". Cough, cough~ My apologies! Haha." He scratched his head, a bit awkwardly, his smile stiffening.
At fifteen or sixteen, she was already fully developed.
He hadn't expected such a fiery figure to be hidden beneath her rather loose black dress.
"It's nothing!" Ye Lingling's voice turned cold, her chest a little numb. She genuinely didn't like physical contact with men.
The main reason she helped Ye Qiu last time was simply that the little girl was very likable. As for the secondary reason… Hmph! That's not important!
"I'll take you to the cafeteria now." With that, Ye Lingling started moving again, consciously increasing the distance between herself and Ye Qiu.
"Cafeteria?"
Ye Qiu looked up at the sky; the sun was high, and he hadn't realized it was already noon.
He came back to his senses and followed her pace.
"How did you get into Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Ye Lingling glanced at the badge on Ye Qiu's chest, a little curious. He should be a commoner.
"I'm looking for someone!"
Hearing this, Ye Lingling suddenly quickened her pace, walking ahead, then turned to look at Ye Qiu.
"Who are you looking for?"
"…" Ye Qiu stared blankly at her actions. "I… I really didn't do it on purpose just now!"
However, she ignored him; none of that mattered.
Her gaze, fixed on Ye Qiu, shifted away.
"Who are you here for? Maybe I can help!"
Ye Qiu opened his mouth, still wanting to explain something.
Noticing her reddened ear tips, he decided not to say anything more, to avoid further awkwardness.
"You can definitely help!"
"Hmm? How are you so sure?" Ye Lingling's delicate eyebrows twitched. She felt like she could already guess.
She looked at him strangely.
"Are you also here for Yan Zi?"
"That's right! Eh~" Ye Qiu nodded, then let out a surprised sound, "What do you mean 'also'? Are there others looking for her?"
Upon receiving his answer, Ye Lingling's eyes showed a hint of disdain, as if to say: Sure enough, all men in the world are the same.
Shifting her gaze, Ye Lingling continued to lead the way, her clear, lonely voice sounding out.
"Many people have come here before you, drawn by her reputation, but you should be prepared. Many have been half-paralyzed by Yan Zi's poison, you know~"
The latter half of her sentence, uncharacteristically, showed some emotional fluctuation, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.
This was enough to prove that her relationship with Dugu Yan was quite good.
"I think you've misunderstood. I'm not here to pursue her!" Ye Qiu followed her, clarifying his intentions.
"Telling me is useless. There are quite a few people who approach Yan Zi with various excuses. Do you think Yan Zi's pursuers would believe you?"
"If they don't believe me, what can I do?" Ye Qiu shrugged. Either way, he had to see the person.
"It's good that you have confidence, but the guy who came last month was very overbearing!"
"Who?"
"Yu Tianheng! He specifically transferred schools to come for Yan Zi." When Ye Lingling mentioned him, she seemed somewhat displeased with him.
"It's him?" Ye Qiu was a little surprised. The future lone young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects.
"If you can drive him away, I might even thank you~" Ye Lingling's words were intriguing.
She always felt that Yu Tianheng's purpose in coming here to pursue Dugu Yan was not pure.
"Haha… That depends on whether he'll cause me trouble!"
Ye Qiu remembered that Yu Tianheng was only Level 39 when he appeared in Soto City, and there was still over a year until that time.
Presumably, his current cultivation was even less impressive.
He's not even a Spirit Ancestor yet. The advantage is mine!
He'd better not provoke him, or else he might have to expend some effort to teach him a lesson.
"By the way, can you actually help me?"
"We're here. Let's talk while we eat!"
Unbeknownst to them, the two had already passed through the small grove.
Before them appeared a luxurious building, cylindrical in shape, with opaque glazed tiles embedded in its outer walls, and smoke curling upwards from its top.
Even from a distance, they could smell the aroma of food.
"Let's go!"
Ye Qiu followed her up a few flights of stairs and soon arrived at a private room.
"It truly lives up to its name as a noble academy!"
Sitting across from Ye Lingling, Ye Qiu sighed in admiration. There wasn't even a dining hall here; it was all private rooms.
The opaque glazed tiles on the outer wall were actually one-way, so you couldn't see inside from the outside, but from here, you could overlook the scenery of the forest and lake below. The higher the position, the better the view!
"The environment is actually secondary. The main thing is that the food here consists of meat from Hundred Year, Thousand Year, and sometimes even Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts."
Once the dishes were served, Ye Lingling had already removed her veil and picked up her chopsticks.
She had a perfectly shaped melon seed face, silver-white hair, willow-like eyebrows, and beautiful light blue eyes.
Her eyes were as still as an ancient well, as if solitude and coolness were her eternal main themes.
"Is it good-looking?" Noticing the undisguised gaze from beside her, Ye Lingling raised her eyebrows, her eyes cold and still.
"Haha… It's alright, it's alright…" Ye Qiu chuckled awkwardly, hiding his embarrassment. He was just a little curious.
Ye Lingling frowned, unsure if she was displeased with Ye Qiu's offense or with the words 'it's alright'!
"I can't help you right now!"
"How so?" Ye Qiu also picked up his chopsticks, looking at her with confusion.
"Yan Zi seems to have had some physical issues these past few days and has already left the Academy. She'll only be back tomorrow!"
"?" Ye Qiu fell silent, expressionless, feeling incredibly strange inside, pondering to himself.
'Dugu Yan's body has problems? How could this be? Could it be that her poison has acted up early?'
"So, come find me again tomorrow, and I'll take you to her."
Noticing his distraction, Ye Lingling ate her food in small bites, continuing to speak to herself.
"Then many thanks, Miss Lingling!"
Coming back to his senses, he didn't ask any more questions, and the two quietly ate the delicious food on the table.
Not a word was spoken, yet it didn't feel uncomfortable.
A moment later, after finishing their meal, Ye Qiu followed behind her, preparing to leave.
As soon as they exited the cafeteria, she took quick, small steps, rapidly increasing the distance, then stopped and turned around, all in one fluid motion.
"Wait for me here tomorrow morning!"
Looking at her in the distance, Ye Qiu felt a bit helpless. Did she really need to be so wary of him?
"Then many thanks."
"Mm!" She nodded lightly and walked away softly.
"Whew~" Ye Qiu let out a long breath, putting away the slightest bit of dissatisfaction in his heart, and walked out of the Academy, taking the opportunity to admire the scenery here.
Along the way, he saw several simulated training grounds, which made Ye Qiu once again feel what it meant to be rich and powerful!
Just as he was about to leave, a commotion sounded from behind him.
"Surround him for this imperial prince!"
Following an arrogant shout.
Dozens of students in academy uniforms surrounded Ye Qiu.
"Bang!" Han Man, with his limbs broken, crashed to the ground in front of Ye Qiu.
'Imperial Prince? Is this Xue Beng?' Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, looking at the approaching figure.
He saw Xue Beng, surrounded by the crowd, with dazzling reddish-brown long hair, his eyes gloomy, his complexion somewhat pale. He walked with his nostrils flared, but his body was slightly hunched.
He practically had 'I am a profligate' written on his forehead.
The two people following behind him were carrying a stretcher, on which lay Sa Bu Chu.
The students surrounding Ye Qiu cleared a path, and Xue Beng walked up to him, looking somewhat arrogant, but a glint of shrewdness flashed deep in his eyes.
"Kid! Are you Ye Qiu?"
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