I Like Lingling Sister

Now it was Mo Li's turn to fall silent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but the timing wasn't right. He hadn't thought it through when he saw Ye Lingling looking so dejected and sad, wanting only to offer her some reassurance.

Under Ye Lingling's slightly nervous gaze, Mo Li sighed and finally spoke:

"Sister Lingling, those were things I only read about in books. I don't know if they truly exist, and since so much time has passed, there's no way to verify them."

Ye Lingling's eyes dimmed instantly. She bit her lip gently, looking utterly aggrieved.

Mo Li couldn't bear to watch, so he decided to give this poor girl a little spoiler: "However, please trust me, Sister Lingling. The curse of the Nine Heart Begonia can absolutely be broken."

Ye Lingling's previously despondent gaze gradually brightened at the second half of Mo Li's words.

Ever since she learned of the flaws in her martial soul, she had, like her mother, poured her heart and soul into resolving the curse, experiencing countless disappointments along the way.

After so many years, she had long been on the verge of despair.

This was the first time she had ever heard from someone else that her martial soul's curse could be lifted, even though no one would choose to believe a boy of only eight or nine years old.

Yet, the boy's confident words ignited a faint, almost pathological flame in her heart.

A flame called hope.

Although Mo Li was young, his eyes held a brilliance she couldn't quite fathom.

At this moment, she didn't even dare to meet his gaze. Her heart trembled, and she subconsciously replied:

"Mm."

The boy with the smile on his lips made her feel an urge to trust him.

"I believe you, but why are you helping me so much?"

Ye Lingling's hands clenched involuntarily, then she let them go just as gently.

She recalled the only two times she and Mo Li had interacted; their friendship shouldn't have been deep enough for this.

Especially today, when she obtained the Ice-Skin Snow-Jade Ginseng from Ning Fengzhi thanks to Dugu Yan and Mo Li. It was easy to understand why Dugu Yan, who had known her for a long time, would speak up for her.

But for Mo Li, whom she had only met twice, to speak up for her as well left her both pleasantly surprised and puzzled.

Mo Li looked at the girl—who, despite her veil, wore her heart on her sleeve—and smiled:

"That's simple. It's because I like you, Sister Lingling."

"Ah...! Li... like?"

Ye Lingling hadn't expected Mo Li to be so blunt; even her black veil couldn't hide her panic.

However, Mo Li immediately added:

"There are many kinds of liking. I genuinely want to be friends with you, Sister Lingling. You don't think I have ulterior motives, do you?"

"That's not it..."

Ye Lingling lowered her head, waved her hands, and said hurriedly.

Mo Li just smiled.

On the other side, Jiang Zhu and Dugu Yan were getting impatient by the time they saw Mo Li and Ye Lingling slowly returning.

"Lingling, what did you two talk about? You even had to sneak off to say it."

Dugu Yan stepped forward to take Ye Lingling's hand, asking with dissatisfaction.

"I'll tell you later."

Ye Lingling patted Dugu Yan's arm helplessly and looked toward Mo Li. Their eyes met, and Mo Li nodded slightly.

"Sister Lingling, Senior Dugu, if there's nothing else, we'll head back to the academy. You're welcome to come visit us at Blue Tyrant Academy."

"You're welcome anytime," Jiang Zhu added.

"Mo Li, thank you."

Ye Lingling's tone was soft. Before Mo Li could respond, Dugu Yan, standing to the side, asked indignantly:

"Well, Mo Li, what kind of love potion did you feed our Lingling? Look at how infatuated she is with you!"

"And you won't even call me Sister Yan Yan, just 'Senior' this and 'Senior' that. Am I really that old?"

Mo Li glanced at Dugu Yan with slight helplessness. Judging by his current age, Dugu Yan was indeed quite a bit older, but that was clearly not something he could say out loud.

"Sister Yan Yan, are you happy now? We're leaving."

Hearing Mo Li finally call her by name, the expression on Dugu Yan's face turned smug.

Completely ignoring Mo Li's helpless look, she reached out as if to pat his shoulder.

But remembering his strange and troublesome Black Flame, she retracted her hand in frustration, crossed her arms, and said:

"Remember what you said before! If I come looking for you, don't you dare refuse the challenge!"

Dugu Yan was naturally unconvinced, and she never would be.

After all, making her admit that she was not only older than Mo Li but also couldn't beat him would be worse than just finding a hole to bury herself in!

Mo Li chuckled, "Sister Dugu Yan, my studies are very demanding. That was just a polite remark back then; you actually believed it..."

"Lingling, look at him! You have to come with me when the time comes!"

Mo Li laughed heartily, "Then I shall await your arrival at any time."

Watching Mo Li change his expression so quickly, Dugu Yan felt her teeth itch with irritation, wishing she could pin him to the ground and give him a sound thrashing.

However, it was clearly something she could only fantasize about for now.

"Goodbye."

After bidding each other farewell, Mo Li and Jiang Zhu walked back toward the academy, Jiang Zhu looking at Mo Li with a bitter expression.

"Little Brother Mo Li, what did you say to that girl named Ye Lingling?"

Mo Li looked at Jiang Zhu with interest and said, "Sister Jiang Zhu, I never realized you were such a gossip."

Jiang Zhu's cheeks flushed slightly as she gave Mo Li a light punch.

"That's all your fault! When you were fighting that girl with the purple hair, I was scared to death. Thank goodness you're alright."

"But how did you become so strong? That girl named Dugu Yan is a Great Spirit Master, yet she was defeated by you so quickly."

Jiang Zhu's tone carried a hint of disbelief. She rarely saw Mo Li take action at the academy, and whenever she visited him, he was always busy with his own special training.

His performance this time had truly shocked her.

Hearing Jiang Zhu's words of praise, Mo Li couldn't help but smile.

"Just luck. My flames happen to restrain Senior Dugu Yan's snake venom, rendering her most powerful methods ineffective against me. That's why I won so decisively."

"Oh, and she said she wants to spar with you from now on. You..."

"I will naturally oblige."

Mo Li said indifferently, "It just so happens that I'm lacking an opponent. If Senior Dugu Yan wants to come, that would be perfect."

At the academy, Mo Li mostly trained by himself in the forest. Liu Erlong would offer guidance from time to time, but she wouldn't accompany him for long. Fortunately, Mo Li hadn't encountered any major issues with his cultivation yet.

If Dugu Yan was willing to spar, it would be even better; he could observe the accumulation of toxins in her spirit essence more closely, which would also serve as preparation for the future.

Jiang Zhu didn't know about any of this, but she didn't ask any further questions.

"By the way."

Just as her mood seemed to dip for some unknown reason, Mo Li's voice suddenly reached her ears:

"I told Sister Lingling that if that medicinal herb is of no use to her, I will find a way to help her resolve her problem in the future."

Jiang Zhu paused in her tracks, looking up at Mo Li as he walked ahead on his own. She pursed her lips, then let out a sigh of resignation and quickened her pace to catch up with him.

"What's wrong? Hey, no—Sister Jiang Zhu, why are you pinching me?"

"I... I just did it by accident."

"How can you pinch someone by accident?!"