The next morning.
The morning sun streamed through the window. Wang Dong's lashes fluttered as she drowsily opened her eyes.
"Mm... I feel all foggy. What happened to me?"
She instinctively tried to turn over, but her nose brushed against the lingering scent on the pillow.
A faint fragrance of sandalwood...
This wasn't her pillow!
Wang Dong instantly woke up a little more. Her pink-blue eyes shifted as she took in the scene before her.
Gray-black bedding, and a soul-guidance clock on the wall opposite, showing half past seven.
This was Su Ling's bed.
Her whole body stiffened.
Fragments of last night's memories came flooding back.
She had actually fallen ill with a fever!
The hot water had suddenly run out last night, and she'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes. She'd already taken a cold shower, then stayed in her damp clothes for quite a while.
On top of that, it was her monthly special period. She wouldn't bleed like ordinary people, but her body still grew weak.
In her delirium, she seemed to remember Su Ling lifting her from the bed, and a cool towel being laid across her forehead.
Half-conscious, she thought she'd heard Su Ling talking to someone. Then she'd caught the scent that made her feel safe.
The faint fragrance of sandalwood mingled with the exhaustion left by her fever, and she'd fallen into a deep sleep.
So Su Ling had found someone to treat her, and he'd moved her to his bed.
Wang Dong tucked her face farther into the blanket, burying her nose in that cool, elegant scent. Her ears slowly grew hot, and her heart pounded in her chest like a drum.
She bit her lower lip, her mind a tangled mess.
(Wang Dong'er: Hehe, I secretly took this while Su Ling wasn't paying attention.)
The blanket rustled loudly.
Su Ling, seated by the window, closed his book and turned to look at her. Backlit by the morning sun, he looked utterly relaxed.
"Awake? Your fever's gone, right? How are you feeling?"
Wang Dong's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly peeked half her face out from beneath the blanket, doing her best to look composed.
"It's gone. My head's still a little foggy, though. Um... did you... stay up all night?"
"I dozed off at the desk for a while." Su Ling set his book on the table, got up, and poured her a glass of water.
"Have some water."
Wang Dong took the glass in both hands. The warmth from it blurred the flush on her face.
The water was neither too hot nor too cold.
She lowered her lashes and stared at the moisture along the rim, not daring to look at him. "Um... thank you for last night."
"Mm, you should thank me."
Su Ling returned to the desk by the window and sat down again, crossing one leg over the other. His voice held a teasing note, almost a smirk.
"Your bed was freezing and didn't keep you warm. Last night you were burning like a little furnace. I carried you to my bed, and then you clung to my arm forever, like an octopus."
"Y-you're talking nonsense!" Wang Dong nearly spilled the water. Her face turned scarlet. "There's no way I..."
Her words trailed off, and suddenly she wasn't so sure.
When she'd been feverish and muddled, she really did seem to remember leaning instinctively toward the warmth and clinging to it.
Wang Dong closed her mouth, the tips of her ears red enough to drip blood.
Seeing her reaction, Su Ling stopped teasing her and gestured toward the table. "I got you some porridge. Get up, wash up, and eat it while it's hot. Class starts in half an hour, so there's no rush."
Wang Dong followed his gaze. A bowl of packed barley porridge and a small dish of pickles sat on the table.
She paused. A string deep inside her heart was gently plucked, leaving a tender, aching warmth.
Even the uncles and aunts in the Divine Realm who'd treated her so well had never made her feel this way.
"What about you?"
"I've eaten."
"...Oh."
Wang Dong threw back the blanket and awkwardly smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes. She was just about to climb out of bed barefoot.
"You have shoes right there. Why walk around barefoot and get your feet dirty?"
Su Ling suddenly spoke, his sword-like brows furrowing.
He couldn't understand it. After two lifetimes, he still didn't get why some girls had shoes but refused to wear them, preferring to walk around barefoot.
At Su Ling's words, Wang Dong's jade-like feet stopped in midair, and she looked instantly embarrassed.
