When Liu Lin saw the shock in Xu Jiujiu's eyes, he knew he'd put on quite a convincing act, so he put away his Second Martial Soul.
The layer of frost in the courtyard, created when Liu Lin released his Martial Soul, quickly melted under the sun.
Xu Jiujiu came back to her senses, still stunned. With her azure eyes, she looked Liu Lin up and down several times, as though she wanted to see right through him.
Xu Jiujiu's stare made Liu Lin feel so uncomfortable that he couldn't help speaking up:
"Your Highness, please don't stare at me like that. It's making me a little uncomfortable."
"Ahem." When Xu Jiujiu heard what Liu Lin said, her little face turned bright red. She quickly looked away. "I'm your fiancée. Can't I even look at you?"
Though she said that, she also felt that staring at Liu Lin for so long was a little inappropriate. To cover up her embarrassment, she quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, don't go around revealing that you have Twin Martial Souls like you did today. It'll bring you a lot of trouble."
As Xu Jiujiu said this, her adorable little face was utterly serious.
After all, if he revealed just one Martial Soul, the Star Luo Imperial Family could still protect him while he grew stronger. But if his Twin Martial Souls were exposed, Liu Lin would face an endless stream of assassins until the day he died.
At the thought of this, Xu Jiujiu couldn't help sighing. If their empire had a Limit Douluo, or even a few more Super Douluos, how could they possibly fail to protect Liu Lin?
Hearing this, Liu Lin nodded solemnly.
In fact, Xu Jiawei had already discussed this with him on the way to the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
The imperial edict Count Su had read out in the palace hall had only said that Liu Lin was made a viscount and betrothed to Xu Jiujiu because his parents had died in service to the country and he possessed Innate Full Soul Power.
As for his Martial Souls, the edict had been vague, never once mentioning that Liu Lin had Twin Martial Souls.
But Xu Jiawei knew those old foxes wouldn't believe it. That was why, after returning, he'd summoned the ministers for a meeting and adopted all the children whose parents had died in battle and who had nowhere to go.
It wasn't just to mislead those old foxes; it was also to let the soldiers witness this, so they would serve the Star Luo Empire with all their might.
In the carriage, Xu Jiawei had asked Liu Lin to choose one Martial Soul to reveal and keep the other as a trump card.
Xu Jiawei was genuinely afraid that someone would throw honor to the wind and send a Super Douluo—or someone even stronger—to kill Liu Lin. After all, Liu Lin's talent was terrifying. If allowed to grow, he would surely become a level-98 or level-99 Titled Douluo.
After thinking for two minutes, Liu Lin told Xu Jiawei that he had decided to cultivate the Crimson Radiance Burning Heaven Dragon first.
Liu Lin had two reasons for choosing to cultivate the Crimson Radiance Burning Heaven Dragon first.
He was afraid that if Shrek Academy learned he had an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, his uncle Yan Shaozhe would snatch him away to Shrek Academy the very next day and use him as material for Ma Xiaotao.
Second, there were plenty of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings with ice attributes. He wanted his Second Martial Soul to have nine Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Just imagining nine blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings rising beneath his feet when he released his Second Martial Soul made the corners of his mouth lift.
Back in the present, Liu Lin looked at Xu Jiujiu's serious expression and remembered how she'd teased him earlier. A mischievous smile crept onto his face.
"Your Highness, don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to casually tell people I have Twin Martial Souls. I only told you because..."
He paused, leaned close to Xu Jiujiu's ear, and whispered, "Because you're my fiancée, Your Highness. Isn't that right, Jiujiu?"
His warm breath brushed Xu Jiujiu's earlobe. The moment the two syllables "Jiujiu" left Liu Lin's mouth, she froze completely.
Xu Jiujiu's azure eyes widened. She hadn't expected her fiancé to be so bold. The spot where Liu Lin had leaned close to her ear felt as if it had caught fire, and the heat spread across her entire face. It was as though steam were rising from her head.
"You... you..."
Xu Jiujiu opened her mouth, but couldn't say a thing. Her earlier serious expression had vanished completely, and her hands even fidgeted awkwardly with the hem of her skirt.
"Liu Lin! You're too bold!" Xu Jiujiu saw his mischievous grin and glared at him, both embarrassed and annoyed.
"Princess Jiujiu, what's wrong? I was only answering your question." Liu Lin put on an innocent look.
Xu Jiujiu glared at him, her chest rising and falling slightly. Her flushed little face was paired with a pair of misty eyes. Seeing Xu Jiujiu looking both angry and shy, Liu Lin thought she was far cuter like this than when she acted dignified and elegant.
"You're only six. Who taught you to say things like that?" Xu Jiujiu bit her lip and couldn't help asking.
"Ahem. I'm self-taught, of course," Liu Lin said without batting an eye.
Buddy, I've never been in a relationship, but I've beaten at least a hundred dating sims.
Xu Jiujiu was instantly left speechless. She stared at Liu Lin for a few seconds, then said, sounding rather huffy, "You're already so slick at six. Who knows how many girls you'll lead astray when you grow up?"
With that, she fled as if making her escape.
Liu Lin watched Xu Jiujiu run off, and at last he couldn't hide his smile.
Meanwhile, after leaving Liu Lin's courtyard, Xu Jiujiu ran straight back to her palace.
Once she was inside, Xu Jiujiu rushed to her bed. She kept both hands over her face, and the warmth against her palms only made her more embarrassed.
The image of Liu Lin calling her Jiujiu by her ear wouldn't leave her mind.
"Liu Lin..." she muttered through gritted teeth, saying his name with a voice that held not only embarrassment and anger, but also a hint of something harder to detect.
About half an hour later, Eunuch Liu's voice rang out at Liu Lin's gate.
"His Majesty has arrived."
Beneath the pavilion, Liu Lin opened his eyes. He had been resting with them closed. Then he walked toward the gate.
When he opened the courtyard gate, he saw Xu Jiawei standing outside with Eunuch Liu.
Liu Lin bowed to Xu Jiawei and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please come in."
"Little Lin, you'll be my brother-in-law from now on. There's no need to be so formal. Eunuch Liu said Little Jiu came to see you earlier. How did you two get along?"
Xu Jiawei helped Liu Lin up, smiling warmly at him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I got along very well with Princess Xu Jiujiu."
"Haha, that's good. I won't come in. I'm not here for anything important, just to tell you that a group will be heading to Star Dou Forest to hunt for Soul Rings in a couple of days. Do you want to go with them, or wait a while?"
"Your Majesty, I'll go with the group in two days."
"Mm, excellent. Then I'll be off. In a couple of days, I'll send an expert to protect you."
With that, Xu Jiawei left with Eunuch Liu and headed toward Xu Jiujiu's residence.