"Was that him?!"
That cry instantly plunged the entire gathering into deathly silence. Everyone turned to look at Xuan Su, Ling Feng included.
Seeing the astonishment on Xuan Su's face, Ling Feng smiled. Origin power gathered beneath his feet, and with a single leap, he landed before her.
"You... you're awake?"
Xuan Su stared at Ling Feng in disbelief. He merely smiled at her. "Haven't you been hoping I'd wake up?"
"You... you could hear me all along?!"
Something dawned on Xuan Su, and her eyes widened slightly. Although Ling Feng did not answer, his meaningful smile told her everything.
Her face flushed crimson. She remembered all the things she had whispered to Ling Feng over the past six months. Some had been complaints, some exclamations of wonder, but others had been intimate bedroom talk she could never tell anyone else, words that made her blush to the roots of her hair.
"You... how could you do this..."
Xuan Su wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it. She could barely bring herself to look at Ling Feng. She had thought he was unconscious and could not hear her, only to discover that he had been aware the entire time. Embarrassment and bashfulness overwhelmed her.
Yet this rare display of bashfulness left Ling Feng staring, and everyone else present gaped as well.
A wave of murmurs followed.
"Xuan Su actually knows this man?"
"Look at her. He must have already won her over..."
"Fuck, doesn't that mean the Myriad Gold Merchant Association played our Blood Wolf Gang for fools?!"
Xuan Su's behavior led both the Blood Wolf Gang and the Myriad Gold Merchant Association to assume that Ling Feng was on her side.
The Blood Wolf Gang, in particular, believed Ling Feng belonged to the Myriad Gold Merchant Association. Their members immediately began glaring at the association's people with hostility.
Yue Shan was even more direct. His powerful aura of origin power at the great perfection of Yuan Dan Realm erupted, whipping up a swirling cloud of dust and making Xia Zhilan and the others' expressions darken.
"Xia Wanjin, you crafty bastard! Putting on such a convincing show, making everything so mysterious-I almost fell into your trap! You really do have a few tricks!"
Yue Shan stared grimly at Xia Wanjin, his voice ice-cold.
"Gang Leader Yue, this matter..."
"Shut up!"
Before Xia Wanjin could explain, Ling Feng's impatient voice cut him off.
"Brat, you're pretty arrogant. Do you dare give me your name?"
Yue Shan glared darkly at Ling Feng, who answered with equal coldness.
"You're not qualified to know my name."
"Arrogant fool!"
Yue Shan fixed his venomous, snake-like gaze on Ling Feng. "Don't think I won't touch you just because Xia Wanjin is backing you! So what if you have four more late-stage Heavenly Origin Realm fighters? Do you really think our Blood Wolf Gang has no trump cards?"
Ling Feng did not even glance at Yue Shan. Instead, he turned to the Sound Four and ordered coldly, "Go all out. Fucking kill him!"
"Yes."
The Sound Four accepted the order without hesitation. All four looked at Yue Shan and sneered. The curse marks on their necks began to change, spreading over their entire bodies as they activated curse mark two. Their appearance made Xuan Su and the others start in shock.
Once curse mark two was activated, powerful waves of energy radiated from the Sound Four. Even Xia Wanjin's eyes widened. "Their power is no weaker than mine. There's no mistaking it-the great perfection of Yuan Dan Realm!"
For a moment, Xia Wanjin's heart churned like a storm-tossed sea. Of course, Yue Shan was even more shocked and terrified.
"F-four fighters at the great perfection of Yuan Dan Realm?!"
His eyelids twitched. Yue Shan could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Yet the facts stood right before him, leaving him no choice.
Bang!
The Sound Four exchanged a glance, then attacked Yue Shan in unison. Their explosive power made even Xia Wanjin's scalp prickle.
"Run!"
Yue Shan's thoughts fell into utter chaos. Knowing he had kicked an iron plate, he abandoned everything without daring to fight. All he could think of was escape.
Seeing their gang leader abandon them and flee for his life, the Blood Wolf Gang's members looked terrified. A moment later, they all scattered in frantic retreat.
"What a chance!"
Xia Wanjin recognized a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Blood Wolf Gang. His expression chilled as he shouted in the direction Yue Shan had fled, "Yue Shan, you old scoundrel! Your Blood Wolf Gang bullies men and women, burns, murders, and plunders-there's no evil you won't commit! Today, the Myriad Gold Merchant Association will carry out Heaven's justice! Don't think you can escape!"
