Inside the dim cave, the air was quiet and warm as two people stayed close together. Ye Yin was as gentle as he could be, guiding the shy and delicate Zhu Zhuyu through her first experience of love. At first, she felt nervous and a bit of pain, but that soon turned into a deep feeling of joy that made her soul tremble. She responded to him awkwardly, her soft cries and tears showing how happy and safe she felt in his arms.
After some time passed and things became calm again, Zhu Zhuyu lay tired but happy against Ye Yin . her skin was glowing pink and she looked like she was still dreaming. "Yin-ge..." she whispered softly, "This is the happiest day of my life...". Ye Yin looked at her lovely face and kissed her forehead.
Then, Ye Yin decided it was time to help her grow stronger. He used the system store to buy three upgrades that could each add five thousand years to a spirit ring's age. He used his power to send this energy into Zhu Zhuyu's body. She felt a sudden wave of heat, and her first three spirit rings began to change right before her eyes.
The colors of her rings shifted and became brighter. They jumped from one hundred years to five hundred, then past one thousand, and kept going until they reached five thousand years each! When the transformation finished, her first three spirit rings were all a deep, beautiful purple. Every single one of them had broken past the thousand-year mark.
Zhu Zhuyu felt the new power rushing through her and saw her dazzling purple rings. She was so happy that she started to cry again. She hugged Ye Yin tightly and choked out, "Thank you... thank you, Ye Yin...". She finally felt comfortable enough to call him by his name.
Ye Yin rubbed her back and smiled. "You earned this. From now on, don't think you are weak. You are actually very strong," he told her. She nodded and hid her face in his chest, feeling more confident than ever before.
"Also, take these," Ye Yin said, giving her a marrow cleansing fruit and a soul cleansing fruit. As she ate them, her power grew even more. Her Spirit changed until it was exactly the same as her sister Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Civet. Her eyes were now bright and full of determination. She stayed close to Ye Yin, feeling a sense of security she had never known.
When they finally walked out of the cave, everyone saw the change in her. They noticed her stronger aura, the blush on her cheeks, and her three purple spirit rings. They all gave knowing smiles. Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward and gave her sister a gentle hug. "Congratulations, second sister," she said.
Zhu Zhuyu blushed again but didn't look away this time. "Thank you, little sister," she replied softly. Ye Yin knew that the best part of this trip was winning Zhu Zhuyu's heart.
"Next, let's find Zhuyu a ten-thousand-year spirit ring!" Ye Yin announced to the group. "We are looking for a Spirit Beast that is fast and stealthy, something that fits perfectly with the Hell Civet!".
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