Nine-Heart Begonia

Walking along Heaven Dou City's bustling streets, Lin Nuo did not browse around. Instead, he headed straight for the city's most luxurious commercial district and unapologetically bought himself several sets of exceptionally refined clothes.

Money was meant to be spent once it was earned.

Besides, all of these expenses could rightfully be charged to the Eastern Palace's Crown Prince, so there was no reason to deny himself.

As the imperial capital, Heaven Dou City was filled with nobles and dignitaries. "Fine feathers make fine birds" was the most basic unspoken rule of survival here.

As for that ridiculous routine of deliberately dressing in rags to play the fool before stunning everyone, Lin Nuo had no interest in it.

Freshly dressed, Lin Nuo continued down the street. Before he knew it, his steps stopped before a renowned medical clinic.

According to the passersby, the clinic's owner was a highly accomplished healing-type Soul Master. She never charged ordinary people exorbitant consultation fees, at most collecting a little to cover the cost of medicinal ingredients.

In the dog-eat-dog world of Soul Masters, possessing such compassion and medical virtue was undoubtedly rare.

There were even rumors that as long as someone still had a breath left, this clinic owner could pull them back from death's door.

Hearing such praise, a thought immediately flashed through Lin Nuo's mind.

Could this be a business of the Nine-Heart Begonia Family?

When he had taught Yu Tianheng a lesson at the Soul Fighting Arena, Lin Nuo had caught sight of a black-robed girl in a veil standing beside Dugu Yan.

At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, there could not have been another female Soul Master who was close enough to the Poison Douluo's granddaughter and kept her face covered year-round besides Ye Lingling.

In Lin Nuo's initial plans for building his future team, a top-tier support martial soul like the Nine-Heart Begonia, hailed as a miracle among martial souls, was someone he absolutely had to recruit.

A supreme healer capable of restoring flesh to bare bones and bringing the dead back to life was something few on the entire continent could match.

As for the curse that allowed the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul to be passed down through only one line?

Even the flaw of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul could be broken with an Aromatic Silk Beauty. Lin Nuo refused to believe that among the pile of Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, there was not a single medicinal plant capable of resolving the Nine-Heart Begonia's curse.

With that thought, Lin Nuo straightened his collar and strode into the medical clinic.

The clinic stood at one of Heaven Dou City's busiest intersections, and there was an endless stream of people seeking treatment outside its doors.

Lin Nuo looked up and saw the four large characters on the plaque: Ye Family Medical Clinic. It completely confirmed his guess.

As the line slowly moved forward, Lin Nuo's turn finally came.

Crossing the threshold, he immediately saw two figures, one large and one small, seated in the main hall.

"Young friend, where do you feel unwell?"

The speaker was a mature woman dressed in an elegant white gown.

She was curvaceous and graceful, with delicate, gentle features. Her brows carried the compassionate aura of a healer devoted to saving lives, and a single glance at her made one feel as though bathed in a spring breeze.

Even Lin Nuo, who had lived two lives, could not help the flicker of amazement in his eyes when he saw the beautiful young woman's face and figure.

However, Lin Nuo soon shifted his gaze to the petite figure beside her.

She wore black robes, and her soft pale-blue hair draped over her shoulders.

Although the lower half of her face was concealed beneath a layer of black gauze, Lin Nuo could tell from her cool, proud eyes alone that she was a rare beauty.

While Lin Nuo was studying her, the black-robed girl noticed him as well.

"Classmate Lin Nuo?"

Her cool voice carried a trace of surprise, confirming that she was indeed Ye Lingling.

Hearing her daughter's voice, the beautiful young woman, whose charm had yet to fade, turned around with curiosity in her eyes and looked at Lin Nuo.

After Ye Lingling had returned from the academy to the medical clinic, she had told her everything that had happened at the Soul Fighting Arena.

Like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Nine-Heart Begonia Family was a family of pure support-type martial souls. They lacked the ability to protect themselves, so their desire for supreme combat geniuses was no less than Ning Fengzhi's.

Thus, when Ye Qingrou, the current head of the Nine-Heart Begonia Family and Ye Lingling's mother, heard that an unparalleled prodigy with a thousand-year second soul ring had appeared at the academy, her thoughts immediately began to stir.

She had intended to prepare generous gifts in a few days and personally visit the child named Lin Nuo. She had not expected the person himself to come knocking today.

"Lingling, so this is the genius classmate you spoke of?"

"If you hadn't told me beforehand, at first glance, I would have thought he was a pretty little girl."

Ye Qingrou covered her lips and chuckled, her gaze moving back and forth between Lin Nuo and her daughter as she spoke in a meaningful tone.

"There are many patients here for treatment. You two young people should go chat in the back hall first. Once Mother finishes prescribing these medicines, I'll come over and receive our little guest."

The matchmaking intent in those words could not have been more obvious.

That knowing smile made Lin Nuo inwardly exclaim, Well, damn.

I'm after your family's Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul, and you people are directly after my body?

I'm not even nine yet!

"Mother!"

Hearing the teasing in her mother's words, Ye Lingling, who was usually cool and reserved, instantly had her ears flushed crimson. She could not help but protest coyly.

How could her mother be so careless with her words in front of an outsider?

If Lin Nuo misunderstood, how were they supposed to face each other at the academy afterward?

However, Ye Qingrou's arrangement to actively draw them closer was exactly what Lin Nuo wanted.

Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

After smiling and nodding to Ye Qingrou, he followed Ye Lingling toward the back hall.

Following Ye Lingling into the clinic's back hall, Lin Nuo caught the faint fragrance of plants and herbs lingering around his nose.

The furnishings inside were not particularly expensive or luxurious, yet they gave him a sense of tranquil comfort from the bottom of his heart.

Ye Lingling led Lin Nuo to sit beside a tea table, then skillfully warmed the pot and brewed the tea.

After pushing a steaming cup of clear tea before Lin Nuo, she quietly withdrew her hands, lowered her eyes, and did not speak another word.

Although the Nine-Heart Begonia was a miracle among healing-type martial souls, it bore a cruel and merciless curse.

At any given time on the entire continent, there could absolutely never be a third Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Master.

As long as two inheritors remained alive, their descendants would never be able to awaken this martial soul.

This was why Ye Lingling had developed such a quiet, taciturn personality from childhood.

For a time, the room fell completely silent.

Lin Nuo considered himself smooth and sociable. He could laugh and chat even with an old fox like Ning Fengzhi, yet now, facing the black-robed girl silently bowing her head before him, deliberately keeping even her breathing light, he found himself at a loss for words and utterly unable to think of a suitable opening topic.

The two simply sat facing each other, and the atmosphere in the room gradually sank into silence.

Fortunately, that somewhat awkward atmosphere did not last long.

With the approach of soft footsteps, a fair hand lifted the curtain to the back hall.

Ye Qingrou entered carrying a tray of exquisite tea snacks.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Classmate Lin Nuo. There were simply too many patients outside just now."

The Ye Family head smiled before she spoke. Her warm voice carried a natural friendliness that instantly shattered the stifling air between the two young people.