DD2: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

"Sure."

Ling Bai thought for a moment before agreeing to this candid conversation. He couldn't bear to witness any more of Ma Xiaotao's cringeworthy, clumsy attempts at seduction. It was like having a Ferrari body paired with a tractor's steering wheel. No one could handle that.

"You helped me suppress the evil fire that night, right?"

"I did."

Ling Bai acknowledged, a flicker of understanding appearing in his eyes. He had a general idea of Ma Xiaotao's intentions in coming here. However, based on his knowledge of her personality, she didn't strike him as the type to swallow her pride and proactively seduce a man!

Ma Xiaotao nervously twirled a strand of her fiery red hair around her finger, frantically searching for the right words. After a long pause, she spoke slowly:

"Ling Bai, I'm truly grateful for your help. Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about the evil fire raging out of control for a year. However, the evil fire originates from the core of my Martial Spirit. After a year passes, it will resurface and gradually erode my sanity once more.

Teacher hopes that you and I can... date. That way, in the future, I can borrow the power of your Seraphim to purge the evil fire, just like you did last time. Considering our statuses, talents, and looks... we're actually quite well-matched. I have to admit that I was a little convinced by his words. He urged me to develop feelings for you as soon as possible, and it would be best if... if the rice is cooked..."

By the end, Ma Xiaotao's voice was so faint it was barely audible. Ling Bai could catch every word only thanks to his exceptional hearing and by craning his neck like a giraffe.

Objectively speaking, Yan Shaozhe's scheme was quite clever, killing three birds with one stone. It not only resolved the Phoenix Evil Fire that had plagued his beloved disciple Ma Xiaotao for many years but also found her an outstanding lifelong partner. Moreover, the most ingenious part was that in the future, Ma Xiaotao would inevitably inherit his mantle and enter the Sea God Pavilion. The husband-wife relationship would be equivalent to Shrek Academy firmly tying Ling Bai, the possessor of a God-level Martial Spirit, to their chariot.

Yan Shaozhe, such a sly old fox.

"Too bad Teacher overlooked one thing," Ma Xiaotao huffed. "If I were actually popular with the boys, would I have earned the nickname 'Inner Courtyard's Active Volcano'? 'Phoenix Fairy' would be more fitting!"

She covered her flushed face with one hand while fiercely punching the bed with the other, causing Ling Bai to wince. He was afraid the innocent bed would end up with a hole.

"Never mind, I'm not expecting you to be my boyfriend anymore. Besides, you're still young, only eleven years old. I'd feel awkward being an old cow eating young grass." Ma Xiaotao let out a long sigh.

"Fair enough."

Ling Bai cast a glance at her curvy, sexy figure and her stunningly beautiful face. With this chick's looks and body, perhaps an age-gap relationship might be worth considering.

After such an awkward incident, Ma Xiaotao felt she had no face to stay any longer. She muttered gloomily, "I'll go back and report to Teacher. You focus on your cultivation."

"Take care."

Ling Bai politely stood up to see her off. Ma Xiaotao walked to the door and reached out to push open the golden wooden door.

However, just as she stepped out of the room, her eyes swept across the distance and saw two small figures approaching side by side toward the Ancient Golden Tree.

"Someone's coming!"

Ma Xiaotao reacted swiftly, instantly retracting her body. If Ling Bai hadn't dodged quickly, his nose would have nearly collided with the back of her head.

He stepped back and asked in confusion, "Who? Which Elder from the Sea God Pavilion?"

"Big Senior Sister! And a young boy."

Ma Xiaotao's face immediately tensed. After all, what she did today was not exactly glorious—black stockings, high heels, a short, sexy skirt. If Zhang Lexuan saw her exiting Ling Bai's room in this hot getup, she would probably ascend to the gossip hall of fame on the spot and be the talk of Shrek Academy for a lifetime.

"Young boy?"

Ling Bai discreetly opened a small crack in the door and peered through it to observe quietly. He clearly saw the boy chatting and laughing with Zhang Lexuan.

Oh, it's Bei Bei!

Makes sense!

"Quick, let me take another look!"

A woman's natural gossip instinct kicked in. Ma Xiaotao leaned over and squeezed in next to Ling Bai, their faces almost touching. The warm breaths from their breathing landed on each other's faces. The ambiguous atmosphere between the two pairs, inside and outside the door, was neck and neck.

"Holy shit, I recognize that boy. I've seen him hanging out with Xu Sanshi several times. He's quite a celebrity among the Outer Courtyard students. He actually hooked up with Big Senior Sister!"

Ma Xiaotao lowered her voice but couldn't suppress her excitement. Peeking into someone else's private affairs… especially those of someone as dignified and noble as Big Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan, the sense of shock and impropriety was simply making her boil!

"Ling Bai, look, look! Big Senior Sister's smile is so gentle! Hey, hey, hey, she took the initiative to reach out to him! Damn, the girl is taking the initiative to hold hands and that guy dares to play dumb! Big Senior Sister must be out of her mind. After more than twenty years, she finally had her heart moved and wanted to taste some fresh meat, but she just had to pick a scumbag!"

Ling Bai inexplicably felt an urge to touch his nose. The more he listened, the more something felt off. It seemed like Ma Xiaotao was indirectly scolding him!

Moreover, he finally realized that he and Ma Xiaotao were way too close at this moment. Unintentionally lowering his head, he caught a glimpse of something round, fair, and magnificent.

"Come back, don't look anymore."

Ling Bai hastily pulled her away and suppressed certain instinctive reactions. He raised his head solemnly and said:

"Since we've already seen the secret, then for the sake of Big Senior Sister's reputation, you and I must keep our mouths shut and not let a third person know."

"Hmph, that goes without saying. There aren't many students in the Inner Courtyard that I look up to, and Big Senior Sister is one of them. I'm just a bit curious about what's so special about that little punk that stole her heart."

Ma Xiaotao gracefully sat on the edge of the bed, playing with a lock of hair that fell over her shoulder and draped across her bosom. She lightly stretched, showcasing the allure of a young woman and unabashedly flaunting her shapely figure. When Ling Bai proactively averted his gaze, she couldn't help but secretly chuckle:

It turns out I'm not unattractive after all. If I had really gone all out to seduce him just now, perhaps tonight... Ptooey, ptooey! Stop that train of thought!

A surge of 'evil fire' suddenly ignited within her; this time, it wasn't the Phoenix Evil Fire, but a genuine 'evil fire'. Startled, Ma Xiaotao quickly banished the jumble of inappropriate thoughts from her mind and changed the subject:

"If I were to rush over to her now and say, 'Big Senior Sister, you don't want others to know about your relationship with that fresh-faced boy, do you?' What do you think would happen?"

Ling Bai's expression immediately became strange upon hearing this. Don't even mention it, you really shouldn't!

He cleared his throat and replied earnestly, "I see two possible outcomes: either Big Senior Sister beats you to a pulp, or she turns you into a living punching bag."

Ma Xiaotao: ... Your way of insulting people is truly something!

Stunned for half a second, she decisively changed the topic. "I'll stay in your room for a bit. I'll leave after they part ways."

"Alright." Ling Bai had the same intention.

The two of them, one sitting on a wooden chair and the other half-reclining on the bed, slipped into a prolonged silence. Ma Xiaotao suddenly spoke softly:

"Ling Bai, the reason I ultimately agreed to Teacher's suggestion is because what he said actually makes sense. After all, you are a disciple of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. After graduation, you will leave the academy and return to your clan. You can treat me temporarily, but not permanently.

I want to ask, do you have a way to completely resolve the evil fire once and for all?"