Ye Qiu's eyes turned slightly red, but he tried hard to control his expression.
He forced a natural smile.
"Hehe… This candied hawthorn is very, very delicious!"
"Really? Did you actually eat it?" Ning Rongrong asked, narrowing her eyes.
Behind Ye Qiu, Xiaolan looked at him in horror.
"Why don't you try it yourself?" Ye Qiu said weakly.
"Great! I'll take it to my dad so he can taste it too!"
"Hey, wait! Listen to me!"
But it was too late.
Ning Rongrong had already run off.
Looking at her cheerful back, Ye Qiu could tell she was really happy.
But he suddenly felt uneasy.
He could only hope that when she came back, she wouldn't come looking for trouble.
The moment she disappeared from sight, Ye Qiu froze.
The tears he had been holding back finally slipped out from the corners of his eyes.
He quickly spat out the remaining hawthorn in his mouth.
Then he knelt down, grabbed Xiaolan by the shoulders, and asked the question he desperately needed answered.
"How did you manage to eat that?!"
Xiaolan sniffed.
"Sister Rongrong said if I finished one stick, she would treat me to a big feast later… But Xiaolan really couldn't handle it anymore!"
She covered her mouth, looking like she wanted to pull out her tongue and wash it.
"My mouth is so bitter… Is it broken? Ugh…"
Seeing her cry so pitifully, Ye Qiu didn't know what to say.
He could only pat her back gently to comfort her.
As for whether Ning Fengzhi and the others could survive that taste—
He definitely couldn't.
Night fell.
The bright moon hung high in the sky.
Ye Qiu sat alone in the gazebo, resting his chin on his hand as he thought.
When Xue Beng surrounded him earlier that day, Ye Qiu realized a problem.
His current soul skills were too extreme.
Whenever he used them, the result was either death or serious injury.
Shenwei could twist someone's head or body apart.
Amaterasu was hard to control and burned everything.
Tsukuyomi could easily damage a person's mind.
These skills were only suitable for life-or-death battles.
As for the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul, it only had two support-type soul skills, which were not very useful in real combat.
"I wonder if I can create my own soul skill…" he muttered.
Just as he looked up at the moon, he noticed something.
A pair of jade-like feet were swinging gently from the edge of the gazebo roof.
Her legs were slender and smooth, glowing softly under the moonlight.
It was Ning Rongrong.
In the afternoon, she had returned with an empty plate, but her expression had looked disappointed.
Seeing that, Ye Qiu didn't dare say anything.
Unexpectedly, she stayed quiet the whole evening and didn't cause trouble.
Ye Qiu jumped onto the roof and looked at her.
She was sitting there in a light nightdress, drinking alone. The evening wind blew her brown hair gently.
The once arrogant and lively "little witch" now looked quiet and fragile.
"What are you thinking about?" Ye Qiu asked.
"Huh?" She turned around. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I couldn't sleep. Just thinking."
"Thinking about what?" she asked curiously, taking a sip of wine.
"About the future. About what path to take. What to do next. What about you? As the future heir of the sect, have you never thought about these things?"
Ye Qiu lay back with his hands behind his head.
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment but didn't answer.
The two of them looked at the moon in silence.
After a while, Ye Qiu asked, "What were you thinking about just now?"
Ning Rongrong lowered her head and stared at her reflection in the wine cup.
"I was wondering… if I've been too selfish."
Her thoughts drifted back to the afternoon.
When she gave the candied hawthorn to her father and the two grandpas, their expressions clearly looked painful. But they still said it was delicious. The two grandpas even competed to praise it more.
At first, she felt proud.
Later, she brought it to her brothers and sisters.
Only Ning Tian took a bite and said it was good—while crying.
The others just looked at her coldly.
They said she was playing another prank. That she never took things seriously. That she only caused trouble.
But she really just wanted to share something with them.
Thinking about this, her eyes turned red.
"What you said just now… makes me feel even worse," she said softly.
Ye Qiu looked at her in surprise.
The little witch was actually reflecting on herself?
She noticed his expression and snorted.
"Hmph! So you think I'm selfish too?"
"Well… a little," Ye Qiu admitted honestly, rubbing his nose.
Ning Rongrong lay down and stared at the sky, trying to stop her tears.
She had already cried too many times in front of him lately.
Seeing the tears in her eyes, Ye Qiu felt guilty.
They stayed silent for a long time.
Then suddenly—
"Thank you."
"Sorry."
They spoke at the same time.
Both turned and looked at each other in surprise, then quickly looked away.
"Why are you thanking me?" Ye Qiu asked.
"Why are you apologizing?" she asked back.
"You speak first."
"No, you first."
They both said it at the same time again.
"Ladies first," Ye Qiu said.
"Fine."
Her voice was softer now, without her usual arrogance.
"Thank you for saving me. And… thank you for saying my food was delicious."
When she said the second part, she looked at him with shining eyes.
Other than her father and the two grandpas, Ye Qiu was the only one who praised her cooking.
That made her feel warm.
Ye Qiu coughed awkwardly and avoided her gaze.
"What's wrong? I finished talking. Now it's your turn," she said suspiciously.
"Can I not say it?" he asked carefully.
"No."
"Promise you won't hit me?"
She stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.
"And don't scold me either."
"Just say it already!"
Ye Qiu took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry. I praised your cooking because I wanted to trick you into eating some too."
The next second—
"Ah!!"
Ye Qiu bent over and grabbed his stomach in pain.
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