Chapter 119: Ye Haitang (Please Subscribe, Please Give Monthly Tickets!)

Ye Lingling felt a bit uneasy as she twisted in Gu Xuan's embrace; although she truly admires Gu Xuan and now knows his lecherous intent toward her, she still can't quite adjust.

Gu Xuan was indeed lustful but not daring; after teasing Ye Lingling he restrained himself, for if he kept going he feared he couldn't hold back.

He may be lecherous, but he has limits; without going into details, Du Gu Yan is his first woman in this world, and the first time naturally belongs to her.

"Let's not expose ourselves to Yu Tianheng and the others for now; if you miss me, you can sneak into my room at night," Gu Xuan whispered into Ye Lingling's ear.

Ye Lingling couldn't help rolling her eyes at him, "Come find me at night? Isn't that like a lamb walking into a tiger's mouth?"

Their relationship suddenly turned impure, and Gu Xuan took the chance to learn about Ye Lingling's past.

Seeming to have found a vent, Ye Lingling recounted her childhood to Gu Xuan and explained why she wanted to break the Nine Heart Begonia curse.

Learning of Ye Lingling's childhood, Gu Xuan sighed softly: when she was two, her father broke through to Soul King level, but misjudged the age of the soul beast while absorbing a Soul Ring, nearly causing a disaster.

The Nine Heart Begonia Family exhausted all effort to treat him, only keeping her father alive, but his cultivation path was essentially cut off, and this generation of Nine Heart Begonia must continue.

Her father, who could have lived idly, had to end his own life, so that Ye Lingling could awaken the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul.

Ye Lingling, who lost her father in childhood, didn't know this at first; when she was ten she stumbled upon it, and realizing her father died for it made her become despondent.

Since then she has tried to find a way to lift the martial soul's curse, and the only conclusion was that she needed an Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.

The Nine Heart Begonia Family's history does include obtaining a celestial-quality herb and producing a Titled Douluo-level Nine Heart Begonia, which made the family's name famous in that era.

But now they have virtually no information on celestial herbs; the family now only preserves a few ten‑thousand‑year‑old herbs, the oldest being just over fifty thousand years, still far from becoming celestial.

Thus her extreme reaction upon learning Gu Xuan possessed an Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid makes sense.

That night, Gu Xuan escorted Ye Lingling to Tian Dou City to see Niu Bo, but he didn't intervene, letting Ye Lingling speak herself to set the mood.

After that incident, Ye Lingling returned to the academy with Gu Xuan; the Nine Heart Begonia Family is within the Tian Dou Empire, so the round trip takes little time, especially since Niu Bo is a Soul Emperor.

During the following week, Gu Xuan occasionally flirted with Ye Lingling; after stating his intent, he no longer hid anything, leaving her both helpless and somewhat excited.

On the third day after giving Xue Qinghe a Hunyuan Pill, Xue Qinghe again invited Gu Xuan to the forest garden; the pill was indeed good—her soul power was mid‑68th level, and after taking it she broke through to level 69, just one step from level 70.

Xue Qinghe thanked Gu Xuan again and then began to actively get closer to him.

In her eyes Gu Xuan is only thirteen; if she doesn't cultivate feelings while he's still young, later exposure will make things even harder to handle.

She is absolutely confident in her looks and figure, yet she knows Gu Xuan is already with Du Gu Yan.

After all, she once caught Gu Xuan and Du Gu Yan embracing in a pavilion of this garden.

What she regrets is that she doesn't want to share the same man with others, even if he hasn't yet taken that step with another woman.

But there's nothing she can do; she can't interfere with Gu Xuan's relationship, so she can only try other ways to stop him.

For example, telling Gu Xuan that he's still young and shouldn't focus solely on women; there will be plenty later, and now he must not let such matters delay cultivation.

Gu Xuan responded with helplessness; though he didn't know why Xue Qinghe suddenly cared about this, she made a reasonable point, and fortunately Gu Xuan could still keep his heart, not being swayed by mere beauty.

Of course, indulging the mouth and hand doesn't count.