After proclaiming his righteous cause, Xia Wanjin hurriedly rallied his people to pursue Yue Shan and the others.
"Everyone from the Myriad Gold Merchant Association, follow me!"
"Yes!"
Xia Zhilan and the others immediately obeyed Xia Wanjin's order and chased after the Blood Wolf Gang. Xuan Su had been fretting over having no excuse to leave. At his command, she was ready to be the first to move, but Ling Feng caught her hand and stopped her.
Her cheeks faintly flushed, Xuan Su struggled. "Let go of me!"
But Ling Feng had no intention of granting her wish. Only after Xia Zhilan and the others had all left did he look at Xuan Su teasingly. "Are you really that eager to leave? Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"I-I don't have anything to say!"
Faced with Ling Feng's teasing expression, the proud beauty forced herself to remain composed and deliberately answered stiffly.
Ling Feng's eyes shifted, and he smiled. "He's actually quite handsome. Letting him take advantage of me doesn't seem all that hard to accept..."
"You! You!"
Those words sounded familiar. As soon as she listened closely, Xuan Su's entire face turned red.
"Oh, Xuan Su, Xuan Su, what on earth are you thinking? How can you have feelings for him? Is it because you've been lonely for so long that..."
"Stop talking! Stop!"
Xuan Su hurried forward and covered Ling Feng's mouth with her hand, warning him in embarrassed indignation. Yet her crimson cheeks looked especially alluring.
Ling Feng smiled knowingly. Teasing Xuan Su seemed to be particularly entertaining.
Still not satisfied, a wicked smile curled his lips. Then he extended his tongue and moved it against her palm. That wet sensation made Xuan Su's face blaze red, and she snatched her hand back in panic.
"You... how could you do that?!"
She glared at Ling Feng, blushing furiously, but there was no real anger in her voice. Her heart rose and fell like turbulent waves, leaving her flustered.
Clearly, she had never imagined that Ling Feng would be bold enough to tease her like this. It caught her off guard, yet, inexplicably, she felt no disgust.
Perhaps she had truly been lonely for too long. Or perhaps Ling Feng's looks happened to match her tastes.
After all, with Kakashi Hatake's handsome silver-haired appearance, Ling Feng's already attractive face had gained several more degrees of charm. His good looks had soared.
Though it was not so exaggerated that everyone loved him and flowers bloomed at his passing, he was still a gentleman like jade upon a country path, a young master without equal in the world.
"What did I do?"
Ling Feng looked at Xuan Su with feigned innocence, still teasing her.
"You!"
How could Xuan Su fail to see through him? She pointed at him in embarrassed indignation, but despite the thousand words crowding her mind, she could not form a reply. All she could do was stamp her foot, turn away, and ignore him.
Ling Feng knew when to stop and ceased fooling around. Once he had upset a woman, it was time to coax her. Like a crying little girl, she would be fine after receiving a lollipop.
"Here. I know you were fighting over the Pill Immortal Pool, but I've already absorbed its energy, so the pool is useless now. These Yin Yang Pearls are its true treasures, though. Take them and absorb them. They'll help you advance to the great perfection of Dan Realm."
Ling Feng took three Yin Yang Pearls from his Storage Ring and held them out to Xuan Su.
Although the three Yin Yang Pearls would also help his cultivation, he had the Creation God Pen. A use of Creation would give him more. Giving them to Xuan Su would both soothe her and repay her kindness, killing two birds with one stone. There was no reason not to.
"You're just giving them to me?"
With Xuan Su's discerning eye, it was easy to recognize how precious the Yin Yang Pearls were. She stared at Ling Feng with wide eyes and asked in surprise.
Ling Feng seemed to enjoy seeing these normally rare expressions on Xuan Su's face, and the urge to tease her rose again. He deliberately leaned closer and asked with a wicked smile, "Then could you give me a little reward?"
"What reward do you want?"
Seeing Ling Feng's roguishly handsome smile, Xuan Su's flushed cheeks grew even redder. She shyly retreated a step or two, but still asked in a soft voice.
Ling Feng was utterly delighted by her bashfulness. He deliberately moved closer again, presenting his cheek and pointing at it with his index finger. With a roguish grin, he said, "Give me a kiss."
"You!"
Xuan Su glared at Ling Feng and spat in embarrassed indignation, "Lecher!"
With that, Xuan Su ignored him and darted away. She seemed to be leaving in a huff, but it looked more like a panicked escape.
Ling Feng laughed, thoroughly amused. "This woman really is interesting. There'll be plenty of fun to have with her..."