"Haha, isn't she full of energy?"
"Of course, I didn't cry!" Ye Lingling proudly raised her head, but the sparkling tears at the corners of her eyes betrayed her.
Though her spirits were lifted by Fang Ling's return, her overall condition was still worrying.
The fatigue on her face hadn't faded, evoking sympathy from anyone who looked at her.
Fang Ling noticed her concern. He sat beside her and gently wiped away the tears of joy on her face.
Then, he took her soft hand and said with a slightly heavy tone, "Sorry for making you worry."
The next moment, he perked up, his tone becoming cheerful again:
"I've been acknowledged by His Grace and accepted as his disciple."
"We're pretty well matched now. When should I go meet your parents?"
"Get lost!"
Ye Lingling had been immersed in the slightly melancholic yet joyful moment of reuniting with Fang Ling, enjoying the brief peace.
But when she heard that, she spat in annoyance, her cheeks instantly turning crimson. "You brat, you're too young to be thinking such nonsense."
"You're just my friend, got it?"
She withdrew her smile, waved her fingers, and said against her true feelings,
"It's only because you're a close friend and because we had a good time over the past few months that I missed you."
"It's only been four months. Even though you pulled me out of my gloomy mood, our relationship hasn't reached that level."
"Don't overthink it."
"Just friends?"
Fang Ling's smile was full of meaning. "If you say so."
"So what kind of friends are we? Friends who can sleep in the same bed?"
"Ridiculous. You're still young and already talking nonsense. With your talent, shouldn't you be focusing on cultivation?"
Ye Lingling's cold demeanor crumbled immediately as she shoved him forcefully.
After some playful teasing, her anxiety and nervousness gradually faded. In a soft voice, she asked, "What really happened?"
The question was vague, but Fang Ling understood.
"Trusting my intuition, I helped the teacher find a way to detoxify the poison. Then I asked to become his disciple, so that this poor guy could be worthy of a noble lady like you."
Hearing this, Ye Lingling blushed even deeper, her cheeks glowing like the sunset sky.
Damn it, her heart was racing.
She pressed her chest lightly, bit her lip, and didn't argue back. She only whispered, "Using intuition to detoxify? Was it dangerous?"
Fang Ling smiled gently and replied softly:
"It's fine. Just thinking about gentle and lovely Lingling waiting for me filled me with endless strength."
"What seemed like a daunting challenge became surprisingly easy to overcome."
There he goes again...
Does he think I'll fall for that?
Ye Lingling felt a twinge of warmth in her heart. In the quiet moment, she asked the critical question: "Didn't you like that princess from Star Luo Empire? Why come back for me?"
"That was just because we share a martial soul fusion ability. We only met once. Lingling, we've been together for so long , you're the one who truly entered my heart."
Fang Ling could swear on the heavens, it was purely the beauty and the martial soul compatibility with Zhu Zhuqing that made it hard to let go.
Otherwise, at most, he would protect her once when he got stronger and consider the debt paid.
"More sweet talk," Ye Lingling chuckled and gave a soft hum.
After a moment, she smiled and asked, "How long can you stay this time? Will you go back to the academy?"
"I don't know," Fang Ling replied honestly. But he was certain of one thing, "I won't be leaving the academy. I still have to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
That tournament in a little over four years was critical, it was the best chance to approach the Pope, Bibi Dong.
At least at that point, her mental state was still stable.
It was a key part of his plan.
Win the tournament and use that 50,000-year-old head soul bone to make the trade!
Otherwise, if things were delayed, the Spirit Hall's soul-hunting operation would begin, and by then, that crazy woman would be too dangerous to approach.
The farther away, the better.
Ye Lingling nodded slightly. "Are you free tomorrow?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Come home with me. I'll take you to my father to check if His Grace left any hidden methods on you."
Fang Ling knew very well that Dugu Bo couldn't have left anything behind.
If it wasn't strong enough, the dual forces of ice and fire along with his immunity to poisons would block it.
And if it was strong enough, like the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's poison, without the pollen from the Delicate Fragrance Immortal Herb to suppress it, he would've died instantly.
He half-joked, "Is this taking me to meet the parents? What kind of gift should I bring?"
The subconscious question stunned Ye Lingling. After a moment of thinking, she replied with embarrassment and frustration:
"It's not meeting the parents, it's seeing a doctor!"
"I'm being serious, so take it seriously, you rascal Fang Ling!"
"Oh, oh, of course..." Fang Ling quickly agreed.
"Yan Yan is still outside, and you're taking her bed. Shouldn't we find a guest room to sleep in?"
"Sure, a guest room." Ye Lingling had just finished speaking when her sharp little mind kicked in.
"And not we, just me. You sleep in a separate room."
Yep, still the same old troublemaker Fang Ling.
Ye Lingling got off the bed and walked toward the door, giving him a glare. "Tomorrow when we see my father, don't speak too much."
"If you dare to spout nonsense"
She raised her hand like a blade and drew it across her neck. The gesture, combined with her delicate demeanor, made her seem strangely cute despite the threat.
Fang Ling pretended to be scared. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything wrong."
"After all, we're just 'friends,' right?"
The next day, Ye Lingling brought him to a special shop.
People were coming and going at the entrance. The sign above read Renxin Hall.
Unlike most lavishly decorated shops in Heaven Dou City, this place was simple and humble, filled with the scent of herbs.
It was a clinic.
Ye Lingling greeted a few doctors treating patients in the outer hall and pulled Fang Ling toward the inner chamber.
The outer hall was for treating common folks, while the inner hall was specifically for healing soul masters.
Soul masters rarely got sick, especially high-level ones, but injuries were common.
In the inner hall, a soul master with a severely injured shoulder was receiving treatment.
His shoulder was half broken, with white bone sticking out, blood and flesh mangled, a horrific sight.
However, without using any medicine, the healer simply cleaned the wound and aligned the bones.
Then, the glow of Nine-Heart Begonia appeared. As the skin twisted and new flesh squirmed, the gruesome wound began to heal miraculously fast.
After moving his now pain-free arm, the soul master repeatedly expressed his gratitude and paid generously before leaving.
Then the next patient came.
Looking up, the one using the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul was a man around fifty, his temples already graying.
He had a gentle, scholarly demeanor and a trace of sorrow in his eyes, matching the aura of his martial soul perfectly.
Seven soul rings circled around him, clearly a Soul Sage.
A Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Sage!
"Now this is what a Nine-Heart Begonia user should look like," Fang Ling muttered under his breath.
He fit perfectly with Fang Ling's image of doctors, compassionate, highly skilled, and clean and decisive in his actions.
"What are you mumbling about, Fang Ling?"
Ye Lingling blushed as she heard his low comment and punched him hard.
What's wrong with her image?
Even if she wasn't as skilled as her father and was more emotionally fragile, her use of the Nine-Heart Begonia was also highly refined.
Damn that Fang Ling! How dare he look down on her?
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