The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the soft bed. Ye Lingling, exhausted from the night before, slowly opened her clear eyes as the room gradually brightened.
"Mmm~"
A girlish little moan escaped her lips, but she soon realized this wasn't her room. Her heart leaped in alarm!
Wait, this is...
Oh, right. This was Tianjiao's room, not some bad person's place.
Coming back to herself, she glanced around the room and found it completely empty.
"Tianjiao?"
Puzzled, she couldn't help calling softly.
But no one answered.
She couldn't help pouting.
Looking down at her still fairly neat clothes and seeing that the bed still bore traces of only her own presence, she felt both relieved and disappointed.
She was relieved that Yu Tianjiao really was the gentleman she knew him to be and hadn't taken advantage of her while she was asleep.
She was disappointed because she was fairly confident in her looks and figure, yet Yu Tianjiao hadn't even suggested holding her while they slept. It made her feel a little less confident about her appeal.
In reality, she was simply overthinking it.
At the moment, Yu Tianjiao had cultivation on the brain. Kissing her, or even kissing Dugu Yan, was mainly a bit of fun on the side while completing his system missions.
It wasn't that he meant to let any of these beautiful women slip away. He intended to win them over and take them into his arms.
But he knew all too well that in a fantasy world—especially one where the protagonist was an abstract lunatic like Tang San, who was always declaring that someone deserved to die—if you didn't have enough power, the protagonist might kill you one day without warning.
Anyone who had read Douluo Continent knew how bizarre Tang San's standards for friend and foe were. You could have no ill will toward him at all, but if you discovered one of his secrets, he might still decide you were his enemy and consider whether to kill you.
Even though Yu Tianjiao was Tang San's teacher's younger brother, which by seniority meant Tang San should call him martial uncle, that wouldn't help.
Besides, Yu Tianjiao planned to try for the championship at the Soul Master Tournament. Someone as famous as him was already on Spirit Hall's radar. What if Bibi Dong, that madwoman, took a dislike to a genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan like him and decided to kill him?
After all, she was crazy enough to wipe out the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan because they had looked down on her useless second brother, Yu Xiaogang.
Honestly, Yu Tianjiao still couldn't understand why Yu Xiaogang dared to act as if he were the victim.
The man was no good at cultivation and no good at being a person, either. He had merely gathered some information about Martial Souls from the clan and Spirit Hall, published it for ordinary Soul Masters to read, and then had the nerve to call himself the Grandmaster.
The clan had already done everything it could for him.
In short, with the danger Yu Xiaogang had planted looming over him, Yu Tianjiao didn't dare slack off just because he was talented.
Honestly, he only regretted that he'd transmigrated so late.
If he'd transmigrated earlier, he would've gotten to Bibi Dong before Yu Xiaogang, then stolen Tang San's mother—the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass woman—from him too!
Two useless men who couldn't even protect their women, yet still had the nerve to call themselves protagonists?
If it were up to him, Yu Tianjiao would've beaten Qian Xunji until not even his ashes remained!
But there were no what-ifs.
So all he could do now was hurry up and cultivate, in case the day came when he had to fight and lacked the power to do so.
Lost in thought, Yu Tianjiao returned to the dormitory with the breakfast he'd bought.
The moment she saw him come back, Ye Lingling smiled warmly. She hopped over to him with girlish exuberance and threw her arms around him.
"So you went to buy me breakfast. You're so good to me, Tianjiao!"
Ye Lingling smiled brightly.
"You're my girlfriend. Of course I'm going to treat you well. All right, eat up while it's hot."
At her words, Yu Tianjiao set aside his thoughts. His face showed no sign of them as he replied with a faint smile.
"Mm!"
Ye Lingling nodded with a smile, unwrapped the breakfast, and laid it out on the table. Then she and Yu Tianjiao sat down to eat.
She took small bites of the warm bun, but her eyes stayed fixed on Yu Tianjiao's face.
Ye Lingling knew Yu Tianjiao well, so she could tell that although her boyfriend seemed calm, he was a little tense. Was something bothering him?
"Tianjiao..." She set down her food, her voice carrying a tentative note of caution. "Last night... you didn't sleep at all, did you?"
Yu Tianjiao was drinking porridge. At her question, he gave her a gentle smile.
"Mm. I was unable to cultivate for three years. Now that I've recovered, naturally I treasure every moment I can spend cultivating even more than before."
Ye Lingling nodded. She couldn't detect the slightest flaw in his words.
