(Ma Xiaotao picture)
Ma Xiaotao gave a soft "Mm," her gaze lingering on him for a moment. "You don't look like you're waiting in line."
Cold sweat instantly streamed down Xu Sanshi's forehead. His lips trembled twice. "I..."
Ma Xiaotao gave him no chance to explain and kicked him.
"Why aren't you getting lost?!"
The kick wasn't particularly hard, but when it landed on Xu Sanshi, he reacted as if he'd been branded with a red-hot iron. He let out a string of yelps and sprang off the ground,
then scrambled away, rolling and crawling, faster than he could move even when going all out in battle.
The girls around them watched the scene and could no longer hold back. One by one, they covered their mouths and laughed.
Ma Xiaotao turned her gaze back to Lin Ye.
Her face beneath the red veil had grown faintly flushed. It was unclear whether it was because she'd just moved around and her blood was surging, or for some other reason.
"Could I have a cup of milk tea?" she asked softly.
Xiao Xiao stood to one side. She hesitated, but still mustered up the courage to speak. "You have to get in line first!"
Ma Xiaotao paused, then turned her pale pink eyes toward her. "Oh?"
She glanced at the line that had been there moments ago...
Everyone scattered at once.
They ran faster than rabbits.
Xiao Xiao's mouth opened, but in the end she didn't dare say anything else.
Ma Xiaotao nodded in satisfaction and looked back at Lin Ye, her tone carrying a hint of matter-of-factness:
"All right, now that nobody's in line, I can have one, right?"
Lin Ye looked at her self-assured expression and shook his head helplessly. "Of course."
He turned around and made a cup of Jasmine Milk Green Tea using the Milk Tea Maker.
Its delicate fragrance filled the air; just smelling it was enough to make one feel refreshed.
Ma Xiaotao raised her right hand, revealing long, slender fingers as delicate as spring onions.
A large ruby ring adorned her right index finger, its vivid pigeon-blood red beautiful to the extreme.
She lightly brushed her fingertip over the ring. A flash of light appeared, and a handful of Gold Soul Coins materialized in her hand. She held them out to Lin Ye.
"I'll take over your milk tea stand," she said casually, as if she were talking about something trivial.
Lin Ye took the money and handed her the milk tea, but shook his head.
"This much isn't enough to take over my milk tea stand. One cup costs one Gold Soul Coin, but I'm not planning to set up shop anymore."
Ma Xiaotao accepted the milk tea, her brows knitting slightly beneath the veil.
Xiao Xiao, however, was startled and quickly asked, "You're not going to sell milk tea anymore?"
Lin Ye reached out and patted her head, his palm gently brushing over her soft hair. He smiled. "I'll listen to you and focus on cultivation."
Xiao Xiao's cheeks reddened again. She obediently lowered her head, like a little cat being stroked the right way.
Ma Xiaotao lifted one corner of her veil. Her cherry-red lips closed around the straw, and she took a small sip.
The cool liquid slid down her throat, carrying the delicate fragrance of jasmine and the rich smoothness of milk. In an instant, it seeped into her very being.
She paused slightly.
That coolness traveled down her throat, actually suppressing the restless Evil Fire inside her by a little. She felt much more refreshed all over.
It was the first time she had ever tasted such a miraculous drink!
"You really aren't going to sell it anymore?" Ma Xiaotao raised her head. Her pale pink eyes fixed on Lin Ye, an unmistakable hint of reluctance in them.
Lin Ye saw the longing in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, like a cat whose fish had been stolen, and couldn't help smiling. "I'm not. But I can still make it for myself."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up a little. "Then..."
Lin Ye picked up where she left off. "If you want some, Senior, you can come find me anytime."
Ma Xiaotao blurted out, "Really?"
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize she'd sounded a little too eager. A faint blush spread across her face, though thankfully the veil kept it from being clearly seen.
Ma Xiaotao had come this time intending to find Lin Ye in the first place.
Last time, in the woods, Lin Ye had helped her release her Evil Fire.
Though the process had been far too embarrassing to talk about, she could clearly feel that it hadn't been a simple matter of venting.
Her contact with Lin Ye seemed to have helped her Evil Fire Phoenix flames evolve a little.
Before, she had dealt with her Evil Fire by using an ice-attributed Martial Soul to forcefully suppress it. That only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. The harder she suppressed it, the more violently it would flare up.
But Lin Ye's appearance seemed to have brought a turning point.
He... seemed able to guide her Evil Fire, and even make her flames purer.
Over the past few days, the Evil Fire within her had begun to build up again.
After thinking it over, she had decided to seek Lin Ye out once more and see what was going on.
"Of course," Lin Ye said, shrugging casually.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath, steadying her turbulent emotions, then spoke seriously:
"My name is Ma Xiaotao. I'm glad to meet you. If I get the chance, I'll come find you again to 'drink milk tea.'"
When she said the words "drink milk tea," she put a little extra emphasis on them. Her pale pink eyes watched Lin Ye meaningfully.
Lin Ye naturally understood the hidden meaning in her words, but didn't call her out. He simply smiled and nodded.
"My name is Lin Ye. You're welcome anytime."
Ma Xiaotao looked at Lin Ye's handsome face, and her heart skipped another beat.
This young man could help her deal with her Evil Fire problem, and he was so good-looking, too...
Her face flushed a little more. She was about to say something else when a sudden flash of light appeared before her...
A translucent, pale blue screen materialized out of nowhere in front of her.
The screen appeared out of thin air before Ma Xiaotao, its pale blue glow flickering in her eyes.
At the same time, a voice sounded directly in her mind. It wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear, as if someone were whispering right beside her ear:
[Blazing inferno detected. Fire Suppression System bound!] [When your heart-fire stirs, fear not,] [A wisp of fragrant tea can quell the raging flames!] [Remember: You must not let others know of The System's existence!]
Ma Xiaotao's pale pink eyes suddenly narrowed.
What? A system?
She instinctively tried to ask a question, but realized the voice seemed to have been engraved directly into her consciousness. She didn't need to respond at all.
A few more lines appeared on the screen:
[The destined one automatically receives the main quest: Have many children and many blessings with your one and only destined partner to earn generous rewards!] [When you encounter your one and only destined partner, the system interface will mark them with a heart!]
Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted slightly.
What was all this supposed to mean?!
A blazing inferno... This system could help me suppress my Evil Fire?
And what was a destined partner?
I already said I'm not interested in finding some man with an ice-attributed Martial Soul to get together with...
She looked up and saw a heart appear.
That heart was positioned directly above Lin Ye's head.
Ma Xiaotao froze.
Him?
Her destined partner... was Lin Ye?
She stared blankly at Lin Ye's handsome face. The scene in the woods that day involuntarily rose in her mind...
But speaking of which...
A blush appeared on Ma Xiaotao's face, spreading all the way to her ears and tinting them a faint pink.
Could Lin Ye really have been sent by the heavens to help her deal with her Evil Fire?
Many children, many blessings...
She shook her head hard, as if trying to fling the absurd thought away.
But the heart was still there, hanging steadily above Lin Ye's head, as if reminding her that this wasn't an illusion. It was real.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and drained the Jasmine Milk Green Tea in her hand.
The cool liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, but it couldn't put out the steadily growing fire in her heart.
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