Dating, But You Won't Even Let Me Kiss You?

(A beautiful picture of Qian Renxue)

Qian Renxue opened her eyes. Her face was already bright red, but she didn't look away.

She stood up, braced both hands on the desk, and leaned forward slightly, speaking each word with deliberate emphasis.

"I'll marry you."

The study was so quiet they could hear the fire crackling in the candle.

Lin Jiang's mouth fell open. It took his thoughts several turns before he could make sense of what she'd said.

Qian Renxue stared at him, waiting for an answer.

After waiting a while and getting none, she added, "You can marry me, too."

Lin Jiang finally closed his mouth. Leaning against the doorframe, he looked at her.

Under his gaze, Qian Renxue felt awkward all over and turned her face away, the tips of her ears crimson.

But she still tried to sound tough. "What? You don't want to?"

Lin Jiang couldn't help laughing.

"I do."

Qian Renxue froze for a moment, then quickly turned back to him.

"Really?"

"Really." Lin Jiang nodded. "But..."

Qian Renxue's heart leapt into her throat again. "But what?"

Lin Jiang stared at her for three seconds. She raised her chin slightly, her tone stubborn and utterly unreasonable.

"I want to get married now~"

Lin Jiang froze again.

Bracing both hands on the desk, Qian Renxue leaned forward. Her golden hair slipped over her shoulders as she stared at him, eyes blazing, like a little leopard that had spotted its prey.

Her gaze held anticipation, nervousness, and a hint of just try saying no and see what happens.

Lin Jiang was starting to feel overwhelmed by her stare. He scratched his head.

"How about this? You... be my girlfriend first?"

Qian Renxue blushed and turned her face away. "That works..."

If we're a couple, can we cultivate together, too? As long as I don't tell Grandpa and the others...

She bit her lip, banished the wild images from her mind, and put on a stern expression again as she picked up the teacup on the desk.

"Then it's settled~"

She took a sip of tea, her tone cool and unruffled, as though she hadn't just blushed all the way to her neck.

Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Jiang watched her trying so hard to stay composed. He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Sure thing, my sweet Xue'er."

Qian Renxue's hand paused slightly as she held the teacup.

Sweet Xue'er.

Those four words turned over once in her mind, and her heartbeat went straight from a leisurely stroll to a hundred-meter dash.

Her face was hot enough to fry an egg. She lowered her head, pretending to study the tea leaves in her cup.

Seeing the faint blush on her stunning profile, Lin Jiang couldn't resist teasing her.

"Want a kiss?"

Qian Renxue jerked her head up, nearly dropping the teacup.

"You... you flirt!"

"We're dating. You won't even let me kiss you?"

"I..." Qian Renxue parted her lips, then realized she didn't seem to have a good reason to refuse. Her face turned even redder.

Lin Jiang took a step toward her.

Qian Renxue instinctively stepped back. The chair legs scraped across the floor with a sharp sound.

Lin Jiang took another step closer.

"Hmm? Still running away from me?"

He suddenly leaned forward. Before she could react, his lips were already pressed to hers.

Soft. Warm. Fragrant.

Qian Renxue froze on the spot, her mind going completely blank.

The heat in her face spread from her neck all the way to the crown of her head. She felt as if she were about to burst into flames.

She instinctively shoved him away.

Lin Jiang stepped back half a pace, smiling.

"Xue'er's lips are so sweet."

Qian Renxue lowered her head, her fingers gripping the teacup until her knuckles turned white.

Her ears were so red they looked ready to drip blood, and even her neck had taken on a rosy hue.

"Rascal... hurry up and go..."

Her voice trembled, and her tone was so soft it sounded like she was pouting.

Lin Jiang stood where he was. "You're already sending me away?"

Qian Renxue looked up and glared at him. Her eyes were watery with embarrassment and annoyance, but there wasn't a trace of menace in them.

"Who knows what else you're planning? Go get what you came for and leave. Hurry."