"This porridge is good. Want to try some?"
As he spoke, Yu Tianjiao picked up the other bowl of porridge, scooped up a spoonful, and gently blew on it. Only then did he bring the spoon to Ye Lingling's lips.
It was the first time anyone had treated Ye Lingling with such tenderness. Her pretty face reddened slightly, but seeing the warmth in Yu Tianjiao's expression, she obediently lowered her head and parted her red lips, taking the spoon between them and sipping the porridge.
It really did taste good—better than any porridge she'd ever had.
But she felt it might not be because the porridge itself was delicious. The thoughtfulness of the person in front of her, feeding it to her with his own hands, filled her with happiness.
After Yu Tianjiao had fed her a few bites, Ye Lingling's love-struck mind took over, and she completely forgot what she'd wanted to say. She simply settled down and enjoyed her breakfast.
When the buns were gone and the porridge was finished, Yu Tianjiao raised his hand and, as naturally as could be, brushed the faint, translucent smear of porridge from the corner of her lips with his fingertip. The affectionate gesture made the girl's pretty face warm again.
Only then did Yu Tianjiao return to what they'd been discussing.
"Cultivation is like rowing upstream: if you don't advance, you fall behind. You can't afford to slack off even for a moment. I can't grow complacent just because I'm a genius. That would be a waste of my talent."
The sweetness had long since swept away the disappointment in Ye Lingling's heart, but her doubts hadn't entirely disappeared.
She gathered her courage, her voice growing softer.
"But you can't go without resting altogether. If you keep this up, won't it really hurt your health?"
Yu Tianjiao's smile faded slightly, and his gaze darkened.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he picked up the bowl of plain porridge on the table and drained it in one gulp.
"Lingling," he said, his voice low, with a seriousness she had never heard from him before. "How long do you think the peaceful days we have now will last?"
Ye Lingling was taken aback. She blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Yu Tianjiao set the bowl down and lightly drew a line across the tabletop, his manner confident and commanding.
"In recent years, Spirit Hall has grown more and more powerful, and its methods have grown increasingly domineering. Back then, they forced the Clear Sky Sect to seal off the mountain, withdraw from the world, and forbid its disciples from going out. The foremost of the Upper Three Sects was brought to that state.
"How many more years of glory do you think our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will have?
"Though it's only a conjecture, it's hardly impossible.
"What's more, Spirit Hall now provides benefits to Soul Masters and has established a powerful base in the Soul Master World. The current pope, Bibi Dong, is an ambitious woman. I believe there's a chance she'll someday proclaim herself empress and turn Spirit Hall into the Spirit Hall Empire. When that day comes, the Soul Master World will surely descend into chaos!"
Hearing Yu Tianjiao say all this, Ye Lingling couldn't help being shocked.
Given her position, she didn't have access to this sort of information, nor would she have considered such things.
But after hearing Yu Tianjiao explain it, she really did feel that he had a point.
Seeing that Ye Lingling had bought his story, Yu Tianjiao breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze, however, was exceptionally deep and resolute.
"As the hope of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, I can't afford to let my guard down for even a moment. Every extra moment I train might give me a better chance of facing a crisis in the future. I don't want..." He paused, his voice turning low. "I don't want to one day watch someone important to me fall into danger and be powerless to do anything."
Naturally, he was taking a jab at Yu Xiaogang, Tang Hao, and Tang San.
The first was a complete waste who had no idea how little he amounted to, so there was nothing more to say about him. The other two could both be considered geniuses of their generation, yet they were just as useless, letting women take the blows for them!
Yu Tianjiao despised that kind of useless man.
Even if it cost him his life, he would never stand by and watch his woman, family, or friends get hurt!
Ye Lingling's heart gave a sharp tremble.
Seeing the heavy sense of responsibility and urgency in his eyes, the little disappointment she'd felt as a lovestruck girl vanished completely. In its place came deep concern and guilt.
So he was working so hard because he cared about her so much, and she had actually felt disappointed because of it. She'd been so thoughtless!
She reached out and gently laid her hand over his clenched fist.
"I understand," she said, her voice gentle but resolute. A spark of determination lit her clear eyes. "Tianjiao, I won't let you face the crises ahead alone. I'll work twice as hard at cultivation from now on! The flowers of the Nine Heart Begonia will bloom for you forever!"
