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Shi Changyuan kissed Lin Ling slowly and thoroughly as he reached out to untie Lin Ling's hair ribbon, completely covering his eyes.

Lin Ling recalled the kiss from that morning and immediately grew a little frightened. He was worried he would lose his balance and fall into the water. Besides, Shi Changyuan had now covered his eyes.

He reached up, wanting to pull off the ribbon, but before his hand could touch it, Shi Changyuan caught it.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Through the ribbon, Shi Changyuan pressed a gentle kiss to Lin Ling's eyes. Lin Ling held Shi Changyuan tightly, tightly.

Rather than a drowning man losing his lifeline and allowing himself to sink, he was more like someone caught in rapids, clutching his only piece of driftwood.

To accommodate him, to take the initiative, to fight for a sliver of survival for himself.

Fierce and passionate.

As they embraced, Lin Ling clearly felt the changes in both of them. His expression went blank for a moment. He swallowed and explained shakily, "M-maybe my spores leaked..."

"They've been a little out of control lately."

"No, this is normal love and desire, Ling Ling." Shi Changyuan kissed him again. "I'll teach you."

By the time Shi Changyuan had washed Lin Ling again, applied medicine, and carried him out of the Imperial Pool, Lin Ling was nearly asleep.

Mushroom's skin was far too delicate. The slightest carelessness left him scraped raw all over. He cried his eyes out, clutching Shi Changyuan's lapel as he accused him, saying his hands hurt and his legs hurt too, and that he did not want Shi Changyuan to teach him anymore.

"Ling Ling, you said it felt good just now." Shi Changyuan held Lin Ling close, took his hand, and lightly pecked the reddened palm. "You can't just care about feeling good yourself and leave me unattended."

The human made himself sound so pitiful that softhearted Mushroom could only draw his legs closer together.

The next day, Lin Ling lay in bed, already a useless mushroom.

He was deeply reflecting on himself. Although that sort of thing did feel good, it really took quite a toll on the body. Given how often his spores had leaked before, he definitely would not be able to endure it at all.

Lin Ling looked out the window and thought optimistically: Maybe it was because spring had arrived. Once spring was over, everything would be fine.

After Mushroom had lain in bed for three days, he received another message from Little Fat Chirper.

Little Fat Chirper said that the seniors who had gone down the mountain had all entered the imperial city and wanted to enter the palace. But security in the palace was simply too tight, and besides, they wanted to go through proper channels.

Lin Ling only half understood, but relayed those words to Shi Changyuan exactly as they were.

Shi Changyuan smiled. "Since they are Ling Ling's friends and family, I shall bring them in."

Knowing that spirits generally did not mingle with the mortal world, Shi Changyuan sent Shunde to discreetly bring all the gathered representatives of the senior spirits at the palace gates to a side hall.

When he arrived with Lin Ling, before they even entered, they heard a crowd discussing things animatedly inside.

"Tsk, this kid is pretty reliable. No wonder he can accomplish great things."

"From what we've seen so far, he does seem to care about Little Mushroom."

"A ruler's heart is as unfathomable as the sea! Have a little food bought you all over already?"

"But he even prepared gifts for every one of us."

At that, another voice grew even more furious, pounding the table until it thudded. "What does that tell us? It tells us he put thought into it, that he investigated beforehand, and that our child will tell him everything as long as he coaxes him a little."

Hearing that parental tone, Shi Changyuan immediately got a sense of the situation.

"Come on!" The moment Lin Ling's legs recovered, he was lively and bouncy again.

He reached out and pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was a huge round table, set with several kinds of pastries and tea.

There was no one sitting in the chairs on either side. All Shi Changyuan could see were—

A fox, a bird, a rabbit, and an old ginseng standing atop the round table.

There were also two empty spots on the table. One held a small flowerpot, clearly prepared for Lin Ling.

As for Shi Changyuan, he would be the only human present. The senior spirits did not need chairs, so they had not even prepared one for the sole human.

For a moment, everyone stared at one another in silence.

But Shi Changyuan was not one for airs. He reached over and dragged a heavy rosewood grand master's chair inlaid with jade from nearby. Once he sat down, he looked as though he were seated upon a dragon throne.

The other spirits: ...Damn it, why did it feel like he had shown them up?

The moment he sat down like that, the other spirits immediately refused to accept it.

They drove Shi Changyuan and Lin Ling back outside, demanding that the two of them enter again.

Only a few breaths later, when they came in again, Shi Changyuan saw a beautiful, somewhat seductive-looking noblewoman with an exceptionally dignified bearing, two white-bearded old men, and a handsome young man.

They had transformed into the finest human forms they could manage, selected the most beautiful chairs in the room, and sat on them with great pretension.

In an instant, the entire side hall changed from its down-to-earth marketplace atmosphere into something like an important negotiation between human and spirit rulers.

Everyone looked at Little Fat Chirper, who could not transform, then at Little Mushroom, who looked far too young and immature even after transforming. In unanimous agreement, they invited the two children outside.

Lin Ling scratched his head and looked at Little Fat Chirper. "Is there nothing for us to do?"

Little Fat Chirper was clearly the bird who had proposed holding the secret meeting, yet they would not let him join. He was about to explode with anger.

This was simply age discrimination!!!

Little Fat Chirper flew away unhappily, but Lin Ling sat by the door, waiting for Shi Changyuan to come out.

The discussion inside was not as heated as it had been when they arrived. It was even rather brief. Before the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, Shi Changyuan pushed open the door and came out.

When Shi Changyuan saw Lin Ling sitting by the door, his formerly stern expression immediately softened into a smile.

"Did you finish talking so quickly?" Lin Ling immediately threw himself onto Shi Changyuan.