Ficool

Chapter 88 - Chapter 86: Oona's Shyness

Ming Qi had probably never before found opening his eyes so difficult.

It took him almost all his strength to barely pry them open.

And it was through this sliver of slit that he saw a pair of beautiful eyes, beaming with joy.

Beautiful eyes, like black gemstones, curved into crescents in a smile.

Just as Ming Qi was about to open his mouth, a cup was placed beside him. The rim of the cup sat just right, and the warm liquid flowed down his lips and into his throat. The instant nourishment restored Ming Qi's strength.

He strained to open his eyes wide, until they were round.

And then, he saw the beautiful Oona, beaming at him.

When Oona realized Ming Qi had clearly seen her, a hint of shyness crossed her face.

"Senior Sister Oona."

Ming Qi's voice was weak, but the fact that he could speak proved that he was recovering rapidly. The feeling of his soul returning to him gave Ming Qi a feeling of having survived a catastrophe.

He tried to move, but it was a struggle. He could only slightly wiggle his fingers, and only one or two joints, not even his entire hand.

"Senior Sister Oona, thank you..."

"No thanks."

Oona said a few words quickly, then turned to pour water into the cup.

Ming Qi had just woken up and urgently needed to drink enough water.

Oona said nothing, simply feeding Ming Qi water.

After several cups of water, Ming Qi finally recovered and was surprised to find that his entire body began to swell with strength, as if a balloon was rapidly inflating.

He immediately realized the tremendous changes that had taken place in his body.

Even though he was aware of this, he couldn't help but be shocked when he saw the changes clearly.

The biggest change was undoubtedly in his bones. His once pristine white bones now appeared to be coated in a hazy layer of flame veins.

In addition, his internal organs and meridians became more vigorous and powerful than ever, brimming with vitality.

Could this be the effect of being burned by flames?

Seeing this astonishing change, Ming Qi immediately recalled the agony of being burned by the flames, and a shudder ran through his body. He was unwilling to experience that kind of pain any more, even if it could bring him immense benefits.

But he also knew that something like this could only happen once.

With the mark of fire already etched upon his bones and blood vessels, conscious efforts to temper his body would no longer be effective.

Ming Qi subconsciously clenched his fist. As his fingers closed, his knuckles crackled, and he could feel a burning heat rapidly converging from all parts of his body toward his clenched fist.

Bang!

Before she could react, a flame erupted from Ming Qi's fist, instantly charring the blanket covering her body.

"Ah!"

Ouna was startled, looking at Ming Qi nervously.

This was her home. She clearly remembered how Ming Qi's attic had been completely reduced to ash by that bizarre fire, leaving not even the walls intact.

This showed just how powerful the flames Ming Qi had inexplicably conjured were.

Ming Qi, startled, quickly released his hand, concentrating his mind to dissipate the condensed flames.

Flames?

Supernatural powers?

Seeing Ming Qi summon flames with just a clenched fist, Ouna immediately thought of supernatural powers.

Has supernatural powers meant he was already in the innate realm?

"Junior Brother Ming, you..."

Ouna was at a loss for words.

However, Ming Qi immediately understood Ouna's thoughts and smiled, saying, "This is just a blessing in disguise. It's not that easy to be born with a natural talent."

"How long was I unconscious?"

After understanding the situation, Ming Qi finally remembered the question. He must have been unconscious for a long time, but he didn't know exactly how long.

"Nine days,"

Ouna said with a hint of annoyance.

"Ah!"

Nine days!

Although Ming Qi had expected it to be longer, such a length of time was beyond his expectations.

Almost instinctively, he reached out and quickly lifted the sheet covering him, preparing to jump down to stretch his muscles before going to find Meng Ling.

But just as Ming Qi lifted the sheet, he saw Ouna's pretty face flush instantly. She quickly turned around and cried out, "No!"

Huh?

Ming Qi was quick to react and immediately realized what was going on. He glanced at the bed and froze.

Countless alpaca horses were galloping and dancing in his head.

My emotions were as fragile as a wave!

Not only were my clothes gone, but they were completely gone from my insides and out!

What the hell was going on?

And something on my body was just as energetic and peeking back and forth as I was.

Ming Qi was immediately embarrassed, and the Seven Evil Gods were completely flustered. Not caring about anything else, they quickly pulled the discarded sheet over and covered it up again.

After regaining their composure, Ming Qi said awkwardly, "Senior Sister Oona, I'm sorry, I..."

"It's okay. You should get some rest. I'll go tell them you're awake."

Oona said shyly, not even looking back, and ran off.

...

Ming Qi was speechless for a moment, muttering to himself, "I'm the one being watched. Why are you running?"

