Ma Xiaotao Ties the Fire Suppression System! Then again...

Ma Xiaotao let out a soft "hmm," her gaze lingering on him for a moment. "You don't look like you're waiting in line to me."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Xu Sanshi's forehead, and his lips trembled. "I..."

Ma Xiaotao didn't give him a chance to explain; she kicked him.

"Get lost, now!"

The kick wasn't particularly heavy, but to Xu Sanshi, it felt as if he had been branded by a red-hot iron. He yelped and sprang up from the ground, scrambling away at a speed even faster than his full-burst combat pace.

The girls nearby watched the scene unfold, unable to hold it in any longer, and began to giggle behind their hands.

Ma Xiaotao withdrew her gaze and turned toward Lin Ye.

Her face beneath the red veil was slightly flushed, whether from the sudden exertion or some other reason, it was hard to tell.

"Can I have a cup of milk tea?" she asked softly.

Xiao Xiao stood to the side, hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and spoke up: "You have to wait in line first!"

Ma Xiaotao paused, her pale pink eyes shifting toward her. "Oh?"

She glanced at the queue that had been there just a moment ago...

Those people had scattered in an instant.

They ran faster than rabbits.

Xiao Xiao opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare say another word.

Ma Xiaotao nodded in satisfaction and looked back at Lin Ye, her tone carrying a hint of entitlement.

"There, no one is in line anymore. I can have one now, right?"

Lin Ye looked at her self-assured demeanor and shook his head helplessly. "Of course."

He turned around and prepared a cup of Jasmine Milk Green Tea from the Milk Tea Maker.

The fragrance was intoxicating; just the scent alone was enough to refresh the spirit.

Ma Xiaotao raised her right hand, revealing fingers as slender as spring onions.

On her right index finger sat a large ruby ring, its pigeon-blood red hue beautiful to the extreme.

She brushed her fingertip across the ring, and with a flash of light, a handful of Gold Soul Coins appeared in her palm, which she handed to Lin Ye.

"I'll buy out your milk tea stall," she said, her tone light and airy, as if she were discussing a trivial matter.

Lin Ye took the milk tea and handed it to her, but shook his head.

"This little bit of money isn't enough to buy out my stall. It's one Gold Soul Coin per cup, but I don't intend to run this stall anymore after today."

Ma Xiaotao took the milk tea, her brows knitting slightly beneath the veil.

Xiao Xiao was startled and hurriedly asked, "You're not going to sell milk tea anymore?"

Lin Ye reached out and patted her head, his palm gently brushing against her soft hair as he smiled. "I'll listen to you and focus on my cultivation."

Xiao Xiao's face turned red again, and she obediently lowered her head, looking like a kitten being petted.

Ma Xiaotao lifted a corner of her veil, pressed the straw to her cherry-red lips, and took a gentle sip.

The cool liquid slid down her throat, carrying the delicate fragrance of jasmine and the richness of milk, instantly soothing her heart and soul.

She was slightly taken aback.

The coolness traveled down her throat and actually suppressed the restless Evil Fire Phoenix flames within her, leaving her feeling refreshed.

It was the first time she had ever tasted such a miraculous drink!

"You're really not selling them anymore?" Ma Xiaotao looked up, her pale pink eyes fixed on Lin Ye, a hint of reluctance in her gaze.

Lin Ye looked at her longing expression—she looked like a cat that had just had its fish stolen—and couldn't help but laugh. "Not selling. But I can still make some for myself."

Ma Xiaotao's eyes brightened slightly. "Then..."

Lin Ye continued, "If you want some, Senior Sister, you can come find me anytime."

Ma Xiaotao blurted out, "Really?"

As soon as the words left her lips, she realized her reaction had been a bit too eager. A faint blush immediately rose to her cheeks, though fortunately, it was obscured by her veil.

Ma Xiaotao had come here specifically to find Lin Ye in the first place.

Back in the woods, it was Lin Ye who had helped her discharge her evil fire.

Although the process was difficult to put into words, she could clearly feel that it wasn't just a simple release.

Contact with Lin Ye seemed to have allowed her Evil Fire Phoenix flames to undergo a trace of evolution.

In the past, her methods for dealing with the evil fire involved using ice-attribute martial souls to forcibly suppress it—treating the symptoms but not the root cause. The harder she suppressed it, the more violent the eventual eruption would be.

But now, Lin Ye's appearance seemed to have provided a turning point.

He... seemed capable of guiding her evil fire, and perhaps even making her flames purer.

Over the past few days, the evil fire within her body had begun to swell once again.

After much deliberation, she decided to seek out Lin Ye one more time to see what exactly was going on.

"Of course you can." Lin Ye spread his hands, his tone casual.

Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath to calm her agitated emotions, then said with a serious expression:

"My name is Ma Xiaotao, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'll come back to 'drink milk tea' with you again when I have the chance."

When she said the words "drink milk tea," her tone grew slightly heavier, and those pale pink eyes looked at Lin Ye with profound meaning.

Lin Ye naturally caught the subtext in her words, but he didn't point it out, simply nodding with a smile:

"My name is Lin Ye, you are welcome anytime."

Watching Lin Ye's handsome face, Ma Xiaotao's heart skipped another beat.

This youth could not only help her solve the problem of the evil fire, but he was also so good-looking...

Her face flushed a deeper shade of red, and just as she was about to say something more, a light flashed before her eyes...

A pale blue, semi-transparent screen appeared before her without any warning.

The screen manifested out of thin air in front of Ma Xiaotao, its pale blue glow dancing in her pupils.

At the same time, a voice rang out directly in her mind; it wasn't loud, yet it was incredibly clear, as if someone were whispering right into her ear:

[Detected individual suffering from burning flames, Fire Suppression System bound!]

[Fear not the restlessness of the heart fire,]

[A wisp of clear tea shall extinguish the wild flames!]

[Remember: You must not let others know of this system's existence!]

Ma Xiaotao's pale pink eyes narrowed sharply.

What? A system?

She instinctively wanted to ask, but she realized the voice seemed to have been carved directly into her consciousness, requiring no response from her at all.

A few more lines of text appeared on the screen:

[The fated one automatically receives the main quest: Engage in More Children More Blessings with your exclusive fated one to receive generous rewards!]

[When encountering your exclusive fated one, the system panel will mark them with a peach heart!]

Ma Xiaotao's pupils constricted slightly.

What on earth is all this?!

Individual suffering from burning flames... this system can help me suppress the fire?

And what is a fated one?

I already said I have no interest in finding some man with an ice attribute to unite with...

She looked up, and a peach heart appeared.

That peach heart was marked right above Lin Ye's head.

Ma Xiaotao froze.

It's him?

The fated one... is Lin Ye?

She stared blankly at Lin Ye's handsome face, and the scene from the forest that day couldn't help but surface in her mind...

But then again...

A blush appeared on Ma Xiaotao's face, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears in a faint shade of pink.

Could Lin Ye really have been sent by the heavens to solve my evil fire problem?

More Children More Blessings...

She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake this absurd thought away.

Yet the peach heart remained, hovering steadily above Lin Ye's head, as if reminding her that this was no hallucination—it was real.

Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and downed the Jasmine Milk Green Tea in her hand in one gulp.

The cool liquid slid down her throat into her belly, yet it could not extinguish the fire growing ever more intense within her heart.