"Hehe, don't worry. Your brother Bing Ling takes the lead in his Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Ma Xiaotao. Bing Ling won't be affected by Ma Xiaotao. Instead, Ma Xiaotao will grow increasingly dependent on him. The Martial Soul Fusion Skill only drains the Evil Fire; it doesn't purify it. Ma Xiaotao can only stay with Bing Ling forever," Bibi Dong explained.
"I hope it's as you say. Next time you want to do something to my brother, tell me first. I have to get his consent first," Qian Chen said firmly.
"Fine, as you wish."
Seeing that Qian Chen not only failed to praise her for expending so much soul strength but instead thought she had done something wrong, Bibi Dong puffed out her cheeks in anger, left him with those words, and promptly fell asleep to recover her strength.
In the real world, the commotion caused by Bing Ling and Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul Fusion Skill had not only alerted Xuan Zi but drawn all the other elders over as well. Zhang Lexuan felt so embarrassed that her toes were about to dig into the ground. She really hadn't expected their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to cause such a spectacle.
Seeing this, many of the elders knew that nothing serious could happen with Zhang Lexuan there to keep things under control, so they withdrew without coming over to question them in person.
When the married couple Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er arrived, Yan Shaozhe's face turned green on the spot. He watched his only current personal disciple, Ma Xiaotao, hugging Bing Ling and cheering with delight, while Bing Ling looked at her with distaste, showing not the slightest intention of hugging her back.
Yan Shaozhe abruptly accelerated, pushing his speed as a Super Douluo to the limit. Before Qian Chen, Zhang Lexuan, Bing Ling, or Ma Xiaotao could even make out his figure, he had already landed in front of the pair.
Yan Shaozhe grabbed Ma Xiaotao with one hand and seized Bing Ling with the other. With a swing of his arms, he tossed them aside, instantly separating them as they hit the ground with two thuds.
Ma Xiaotao's fiery temper erupted on the spot, and she cursed, "What little rat dared to ambush me!"
But when she looked up, the middle-aged man standing before her in casual white clothes was none other than her teacher, Yan Shaozhe. Ma Xiaotao's fire instantly went out, and she stammered, "T-Teacher? What brings you here?"
"Getting bold, are you? You even dare to curse your teacher now?" Yan Shaozhe seethed. "Xiaotao, how many times have I told you? You're a girl. Even under the influence of Evil Fire, you still have to keep yourself pure! What kind of behavior is this, hugging Bing Ling? And the thing is, Bing Ling wasn't even..."
Halfway through, Yan Shaozhe himself faltered. He couldn't very well say outright that he had seen the distaste on Bing Ling's face, could he? Then both he and Ma Xiaotao would lose all face. Teachers on the Douluo Continent not only had to teach their disciples cultivation but also guide their character and conduct.
"Teacher, what's wrong with me hugging Bing Ling? I could never marry anyone else in this lifetime. If I marry, it'll only be Bing Ling!" Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth and spoke with absolute resolve.
Yan Shaozhe's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Ma Xiaotao wasted no time and hurried on, "Teacher, hear me out! Bing Ling and I fused our Soul Power, our Martial Souls resonated, and we developed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Every time we use it, it quickly drains my Evil Fire. I'll never have to suffer its torment again!"
Yan Shaozhe could hardly believe his ears. He looked at Bing Ling, then Ma Xiaotao, before finally turning to Zhang Lexuan and asking urgently, "Lexuan, tell me, is what they're saying true?"
Zhang Lexuan nodded solemnly.
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed dramatically in an instant. Then he threw back his head and burst into laughter, saying "Good" three times in succession.
"Good! Good! Good!" Yan Shaozhe's booming voice made the surrounding leaves rustle. "I'll go tell Teacher right away! Xiaotao's Evil Fire has been resolved! Within twenty years, our Shrek will definitely produce a Titled Douluo, and later we'll have another Super Douluo! You have your teacher's permission to marry Bing Ling."
Bing Ling finally couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "I never said I liked Ma Xiaotao!"
