The next afternoon, Zhao Ling and A Yin walked out of their room hand in hand and stepped onto the deck.
To their surprise, they saw Bo Saixi slumped against the cabin door, her face full of despair. Her bloodshot eyes were deeply sunken with severe dark circles—she looked like someone had punched her in both eyes.
Her appearance startled both Zhao Ling and A Yin. What the heck happened?
Could it be that this Sea God Douluo had encountered some terrifyingly strong opponent the night before and had a fierce battle, exhausting her spirit?
That didn't make sense. On the current Douluo Continent, only Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were capable of going toe-to-toe with Bo Saixi, and neither of them would pick a fight with her.
Or maybe... she didn't sleep at all last night?
But that's still odd. She's a mighty Limit Douluo—missing one night of sleep, even a week, shouldn't leave her this drained.
As soon as the two of them stepped out of the cabin, Bo Saixi clenched her teeth with an audible gnash.
It was bad enough that those two kept whispering their nauseating sweet talk in the middle of the night, but did they really have to do... that... in the next room when the walls were paper-thin?
Thinking back to last night, to the shameless things those two beasts did in the room next to hers, Bo Saixi felt like crying.
She had never felt so pitiful in her life. Though she had been single for as long as she could remember, the events of last night completely shattered her emotional defenses.
Listening to all that noise next door kept her up all night. She nearly stormed over and yelled:
"Can you two please give it a REST?!"
But Bo Saixi knew the truth—this was Zhao Ling's ship. The fact that they even let her onboard was already kindness. Sure, she could leave at any time. She wasn't broke, and as a powerful soul master, traveling wasn't an issue.
But she couldn't leave. She needed to get Tang Chen's whereabouts from Zhao Ling. If she left now, it might become impossible to find him. So she had to endure.
"Endure the calm, retreat for the vast sea," she kept repeating to herself.
This was all for the sake of finding Tang Chen—it would all be worth it.
Bo Saixi's intense gaze made Zhao Ling and A Yin feel uneasy. What was with that murderous look?
"Bo Saixi, what's wrong? You look terrible," Zhao Ling asked with some concern.
A Yin chimed in, "Sister Saixi, did you not sleep well last night?"
Bo Saixi rolled her eyes and snapped, "Isn't that thanks to you two? Don't you know wooden walls have terrible soundproofing?"
A Yin's face instantly turned red. She ducked behind Zhao Ling and buried her head in his back, muttering:
"So embarrassing... it's all your fault, stupid husband! I told you not to be so loud last night…"
Zhao Ling gently pulled her back in front of him, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her softly on the forehead to comfort her.
"Silly girl. It's just the three of us near the forest—who's going to hear us? As for Sister Bo Saixi, you were out of line last night. Eavesdropping on someone like that."
WTF?! Bo Saixi nearly exploded on the spot. Are you serious? You're blaming me for eavesdropping?
You two were the ones doing inappropriate things right next to me—anyone could've heard it. Even a deaf person!
And now you've got the nerve to accuse me? Unbelievable! Sure, you're somewhat good-looking, and I had a decent impression of you, but come on—don't lie through your teeth!
Bo Saixi glared at Zhao Ling, but when her eyes met his smiling ones, her anger inexplicably began to melt.
She didn't understand it. Just locking eyes with him made her feel this way.
And worse, once she was looking at him, it was like her eyes were glued—she couldn't look away.
It reminded her of the first time she saw him. The same thing happened—once they made eye contact, she couldn't look away.
And now, it wasn't just eye contact. She was developing... feelings?
She even noticed her affection for Tang Chen was slowly fading, the memory of him in her heart being eroded.
Trying to force herself to look away, she pinched her own waist hard. The pain helped snap her out of it, and she finally tore her gaze away.
She began to suspect—was Zhao Ling using some kind of charm-type soul skill on her?
That was the only explanation for why she was being drawn in like this.
But almost immediately, she dismissed the idea. No way.
Zhao Ling, while a Title Douluo, clearly wasn't above level 95. She, on the other hand, was a level 99 Limit Douluo and had a wisdom soul bone protecting her. She wouldn't fall for a soul skill that easily.
She hadn't sensed any soul power fluctuations from him either. That ruled out the use of a skill.
No—Zhao Ling's allure wasn't from any ability. It felt like a natural, instinctive charm.
As long as she saw him, she would be drawn to him.
It was strange—and unsettling.
If this continued, she feared her feelings for Tang Chen would be completely replaced.
This man, Zhao Ling... he was dangerous.
Bo Saixi even started to question whether she should stay here. If she did, she feared it was only a matter of time before she fell for him.
As she thought this, her eyes drifted to A Yin, who was now smiling blissfully in Zhao Ling's arms.
A flicker of envy flashed across Bo Saixi's beautiful eyes.
Then she panicked.
Had she gone mad?
She had just... envied A Yin?
For one brief second, she had imagined herself in A Yin's place—in Zhao Ling's arms.
She had to be crazy. Absolutely crazy.
She told herself: if she were in her right mind, she'd never think that.
Zhao Ling wasn't even better-looking than Qian Daoliu. And she had zero interest in Qian Daoliu.
She had always loved Tang Chen. That's why she came to Douluo Continent in the first place.
In a desperate attempt to clear her head, Bo Saixi raised her right hand and slapped her right cheek—hard. Then she slapped her left cheek with her left hand.
The fiery pain on both sides of her face helped bring her back to her senses.
Zhao Ling and A Yin were both stunned.
What the heck? What's up with this woman?
Why is she slapping herself?