Tang An spoke at an unhurried pace. "I can help. I can even evolve her martial soul into the ultimate fire attribute and completely purge the impurities from her Evil Fire, giving her a whole new lease on life.
Tang An paused, then said with a disdainful tone, "But the thing is, I really don't want to. What do you think I should do?"
Cai Mei'er was exceptionally clever. She immediately caught the implication behind Tang An's words. The Vice Pavilion Master hadn't shut the door on the matter, which meant there was room to negotiate.
But the "sincerity" he wanted clearly couldn't be satisfied by a mere show of respect.
Cai Mei'er's thoughts raced. Ma Xiaotao had both beauty and talent, and young men were full of vigor. Perhaps she could approach this from that angle.
"Vice Pavilion Master,"
Cai Mei'er edged closer, the fitted blue-and-white uniform tracing her slender waist as she cautiously began.
"How about this? Once Xiaotao has recovered, she can be your girlfriend. Her looks and talent are among the best in the academy. She wouldn't be unworthy of your status."
Tang An raised an eyebrow and looked Ma Xiaotao up and down.
His gaze made Ma Xiaotao feel intensely uncomfortable. Her face flushed bright red. The spots where he had struck her were still faintly hot, and now she was being offered up right in front of him. She was so humiliated and angry that she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
Yet at the thought of the words "ultimate fire," her heart gave a heavy thump. That was the realm she had dreamed of reaching, but never dared to hope for.
Tang An looked away and said coolly,
"She has a good figure, but her temper is really unacceptable. Let her be my maid for a year first—serving tea, pouring water, and coming whenever I call. If she does well, we can discuss what comes next after a year."
Cai Mei'er immediately nodded. "No problem. A year as your maid. It's settled!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened. A maid?
She was a distinguished disciple of Shrek Inner Court, and now she was supposed to serve someone as a maid? But when she met Cai Mei'er's desperate signals, and remembered the years of torment from her Evil Fire that had made her wish she were dead, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice. "I...I agree."
Cai Mei'er let out half a sigh of relief, but then another, more practical problem occurred to her.
She looked at Tang An and cautiously asked, "Vice Pavilion Master, what about Xiaotao's Evil Fire during the year she's your maid? How are we supposed to deal with it? We can't keep putting it off. If it flares up and she can't endure it, she'll be unable to serve you."
Tang An glanced at Ma Xiaotao and replied casually, "Simple. Just like before, give her three slaps every day, and her Evil Fire will naturally behave. If you don't believe me, ask her."
Ma Xiaotao's face went scarlet. Those three slaps really had calmed her Evil Fire, but admitting it aloud...
Ma Xiaotao bit her lip, her expression painfully conflicted. In the end, she stiffly nodded, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "...Mm."
Cai Mei'er watched her, secretly startled.
The Evil Fire had tormented Ma Xiaotao for years, and even Limit Douluo had been helpless against it. Yet Tang An had suppressed it with three slaps. His methods were even more unfathomable than what he had shown yesterday at the Martial Arts Arena.
At the same time, Cai Mei'er understood that suppression only treated the symptoms. If Ma Xiaotao was to evolve completely into ultimate fire, they would have to offer more.
The Vice Pavilion Master hadn't said he was "really unwilling" for no reason. He'd looked Ma Xiaotao over with little interest, which showed that being young and beautiful wasn't enough to make him give in.
Cai Mei'er's thoughts raced, but her expression remained composed as she gave Ma Xiaotao a gentle smile. "Xiaotao, since your Evil Fire has been suppressed for today, go back and cultivate. Think carefully about how to be a good maid. Since the Vice Pavilion Master has agreed, he naturally won't treat you unfairly."
As if granted a pardon, Ma Xiaotao hurriedly bowed to Tang An, covered the still-faintly-burning spot on her bottom, and rushed out.
Before leaving, she glanced back. Cai Mei'er was walking toward Tang An's desk, her back bearing a resolve Ma Xiaotao couldn't quite put into words.
