The pressure was immense, but so was the pressure on him. He knows the more he delays his words, the more in deep shit he is in.
For a few more seconds, he looked through how the previous Wang Ling used to act, but they were of no use. The previous Wang Ling was more of an introvert, preferring to always be alone, cultivating.
'Fuck. Be confident, Me!' Reassuring himself, he relaxed himself by taking a deep breath, followed by his arms wrapping around his mother. He didn't hesitate for even a moment as he buried his face deeper into the large breasts that she possessed.
"How can I not be alright when I'm in heaven, mother?" Finally, he spoke, his voice a mixture of muffled and playfulness, but it was laced with confidence.
For a moment, he felt her become tense. She didn't speak for a few seconds, and in those times, Wang Ling sweated harder. His back was full of sweat. He was certain that just now, he had miscalculated. He acted too boldly.
'I'm cooked!' He thought, closing his eyes to accept the impending death looming over him.
But all of a sudden, Wang Yu Yan—his mother—let out a heartfelt laugh before holding him even more tightly.
"Silly boy. You almost gave me a fright!"
She held him for a few more seconds before finally releasing him from her tight hug. She still held him at arm's length, but it wasn't as suffocating as before.
'Am I safe?' Wang Ling thought, gazing at her eyes, which had deep crimson pupils that seemed to be gazing much more intensely toward him, as if she could see through his disguise and look at his original body's Japanese face.
Wang Ling gulped a mouthful of saliva, but he didn't let his gaze go. He didn't, even for a moment, take his gaze away from her.
He gazed back at her face with absolute confidence, not out of lust but out of necessity. He knew he could not afford not to look her in the eyes.
And while doing so, he buried her beautiful features deeply into his mind. She had a young, mature, and stunning look, with long, pitch black hair that reached till her back, tied in a bun with a golden, draconic hairpin.
'I cannot afford to let her think too deeply, must control the narrative... wait, the quest!' Remembering the quest he got about taming his fiancée.
"Mother, now that I'm feeling better... When can I see Qingyi?" He questioned, maintaining the facade of absolute confidence that he had adopted.
Hearing his words, Wang Yu Yan raised her eyebrow. This was the first time he had expressed active interest in his fiancée as compared to before, where he just nodded, hearing that he had his cousin, Xiao Qingyi, as his fiancée, showing minimal to zero interest.
'Gotcha, now she's a bit interested. Gotta keep her from thinking about my antics and behaviors at the moment' With an internal grin, he continued.
"I've been thinking..." He continued, "that this marriage that came out of pure political alliance.... It's too passive!" He took a small breath, giving each piece of information time to be fully printed into her brain before continuing.
"I want to make her mine... fully!" He said, his tone confident, as he slightly clenched his hand.
A flicker of something unreadable passed through Wang Yu Yan's eyes. It was none other than suspicion. He had always dedicated every moment to cultivating, staying indoors as much as possible, and now all of a sudden, he was speaking with and of ambition, possession.
It was truly unexpected, even suspicious, but nevertheless, there was a small part of her that wanted to give him a hug and praise him for his sudden but new way of thinking. She was swelled with pride. Her Ling'er had finally started changing, for the better.
But Wang Ling didn't know what she was thinking. He saw her silence not as something to celebrate, but as something to be worried about.
'Have I been found out?' He thought, feeling his heart hammering against his ribs.
While Wang Ling was sweating for his life, there could be seen someone else, too, kneeling beneath them on the ground with her head kissing the floor. It was none other than Su Yin, his personal maid.
She took a quick glance, as she felt her cheeks heat up. 'Young master.... he's really different than his usual self before catching that sickness!' She thought, her heart fluttering.
Su Yin had loved Wang Ling for as long as she could remember. Assigned as his personal maid in their childhood, her world had quickly started narrowing to the quiet, disciplined boy who seemed to only live for the sake of cultivation.
While other kids his age and status flaunted their power, their family status, and abused the servants, Wang Ling was the only different boy. He had never done any of those. He treated her and all the other servants, regardless of age, gender, cultivation, or origin ,with simple but unassuming kindness that felt more genuine than anything else.
Because of all of these—kindness, unwavering dedication, and intense focus—it quickly captured her young heart completely and so early.
Just then, Su Yin's eyes widened. Wang Yu Yan had noticed her glance as she felt the air around her tightening, making her stop glancing at Wang Ling and bow even more deeply.
Wang Ling, who had had enough of the silence, spoke to fill it. "You know, mother."
"I have been thinking of the past while resting.... I used to believe that cultivating in solitude, in seclusion, is all that I need. But I think... after thinking a bit more about it, it seems I may have been shortsighted." He continued, his head a little down.
"Perhaps it's time I act like the heir I am."
Wang Yu Yan gave a slight smile, hearing about his newfound resolve, which reassured Wang Ling a little. At least he was safe... for now.
Just as he was about to mention his fiancée again, he heard the familiar sound of the system before a floating screen that only he could see materialized before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Analysis Complete. High-Yield Target Detected]
[Target: Su Yin - Personal Maid]
[Status: Devoted, hopelessly in love]
[Cultivation Base: Void Comprehension Realm.]
[DING! Pure Yin Essence detected. High compatibility with the host]
[Suggestions: Make her your 'First Concubine' to formalize a form of partnership and unlock rewards. A devoted heart is the most stable foundation for initial dual cultivation, giving you both experience in Dual Cultivation and a loyal concubine.]
Reading the new information, Wang Ling delved into deep thought. 'The system is right... I have no idea how you'd perform dual cultivation. As far as the original Wang Ling knows, Dual Cultivation is just sex, but beyond that, he doesn't know anything, nor do I.'
With a newfound clarity, he turned his gaze from the system screen to the kneeling Su Yin.
"Su Yin." He said, his voice firm and clear.
Seeing his serious face, she raised her head, locking eyes with him as she replied with a bit of a stutter, "Y-young master?"
"From now on, you are relieved of your duty as my personal maid." He paused, watching as Su Yin's face changed from a mixture of confusion and hesitation to shock. Her blue eyes started tearing up.
'Shit, I'd better speak up fast. She seems to be misunderstanding something.' Watching her eyes gather specks of tears made his heart ache. She was a true beauty, and as a young man who had never slept with anyone, it was, of course, natural for him to be weak toward girls, especially stunning women like her.
"You shall be my first concubine." He said as he watched for her reaction.
And as expected, her teary face remained like that; however, now, there was a deep crimson hue on her cheeks with a small smile blooming on her lips.
"Yes!"
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A/N: The novel, in its initial phase, will feel incredibly slow-burn, but I'm just a newbie, so I am taking my time to flesh out initial characters because I fear that if I go too fast, I will make them cardboard characters, existing only for the sake of being fucked, which is not what I want.