Chapter 33: Ma Xiaotao — Just This Once...
Because what she saw was Ye Chen holding her nightgown—rubbing it between his hands…???
She had woken up early and quietly cleaned up the room, making sure no personal clothing was left behind—but she had forgotten her nightgown.
And Ye Chen actually...
"Ah… Sister Xiaotao…"
Ye Chen froze, feeling a pang of guilt. He quickly stuffed the nightgown under the blanket, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, go wash up and come eat breakfast."
Ma Xiaotao shot him a helpless glare, then turned and walked out.
But as she turned around, Ye Chen couldn't help but notice the faint red tint on her ears.
...
...
In the dining hall.
Ye Chen lowered his head and ate quietly, pretending to be completely focused on his food.
Ma Xiaotao rested her chin on her palm, staring straight at him, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, was eating happily—completely unbothered.
After thinking for a while, Ma Xiaotao finally sighed, found her words, and said gently, "Xiao Chen… don't do things like that anymore, alright?"
"Huh? What things?"
Ye Chen blinked innocently, feigning confusion with a pure, wide-eyed look.
"You know… this morning, when you were holding my nightgown." Ma Xiaotao's cheeks flushed red as she shot him a playful yet embarrassed glare.
She had seen it clearly—yet Ye Chen was still pretending otherwise.
If she hadn't come in just in time, who knows what would've happened.
"Sister Xiaotao, I didn't… I just happened to pick it up, that's all…" Ye Chen said, sticking to his denial.
Hmph, it wasn't like he had intended anything inappropriate!
He had literally slept beside her—why would he care about a nightgown? Not interested.
Now… silk stockings, maybe… that'd be different.
"Xiao Chen, it's just the two of us here. I'm not mad, and I'm not blaming you."
Her gaze softened. Reaching out, Ma Xiaotao gently pulled Ye Chen into her arms, her face flushed as she whispered, "If you ever… need something like that, you can come to your sister. I can help you. You don't have to secretly take my clothes..."
"Really??"
Ye Chen's eyes lit up instantly, gazing at her expectantly.
Ma Xiaotao: …
Her brain froze for a few seconds. Wait—had she just… fallen into a trap?
"Uh… let me think about it again..." She stammered, her face crimson, clearly wanting to take back her words.
"But Sister Xiaotao, you already promised—I heard it!" Ye Chen grinned, grabbing her hand so she couldn't escape.
"Ugh… fine, I keep my word..."
Seeing his eager expression, her heart softened. Still, to give herself some dignity, she added quickly, "But there are conditions. You have to behave well—yes, that's right. If you make me happy, then maybe I'll..."
Her eyes flickered away, too shy to meet his.
"How about… today?"
Ye Chen licked his lips nervously, looking at her.
Ma Xiaotao: …
Silence filled the air.
Ye Chen leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her flushed cheek.
Finally, Ma Xiaotao couldn't bear his gaze any longer. Biting her lip, she gave a tiny nod.
"Mm… just this once..."
...
...
Half an hour later.
Ye Chen walked out of the bathroom, straightening his clothes.
Ma Xiaotao was still washing her hands.
During that time, Ye Chen had discreetly consumed a large chunk of whale gelatin.
Not because he was weak—but because it'd be a waste not to make full use of such a perfect situation. He absorbed the medicinal energy, and Ma Xiaotao dealt with the side effects—a flawless balance.
After breakfast, Ye Chen didn't hurry off to class. Instead, he headed to the training rooms.
Yes, he fully intended to skip class.
Classes at Shrek were useless for him. Attendance changed nothing.
Mu Jin knew that too, and she hadn't stopped him.
Ye Chen picked one of the practice rooms.
There were paid and free options—free ones were small, bare, and quiet like storage closets. Paid rooms, though, were spacious and well-equipped, even with rest areas. Naturally, Ye Chen chose the paid option.
Yesterday, he had finished reviewing the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
After experimenting, he found that Mysterious Heaven Technique didn't benefit him much—only improving cultivation speed by about 10%, far inferior to his Resonance ability.
Its main effect was strengthening the body—but through grueling self-tempering.
Much like Huo Yuhao, who had to constantly push himself to the limit to maximize results—perfect for Zhou Yi's brutal teaching style.
Then there were the other Tang Sect secret arts: Mysterious Jade Hands, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, Purple Demon Eyes, Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon, and Hidden Weapon Hundred Solutions.
Ye Chen especially felt that his martial soul, Silver Needle, was perfectly compatible with hidden weapon techniques.
He didn't need to craft them—only master their techniques. Later, he could channel his spirit power into the Silver Needle and evolve it with ten-thousand-year spirit rings, transforming it into the ultimate living hidden weapon.
Still, since Mysterious Heaven Technique was the foundation for the others, he decided to practice it properly first.
Under the power of Heaven-Defying Comprehension, with just a glance, his body automatically started channeling the technique.
After a few calm circulations, the technique was fully integrated.
Three minutes later, Ye Chen had completely mastered Mysterious Heaven Technique.
"So simple..." he muttered.
Next, he practiced Mysterious Jade Hands.
Spirit energy and internal energy were connected in this world, so these techniques were essentially forms of self-created spirit skills.
Since this world had no existing systems for martial arts or internal techniques, self-created soul skills were incredibly rare.
Under that realization, Ye Chen quickly saw through the essence of Mysterious Jade Hands.
Rather than literally turning the hands into jade, he compressed ice energy into structures harder than diamond—refined ice essence.
At its peak, frost drifted from his hands, blue-white veins of energy tracing across his palms.
When he flexed his fingers, sharp ice spikes formed, shot out, and dissipated instantly.
"So, that's another way to use Heaven-Defying Comprehension~" Ye Chen smirked.
Without intending to, he had merged his martial soul with the art, turning Mysterious Jade Hands into an entirely new, self-created spirit skill—stronger, sharper, and layered with additional effects.
And within minutes, he had already reached mastery.
To him, it was barely a challenge at all.
With that done, Ye Chen withdrew his energy and began practicing Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, and Purple Demon Eyes next.
(END CHAPTER)
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