A Stirring Heart

A few minutes later, seeing that Ye Guyi's pretty face had turned completely crimson yet she was still stubbornly refusing to speak, Xu Tianming, fearing something might go wrong, immediately spoke up to warn her:

"If you truly cannot withstand that intense heat, sit in the ice bucket. Do not force yourself; it will do you no good."

Upon hearing this, Ye Guyi's eyes brightened instantly, and her tightly pursed lips could not help but part:

"Re... really?"

Hearing the undulating tremor in her voice, Xu Tianming knew her endurance was reaching its limit.

It seems the effects of this Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue are far too overbearing. Even a small piece is not something Ye Guyi can absorb and refine on her own before obtaining her first Martial Soul ring.

After silently reaching this conclusion, Xu Tianming nodded:

"Naturally. Get in quickly. If you force yourself any longer, you might leave behind hidden injuries that will be difficult to recover from in the future."

Hearing Xu Tianming say this, Ye Guyi immediately attempted to stand up and climb into the ice bucket.

However, before she could even straighten her legs, she felt her entire body go limp and collapsed back where she sat.

The sudden turn of events left Ye Guyi stunned. Once she regained her senses, she tried to stand again, but the result left her in disbelief:

Under the influence of the heat surging through her body, she no longer had the strength to even move.

An unprecedented sense of shame flooded Ye Guyi's heart. She instinctively wanted to ask Xu Tianming for help, but the words died on her lips; she was terrified that her benefactor would look down on her for her poor physical constitution.

Yet, just as Ye Guyi's reason was about to be overwhelmed by the heat, she suddenly felt her body grow light. Struggling to open her dazed eyes, she realized she was already being cradled in her benefactor's strong arms.

Looking at Xu Tianming's handsome profile from such close proximity, combined with the heat raging within her, Ye Guyi's eyes grew hazy before she knew it, and her heart began to race.

"Thump! Thump!"

Just as Ye Guyi's mind began to wander, Xu Tianming suddenly stopped.

Ye Guyi was startled for a moment, then quickly realized he intended to place her into the ice bucket.

Although she knew this was for her own good, for some reason, she did not want to leave the warm, comfortable embrace she was currently in.

If only this position could last a little longer!

The moment this thought crossed her mind, Ye Guyi's brain grew hot. Using the last of her strength, she opened her arms, wrapped them around Xu Tianming's neck, and crossed her hands. Though she said nothing, her actions made it clear she had no intention of leaving his arms.

The sudden change caught Xu Tianming off guard.

While he enjoyed the feeling of being held by a soft, fragrant girl, the timing was all wrong. If he didn't put Ye Guyi into the ice bucket to suppress the raging fire within her, he feared she would truly suffer physical harm.

However, at that very moment, Columbina suddenly spoke from within his Mental Sea of Consciousness:

"Her body is as hot as yours was just now... Do not put her in the ice bucket yet. Let me see if I can help her. If my method proves ineffective, then you may proceed."

With that, Xu Tianming's Frost Moon Martial Soul manifested under Columbina's command.

Because it was already deep into the night, the appearance of the Frost Moon Martial Soul was even brighter than before.

But that was not the point.

The point was that the moment the Frost Moon Martial Soul appeared, a gentle stream of moonlight flowed into Ye Guyi's body under Columbina's control. Only two seconds passed before Ye Guyi couldn't help but moan:

"Mmm~ that feels so good..."

At the same time, her strength began to recover, and the arms wrapped around Xu Tianming's body tightened unconsciously, pulling her even closer to his warm chest.

Ye Guyi was feeling wonderful now.

But she hadn't considered at all how uncomfortable this was making Xu Tianming.

Fortunately, Columbina noticed and promptly injected a strand of gentle moonlight into his body, calming his own heated heart.

Once the heat within Ye Guyi was alleviated by Columbina's power, the feedback from the medicinal properties of the whale glue began to take effect on her physical body.

Generally speaking, the effects of such Yang-attribute, rigid heavenly treasures are somewhat poor for women, but because Ye Guyi's Angel Martial Soul possessed the same Yang-attribute, rigid nature, it was a perfect match for the medicinal power.

About half an hour later, Ye Guyi successfully refined all the medicinal power of the whale glue and clearly felt that her physical strength had increased significantly.

The feeling of becoming stronger was wonderful, but Ye Guyi's emotions were now in complete turmoil...

"Heavens! What have I just done?"

"I actually held onto my benefactor's body the entire time without letting go!"

"And what was that gentle, cooling sensation earlier... didn't my benefactor say I had to get into the ice bucket to suppress the heat..."

"But my benefactor's embrace is so warm. I really want to keep holding on like this..."

At the same time, Xu Tianming, who was still holding her, took the opportunity to communicate with Columbina:

"I didn't expect your power to be so miraculous, Columbina... but why did you stop me from putting her in the ice bucket earlier?"

"I was afraid she would catch a cold."

"Huh?"

"I was afraid she would catch a cold... The temperature in that ice bucket is cold even to me. This girl is so young; if she caught a cold from soaking in it, how miserable she would be..."

This reasoning was beyond Xu Tianming's imagination.

However, it was perfectly in line with Columbina's strange train of thought and personality.

His consciousness returned to his body.

Feeling the temperature on Ye Guyi's skin return to normal and her breathing gradually steady, Xu Tianming knew she had nearly finished refining the medicinal power of the Whale Glue.

"How are you feeling?"

Hearing Xu Tianming's voice, Ye Guyi instinctively opened her eyes.

"I feel... very good."

"Then how much longer do you intend to stay in my arms?"

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! I was being rude..."

Hearing Xu Tianming suddenly bring this up, Ye Guyi reacted like a startled kitten, hurriedly loosening her grip and jumping down at once.

"Why so impatient? I didn't say I blamed you..."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. Your body shouldn't have reached its limit yet. Since that's the case, take some more Whale Glue. However, given your poor tolerance, I will use the power of Frost Moon to nourish your body throughout the process this time. The unbearable heat you just experienced won't happen again."

For Ye Guyi, this was naturally good news.

Yet, for some reason, after hearing Xu Tianming's last sentence, she felt a strange sense of regret in her heart.

After all, if that were the case, she would no longer have a legitimate excuse to get close to her benefactor...