Wang Dong'er Wants to Push Her Luck, Ma Xiaotao by Sea God Lake

The next morning.

The morning sunlight filtered through the window, causing Wang Dong'er's eyelashes to flutter as she groggily opened her eyes.

"Ugh... so groggy. What happened to me?"

She instinctively tried to turn over, but the tip of her nose brushed against a lingering scent on the pillow.

A faint, woody fragrance of agarwood...

This wasn't her pillow!

Wang Dong'er instantly became a little more alert, her powder-blue eyes darting around to take in her surroundings.

Grey-black bedding, and the soul-guided clock hanging on the wall opposite—it was past seven-thirty.

This was Su Ling's bed.

Her entire body stiffened.

Memories of last night came flooding back in fragments.

She had actually caught a fever!

There had been no hot water last night, and she had forgotten to bring a change of clothes. After taking a shower in cold water, she had stayed in her damp clothes for quite a while.

Coupled with her monthly cycle—though she didn't experience it exactly like an ordinary person, her body still suffered the usual weakness.

In her haze, she remembered Su Ling pulling her up from her bed, and a cool towel being pressed against her forehead.

Dazed, she seemed to have heard Su Ling talking to someone, and then she had caught this scent that put her at ease.

The faint agarwood scent, mixed with the exhaustion following her fever, had lulled her into a deep sleep.

So, Su Ling had found someone to treat her, and Su Ling had moved her to his bed.

Wang Dong'er shrank her face further into the quilt, burying her nose in that elegant, cool scent. Her earlobes slowly began to burn, and her heart hammered against her ribs like a drum.

She bit her lower lip, her mind a complete mess.

(Wang Dong'er: Hehe, took this secretly when Su Ling wasn't looking.)

The rustling of the quilt was quite loud.

Su Ling, who had been sitting by the window, closed his book and turned his head. Facing the morning light, his expression was incredibly relaxed.

"Awake? The fever's gone, right? How do you feel?"

Wang Dong'er's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly revealed only half her face from the quilt, forcing herself to appear calm.

"It's gone. My head is just still a little fuzzy. Um, you... you didn't sleep all night?"

"I dozed off for a bit while leaning over." Su Ling set the book on the table and stood up to pour a glass of water.

"Drink some water."

Wang Dong'er took the glass, holding it with both hands; the warmth blurred the blush on her face.

The water was neither too hot nor too cold.

She lowered her lashes, staring at the condensation on the rim of the glass, not daring to look at him. "Um... thank you for last night."

"Mm, you should thank me."

Su Ling returned to the table by the window and sat back down, crossing his legs. His tone carried a hint of a playful, mocking smile.

"Your bed was too cold and didn't hold heat. Last night you were burning up like a little stove, so I carried you to my bed. Then you grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go for the longest time, just like an octopus."

"N-nonsense!" Wang Dong'er nearly spilled the water, her face turning bright red. "I would never..."

Her voice trailed off, and she suddenly felt uncertain.

When she was groggy last night, she did seem to have instinctively leaned toward the source of warmth and held on tight.

Wang Dong'er clamped her mouth shut, her ear tips red enough to bleed.

Seeing this, Su Ling stopped teasing her and gestured toward the table. "I got some porridge for you. Get up, wash up, and eat it while it's hot. We still have half an hour before class, no rush."

Wang Dong'er followed his gaze to see a bowl of packed pearl barley porridge and a small dish of pickles on the table.

She froze, a string in her heart being gently plucked, leaving her feeling both sour and itchy.

This was a feeling that even the aunts and uncles in the God Realm who were so kind to her had never given her.

"What about you?"

"I've already eaten."

"...Oh."

Wang Dong'er threw off the quilt and straightened the wrinkles in her clothes, feeling somewhat flustered. She was just about to step onto the floor barefoot.

"Don't you have shoes? Why do you want to step on the dirty floor?"

Su Ling spoke up suddenly, his sword-like brows slightly furrowed.

He didn't quite understand; in his two lifetimes of experience, why did some girls prefer to walk barefoot instead of wearing shoes?

Hearing Su Ling say this, Wang Dong'er's jade-like feet hovered in mid-air, her embarrassment instantly apparent.