After all, Ming Qi wasn't a master of romance. If someone were in this situation, it would likely have led to a scandalous story.

Watching Ouna practically trot out of the room, Ming Qi calmed down completely.

Checking that the ring on his finger was still there, he pulled out a set of clothes and put them on. Then, he jumped off the soft bed and idly surveyed the room.

His room had clearly been burned down. This couldn't possibly be his attic.

Was it Tang Qi's? Or Meng Junyi's? Or Qinglong's?

After looking around, Ming Qi realized none of them were his.

And he caught a whiff of a faint, fresh fragrance in the air.

This was a girl's room!

Ming Qi was certain. Otherwise, how could there be such a refreshing aroma?

His immediate thought was Ouna.

This was most likely Ouna's room.

Ming Qi felt a surge of pride at the thought that Oona had left him, severely injured, in her room.

The room was neatly decorated, and exuded a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere.

Carelessly picking up a scroll from a desk against the wall and opening it, Ming Qi was certain this was Oona's room.

Because what Ming Qi was holding was the very painting he had given Oona.

It depicted the beautiful woman who had appeared in his dreams countless times.

Seeing this casual work of his placed prominently in Oona's room, Ming Qi's heart was moved.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door. It was undoubtedly the other senior brothers and sisters arriving.

Ming Qi put the scroll away untouched and turned to see Meng Junyi, who had entered first.

"Junior Brother Ming, you're awake! How wonderful!"

Meng Junyi was clearly genuinely happy for Ming Qi's recovery.

Then, Tang Qi, Yue Qinglong, Qiu Ling, and Sang Yue'er all entered.

Ming Qi smiled, his gaze sweeping over the group.

"Huh? Where's Senior Sister Ouna?"

Ming Qi felt a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Could it be that this girl would never dare see him again?

"She said, 'cause you just woke up, and she wanted to make you something to nourish you."

Qiu Ling smiled at Ming Qi.

"Uh..."

An excuse!

Purely an excuse!

Ming Qi immediately concluded that Ming Qi was simply embarrassed to show up.

The room had plenty of chairs, and after everyone sat down, Ming Qi asked about the Golden Autumn Festival.

After all, he had been unconscious for nine days, so by that calculation, the Golden Autumn Festival was already completely over.

As expected, the Golden Autumn Festival has concluded. Without Ming Qi's powerful defender, Tianqi Academy was eliminated in the second round by the less-than-stellar Beichen Academy, completely disqualified from competing. As for the subsequent Talent Ranking individual competition, Meng Junyi qualified at Yue Dongqing's insistence, ultimately securing eighth place.

After five years of silence, Tianqi Academy finally appeared on the Talent Ranking again, a truly inspiring event.

The confident expressions on everyone's faces indicated that Tianqi Academy's revival was drawing closer.

The top spot on the Talent Ranking ultimately went to Xiao Lingyun, unsurprisingly. As for the other spots on the Talent Ranking, Biyou Sect's outer sect boasted numerous exceptionally talented disciples, and all those with demonstrated abilities achieved their due.

"Tianqi Academy has hope!"

Ming Qi smiled and clenched his fist at the crowd. This time, however, he was more discerning, firmly controlling his flames and avoiding an uncontrolled outburst.

"I believe Junior Brother Ming would have definitely secured a spot in the top three on the Talent List if it weren't for this accident," Tang Qi said with some regret.

"Not just the top three, with Junior Brother Ming's strength, taking first place on the Talent List would be a no-brainer."

Qiu Ling immediately said angrily.

They had all seen Ming Qi soar through the flames and forcibly block a powerful attack from the Sword-wielding Elder, Prince Xu.

They didn't believe Xiao Lingyun could withstand Prince Xu's full-strength attack.

"You're kidding, you're kidding! I'm not that capable."

Unable to explain that the formidable power wasn't his own, Ming Qi could only offer this vague promise.

The entire morning passed in this manner. During their conversation, Ming Qi also expressed concern for Meng Ling. He was relieved to learn that Meng Ling had been with Yue Dongqing since that day. After today, when her health had fully recovered and stabilized, he would return to Tianqing Palace to retrieve Meng Ling.

"Wow, that smells so good! Senior Sister Oona, what delicious food did you make?"

At ten o'clock in the afternoon, Oona finally arrived, belatedly. Bringing with her, of course, her amazing culinary skills.

Yue Qinglong, who first smelled the aroma, leaped up and rushed out the door.

A short while later, Yue Qinglong entered, carrying two large food boxes.

The blush on Oona's face had long since faded, but once inside, she hardly dared to look up at Ming Qi.

More Chapters