Lin Jiang shook his head with a laugh.

"Fine. I'll come see you again next time."

He walked to the doorway and glanced back at her.

"Next time I kiss you, no running away."

Qian Renxue grabbed a memorial from the desk and was about to throw it at him, but Lin Jiang had already slipped out the door. His laughter rang in from outside.

The door closed.

Qian Renxue stood there, memorial raised, frozen in place.

After a long while, she slowly set the memorial back on the desk, cupped her burning face in both hands, and collapsed onto the desktop.

"Rascal..."

She muttered the words, burying her face in the crook of her arms.

But no matter what, she couldn't stop her lips from curving into a smile.

Lin Jiang returned to Dugu Manor, pushed the door open, and found the courtyard silent.

Dugu Yan had finally gone to school.

At last, he had some peace and quiet. He walked all the way to the guest room, shut the door behind him, and emptied the storage ring Qian Renxue had given him onto the table.

Clatter—

A jumble of metal ores covered half the tabletop. Soul Beast bones, cores, and rare timber spilled across the floor.

There was a treasured piece of Lightning-Struck Wood, Millennium Cold Iron from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's storeroom, several exceptionally high-quality Soul Power Crystals, and a pile of things he couldn't name.

Lin Jiang stared at the materials, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Just how much had she stuffed into that ring?

He rolled up his sleeves and took the Golden Dragon Carving Knife from his own storage ring.

The golden blade glinted in the sunlight. The ruby inlaid in its dragon's eye glimmered faintly, as if with excitement.

All the methods for crafting Soul Tools came flooding automatically into his mind.

Divine-level mastery of Soul Tool crafting didn't just mean knowing how to make them. Every technique, every step of the process, and every material's properties were engraved in his mind.

Lin Jiang weighed the carving knife in his hand and sat down at the table.

"Let's get to work."

For half a day, he didn't even stop for a sip of water.

The Golden Dragon Carving Knife sliced through metal like tofu. Carving patterns was as easy as drawing, and he completed the engraving of Soul Power circuits in one pass, without even needing to polish them.

Lin Jiang's hands moved faster and faster. One finished Soul Tool after another piled up on the table.

By the time he'd used up the materials, the sun was high in the sky. It had taken less than half a day.

Lin Jiang set the last finished item on the table, flexed his aching wrist, and looked over the table packed with Soul Tools. He let out a long breath.

"With all this, I might be able to handle high-year Soul Beasts on my own."

He put the finished items away in his storage ring one by one.

As he gathered them up, his hands began to slow.

"But how am I supposed to find the right Soul Beast now?"

The forest was enormous, and Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old were all hidden deep within it.

If he went wandering in alone, he might run into one after a few days if he was lucky. If he wasn't, he could search for half a month and come up empty-handed.

Lin Jiang sat back down and tapped his fingers on the table.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

"Why don't I... bind a Soul Beast to the Simulator and give it a try?"

His eyes lit up.

"I wonder if I'll get any related rewards."

The more he thought about it, the more promising the idea seemed.

The Simulator had already been bound to Xiao Wu. It should be possible to bind a Soul Beast, too.

Quite a few Soul Beasts had high luck values.

The Sky Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape, and those old monsters deep in the Star Dou Great Forest.

If he could get them to run simulations, then receive a hundredfold return...

Lin Jiang rubbed his hands together, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

"System—"

[Here.]

"Can Soul Beasts be bound?"

[The Simulator can be distributed to targets other than humans. Any individual with independent consciousness can be bound.]

Lin Jiang froze for a moment, then laughed out loud.

"Great. Then I'll choose my next target from among the Soul Beasts."

He leaned back in his chair and started to consider the options.

The Titan Giant Ape? The Sky Azure Bull Python?

Later, both of them had become divine officials alongside Tang San.

Lin Jiang shifted in his chair, making it creak.

"I'll have to think this through..."