Ma Xiaotao's footsteps faded at the end of the corridor, and the office fell quiet for a moment.
Cai Mei'er turned around and looked at Tang An, a faint smile at the corner of her lips and her eyes like purple crystals.
She didn't rush to speak. Instead, she walked toward Tang An at an unhurried pace, her high boots clicking crisply against the floor, each step carrying a bewitching rhythm.
Tang An leaned back in his chair and watched Cai Mei'er approach, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Does Secretary Cai have something else to discuss?"
Cai Mei'er stopped in front of his desk and braced both hands on its edge, leaning forward slightly. The movement revealed a glimpse of pale skin at the collar of her blue-and-gold uniform.
"Vice Pavilion Master, about what happened just now... Xiaotao is still immature. As her dean, I ought to express my gratitude on her behalf."
Tang An looked into Cai Mei'er's eyes. Her purple gaze didn't waver in the slightest; instead, it held a shrewd hint of probing.
Tang An leaned back a little farther, his tone even. "Let's hear it."
Cai Mei'er walked around the desk and came to Tang An's side. With an easy, natural motion, she sat on the armrest beside him. Her body turned sideways toward him, and the fitted skirt of her uniform pulled taut in the pose, accentuating her mature, full curves.
"When the Vice Pavilion Master was spanking Xiaotao just now," Cai Mei'er said, tilting her head, her voice light as if she were making casual conversation, "your movements clearly slowed on the third strike."
Tang An's gaze sharpened slightly.
Cai Mei'er noticed the subtle reaction, and the curve of her lips deepened. She leaned forward a little.
"Vice Pavilion Master, you're young and full of vigor. It's only natural. There's no need to feel embarrassed."
Tang An's expression remained unchanged, though inwardly he cursed.
The Life-Death Cycle had indeed made his strength far surpass that of his peers, but it had also pushed his body's functions into an exceptionally active state. His senses and reactions in every respect were several times sharper than an ordinary person's.
The slightest stimulation could provoke a reaction. He had noticed this problem long ago, but still hadn't found a way to deal with it.
When he'd spanked Ma Xiaotao just now, the sensation against his palm had indeed distracted him for an instant. He hadn't expected Cai Mei'er to notice that tiny hesitation.
"Dean Cai certainly has a keen eye," Tang An said coolly.
Cai Mei'er chuckled, rose from the armrest, and walked over to him. Then she slowly lowered herself to her knees.
Her movements were composed and graceful, like a carefully choreographed ritual. She gazed up at Tang An, her purple eyes carrying the poise unique to a mature woman.
"The Vice Pavilion Master has done so much for Xiaotao—suppressing her Evil Fire and promising to help her evolve. This is an enormous debt of gratitude."
Her fingers rested lightly on Tang An's knee, the tips moving faintly, her touch almost imperceptible. "Someone should show their gratitude, don't you think?"
Tang An looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
"You're sure?"
"I'm the dean of the Martial Soul Department. When I give my word, I keep it." Cai Mei'er tilted her face up, smiling with her purple eyes, her voice soft and low as a feather brushing his ear.
"Don't worry, Vice Pavilion Master. No one else will ever know."
Cai Mei'er edged closer. Her long hair slipped from her shoulder, the ends brushing his knee. As her red lips parted, her warm breath drifted over him, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Just think of it as me, in my capacity as dean, paying a little interest on Xiaotao's behalf."
The curtains weren't fully drawn. Afternoon sunlight slanted through the gap, casting a bright strip across the floor.
Cai Mei'er's figure disappeared into the shadow beneath the desk. Only the crown of her head and the faint rise and fall of her shoulders were visible.
The office fell quiet, leaving only a faint sound, deliberately kept low, and the distant calls of students training at the Martial Arts Arena outside.
Tang An leaned back in his chair, his fingers tightening around the armrest, then slowly relaxing.
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