Whether in the Divine Realm or the Clear Sky Sect, she'd gotten used to this. Her mother and her two fathers would help her put on her shoes, and no one said anything even if she ran around barefoot.
Right now, Su Ling made her feel the same way they did. The gentle, considerate person she'd glimpsed through the haze last night made her feel safe, and she instinctively wanted to rely on him.
"My head's still really dizzy... Su Ling, could you put my shoes on for me...?"
She glanced furtively at Su Ling, who had gone back to his book. The morning sun fell across his profile, its lines clean and sharp.
"You want me to wait on you? Little Dong, has a fever made you bold? Have you forgotten your place?"
Su Ling turned a page without looking up.
This little brat had gotten sick because of him, and he'd dutifully taken care of her. Now she was pushing her luck.
This little princess from the Divine Realm—if he helped her put on her shoes today, tomorrow she'd have him dressing her too.
He absolutely couldn't spoil her.
"I... I haven't forgotten!" Wang Dong's face flushed red. She bit her lip, wishing she could slap herself.
How could she have made a request like that?
Hmph, this cold, heartless man!!
Wang Dong put on her shoes, stomped her feet, and gave Su Ling a small huff before walking into the bathroom to wash up.
Before long.
When Wang Dong came out of the bathroom, Su Ling closed his book and stood. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
"I'm heading over to Class One. Take your time eating."
"Oh."
Wang Dong sat on the chair, which still held some warmth, opened the packed barley porridge, and began eating it a little at a time.
On the way to the Martial Soul Department teaching building.
Su Ling jogged along Sea God Lake. He could get his morning exercise and enjoy the scenery along the way.
The water in Sea God Lake was crystal clear. The lakeside trees and grass were reflected on its blue surface, and farther toward the center, a veil of mist hung over the water, leaving the Inner Court buildings hazy in the distance.
But he wasn't envious.
The Inner Court might be hundreds of times better than the Outer Court, with the finest Mimicry Training Grounds, but to him it was only the icing on the cake.
He'd chosen the Outer Court not only because of the hidden dangers of his Martial Soul, the Dark Evil Qilin Emperor, but also because the Outer Court had Tang Ya, the Sect Master of the Tang Sect, as well as Tang Wutong, daughter of God King Tang (Wang Dong'er).
"That old bastard's been spying on me and tripping me up for six years. Now that the Douluo Plane is obscured, I might as well start collecting interest from your Tang Sect."
After thinking it over last night, he'd decided to build a force of his own atop the Tang Sect's foundations, bringing in talented people with the potential to become gods.
Once his ranks had grown, he could roam the entire continent without a care and claim every blessed land and opportunity in his path!
Su Ling jogged along, the corners of his mouth lifting as he glanced at Sea God Lake and let out a soft laugh.
His smile made the female students passing by widen their eyes. It was as if hearts were floating in their gazes as they covered their mouths and gasped.
"Wow, so handsome!"
"Whoa!"
"He's so handsome! Which class is he in?"
With envious glances following him all the way, Su Ling soon reached a pavilion by the lake.
A riverside path to the northwest led straight to the square.
Just as Su Ling was about to take the shortcut,
a streak of red suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake, moving in his direction.
The red light grew larger and larger.
Su Ling furrowed his sword-like brows, remembering something.
No way he was this unlucky, right?
As the red light rapidly approached, Su Ling—who'd just been about to run—got a clear look at it.
It was a blazing mass of fire, with a figure racing inside it. The lake water vaporized wherever it passed.
The phantom of a fire phoenix appeared behind the figure. Its cries grew louder and louder, and its target was unmistakably Su Ling.
Tian Luo wants to ask his dear patrons for their opinions. As for Jiang Nannan's situation, I'm planning not to break up Xu Sanshi and her. After all, the two of them have already... well, you know. Su Ling has a mental cleanliness obsession.
Whether to bring Jiang Nannan into the harem is up to you, dear patrons.