Whether in the God Realm or the Clear Sky Sect, she had grown accustomed to this; because her mother, Big Uncle, and Second Uncle would always help her dress, she was never scolded even when she ran around barefoot.

At this moment, Su Ling gave her the same feeling they did. That gentle and considerate version of him from the hazy memories of last night provided such a sense of security that she found herself subconsciously relying on him.

"My head is still so dizzy... Su Ling, could you please help me put them on?"

She cast a hopeful, furtive glance at Su Ling, who had already returned to his book. The morning light struck his profile, casting clean, sharp contours.

"You want me to wait on you? Little Dong, did that fever burn some courage into you? Have you forgotten your own status?"

Su Ling flipped a page without looking up.

This little brat—the fever was caused by him, so he had dutifully taken care of her, yet now she was pushing her luck.

If he helped this little princess from the God Realm put on her shoes today, would she be demanding he dress her tomorrow?

He couldn't let her get spoiled.

"I... I didn't forget!" Wang Dong's face flushed red. She bit her lip, wishing she could slap herself.

How could she have made such a request?

Hmph, this cold-hearted man!

Wang Dong put on her shoes, stomped her feet, let out a soft huff at Su Ling, and walked into the bathroom to wash up.

Not long after.

Seeing Wang Dong emerge from the bathroom, Su Ling closed his book and stood up. He glanced at the time on the wall.

"I'm heading to Class One. Drink your porridge slowly."

"Oh."

Wang Dong sat on the stool that still held his warmth, opened the package of pearl barley porridge, and began to sip it slowly with a spoon.

On the way to the Martial Soul Department's teaching building.

Su Ling jogged along Sea God Lake, enjoying the scenery while getting his morning exercise.

The water of Sea God Lake was crystal clear, the azure surface reflecting the trees and grass along the banks. Looking toward the center, the water was veiled in mist, with the buildings of the Inner Court appearing faint and indistinct.

However, he felt no longing for it.

Although the Inner Court was hundreds of times better than the Outer Court, boasting top-tier simulated cultivation grounds, to him, it was merely an extra luxury.

He chose the Outer Court not only because of the hidden dangers of his Dark Evil Qilin Emperor martial soul, but more importantly, because the Outer Court was home to Tang Ya, the Sect Master of the Tang Sect, and even more so, Tang Wutong (Wang Dong'er), the daughter of the Tang God King.

"That old bastard, you've been tripping me up and spying on me for six years. Now that the Douluo plane is shielded, since that's the case, I'll start collecting interest from your Tang Sect."

Reflecting on his plans from last night, he had decided to build his own faction upon the foundation of the Tang Sect, bringing those with the potential to become gods under his command.

Only after strengthening his base could he roam the entire continent without worry, seizing opportunities and treasures from every corner!

Su Ling continued his morning run, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth as he chuckled at Sea God Lake.

This smile caused the passing female students to widen their eyes, hearts seemingly floating in their gazes as they covered their mouths and gasped.

"Wow, so handsome!"

"Oh!"

"He's so handsome, which class is he from?"

Enduring the envious gazes of those around him, Su Ling soon arrived beside a lakeside pavilion.

There was a riverside path to the northwest that led directly to the plaza.

Just as Su Ling prepared to take the shortcut, he saw a red light suddenly appear in the center of the lake, moving rapidly toward him.

The red light grew larger and larger.

Su Ling's sword-like brows furrowed as he recalled something.

He couldn't be that unlucky, could he?

As the red light closed in rapidly, Su Ling, who had been thinking of running, finally saw it clearly.

It was unmistakably a scorching blaze, and within the flames, a figure was hurtling toward him, the lake water instantly evaporating wherever they passed.

A phantom of a fire phoenix emerged behind the person, its screech growing louder and louder, aimed directly at Su Ling.

Tian Luo would like to gather the opinions of his foster fathers. Regarding the arrangement for Jiang Nannan, I plan not to break up her and Xu Sanshi; after all, they have already done "that," and Su Ling has a mental obsession with purity.

Whether to take in Jiang Nannan or not is up to you, foster fathers.