Chapter 421: Tianshui Academy's Response
The Star Dou Great Forest, inside an uninhabited cave.
As the sun rose and set, faint, alluring moans echoed intermittently from within the cave…
Several days later.
"We're leaving, Dai Yao."
Inside the pitch-black cave, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu stood to his left and right, their slender waists held by Dai Yao as he escorted them step by step to the cave entrance. Shui Bing'er gently pushed Dai Yao away, supporting Xue Wu—who was also unsteady on her feet—and shot Dai Yao a light glare as she spoke softly.
After several days and nights, the clothes on both women were full of creases, enough to imagine the "fierce battles" they had endured.
Yet their faces were rosy and radiant, their complexions better than ever. Even Shui Bing'er, who usually appeared cold and aloof to outsiders, couldn't help but show a sincere smile whenever she looked at Dai Yao.
"I'm sorry. I was too rash this time. When the timing is right, I'll personally go to Tianshui Academy and give you both an explanation."
Stepping forward, holding both of their hands and looking carefully at their delicate faces, Dai Yao made a solemn promise.
At this moment, Dai Yao had fully returned to normal. His jet-black hair had once again turned golden, and the eyes once filled with sinister energy had reverted to a sacred golden hue.
This time, losing control had caused an irreversible "mistake." If not for the two girls forgiving him and the outcome ultimately being good, he would never have been able to face his own conscience.
Hearing Dai Yao's words, Xue Wu nodded happily. Enduring the pain between her legs, she stepped closer and helped straighten his slightly wrinkled clothes.
The moment her hands touched that chest she had pressed against countless times, her pretty face flushed red. While tidying his clothes, she spoke softly:
"This wasn't your fault. Bing'er and I both know you lost your rationality. Besides, for me, if not for this accident, I would never have had the chance to be with you. To be honest, I'm rather grateful that you lost control this time."
"The one you really need to win over is Bing'er."
She turned her head and winked at Shui Bing'er. Shui Bing'er smiled helplessly. Only now did she realize that among them, the one most deeply in love with Dai Yao was actually Xue Wu. She looked valiant and spirited on the outside, yet was the one most hopelessly entangled in romance.
Xue Wu continued:
"I know you're strong, but you're still just one person. There are far too many dangers in the Star Dou Great Forest. You must be careful."
She knew Dai Yao was someone destined to accomplish great things. Trying to change his mindset with her own views might backfire, so she simply reminded him to stay safe and said nothing more.
Dai Yao nodded and gently stroked Xue Wu's gray-blue short hair.
Xue Wu smiled, nodded, then turned to Shui Bing'er. "Alright, I'm done saying goodbye. Bing'er, it's your turn."
Somewhat helpless, Shui Bing'er was pushed in front of Dai Yao by Xue Wu. Her long, jade-like legs stood straight as she faced him. Quietly gazing at the man who had taken her most precious thing, her fists unconsciously clenched as ripples formed in the once-calm lake of her heart.
She had told herself to treat everything as repayment for Dai Yao's life-saving grace—but now that they were about to part, why did she feel such reluctance?
Could it be that she had truly fallen in love with Dai Yao?
Her aqua-blue hair fluttered lightly. Looking at Dai Yao, she suddenly felt at a loss with her hands, unconsciously tucking stray hair behind her ear. Then she met his gaze, lightly bit her lip, and after a long pause spoke seriously:
"Dai Yao, Xiao Xue and I will keep your martial soul secret. Your twin martial souls are already known throughout the world, and now you've revealed the Dark Devil Evil God Tiger martial soul. Soul masters across the continent would want to dissect you to understand you completely. You absolutely must not expose this identity."
"Otherwise, there will be no place for you on this continent."
Hearing this, Dai Yao was stunned, then nodded heavily. Shui Bing'er was different from ordinary girls—she always gave advice from the most rational perspective. Only in moments like this could one see the dazzling bloom of this lofty ice flower.
He didn't want Shui Bing'er to leave him. The "evil" self whispered incessantly in his ear. No longer hesitating, he pressed his lips against Shui Bing'er's soft, pinkish-purple lips.
