Castorice feared that using force would harm Lu Jingming, leaving her momentarily powerless to resist. Her heart was filled with extreme shyness; she dared not look at Meng Hongchen and could only close her eyes tightly again, allowing Lu Jingming to take what he wished.
Several minutes later, under Meng Hongchen's resentful gaze, a silver thread trickled from their lips, quietly dissolving into the nourishment for the flower sea beneath their feet.
Lu Jingming gently released the slightly panting Castorice, a hint of lingering desire still in his eyes.
However, he knew when to stop. Castorice's indulgence towards him was already enough. If it were Keqing or March 7th, they would probably have pushed him away without hesitation the moment Meng Hongchen appeared.
That Castorice could endure her shyness and allow him to take such liberties made Lu Jingming cherish her even more.
"Meng, what delicious food did you make today?"
Lu Jingming, looking utterly nonchalant, calmly took the meal box from Meng Hongchen's hands.
Ever since he returned to Abyss City, Meng Hongchen had pursued him actively and passionately, often personally cooking various delicacies and bringing them for him to taste.
Although Lu Jingming hadn't directly reciprocated these feelings, as time quietly passed, their relationship naturally grew closer.
This transformation was evident in the change of their addresses, evolving from the initial somewhat unfamiliar "student" to the more intimate terms they used now.
"It's the Golden Thread Shrimp Balls you particularly like. I specifically went to the restaurant's head chef to learn how to make them."
Meng Hongchen was still somewhat dazed at this moment, not having fully recovered from the scene she had just witnessed. When Lu Jingming asked, she instinctively replied.
Castorice, meanwhile, hid behind Lu Jingming, her pretty face flushed like a ripe apple, completely daring not to look at Meng Hongchen.
"Let's eat together."
Lu Jingming, composed, led both Castorice and Meng Hongchen to an exquisite pavilion, then took out the dishes from the meal box one by one.
Lu Jingming sat in the middle, subtly separating Castorice and Meng Hongchen.
After all, Meng Hongchen couldn't get too close to Castorice; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Meng Hongchen finally recovered from her astonishment. Her gaze lingered on Lu Jingming's and Castorice's lips for a long time, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Castorice felt Meng Hongchen's burning gaze and was so shy she wished she could find a hole to crawl into, quickly lowering her head, her cheeks flushed like a rosy cloud.
Lu Jingming, however, remained calm. He calmly picked up an invitingly colored Golden Thread Shrimp Ball and gently brought it to Castorice's lips, tenderly feeding it to her.
"Um, actually, I can too!"
Meng Hongchen's cheeks flushed. She tilted her head slightly, pointing gently at her own delicate red lips, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
"Cough, cough!"
This sudden, bold move made even the usually calm Lu Jingming falter a bit, almost choking on his saliva.
Castorice was even more astonished, looking at Meng Hongchen in disbelief, never expecting this girl to be so daring and direct.
Whose subordinate is this? So courageous!
"Meng, let's talk about this later!"
Although Lu Jingming had long known that a "freebie" attribute was part of Meng Hongchen's personality, he truly didn't expect her to be so unreserved, and to say such things in front of Castorice, no less.
He was a little speechless. Did she really not care about the occasion at all? She was truly courageous, as expected of Miss Meng!
"Okay, okay!"
A hint of loss flashed in Meng Hongchen's eyes, but at the same time, there was a subtle sense of relief. Her emotions were a tangled mess, utterly contradictory.
She was actually very shy deep down, but ever since she made up her mind to pursue Lu Jingming, she had already cast all shame aside.
After all, for a girl, if she hadn't summoned immense courage, how could she be so proactive?
It was precisely Meng Hongchen's frank, straightforward, and undisguised method of pursuit that, in just a few months, led to a rapid improvement in her relationship with Lu Jingming.
Meng Hongchen's direct "straight-ball attacks," coupled with her being an alluring white-haired beautiful girl herself, made it quite impressive that Lu Jingming had restrained himself until now.
However, after today's scene, it is likely that the situation will be entirely different. Meng Hongchen might become even bolder and more direct, making future interactions probably even more interesting.
In the parallel world of Douluo Dalu, after the emergence of the Simulated Universe, this continent once again underwent strange changes.
Unbeknownst to when, some eerie existences, condensed from negative emotions and energy—Filth Points—quietly appeared in various corners of the Douluo Dalu.
These Filth Points were like malignant tumors, emitting a repulsive aura and possessing powerful corrupting abilities.