After half a month at the academy, Gu Xuan beat up the other members of the Royal Battle Team, raising their training intensity to aim for a good result at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition a year later.

He has never used his martial soul in battles against Yu Tianheng and others; Sword Dragon Eight Wings and Dark Gold Terror Claw are sufficient, and he sometimes doesn't even need the Dark Gold Terror Claw.

His multitask control has reached the Five-Orifice Scattered Heart, allowing him to wield five flying swords simultaneously to fend off enemies, further boosting his strength.

When Gu Xuan attains the Seven-Orifice Wishful Heart, he will be able to effortlessly control eight dragon swords against foes; at that point, just his Sword Dragon Eight Wings alone will let him fight beyond his rank.

Of course, this is before the Soul Saint Realm; after reaching the Soul Saint Realm and obtaining the true form of the martial soul, the effectiveness against enemies naturally diminishes.

Gu Xuan is also digesting the Seven Killing Sword Technique and the eight strands of Seven Killing Sword Intent within him; in a week he has already cultivated two strands, thanks to the combined effect of multitask control and Sword Dragon Eight Wings.

The Dust Heart's gift of Seven Killing Sword Intent is essentially the Dust Heart's own compiled killing force and experience, allowing Gu Xuan's sword cultivation to progress with half the effort; once he fully digests all eight strands, his swordsmanship will reach a solid level.

A week later, after afternoon training, Ye Lingling approached Gu Xuan saying her grandmother had arrived in Tian Dou City and wanted to meet him to discuss the fate of the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.

Gu Xuan smiled faintly, "Didn't expect you to be so quick?"

It seems the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid has a unique allure for Nine Heart Begonia, similar to the relationship between Qiluo Tulip and the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda; both share a comparable charm, though their uses differ slightly.

However that night Gu Xuan did not set out; he waited until the next day to go to Tian Dou City with Ye Lingling.

In a top‑tier private suite on the seventh floor of the Dou Tian Grand Hotel, Gu Xuan met Ye Lingling's grandmother—Ye Haitang.

The moment he saw Ye Haitang, Gu Xuan thought she was Ye Lingling's mother, for the seventy‑year‑old woman looked barely in her early forties, a graceful noble lady.

Such upkeep almost made Gu Xuan stare wide‑eyed, thinking, "Damn, using this as a test for officials? Which official can endure such a test?"

"The Ye family truly has ice‑skin and jade‑bone; no wonder Lingling has such looks—most likely inherited from you," Gu Xuan couldn't help praising as his first words.

He then added, "Junior Gu Xuan has seen you, Senior Ye."

Ye Haitang chuckled, her already tantalizing visage becoming even more alluring.

"Hehe, you're Lingling's classmate; just call me 'Grandma Ye'." Ye Haitang said with a smile.

A burly, handsome middle‑aged man beside him couldn't help eyeing Gu Xuan, then said, "Truly a hero born young; the youngster has already reached Soul Ancestor cultivation."

Hearing this, Gu Xuan glanced again at the man, who was Ye Lingling's second uncle—one of Ye Haitang's two husbands—named Zhang Jinyuan, an 86th‑level Soul Douluo whose martial soul is the astonishingly defensive Lion King Armor.

Ye Lingling had previously briefed Gu Xuan on her family's general situation, so he had some impression.

"Your praise is generous, but it's merely thanks to the seniors' shade," Gu Xuan nodded lightly, replying with modesty.

Gu Xuan's soul power did not leak; Zhang Jinyuan could gauge his approximate strength, confirming the old man possessed some power.

At that moment Ye Lingling reached Ye Haitang, affectionately saying, "Grandma, Lingling misses you to death."

Ye Haitang stroked Ye Lingling's little head, her face wearing a happy smile.

Ye Lingling's relayed news made her see the Nine Heart Begonia's future, and she grew even more fond of this treasured grandchild.

However, judging by Gu Xuan's demeanor, the matter didn't seem easy to resolve, though she had come this time with full sincerity.

ps: Typos will be corrected later.

(Chapter End)