That "evil" self was right. Just like the past few days, a woman like Shui Bing'er had strong opinions. Normal people would act cautiously around her. To truly possess her, one had to break through her detached calm toward everything—attack again and again.
Using the most intimate way to shatter her rationality.
Only when she could barely breathe did Shui Bing'er suddenly push Dai Yao away, giving him a reproachful glare. Her chest rose and fell as she gasped for breath, a trace of glistening moisture still at the corner of her lips.
"After all these days, haven't you kissed enough yet?" Shui Bing'er complained.
Dai Yao grinned shamelessly.
"An entire lifetime probably wouldn't be enough."
Shui Bing'er froze. "Then how long would be enough?"
Dai Yao smiled. "If this lifetime isn't enough, then we'll talk about the next one."
"And if the next one still isn't enough?"
"Then we'll talk about the one after that."
Shui Bing'er's heart leapt violently. Ever since the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament ended, she had rarely gotten angry. Yet after meeting Dai Yao, in just a few days she didn't know how many times she had lost her temper. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she snapped angrily:
"You bastard! I really misjudged you! I even thought you were a gentleman before!"
Dai Yao said quietly, "But do you like gentlemen?"
Shui Bing'er froze. With a single sentence, Dai Yao plunged her into confusion. Yes—back then, Dai Yao had indeed stirred her feelings, but it wasn't to the point of obsession. Yet the current Dai Yao, sometimes sinister and domineering, truly made her heart move.
After a long while, as if resigning herself to fate, she主动 wrapped her arms around Dai Yao's neck and offered her lips.
The two embraced tightly.
Watching the pair in love, Xue Wu felt a faint bitterness in her heart.
Dai Yao's hands were anything but well-behaved. Clothes fluttered down in pieces, and before long, another fierce "battle" began once more…
...
The next day, at the Tianshui Academy camp.
With Xue Wu abducted and Shui Bing'er having chased after her, both gone for several days, the entire camp was on edge.
"We can't wait any longer! Xiao Xue and Bing'er's lives are still unknown—we must go look for them!"
Yu Hairou stood up and said angrily.
"Yes! Sister hasn't come back for so many days—something must have happened. If we don't go now, Sister she…" Shui Yue'er said sorrowfully.
She and Shui Bing'er weren't just teammates, but real sisters. With her elder sister missing without any news, how could she not be frantic?
For a time, the disciples of Tianshui Academy were in an uproar, all wanting to go out and search for Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu.
At that moment, a deep voice suppressed all the arguing.
"Have you all made enough noise?"
The vice dean emerged from her tent and walked into the middle of the group. Seeing the cold expression on her face, everyone had no choice but to quiet down.
The vice dean swept her gaze across the women. Every girl who met her eyes instinctively lowered her head under that pressure. Only then did the vice dean say coldly:
"With your level of strength, acting alone in the Star Dou Great Forest is nothing but suicide! If I go to find Bing'er, setting aside whether I can defeat that person, once too much time passes, you will all surely die here!"
"In a soul beast forest like this primitive jungle, no one talks about morality with us. Especially you delicate girls—if you run into twisted soul masters, you'll only die even more miserably!"
"The only option now is to wait here!"
"Either wait for the academy to send other powerful experts, or wait for Bing'er and the others to return on their own. These are the only two choices. Decide for yourselves!"
Everyone fell silent. Either option meant waiting—waiting for Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu to return safely.
But could they really come back safely?
That man was filled with sinister energy and slaughtered soul beasts with extreme cruelty. If Shui Bing'er and the others fell into his hands, it would be hard to imagine a good outcome.
The group's mood sank lower and lower. Looking at the bright forest around them, it suddenly felt cold and bleak.
Suddenly, a faint yet familiar soul power fluctuation came from afar, growing closer and closer. The women immediately stood up and looked at each other, seeing ecstatic joy in one another's eyes.
Those two auras were none other than Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu!
Before long, Shui Bing'er landed in the camp. The icy wings on her back dissolved like flowing water. Setting Xue Wu down, Shui Bing'er looked at everyone's unhealthy expressions, born from days of worry, and her heart trembled as she said apologetically:
"Sorry, everyone. I made you worry."
