(Manga-version Ye Lingling)
Ye Lingling lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers as she traced circles on the ground with her toe. She lingered for a long time.
At last, she worked up the courage...
"Thank you... Lin Jiang."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. You could barely hear it if you weren't listening closely.
Lin Jiang waved it off, his tone casual. "It was nothing."
Ye Lingling bit her lip, twisting the hem of her clothes even tighter.
"Um..." She drew a deep breath. "Could I ask you to accompany me to Soul Fighting again tomorrow?"
By the time she finished speaking, her face had turned red to the tips of her ears.
Lin Jiang thought it over. "Sure. If you go one more day tomorrow, you should finish your task, right?"
Ye Lingling lowered her head. "Mm."
Her voice carried a hint of delight she couldn't hide.
But inside, she thought: It would be wonderful if he could keep teaming up with me...
She didn't say it aloud.
Lin Jiang waved and turned toward Dugu Manor.
"See you tomorrow, Lingling."
Ye Lingling stood where she was, watching him walk away. "See you tomorrow," she whispered.
Her voice was as light as the breeze. She didn't know whether she was saying it for Lin Jiang to hear or for herself.
She stood at the crossroads for a long while, and only turned toward home after his silhouette vanished into the night.
After a few steps, she couldn't help glancing back again.
The street was deserted, moonlight spilling across the ground.
Ye Lingling covered her burning cheeks and quickened her pace.
Dugu Manor.
Lin Jiang pushed open the door and first went to check on Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan was still curled up in bed, wrapped tightly in her blanket with only her face showing.
Her long, blue-green hair spread across the pillow. Her cheeks were rosy, but her legs were still weak; she couldn't get out of bed at all.
When she saw Lin Jiang come in, her eyes lit up. She propped herself up, trying to sit, but gave up after a couple of attempts.
"Did everything go smoothly today?"
Lin Jiang sat down beside the bed and crossed one leg over the other.
"Of course. One punch per opponent."
The corners of Dugu Yan's mouth lifted. She reached out and pinched his cheek. "My little boyfriend is the best."
Lin Jiang leaned back. "Ahem... Since when did I become your boyfriend?"
Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes and stared at him.
"Hmm?"
Her tone and expression translated to: "Say that again. I dare you."
Lin Jiang wisely kept quiet.
He stood up and pretended to casually roll his shoulders.
Then he leaned close to Dugu Yan's ear and lowered his voice.
"Yan Yan, tonight..."
Dugu Yan's whole body stiffened.
Her legs began to go weak on instinct.
"Get away, get away!" She shoved Lin Jiang aside, wrapped herself in the blanket, and shrank into the corner of the bed, eyeing him warily.
"You kept me from getting out of bed all day. Give me a few days to recover!"
Lin Jiang spread his hands, looking entirely innocent.
"All right."
His tone carried three parts helplessness and seven parts triumph.
Dugu Yan glared at him, pulled the blanket over her head, and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Out, out! Don't disturb my rest!"
Lin Jiang smiled and shook his head as he left the room.
At the door, he heard a mutter from beneath the blanket.
"Brat..."
The corners of his mouth lifted as he closed the door.
Moonlight streamed through the window, spilling over the empty hallway.
Lin Jiang stretched and headed for his room.
Today had been quite fruitful.
He'd won several Soul Fights, earned a large pile of Gold Soul Coins, and even helped Ye Lingling finish her task along the way.
But he'd still have to go again tomorrow.
Lin Jiang pushed open his door and flopped onto the bed.
At last, no one would disturb him.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, the corners of his mouth slowly rising.
It was time to start a new Simulation.
He'd already chosen his target.
Yu Xiaogang.
The "brains" of the Golden Iron Triangle, Tang San's bargain-bin master, a Grandmaster whose theories were unbeatable and whose actual combat skills were a flop.
Lin Jiang rubbed his hands together, his grin growing more and more mischievous.
"System, issue a target—Yu Xiaogang."
[Binding successful!]
[Remaining issuance attempts: 3]
[Current Subversion Points: 167]
[Host, please write the contents of the simulated life—]
Lin Jiang sat up and began to plan.
--
Meanwhile.
Suotuo City, in a hotel room.
Yu Xiaogang sat at the table, staring blankly at a thick encyclopedia of Soul Beasts.
The candle flame flickered, casting his shadow on the wall, where it grew and shrank.
He was thinking.
Thinking about the ultimate question that had troubled him for decades:
Why could his Luo Sanpao only fart?
"Ugh..." He sighed and rubbed his temples.
Just then,
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind!
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have bound the Life Simulator! Use the Simulator to receive simulated-life rewards!]
Yu Xiaogang sprang up from his chair. It clattered to the floor behind him.
"Who's there?!"
His face turned deathly pale. Soul Power surged through him as he hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul.
"Luo Sanpao!"
A flash of light appeared, and a plump, round, purple pig...
No, a Soul Beast that looked part pig and part dog appeared before him out of thin air.
Luo Sanpao landed, blinked its little eyes in confusion, and snorted.
Yu Xiaogang hid behind Luo Sanpao, warily scanning the room.
"Stop playing tricks!" His voice shook, though he forced a hard edge into his tone.
"Now that I've found you, I'll destroy you, no matter the cost!"
The room fell silent.
Only the candle flame flickered.
No one answered.
Yu Xiaogang's heart pounded like a drum.
He was only a little Soul Grandmaster. If he ran into a high-ranked Soul Master, he wouldn't even be able to escape.
"Come out!" His voice cracked. "Or I'll show you what I can do!"
He took a deep breath and struck a pose.
"Fart like thunder—Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao puffed up its round body and aimed its backside out the window—
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening blast!
A yellow wave of air burst from behind Luo Sanpao!
Stink!
An unbearable stench!
The smell was as if a hundred rotten eggs had been stuffed into a jar, fermented for three years, and then released all at once.
Dense yellow mist filled the room, nearly snuffing out the candle flame.
Yu Xiaogang pinched his nose. Tears streamed from his eyes, but he stubbornly wore a smug expression.
"Now you know what I can do!"
Just then,
That mechanical voice rang out in his mind again.
[Available simulations: 1]
[Would the host like to begin a Simulation?]
Yu Xiaogang: "???"
He stood frozen, pinching his nose, his eyes wide as copper bells.
No one?
There really wasn't anyone?
Then where was that voice coming from...?
Before he could figure it out, his own "masterpiece" became too much to bear.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
His eyes streamed, and his face turned green. He let go of his nose, only to pinch it again at once as the stench hit him.
Luo Sanpao was also dizzy from its own fart. Its four legs wobbled, and it flopped to the ground with a thump, whining in grievance.
Yu Xiaogang staggered to the window and leaned over the sill, gasping for air.
The night breeze blew in, gradually sweeping the stench out of the room.
He gasped for a long while before he finally recovered.
Then he straightened up again, frowned, and stared at the ceiling.
That voice...
It hadn't been an illusion.
It hadn't been a Soul Master sneaking up on him.
Then what was it?
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a long time.
Then he took a deep breath, only to choke on the lingering stench and start coughing again.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Pinching his nose, he hesitated, then tentatively replied in his mind.
"...Yes?"
Before you continue