Yu Tianjiao felt a warmth in his heart. He turned his hand over and clasped her cool fingers, feeling the strength she gave him. At last, a tender smile appeared on his face.
What a wonderful girl. How could he not love her?
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the dormitory door was shoved open, and a figure in emerald green stormed in. It was Dugu Yan.
At the sight of the two sitting by the table with their hands clasped and the air between them thick with affection, her brows shot up.
After going back last night, she'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She'd even taken off her brand-new manicure, then spent the rest of the night entertaining herself.
That morning, she'd planned to call her best friend and come see Yu Tianjiao together, only to discover that her best friend hadn't come back all night!
She immediately realized something was wrong. She rushed over, opened the door, and felt the sky come crashing down!
What do you mean, the two of you were already eating breakfast together, then kept tugging at each other and acting all lovey-dovey afterward?
You little Ye Lingling! Last night you looked so hurt, as if I'd stolen a bite from you, but you tricked me into leaving so you could have Yu Tianjiao all to yourself, didn't you?
One glance at the bed convinced Dugu Yan even more: Ye Lingling had spent the night here!
She slept here!
Aaaaaah!
Dugu Yan was already wailing inwardly.
"Ye Lingling, did you spend the night here?"
Dugu Yan took a deep breath and forced a smile.
She thought Ye Lingling would at least explain herself.
But Ye Lingling didn't!
"Yeah. Tianjiao and I kept at it until really late last night. We were so tired that we just went straight to sleep here."
Ye Lingling's words were ambiguous.
Not just Dugu Yan—even Yu Tianjiao, sitting beside her, could barely keep it together!
What did she mean, they kept at it until really late and got so tired?
Didn't she know how dangerous it was to put it that way?
At Ye Lingling's scandalous choice of words, Dugu Yan froze. Then the girl's pretty face turned scarlet in the blink of an eye.
"Yu Tianjiao! You really went and took Lingling's body just like that..."
She whirled around, lunged at Yu Tianjiao, grabbed him by the collar, and shook him furiously.
Ye Lingling went into action again. She held her breath until her face flushed, then grabbed Dugu Yan and pulled her away, her face full of embarrassed indignation.
"Yanzi, what are you talking about? Tianjiao didn't do anything to me!"
Dugu Yan froze. What did that mean? Had she misunderstood?
She couldn't help asking:
"Then what did you mean just now?"
Ye Lingling stamped her foot in a fluster, biting her red lip.
"Tianjiao only just regained the ability to cultivate Soul Power. I was worried he hadn't fully recovered, so I treated him like I used to and helped heal his body. You used to take my side when I did that. How could even you..."
As she spoke, the girl in the black dress had tears welling in her eyes, as if her best friend's lack of trust had deeply hurt her.
That left Dugu Yan's brain overheating.
No, you...
Huh?
So this was my fault?
"Lingling, Yanzi was only worried about you. She thought you might suffer, so she got the wrong idea."
Yu Tianjiao thought through all the saddest things that had happened in this life, realized they weren't sad enough, and forced himself to recall his miserable wage-slave days in his past life before he could keep a straight face. Then he drew Ye Lingling into his arms and comforted her.
Dugu Yan was completely bowled over by their one-two punch.
Had she really been in the wrong?
Why did something still feel off?
"Hmph! Last night, I was still thinking about our friendship and wanted her to be your girlfriend along with me. But I've changed my mind. Until I forgive her, you're not allowed to be with her!"
Ye Lingling pouted and gazed up at Yu Tianjiao with clear, tear-filled eyes.
"This..."
Yu Tianjiao put on a troubled expression.
Now Dugu Yan felt the sky had truly gone dark.
Had she... ruined everything?
"Lingling, hear me out!"
After pulling herself together, Dugu Yan quickly linked her arm through Ye Lingling's. The confident air with which she'd come to confront her had vanished without a trace, replaced by a face full of sincere apology.
"I don't want to listen. You came to see Tianjiao behind my back last night, and now you're treating me like this. Did you ever think of me as your best friend?"
Ye Lingling buried her face in Yu Tianjiao's chest and openly enjoyed snuggling with her boyfriend.
Dugu Yan was left speechless by the accusation. It felt as if anything she said would be wrong.
Yu Tianjiao simply watched without saying a word.
In the end, Dugu Yan couldn't take the pressure anymore. She could only turn pleading eyes toward Yu Tianjiao, her voice growing soft and almost coaxing as she begged:
"Tianjiao, say something!"
Before you continue