The third floor of Moonlight Pavilion.
A familiar place.
The only thing that had changed was the people here.
Lin Qian had grown up, and Tang Yuehua had grown more mature.
Just as they had a year ago, the two sat down on the sofa.
Thinking he wanted to discuss something private, Tang Yuehua teased, "What, do you really have a few lady confidantes you were too embarrassed to mention outside?"
Lin Qian stayed silent until he could stun her with a single declaration. "That's right, madam. You're the one I like!"
"???"
"!!!"
Tang Yuehua could not believe her ears. "What did you say?"
Lin Qian looked utterly serious. "I said I like you, madam. Would you be with me?"
Tang Yuehua fell silent. "..."
In her generation, none of them apart from her second brother, Tang Hao, had married and had children, so she naturally felt a mother's affection toward outstanding young people and cared for them in every possible way.
Though they had only spent a year together, Lin Qian's exceptional talent and handsome looks made him unforgettable to her. Had she been twenty years younger, she might genuinely have considered him.
But times had changed. She was no longer young, and she already had someone she liked...
"Li Si, we can't..."
"Madam, please don't rush to refuse." Knowing what she wanted to say, Lin Qian interrupted her. "I'm not trying to force you, but you don't want your soul power to stay stuck at level nine forever either, do you?"
Tang Yuehua froze. She had almost forgotten about that.
One of the conditions when Lin Qian joined Moonlight Pavilion a year ago had been that he would help remedy her martial soul's defect and increase her soul power.
After all these years, the hope was actually minuscule. She had merely taken it as an empty promise and paid little attention. Now that he brought it up again, that faint ripple stirred in her heart once more.
"Do you... really mean it?"
"Of course I do!" Lin Qian crouched down as he spoke, his expression sincere. "Please give my words some serious thought, madam. The next time I visit, I'll bring the things with me."
He did not linger. Having said his piece, he left, leaving Tang Yuehua standing there in a daze.
An inner battle raged.
After leaving Moonlight Pavilion, Lin Qian first went home for a few days as agreed, putting on the appearance of reuniting with his "cousin-uncle," Li Yan, before heading out to Blue Tyrant Academy.
Things with Tang Yuehua had reached a stopping point for now. He had made himself very clear anyway: he would bring the things next time they met. If she was unwilling, so be it. He would simply count all that effort as wasted.
But if she accepted...
As the saying went, there was no free lunch in this world. If there was, it was only because someone wanted even more.
Since she had accepted his things, she would have to pay the price. With just a man and a woman alone together, it would no longer be up to her!
Lin Qian wanted to use her more than he liked her. After all, she belonged to the Clear Sky Sect, so he still had to guard against her when necessary. Especially since she even liked her own older brother, Tang Hao... her mind really did take some peculiar turns.
Once he got his hands on her, he would have to give her a new way of thinking!
Blue Tyrant Academy.
The name alone made it clear that the academy had countless threads of connection to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. That was indeed the case. Its dean, Liu Erlong, belonged to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, though this was not publicly acknowledged.
Perhaps because she was an illegitimate daughter, she loathed nobles more than anyone, so she had established a rule: the academy would only admit commoners.
Her thinking was much like that of his nominal teacher, Bibi Dong. However, both women had complicated thoughts. They were not simply seeking the welfare of commoners, or at least not entirely.
"My name is Li Si. I'm here to see your dean."
The moment he entered the gate, Lin Qian introduced himself without preamble.
Clearly, Liu Erlong had left instructions beforehand. As soon as the person guarding the entrance heard him, they immediately led him inside. This attitude was far more efficient than Moonlight Pavilion's had been back then, and offered a glimpse of the mistress's temperament. Scheming or straightforward-Liu Erlong clearly belonged to the latter.
The dean's office.
Liu Erlong seemed to have been waiting for him all along, sitting in her seat and leisurely swinging her legs.
Perhaps because of her martial soul's attributes, as well as its mutation into a Red Fire Dragon, Liu Erlong had not only a fiery temper but a scorching figure too.
She wore a short skirt that left her knees bare. As she gently swung her legs, tantalizing glimpses slipped into view, seemingly revealing fair, alluring skin...
Not to mention a Soul Master's inherent ability to see through things, which only let him see more, not less~
"Enjoying the view?"
A mature woman's voice reached him. Lin Qian looked up to find Liu Erlong watching him with a smile.
She was a dignified Soul Saint. If she could not even detect that gaze, she might as well die!
Had Yu Wenmu been here to see her smile, he would certainly have found it very familiar. That was because Liu Erlong usually wore this very smile before beating someone up.
Lin Qian, a mere Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, had beaten a teacher from her academy and was now stealing looks at her. He must have been tired of living!
Her tenderness was reserved for Yu Xiaogang. No one else was included.
Just as she was about to spring up and teach this handsome youth a lesson, Lin Qian spoke first. "I am."
"???"
Has this brat had enough of living?!
In a flash, Liu Erlong appeared before him. Soul power had only just gathered in her hand when Lin Qian caught her small hand in his.
"!!!"
Liu Erlong was even more shocked. Before she could move, Lin Qian activated his second martial soul, freezing their hands together and visibly reinforcing his grip.
"You... let go of me right now!"
Liu Erlong was both embarrassed and angry, but they were so close that it was difficult to use her soul power. And honestly, she did not know why, but having this youth hold her hand so tightly made her heart flutter wildly.
Even Yu Xiaogang had never held her hand when they were dating back then. His feelings had never strayed beyond the bounds of propriety, as though he were a monk.
And now this brat Lin Qian (Li Si) dares take liberties after only meeting me twice. Just watch me beat you to death today!
Just as Liu Erlong's patience was wearing thin and she was about to erupt and unleash her full power, Lin Qian seized the initiative and moved again.
Withdrawing his soul power, he released her hand-not because he had lost his nerve and meant to leave, but to push things further. He stepped forward, braced against her knee, and pressed her straight against the wall, planting his arm beside her.
"Erlong, if I said I liked you, would you believe me?"
"What?"
Liu Erlong had been about to struggle, but those words made her freeze again.
"We've barely met a few times. How did you fall for me?"
Just as he had with Tang Yuehua, Lin Qian looked at her with complete sincerity. "When we first met at Moonlight Pavilion a few days ago, the moment you appeared, all beauty found its answer~"
"But you even teamed up with Tang Yuehua and the others to shut me out!"
Liu Erlong blurted it out instinctively.
She regretted it as soon as she finished and practically wanted to slap herself. Wasn't that openly giving him a hint?
Sure enough, Lin Qian climbed right up the pole she offered. "That was because the Crown Prince was there. I couldn't show it, or he would target you. Erlong, speaking from the bottom of my heart, are you willing to accept me?"
The youth's presence was fresh and clean. His strong, sturdy physique and handsome face, as though carved by blade and chisel, all plucked at her heartstrings.
After being apart from her ex-boyfriend for so long, there were times when she truly longed for a man's company.
At that thought, Liu Erlong's gaze grew increasingly hazy, the force in her hands weakened, and Lin Qian moved closer and closer...