Looking at Ah Yin, Ye Qiu rolled his eyes.
Clearly, it was your husband who invited me to come take good care of you. Why does it now feel like I'm the one forcing myself on you?
Where's the trust between man and grass?
The key issue was that Ah Yin looked so weak right now—Ye Qiu simply couldn't bring himself to act.
Even though Tang Hao and his son owed him and hadn't paid back, even forcibly sent him here to take care of Ah Yin—Ye Qiu felt resentful and wanted to make her repay. But he was also afraid that using force might damage Ah Yin.
Sensing Ah Yin's panic and unease, Ye Qiu didn't bother to waste time comforting her. The most efficient approach—was to provoke her.
Ye Qiu's thoughts stirred slightly.
Ah Yin froze.
Suddenly, a large blush spread across her face. She was a traditional, inexperienced blade of grass—those images in Ye Qiu's mind? She had never seen such things in her entire life.
Her beautiful eyes glared at Ye Qiu, full of shame and fury.
How could he think of her in such lewd and degrading ways?!
"You... You lecher!"
Ah Yin scolded in a delicate voice, but it lacked any true authority.
Sensing her anger and shame, Ye Qiu tactfully dismissed those deliberately imagined "Ah Wei Eighteen Techniques" involving the two of them.
"Hey, it's natural to admire beauty, right?" Ye Qiu scratched his head.
The two—man and grass—shared a mental connection. Ah Yin knew he had done it on purpose, to tease her. She unhappily said, "If you dare imagine those things again… I'll kick you out."
Ye Qiu didn't mind, shrugging, "Relax, I just want your cooperation so I can fulfill Uncle Haozi's request."
"When are you going to let me see my son?" Ah Yin interrupted.
Right now, she just wanted to get a good look at her dear child. In Ye Qiu's memory, she only saw the day he and Tang San went to Nuoding City.
"I told you."
"The key now is that we need to put on a convincing act for Uncle Haozi. If you don't take the initiative, it puts me in a difficult spot."
Ye Qiu's tone turned calm, but firm. He reached out his hand to Ah Yin, waiting for her to place her soft hand in his.
"Come on, let him see us together—down… ah! Not sit down—get into position, we're about to begin."
"We've got plenty of time. There'll be lots of chances in the future for you to see Little San."
Not sensing any hostility or bad intentions from Ye Qiu, Ah Yin also realized he was right. What they had to do would take time. Right now, they needed to make Hao feel reassured. From Ye Qiu's transmitted thoughts, she understood how to cooperate.
After a moment's hesitation—
She slowly walked over and placed her hand into Ye Qiu's.
Her soft, delicate hand made Ye Qiu's heart flutter.
"Ah...!"
"Hurry up, move!"
Ah Yin cried out softly as Ye Qiu pulled her into his arms. Heart to heart, it didn't hurt—but her chest felt tight. After all, Ah Yin's figure was generous, even softer than Dugu Yan. It felt like a little pressure could squeeze water out of her. She twisted uncomfortably in his arms.
Immediately after, the powerless Ah Yin was pulled to sit cross-legged, facing Ye Qiu, palm to palm. She bit her lip, enduring his brazen gaze, both embarrassed and annoyed.
"Let's begin!"
Under their joint control, their soul power began to circulate rapidly.
"Ugh... Ye Qiu, it's too wild. My body can't take it—it's going to break!"
Ah Yin was, after all, just a plant. She couldn't withstand the raging surge of Ye Qiu's soul power.
Very soon—
Ye Qiu reformed into human shape and reappeared in front of Tang Hao. He was still refreshed from having taken a little advantage, but that was just interest.
Tang Hao was overjoyed. Because his Ah Yin was trembling, and her leaves had become more plump and vibrant. He didn't realize she was trembling out of anger.
"Ye Qiu, you did very well!"
Hearing Tang Hao's praise, Ye Qiu was pleased—so long as Uncle Haozi was satisfied with his care.
"Uncle Haozi, it's what I should do."
With that said, Ye Qiu didn't plan to stay any longer. He'd been gone quite a while. He worried that the silly rabbit might be anxious if she couldn't find him.
"Uncle Haozi, when will you send me back?"
As he spoke, Ye Qiu removed his Martial Spirit Possession and glanced at the grass on the ground. Ah Yin could only grope around blindly inside—she couldn't hear what was happening outside.
Ye Qiu wasn't worried that Tang Hao would imprison him.
He wasn't without background anymore. Even if he was seen as the weakest titled Douluo, it was enough to make Tang Hao cautious.
He wasn't known as "Poison Dominates the World" for nothing.
Tang Hao hesitated slightly, then nodded and stood up: "Alright, I'll send you back now."
When Ye Qiu and Tang Hao emerged from the waterfall—
The scorching sun blazed above; lunch hour had long passed.
Knowing that Ye Qiu could help Ah Yin grow faster, Tang Hao's attitude shifted somewhat. He still carried Ye Qiu by the collar as they flew toward Nuoding City—but this time, his speed was moderate. The breeze brushed past Ye Qiu's face, letting him leisurely admire the scenery below.
"Ye Qiu, Xiao San is your good friend."
"When I'm not around, I hope the two of you can support each other."
That's what Tang Hao said.
Apparently, he had already forgotten that he once said Tang San would cover Ye Qiu's back. Now, he talks about "mutual support"?
Over half an hour passed—
Tang Hao finally set Ye Qiu down on the same grassy field where they'd chatted before.
During the journey, with Tang Hao's endless reminders and subtle attempts to win him over—
Ye Qiu wasn't foolish. He naturally agreed to everything.
After all, at this point, he was basically half of Tang San's dad. Next time he trains him, he'd have to go even harder. Only with tough training would Tang San's skin grow thick enough.
"By the way, Uncle Haozi, why didn't you just send me directly back to the academy? This place is still quite a distance from Nuoding City."
Ye Qiu blinked, staring at Tang Hao.
"You can run back yourself! I'm busy."
Tang Hao glanced at him, said nothing more, and flew off.
Ye Qiu opened his mouth, wanting to curse—but held back. The guy wouldn't hear it anyway—waste of breath.
Meanwhile, far in the sky, Tang Hao's body wobbled slightly. His brows furrowed, face pale—the internal injuries he'd been holding back showed signs of instability. Finding a hidden spot, Tang Hao quickly sat down and began meditating to recover.
---
Ye Qiu ran under the scorching sun.
From the neck down, under his clothes, he had already activated his Martial Spirit Possession.
The colors were different from normal—his body's white markings had turned a deep blue, with hints of gold.
He extended his hand—and a dark Blue Silver Emperor vine sprouted from his palm. But for now, this was the limit of what he could gain from Ah Yin.
All that remained—
Was for Tang Hao to hand over Ah Yin completely. Then Ye Qiu would officially claim her—and cultivate her properly.