"Ah!!"
Ling Xiao let out a miserable cry, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Nian Qingyun quickly scrambled away, put on her clothes, and stood in the middle of the hall.
A thread of cold intent spread, sharp and biting, as if winter had arrived, freezing everything.
"You woman, you are utterly heartless." Ling Xiao wiped the blood from his lips, his face equally gloomy. "Last night, you were the one who pushed me down. Besides... I was doing it for your own good." As he spoke, he deliberately glanced down at a small stain of blood on the floor, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
"Ling Xiao, I swear I will not rest until I kill you today!!" Nian Qingyun was too disgusted to waste any more words on this scoundrel. Her jade-like hand clenched, and an ethereal, intangible aura instantly began to permeate the air.
But just as she was about to lunge at Ling Xiao, a childish, girlish voice suddenly rang out from above the hall. "Why are you two fighting again? You fought all night yesterday. Aren't you tired?"
Gulp! Nian Qingyun's step faltered. She looked up in horror to see a little girl in a black dress sitting on one of the hall's beams, swinging her legs.
"You were clearly pinning Ling Xiao down and hitting him last night, so why were your cries more miserable than his?"
"Feng Ling?!" Ling Xiao's face also froze with astonishment. He stared dumbly at the genuine confusion on the little girl's face, momentarily at a loss for words.
She can leave the Eight Desolates Glazed Pagoda? How the hell is that possible?! If she truly was the intelligence born from the demon bone on the ninth level, how could she possibly escape the suppression of the God-Sealing Pagoda?! A chill shot straight to Ling Xiao's heart. Who exactly is she?
"Who are you?! How... how did you get here?!" Nian Qingyun was completely bewildered. From the sound of it, this little girl had been watching their live show all last night? Why didn't I sense even a trace of her presence?! And why, despite her having no discernible aura, did she make her feel so palpably uneasy?
"And who are you?" Feng Ling's figure floated down from the beam, her curious expression making Nian Qingyun feel acutely embarrassed. "Why did you take your clothes off to fight Ling Xiao? And... why didn't you use spiritual power? You just kept slapping around on the ground..."
This girl clearly seemed inexperienced in the ways of the world, so why did she exert such immense pressure on her?
"Little girl, if you keep spouting nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite." Nian Qingyun shot a glance at Ling Xiao and noticed the grave expression on his face, which deepened her confusion. Someone who can enter and leave Ling Xiao's private chambers freely... their relationship must be unusual. But why does Ling Xiao look so tense, as if facing a great enemy?
"Impolite? Hmph! You bullied Ling Xiao last night. I'll kill you right now." As soon as Feng Ling finished speaking, her figure vanished from the spot.
"Feng Ling, stop!!" Ling Xiao was startled. He instantly stepped in front of Nian Qingyun. The Starry Emperor's Robe materialized around him, forming a barrier between Feng Ling and Nian Qingyun.
Hiss. At that moment, Nian Qingyun distinctly felt a sensation of death welling up from the depths of her heart. Unconsciously, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Such bizarre movement! Such terrifying cultivation! But when had such a monstrously talented young girl appeared in the Sacred Province? She looked to be only about ten years old... Yet... why had she never heard of such a prodigy within the Ling Clan before?
"Huh? Ling Xiao, she clearly wants to kill you. Why are you still protecting her?" Feng Ling's big eyes filled with confusion.
Ling Xiao could only force a bitter smile, his tone heavy. "Because she will become my wife. No matter what she has done to me, I will not allow anyone to harm her. Unless... they step over my dead body."
He spoke these words with a mix of truth and falsehood. Dying for a woman was definitely not something he would do—after all, he was a villain; why would he imitate the righteous, life-risking chivalry of a Son of Destiny? However, Nian Qingyun was his first woman. If anyone dared to bully her, Ling Xiao naturally wouldn't stand for it either. In this day and age, who wasn't a complete sucker for a pretty face? If Nian Qingyun weren't so breathtakingly beautiful, her death would be none of his concern. Of course, his current act of profound depth had a purpose... to seize an opportunity to gain some favor from this Daughter of Destiny.
Ding. Congratulations, Host, for slightly moving the Daughter of Destiny. Karma Points +100.
Nian Qingyun looked up in a daze at the tall, straight-backed figure of the young man in front of her. The killing intent that had filled her heart moments ago unexpectedly dissipated considerably. Especially the look of seriousness on Ling Xiao's face now made her feel inexplicably touched. When it came down to it, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl. Although she cultivated the Dao of Emotionlessness, could the complexities of human affection truly be suppressed by mere Dao techniques?
"Hmph, what a messy, complicated mess. I really don't understand you people." The intimidating pressure around Feng Ling faded away. She rolled her eyes hard at Ling Xiao. "But this wife of yours is quite pretty."
"Hehe... You were here all last night?" Ling Xiao laughed awkwardly. He knew Feng Ling could completely conceal her aura, and he knew she could move through space effortlessly. But he never imagined the little girl could actually leave the Glazed Pagoda! The thought of his entire night's battle with Nian Qingyun being witnessed from start to finish by a child made even Ling Xiao's thick skin feel warm with embarrassment.
"Mm. I originally came to return your little dragon, but you were busy, so I didn't disturb you." Feng Ling nodded seriously, waved her hand, and the demon dragon Fluffy instantly flew into Ling Xiao's arms. The resentment in its eyes sent a chill down Ling Xiao's spine. This little thing... must have suffered quite a bit in Feng Ling's hands. However, he could also feel that Fluffy's cultivation seemed to have broken through to the Profound Clear Realm. It advanced several major realms overnight?! Ling Xiao looked at Feng Ling in surprise, but she just snorted disdainfully and vanished on the spot.
"A dragon!! It's actually a dragon!!" Beside them, Nian Qingyun's face once again showed shock. From the small black dragon, she sensed a heart-palpitating, fierce demonic aura. Over the years, although she didn't often descend the mountain, she had seen many powerful demon race experts. Furthermore, she had a Nine Heavens Golden Phoenix by her side, but its demonic aura seemed slightly inferior compared to this black dragon before her. Could it be... truly a destined bond? A True Phoenix and a Demon Dragon?
Whoosh! Fluffy, who had been trembling in Ling Xiao's arms, instantly turned into a blur and landed in Nian Qingyun's embrace, nuzzling incessantly against her chest. A look of pure satisfaction even appeared in its pitch-black, dog-like eyes.
"Uh... Does this... mean it likes me?" Nian Qingyun looked helplessly at Ling Xiao, then seemed to remember something, and her expression turned icy again. "Who was that little girl just now?"
"If I said I don't know, would you believe me?" Ling Xiao smiled wryly, though his eyes remained fixed on Fluffy. This little beast truly has audacity fueled by lust, taking advantage of its fearsomely cute appearance to get a feel everywhere!
"Hmph, fine, don't tell me. Don't think I don't know your reputation in the Sacred Province. You don't even let ten-year-old girls go... you're worse than a beast..." Nian Qingyun sneered, but the killing intent from before was gone from her person.