Sea God Island — Ma Xiaotao's dormitory.
"Mmmn~"
Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her eyes and sat up, her head still groggy. She instinctively raised a hand and patted her forehead before gradually regaining clarity.
"You're awake." A familiar voice sounded nearby. She turned toward it and saw her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, standing by the window with his back to her, gazing outside with an air of composure and wisdom.
"Teacher, what happened to me?" Ma Xiaotao asked, still a little dazed.
"You don't remember what happened?" Yan Shaozhe turned around, sounding slightly surprised.
"Um… I remember a little," Ma Xiaotao replied with a bitter expression as she tried to recall. "I was sparring with Ling Luocheng, then my martial soul lost control. I think I was chasing her, and then… I might've run into a male student. I think I even dragged him into the lake with me… After that, everything's a blur."
"Teacher, did I cause trouble?" Her face instantly turned pale with worry.
"Sigh…" Yan Shaozhe let out a deep sigh. "Not at all. You're lucky it was Zhu Ziyang you ran into. Otherwise, the consequences could have been disastrous!"
"Zhu Ziyang!" Ma Xiaotao froze, her entire body stiffening as dread washed over her.
She had spent three or four months trying to avoid Zhu Ziyang — was it all for nothing now? She wanted to cry. Ever since she saw him the second time, she realized one terrifying truth: she absolutely must not get close to Zhu Ziyang. He was like a poisonous antidote — suppressing her Evil Fire while also shattering the willpower she had worked so hard to build.
At first, Ma Xiaotao had relied solely on her will to suppress the Evil Fire. But after just two encounters with Zhu Ziyang, she found that simply being near him caused the fire to quiet down on its own. The indescribable comfort and euphoria unraveled her resolve instantly. From then on, every time the fire flared up, she would involuntarily think of Zhu Ziyang — of that light, weightless pleasure. Her willpower couldn't hold.
It had taken her over three months to shake off his influence, and now… she felt like dying. Did she really have to depend on Zhu Ziyang? But she was Ma Xiaotao! How could she rely on a man? Especially one four or five years younger than her!
"Xiaotao, are you alright?" Yan Shaozhe noticed she had zoned out and called out.
"Ah?! I'm fine, I'm fine!" Ma Xiaotao snapped out of it, quickly forcing a smile.
"You know, Zhu Ziyang is actually your martial uncle," Yan Shaozhe said casually, unaware of the mental damage his words were dealing her.
"Martial… uncle?!" Ma Xiaotao nearly screamed in disbelief.
"You child, don't be so jumpy. Where's your composure?" Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly.
"Teacher, are you serious? Zhu Ziyang is my martial uncle?!" she asked, voice still sharp.
"Yes. He's Elder Mu's new disciple and my junior brother — that makes him your martial uncle," Yan Shaozhe confirmed with a smile.
"Then why… why did you tell me to interact more with him?!" Ma Xiaotao stared at her teacher in disbelief, unsure what he was thinking.
"Sigh." Yan Shaozhe sighed again. "At first, I was hoping you two would form a bond."
"!" Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes widened in confusion.
"Ziyang has twin martial souls. His first is Ultimate Light, and his second is Ultimate Ice." Yan Shaozhe's voice lowered with seriousness. "That's top secret. I'm only telling you because I have no other choice. If the two of you joined together, your Evil Fire could be immediately resolved. Your martial soul could even evolve into true Ultimate Fire. But… Elder Mu wouldn't approve."
Ma Xiaotao fell silent. After a long pause, her delicate face turned firm.
"Teacher, I can overcome the Evil Fire on my own. I don't need Zhu Ziyang!"
"You stubborn girl…" Yan Shaozhe sighed again. "Fine, do as you please. But at least interact with him a little. Chances are, you'll be teammates in the future."
"I'll… try," Ma Xiaotao said after hesitating a moment.
"Good. Then rest well. I'll be going now." Satisfied, Yan Shaozhe turned and left the dormitory.
Ma Xiaotao sat on her bed, expression blank, clearly lost in thought.
—
Outside the room, Yan Shaozhe smiled to himself and muttered, "Teacher may not have agreed, but what if Junior Brother has ideas of his own? Xiaotao is outstanding — both in talent and beauty. After spending enough time together, I refuse to believe he won't fall for her. What kind of man would he be otherwise?"
—
The next day after the incident with Ma Xiaotao.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan made their way to Sea God Island together. He was heading there for his Monarch Over The World training with Mu En. As for Jiang Nannan, she said she was looking for Elder Song — supposedly to learn one of her personally developed combat techniques, akin to Elder Mu's famous three skills.
As they approached the golden ancient tree, a red-clad girl descended from above.
Upon seeing her, Zhu Ziyang's expression turned slightly awkward, reminded of the events from yesterday. But Jiang Nannan beamed and waved.
"Sister Xiaotao! Long time no see!"
"It's you, Nannan… Yes, it's been a while," Ma Xiaotao replied distractedly. Her gaze soon shifted to Zhu Ziyang.
Zhu Ziyang hadn't expected Jiang Nannan to know Ma Xiaotao and asked, "Nannan, you two know each other?"
"Of course!" Jiang Nannan said proudly. "I know all the senior brothers and sisters from the inner courtyard. Pretty impressive, right? Hehehe!"
She giggled in a way that reminded Zhu Ziyang of Tang Ya.
Zhu Ziyang shook his head. "Nannan, you should probably stay away from Tang Ya. Her influence is rubbing off on you — you've completely lost your restraint."
"No way! Just don't say that in front of Sister Tang Ya!" Jiang Nannan laughed. Then she asked curiously, "You and Sister Xiaotao know each other too?"
"Yeah." Zhu Ziyang nodded, glancing at Ma Xiaotao — only to find her staring blankly at him. He couldn't help asking, "Senior Sister Xiaotao, is there something you need from me?"
"Yes!" she blurted instinctively. But the moment she spoke, she regretted it.
"Please, go ahead," Zhu Ziyang said politely, acting completely proper — like nothing had happened between them the day before.
"I heard your martial soul is Ultimate Light. Could I… ask for your help in the future?" Ma Xiaotao replied, not even knowing why the words left her mouth.
"Uh… sure," Zhu Ziyang said after a moment's thought. He understood what she meant and chose to agree. Whether it was out of kindness or something else — even he couldn't say.
"Mm… thank you!" Ma Xiaotao's face flushed, and she lost the courage to linger. She stammered, "I'll go now. Bye!"
She fled the scene, vanishing hundreds of meters away in an instant. Her cheeks still burned.
She felt like a terrible person. Had she really tried to flirt with Zhu Ziyang right in front of Jiang Nannan? The shame was unbearable!
Poor girl — in some ways, her mind was still frighteningly innocent.
Back at the tree, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan stared after her in confusion.
"Brother, what was that all about? Why did Sister Xiaotao suddenly run off?" Jiang Nannan asked curiously.
"You didn't know? Her martial soul has a flaw. Mine can help suppress it," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
"Really?!" Jiang Nannan's eyes widened. "Sister Xiaotao is the second strongest genius in the inner courtyard, and even her martial soul has a defect? That's shocking!"
Zhu Ziyang chuckled and said, "Alright, let's go."
(End of Chapter)
---
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