Yan Shaozhe turned toward Bing Ling, paying no heed to his words, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, you won't lose out. Xiaotao's dowry will certainly be generous."
In his Sea of Consciousness, Qian Chen cursed furiously, "Bibi Dong, look what you've done!"
But Bibi Dong had long since fallen asleep to recover and couldn't hear him at all. Besides, Ma Xiaotao and Yan Shaozhe's reactions were so unexpected that even if she were awake now, she would probably have to pretend to be asleep to avoid them.
Seeing Bibi Dong playing dead without a word while someone tried to foist a wife on his younger brother out of nowhere, Qian Chen hurriedly spoke up. "Senior Brother Yan, my younger brother Bing Ling said he doesn't like Ma Xiaotao yet. They only have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill together. Aren't you going too far? If Bing Ling is unwilling, no one can force my brother."
Naturally, Yan Shaozhe didn't dare disregard Qian Chen's words as he had Bing Ling's. After all, Qian Chen was already Mu En's disciple, a sixteen-year-old Soul Douluo destined to become a Limit Douluo.
"Qian Chen, people with Martial Soul Fusion Skills are either married couples or blood siblings. Bing Ling and Ma Xiaotao can't be blood siblings, can they? People who have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill must be of one heart. Their relationship certainly won't be bad in the future," Yan Shaozhe hurriedly explained.
"There are exceptions. Take Shrek Academy's founders ten thousand years ago, Flender, Liu Erlong, and that Yu Xiaogang. They were neither blood siblings nor a married couple, but didn't they have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill too?" Qian Chen countered directly.
Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. "Qian Chen, Ma Xiaotao finally found someone who can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with her to drain her Evil Fire. You can't be so heartless as to watch her suffer its torment!"
"The Evil Fire can be drained. But if you want to establish them as husband and wife now and bind them in marriage, then as long as my brother is unwilling, it's absolutely out of the question." Qian Chen's tone was forceful, yielding not an inch.
Yan Shaozhe also understood that forcing the issue now would be useless, so he could only take a step back. "Fine, Qian Chen. I was too hasty. But I have one condition."
"Please go ahead, Senior Brother Yan." Qian Chen's tone softened as well, and he responded politely.
"Whenever Xiaotao needs to release her Evil Fire in the future, Bing Ling must cooperate." After thinking for a long while, Yan Shaozhe stated his minimum requirement.
"Of course." Qian Chen knew this was already the best outcome possible and immediately agreed.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Yan Shaozhe spread his Bright Phoenix wings and flew away. By Sea God Lake, only Qian Chen, Zhang Lexuan, Bing Ling, and Ma Xiaotao remained once more.
Ma Xiaotao looked at Bing Ling with reddened eyes, her voice trembling slightly. "Brother Bing Ling, do you hate Xiaotao? Do you think Xiaotao doesn't respect herself? Although Xiaotao is affected by Evil Fire, I've always remained a virgin and have never been involved with any other man. Xiaotao just wants to know, do you really hate me?"
After saying this, she stared fixedly at Bing Ling, waiting for his answer. Qian Chen and Zhang Lexuan tacitly remained silent, neither speaking to disturb Bing Ling as he made his decision.
"I don't hate you. But there may already be someone I like," Bing Ling answered truthfully.
Ma Xiaotao forced a smile, her voice a little hoarse. "I can wait for you, Brother Bing Ling. Thank you for using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with me. My Evil Fire has been drained completely."
With that, Ma Xiaotao spread her own Phoenix Flame wings, soared into the sky, and headed straight toward the outer court.
Seeing that the matter of suppressing the Evil Fire was finally settled, Qian Chen turned to Zhang Lexuan and cupped his hands. "Senior Sister Lexuan, sorry for troubling you with today's events."
Zhang Lexuan shook her head. "It was no trouble. It's already good that you could come to the inner court."
"Now that I've reported to Shrek Academy, I feel there isn't much the academy can teach me. If there's nothing else, I'll go report to the Shrek Inspection Corps."
Zhang Lexuan's expression changed, and she hurriedly spoke. "Wait, Qian Chen. You can't go to the Inspection Corps just yet."