From the moment Ye Qiu first met Tang San, the memories had been playing nonstop up to the present day.
Ah Yin's expression constantly shifted — her face alternating between red and pale. Surprise, anger, disappointment, fear… all kinds of emotions surged.
It took quite a while…
Before Ah Yin finally snapped out of it.
By now, her face was streaked with tears, and Ye Qiu could clearly see every emotion she had just experienced.
"Well? Can we start cultivating properly now?"
Ah Yin shook her head, tears clinging to her lashes, her appearance haggard and sorrowful. "Leave… I need some time. My mind's a mess. I won't cultivate today."
Ye Qiu let out a light laugh.
Sensing his schadenfreude, Ah Yin shot him a resentful glare.
Ye Qiu didn't care in the least. Ah Yin wasn't anyone important to him — why should he pretend to empathize? Once they got more familiar… there would be even less need to act.
"Alright, fine, skip today. But I still hope you'll cooperate from now on. If I can't complete the task Tang Hao gave me, that wouldn't be good."
He shrugged, then teased, "If Tang Hao bullies me, I'll have no choice but to bully you instead — use you to vent my frustrations."
As soon as the words fell, Ah Yin's mind was once again flooded with vivid, shameful images. Her cheeks flushed as she bit her lip and glared at Ye Qiu.
But she needed his help. She couldn't afford to argue over these things now. Gritting her teeth, she spoke patiently, "Ye Qiu… I want to see Tang San."
"No problem. From now on, I'll let you see him every day." Ye Qiu smiled as he agreed. He knew that at this moment, the seed of doubt had already been planted in her heart.
Even if Ah Yin couldn't fully believe it and wanted to keep observing, it was just a dying struggle.
---
As Ye Qiu disappeared from her sight, Ah Yin's world plunged into darkness once more. In the past, she had been supported by thoughts of her husband and child. But now, only endless fear remained. She crouched in the pitch-black space with no sense of direction, hugging her knees, and began to sob uncontrollably.
"Who taught him those things? Is he really not my child? Then who is he…?"
"Hao, why did you give birth but not raise him? Did you notice something wrong with him? And now why… why have you changed your attitude?"
Outside, Ye Qiu's figure appeared in the darkness. A smile tugged at his lips. Ah Yin's sorrowful murmurs naturally reached his ears.
Ye Qiu wasn't worried about her disbelief.
She was in his hands now — he had all the time in the world to deal with her.
Maybe after absorbing some spirit bones or spirit rings in the future, he could even acquire some powerful ability — like stealing memories without detection.
And then—
He could finally confirm the truth: Tang San really had taken over someone else's body!
---
"Ye Qiu~"
A soft voice called out. In the dim light appeared a pair of crimson-red eyes. Xiao Wu had turned sideways on the bed, staring at him without blinking.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Ye Qiu gave her a strange look and gently settled Ah Yin's form in place.
"Uh…"
Xiao Wu was momentarily speechless. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and hesitated for a while before whispering, "I had a nightmare. It woke me up."
"Oh, really?"
Ye Qiu looked at her teasingly and dismissed all thoughts of Ah Yin for the moment. He took off his outer coat.
It wasn't like he slept like the dead every night — he had long been aware that Xiao Wu kept sneaking into bed with him.
With a chuckle, Ye Qiu climbed onto the bed, rolled twice on top of his blanket, and entered Xiao Wu's side of the bed.
"Ye Qiu~ W-What are you doing?"
Xiao Wu clutched her blanket tightly, clearly embarrassed. Looking at Ye Qiu's eyes, which still shone brightly in the darkness, her heart pounded faster and faster.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Move over and let me in."
Ye Qiu's voice was soft. At a moment like this, saying "I'm not doing anything" didn't really mean much — they weren't at that stage yet.
"Huh?!"
Xiao Wu's heart jumped.
"Huh what? Didn't you say you had a nightmare? I'm just keeping you company." Ye Qiu spoke as he lifted her blanket.
"No! Ye Qiu~"
Though Xiao Wu's words were firm, her actions were hesitant. It was a case of verbal refusal but physical compliance — Ye Qiu easily slipped under the covers beside her.
"Nng~"
Xiao Wu let out a soft, stifled moan as Ye Qiu wrapped his arms around her. She didn't even resist.
With his arrival, it was like tossing dry wood into a furnace — the bed immediately turned scorching hot. The little rabbit was being roasted until her entire body was flushed and burning.
Xiao Wu bent her arm to create a bit of distance between them. They were too close — she couldn't handle the heat.
"Ye Qiu~ Don't move around."
"Relax."
Looking at Xiao Wu biting her lip with eyes full of emotion, Ye Qiu couldn't help but wrap his arms tighter around her slim waist, pulling them closer. Then he lowered his head and slowly captured her slightly parted, already puckered red lips.
For a long time—
Only when Xiao Wu was nearly out of breath did Ye Qiu finally release her. He hadn't even used the full skills he'd developed while practicing with Dugu Yan, and Xiao Wu was already overwhelmed.
But Ye Qiu didn't push her too far. There was still plenty of time. He gently brushed the stray hair away from Xiao Wu's face and planted a light kiss on her forehead.
"Alright, go to sleep now."
"Mhm."
Xiao Wu sleepily murmured a response, still recovering from the breathlessness earlier. She snuggled closer into Ye Qiu's arms, her expression sweet and infatuated.
Normally, when she climbed into his bed, Ye Qiu would curl up in her arms like a child. While it made her shy, it also felt strangely sweet.
But now… she could finally experience what it was like to sleep in his embrace.
---
The next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the diligent Master Tang had already gotten up early. As was his habit, he glanced over at Ye Qiu's bed.
Seeing no one under the covers, Tang San let out a small sigh of relief — but when his gaze shifted to Xiao Wu's bed, shock and sourness rose up in his heart again.
Xiao Wu was nestled sweetly in Ye Qiu's arms, arms wrapped around his neck, her fair face tinged with pink, and a faint smile playing on her lips — a picture of affection and love.
Tang San sighed deeply and stepped outside the dormitory. He couldn't miss his daily cultivation of the Purple Demon Eye.
The Blue Silver Emperor that Ye Qiu had moved to Xiao Wu's bedside was swaying gently…
---
Time flew quickly. In the blink of an eye, only two months remained before Ye Qiu and the others would graduate from Nuoding Academy.
In Dorm Seven—
Xiao Wu was sitting cross-legged on her bed, seriously cultivating. Beneath her clothes was something that belonged to Ye Qiu — tightly wrapped in black leather, with pink stripes shimmering with flowing light.
As their cultivation levels increased, the flow of spirit power accelerated. In the process of dual cultivation, the improvement in their training speed was quite impressive.
"Amazing! Ye Qiu, you've reached level 40!"
Xiao Wu's inner voice transmitted happily to Ye Qiu — cheerful, crisp, and filled with delight. She was even more excited than when she made a breakthrough herself.
"Yeah, I broke through."
Ye Qiu's voice was calm. All that relentless effort, dragging Xiao Wu to cultivate day and night, hadn't gone to waste.