"Bing'er, why apologize? It's enough that you came back safely," someone waved it off.
"Exactly, Captain. You went to save Xue Wu—why apologize to us? By the way, what did you encounter? How did you come back?" someone asked curiously.
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er's face flushed. She exchanged a glance with Xue Wu, coughed lightly, and said:
"It's a long story…"
Before she could finish, a voice from inside the tent interrupted her.
"Bing'er has just returned. Stop interrogating her and let her rest properly first. Bing'er, you and Xue Wu come in for a moment. I have something to ask you."
Inside the tent, the vice dean's hands trembled as she suppressed the anger in her voice.
From the moment Shui Bing'er returned, she had noticed something was wrong. The way Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu walked was off. Xue Wu claimed she was injured in battle, but as someone experienced, how could she not know what the two had gone through?
That man had actually ruined the purity of both girls. Tianshui Academy had never suffered such a humiliation!
They had to find out that man's identity, then gather forces to kill him—only then could they wash away Tianshui Academy's shame!
After the vice dean spoke, no one questioned Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu further. The two exchanged a look, then Shui Bing'er took Xue Wu's hand and entered the vice dean's tent.
As the flap fell, the vice dean immediately waved her hand, setting up a layer of soul power to isolate the sound inside from the outside world.
She looked at Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu with pity, gently holding their hands. She could imagine how much suffering they had endured at that man's hands. Their current calmness was likely just an act of endurance. She comforted them softly:
"Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, don't be afraid. The academy will stand up for you. Tell me that man's appearance and identity. Once the academy's experts arrive, he won't leave alive!"
Both Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were shocked—they hadn't expected the vice dean to see through them. They looked at each other, silently exchanging opinions. Shui Bing'er carefully chose her words and, after a moment, said:
"Vice Dean, we don't want to pursue that person's responsibility. Let this matter end here…"
"No!" the vice dean refused decisively.
"You are the academy's pride. If you are humiliated, the academy is humiliated. Don't worry—the academy will make that man pay!"
Suddenly, she stopped, observing their reactions. A ridiculous thought surfaced in her mind. She staggered back two steps, pointed at them, and said in shock and anger:
"You… you didn't fall in love with that man, did you?!"
As her words fell, the tent fell into dead silence. Xue Wu raised her head, met the vice dean's sharp gaze, and bravely nodded.
"Yes. We fell in love with him."
The vice dean's breath caught. Her head turned mechanically toward Shui Bing'er as she asked in a trembling voice:
"And you, Shui Bing'er?"
Shui Bing'er nodded without hesitation.
It was as if the vice dean had been struck on the head by a massive hammer. Her mind went blank as she collapsed onto the ground, even breathing becoming difficult. Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu hurried forward to help her up, but she slapped their hands away.
She hated it—hated that these two girls didn't cherish themselves. Was a brute who forcibly took women worth loving? She wanted to persuade them one last time, but recalling their reactions just now, her anger flared uncontrollably. She demanded harshly:
"I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to tell me that man's identity or not?"
Shui Bing'er still showed no hesitation. She shook her head.
"Vice Dean, there's no need to ask anymore. We won't say it. He said that one day, he'll personally come to Tianshui Academy to take us away."
The vice dean's mind, which had just recovered, was struck again. Such obvious sweet talk—and yet Shui Bing'er, usually so intelligent, actually believed that man's nonsense?! Could it be that women in love truly had no rationality at all?
"Enough… enough. This matter is my fault. I failed to protect you. What you suffered—I bear great responsibility."
"I won't interfere with your decision, but I can let this pass. Your parents, however, won't be so forgiving. When we return to the academy, Shui Bing'er, you will explain this yourself to the Dean!"
The dean of Tianshui Academy was none other than the biological mother of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.
At the mention of "Dean," Shui Bing'er felt a headache coming on. But since she had decided to keep Dai Yao's secret, she would never reveal it—even to her own parents.
With the discussion concluded, Tianshui Academy immediately packed up camp and prepared to leave.
Before long, a group clad in aqua-blue disappeared into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
(End of Chapter)
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