Male Restroom, Is Dugu Yan Lying in Wait for Me?

He was rough, yet there was a deadly abandon about him, a recklessness that shattered every restraint.

That man... behind that mask, his eyes seemed able to see through everything, filled with amusement and control.

He seemed capable of effortlessly touching the deepest corners of her heart, places even she dared not face.

A dangerous thought took root in her heart like a poisonous vine:

Perhaps only by being with him... could she truly experience the exhilaration of being "alive"?

Even she was alarmed by this wavering, yet it carried a trace of secret longing.

Rough, yet there was a deadly abandon about him, a recklessness that shattered every restraint.

That man... behind that mask, his eyes seemed able to see through everything, filled with amusement and control.

He seemed capable of effortlessly touching the deepest corners of her heart, places even she dared not face.

A dangerous thought took root in her heart like a poisonous vine:

Perhaps only by being with him... could she truly experience the exhilaration of being "alive"?

Even she was alarmed by this wavering, yet it carried a trace of secret longing.

She, Dugu Yan, was an inheritor of the Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul. Born with poison, she was destined to be consumed by it as well.

Aside from her grandfather, Dugu Bo, known as the Poison Douluo, how many in her family—including her long-dead father—had met a good end?

Who knew how much longer the poison in her body would let her live?

It was precisely this unwillingness to submit to fate, this fear, that made her yearn from the depths of her heart to live as she pleased,

to savor every moment of vitality and thrill, wishing she could treat every day as her last and go wild.

But what about Yu Tianheng? All he brought her was a dull "future" and "responsibility," like invisible shackles.

Yet Lin Jiang's nearly humiliating "treatment" of her today was like a wildfire, brutally burning away the restraints in her heart,

letting her glimpse an utterly different possibility—dangerous, yet irresistibly alluring.

Ye Lingling's Nine-Heart Begonia gave off a gentle radiance of life, quietly healing the wounded on the arena floor, yet it could not mend the rifts silently opening in certain hearts.

Yu Tianheng watched Dugu Yan's retreating figure, so clearly distant and even irritated. The hand he had extended eventually fell limply to his side,

and his heart turned cold, though he could not understand at all what had happened to Dugu Yan.

Yu Tianheng's gaze, like a poisoned blade, viciously raked across Lin Jiang, who stood calmly on the other side of the arena. He ground out a low roar through clenched teeth:

"Lin Jiang! Remember this! The next time we meet, I'll make you pay!"

After delivering his threat, he forcibly suppressed the surging blood and humiliation within him and led the dispirited, battered Huangdou Battle Team

off the arena in disgrace, their retreating figures looking exceptionally bedraggled.

On Shrek's side, everyone was immersed in the joy of victory.

Flander and Yu Xiaogang eagerly came forward to greet them.

Flander rubbed his hands together, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with the light of Gold Soul Coins:

"Good lad! Beautifully done! Shrek is going to become famous now!"

Yu Xiaogang was more concerned with the details. With a slight frown, he asked in an incredulous tone:

"Lin Jiang, when... when did you break through to level thirty? And when did you hunt a soul beast? Why didn't you inform the academy?"

Lin Jiang had long prepared an explanation. His tone was calm, without the slightest ripple:

"It was nothing. A few days ago, I felt my bottleneck loosen, so I went for a walk in the forest near Suotuo City by myself.

I got lucky and came across a suitable plant-type soul beast, so I took care of it while I was there. It was a small matter; there was no need to trouble either teacher."

He spoke so casually, as though hunting a soul beast that was at least a thousand years old was no different from stepping out to buy groceries.

Though Flander and Yu Xiaogang found it a little too coincidental and easy, after seeing the formidable strength Lin Jiang had displayed today, it seemed... not entirely impossible.

Moreover, the joy of victory had diluted their doubts. The two exchanged a look and ultimately did not pursue the matter further.

Yu Xiaogang nodded, forcing a faint smile onto his face:

"Regardless, congratulations. And congratulations to all of you for successfully completing the second stage of the assessment."

He paused, fatigue and worry appearing on his face.

"You've all worked hard. Rest for half a month first... I... I need to go see how Xiao San, Mubai, and Oscar are doing..."

Thinking of those three miserable bald heads, his mood grew heavy again.

Flander hurriedly chimed in as well:

"Yes, yes, yes, go back and get some proper rest! Fatty's stomach may really be seriously messed up. I need to take him to see a doctor quickly, so he doesn't end up with some lasting condition..."

He looked at Ma Hongjun, who was being carried down by the staff, still unconscious and occasionally twitching, with a headache written all over his face.

The group first went to the Great Soul Arena's front desk to collect their generous Gold Soul Coin reward. The heavy money bags brightened everyone's mood by several degrees.

Afterward, Lin Jiang headed toward the men's restroom alone.

After an intense battle, he needed to relax a little.

After taking care of his physical needs, he walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and let the cool stream wash over his hands.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone seemingly... standing beside the sink?

A tall, voluptuous woman with short dark-purple hair!

Lin Jiang paused, his heart skipping a beat.

Did I go to the wrong one? He instinctively looked up at the sign by the door—it was clearly the men's restroom.

He looked closer, and his surprise deepened!

Dugu Yan was leaning against the sink, her arms folded beneath her chest, making her already stunning curves even more breathtaking.

She seemed to have deliberately tidied herself up, but the lingering flush on her face and the complex, unreadable gleam in her emerald serpent eyes showed that she had not wandered in here by mistake.

She had come here specifically to wait for him.

Their eyes met in the mirror. The air instantly grew still, leaving only the sound of rushing water.

Dugu Yan's red lips parted, breaking the silence. Her voice carried a deliberately languid note, but there was a sharp edge hidden beneath it:

"What? You won the match, and now you don't recognize people anymore?"

Lin Jiang was still wearing the mask that concealed his face, exactly as he had on the arena floor, so Dugu Yan naturally recognized him at a glance.

The water rushed noisily. Lin Jiang turned off the faucet, shook the droplets from his hands, and turned around.

His gaze beneath the mask calmly met those emerald eyes, while his tone carried a lazy hint of teasing:

"How could I? Miss Dugu Yan, the most 'eye-catching' star of Suotuo Great Soul Arena tonight—who wouldn't recognize you?"

His words made Dugu Yan's cheeks grow faintly warm, yet the light in her serpent eyes became even sharper.

Rather than retreating, she advanced toward Lin Jiang step by step, her footsteps ringing crisply.

The sound of her high heels striking the tiles was exceptionally clear in the silent restroom, carrying an unquestionable sense of pressure.

"Cut the smooth talk!"

She gave a cold snort, her eyes locked tightly onto his mask.

"An Azure Vine soul master? Hiding your head and showing your tail—what kind of skill is that?

Let me see exactly what sort of shameful face you're hiding beneath that mask!"

Before she had even finished speaking, she suddenly struck. Her slender jade fingers, painted with green nail polish, flashed like lightning toward the mask on Lin Jiang's face!

Lin Jiang seemed to have expected it. His reaction was even faster!

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the edge of the mask, he flicked his wrist and accurately seized Dugu Yan's attacking wrist!

Her skin was smooth and cool beneath his hand, yet he could feel the astonishing elasticity and strength contained within.