They could not only subtly erode the surrounding environment, making it barren and desolate, but also give birth to terrifying monsters formed from negative energy.
The Spirit Hall, as a powerful and influential force on the Douluo Dalu, keenly sensed the existence of these Filth Points, becoming the first organization to discover them.
After sending several strong individuals to investigate, Spirit Hall was shocked to find that if these Filth Points were left unchecked, they would continue to expand like an uncontrolled wildfire, constantly polluting the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the negative energy monsters born from them would grow increasingly powerful over time.
However, Spirit Hall also discovered a crucial piece of information: as long as all the negative energy monsters born from a Filth Point were completely cleared, that Filth Point would naturally dissipate.
Even more miraculously, those negative energies would reverse, transforming into vibrant positive energies, and would also condense various coveted treasures.
Spirit Hall immediately dispatched a Titled Douluo to clear a Filth Point that had spawned a Soul Douluo-level monster.
After a fierce battle, Spirit Hall successfully cleared this Filth Point, and the harvest was astounding—it actually yielded a soul bone with a lifespan of fifty thousand years!
This was a top-tier treasure that countless soul masters dreamed of, its preciousness self-evident.
Not only that, besides this rare soul bone, during the process of clearing the Filth Point, there also appeared soul power crystals that could rapidly increase soul power cultivation, as well as various uniquely shaped and powerful soul tools and other heavenly treasures.
It can be said that Filth Points of different scales gave birth to monsters with unique characteristics. Sometimes, even monsters with human-like forms would appear, and even more astonishingly, strong individuals from the history of the Douluo Dalu who had long passed away would sometimes emerge.
For example, the Filth Point that Spirit Hall subjugated, which had produced a Soul Douluo-level monster, turned out to be a Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall's own history.
Fortunately, Spirit Hall discovered it extremely timely, successfully eliminating the monster before it had fully grown into a Titled Douluo, thus averting a potential major disaster.
It's worth mentioning that these monsters formed from negative energy seemed to be restricted by some mysterious force, unable to move too far from the Filth Point.
Once they exceeded a certain range, the energy within their bodies would continuously drain like sand in an hourglass, eventually dissipating automatically.
However, monsters that dissipated automatically in this manner would not yield any treasures.
In just a few months, news of the Filth Points spread like wildfire across the entire Douluo Dalu.
Everyone became aware of this astonishing secret: clearing Filth Points could yield various incredibly valuable treasures.
Among them, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, after clearing a Filth Point near their sect, unexpectedly obtained a powerful Level 7 soul tool.
After testing, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was delighted to find that this soul tool was extremely special; even a support-type soul master could easily use it, and it could unleash combat power no less than that of a Soul Saint in battle.
Upon learning this news, how could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possibly hold back?
It's important to know that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possessed a large number of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters. While these soul masters had excellent support abilities, their own combat power was almost negligible.
If they could possess a large number of such soul tools suitable for support-type soul masters, then the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's overall strength would undoubtedly increase exponentially.
Such an enticing prospect, how could it not drive them crazy?
It can be said that in these short few months, the Douluo Dalu experienced dramatic changes. Major forces swiftly took action, desperately searching for Filth Points, eager to obtain those tempting treasures by clearing the corruption.
Spirit Hall, the Seven Great Sects, the Heavenly Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and all other forces, without exception, issued large rewards, heavily compensating for information on Filth Points.
Because the appearance of Filth Points was unpredictable, many lucky individuals unexpectedly encountered them by chance.
As long as they weren't unlucky enough to be killed on the spot by negative energy monsters, then by reporting the Filth Point's location to the major forces, they could receive a substantial reward.
For a time, many ordinary commoners who became rich overnight emerged on the Douluo Dalu. The entire continent was immersed in a complex atmosphere of both fear and anticipation regarding the Filth Points.
The reason everyone felt fear was because the corrupting power of these Filth Points was truly terrifying.
For ordinary people, even getting slightly close to a Filth Point would cause intense discomfort.
This discomfort was by no means an ordinary physical reaction; once exposed, one would at least fall seriously ill afterward, suffering great physical torment.
And the negative energy monsters born from the Filth Points were even more chilling. They were purely collections of malice, relentlessly attacking and killing any approaching life forms, displaying extreme savagery and tyranny.
However, despite the terrifying threat posed by Filth Points and negative energy monsters, people remained full of anticipation.
This was because they also brought many irresistible benefits.