow, sensing danger.
It seemed Tian Jie and the instructor had something going on.
What was she supposed to do, then? Get married as part of the dowry?
But that would be so embarrassing!
Yu Daoyun raised an eyebrow and looked at Wu Feng. "What are you thinking about so intently?"
Wu Feng jumped and blurted out in a panic, "Tian Jie, I won't be a dowry maid..."
The moment she said it, Ning Tian's face turned red all the way to her ears. So mortified she could dig a hole in the ground with her toes, she wanted to knock Wu Feng flat with a single punch.
So embarrassing! This was too embarrassing!!
Wu Feng realized she'd let her mouth run away with her, then abruptly turned and glared at the students in the classroom. "No laughing! None of you are allowed to laugh!!"
She was so angry she was about to bristle.
Ning Tian immediately grabbed Wu Feng's head and shouted, "Shut up! You've completely humiliated me!"
Then she hurried out of the teaching building with Yu Daoyun, leaving Wu Feng standing there, dazed and confused.
In the academy garden, Ning Tian stood with her hands behind her back, fidgeting with her fingers. She said coyly, "Didn't you say you wouldn't miss me? So why did you come to see me as soon as the term started? We're about to have our advancement assessment, and I'm really busy."
Yu Daoyun sighed. "I went away, and I almost didn't make it back."
Ning Tian's expression changed at once. "What happened?"
But when she looked up and saw the roguish grin on his face, she knew he'd tricked her.
What a despicable guy!!
Veins popped on Ning Tian's forehead. She clenched her little fists, unable to resist the urge to punch him.
Just then, Yu Daoyun took out another Snow Lotus. "While training in the Extreme North, I saw this flower looking so beautiful that I couldn't help picking one to give to you. But I never expected you to..."
He let the words trail off, then sighed, deeply disappointed in Ning Tian's response as Young Lord.
Ning Tian gazed at the pure, sacred Snow Lotus, and her heart melted like cream.
So he really had been thinking of her. It made taking that bold step all the more worthwhile.
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