CHAPTER 736: CHAPTER 741: THE ASTUTE XIA YUE

Blessings of beauty?

Ling Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Xia Yue had discovered something? No, he couldn’t admit it. With that thought, Ling Chen feigned ignorance and said, "Sister Five, what are you talking about? I don’t understand what you mean."

Xia Yue snorted lightly, "You’re still pretending? Don’t think I don’t know, this room is full of scents. Can’t you open a window and let it air out? Lucky for you, it’s me who came; if someone else had walked in, how embarrassed would you be."

Scents? Ling Chen was startled and looked at Xia Yue in surprise, murmuring, "Sister Five, how could you..."

Xia Yue smiled smugly and said, "You really think Sister Five knows nothing? Alright, you don’t need to be embarrassed in front of me. Love between a man and a woman is normal. However, you should take care of your body. Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet, and if you continue indulging without restraint, beware that your condition will worsen. Ok! I won’t tease you anymore. You must be tired from staying up all night without much rest. I’ll leave now and come back with Brother Song and the others to see you in the afternoon."

Watching Xia Yue leave, Ling Chen touched his nose and let out a wry smile to himself.

He had always thought of Xia Yue as a very innocent person, but he hadn’t expected her to be so open, actually discerning what had taken place last night from the room’s scents.

However, even though he had visitors five times last night, Ling Chen didn’t feel tired at all; on the contrary, he was brimming with vitality. Both his injuries and his spirit had returned to peak condition.

The Prajnaparamita Sutra truly deserved its reputation as a top-notch mental method, actually being able to improve one’s constitution through acts of intimacy.

Back during the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony, the porridge girl had taken the initiative to offer herself to him, enabling him to defeat Han Yu and take the top spot on the Newcomer List. This time, it was the porridge girl again. After giving it some thought, Ling Chen always felt that he owed her too much.

Lost in thought, he saw the porridge girl enter with a rich breakfast.

"Come, eat something."

Taking the bowl of clear porridge handed over by the porridge girl, Ling Chen spoke, "I remember, the first time I met you, you also made a bowl of clear porridge for me."

"That happened so long ago, why bring it up?" The porridge girl seemed indifferent.

Ling Chen looked up at her delicate face and said, "It’s just that I feel sorry for you. You... you give so much for me, but I have nothing to offer you, I..."

Before Ling Chen could finish speaking, the porridge girl suddenly put her hand over his lips and said, "You don’t need to say these things. I told you once before that I’ve had a fiancé for a long time. Actually, that fiancé I mentioned was you. This marriage was arranged by the Master from the beginning, from when I was very young. The Master told me that in the future, I would marry his son. So, ever since then, I’ve kept the Master’s words in mind. No matter what happens, I am your woman for life."

After a pause, the porridge girl continued, "Actually, you don’t need to feel too troubled. We are both from the Martial Arts world; we don’t have so many constraints and formalities. As long as you treat me well, that’s enough for me, without needing an official status."

Hearing this, Ling Chen felt a touch of emotion stirring within him.

If there was a woman willing to give everything for him without wanting anything in return, what reason would he have not to treat her well?

"Porridge girl, I..."

"Alright, stop there," the porridge girl interrupted Ling Chen, smiling and saying, "Hurry up and eat your breakfast. It won’t taste good when it’s cold."

With less than a day left before the fight with Wang Hao, Ling Chen dared not slack off. He spent the entire day sitting in his room, keeping himself in the best possible condition.

The next day.

Early in the morning, as Ling Chen and the porridge girl, along with Qiu Yong and others, just arrived at the valley of Yangxin Pavilion, they saw a huge crowd. The area around the platform was packed with nearly a hundred people.

"Ling."

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard. Ling Chen looked up and saw Song Ge running out from amongst the crowd and quickly approaching him.

"Brother Song?" Ling Chen looked at Song Ge in surprise, asking, "Brother Song, what brings you here?"

To his knowledge, the battle at Yangxin Pavilion was only open to its disciples and the high-ranking members of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, yet Song Ge had made an unexpected appearance.

Song Ge said with a smile, "It was the Pavilion Master’s decision. She made an exception and allowed the elite disciples of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to come and observe your fight with Wang Hao. You know as well as I do, a duel between experts is a rare occurrence. The Pavilion Master wanted us to broaden our horizons and learn some experience from it."

At this point, Song Ge patted Ling Chen on the shoulder and asked, "Ling, how are you feeling about today’s fight? Any confidence?"

"Brother Song, you know what kind of person that Wang Hao is—he’s recognized as the number one at Yangxin Pavilion, with powerful strength and also a master on the Earthly List. What do you think my chances are of winning against him?"

"Not big," Song Ge said honestly.

Ling Chen shrugged helplessly, "Then why do you ask if I’m confident?"

Song Ge laughed heartily, "Ling, I might not know others well, but I have faith in you. Go for it, aim to beat Wang Hao. In the future, you should not only be the first on the Newcomer List but also aim to be the top at Yangxin Pavilion. I believe in you, brother."

While speaking, everyone arrived at the seats.

After exchanging greetings with Su Mei, they all took their seats, quietly waiting for the martial contest to begin.

"Ling Chen."

A voice called out, and Ling Chen looked back to see Yang Tao and Yang Zhe had appeared behind him at some point.

"Brother Yang!"

Ling Chen greeted him with a smile, then turned to Yang Zhe with a cupped-fist salute, saying with an apologetic face, "Brother Yang, I’m really sorry about the other day. I hope you won’t take it to heart."

Yang Zhe waved his hand and said, "No worries, I was too careless that day, it wasn’t your fault." Then, changing the subject, Yang Zhe asked, "Ling Chen, can you give us an insight? How confident are you in today’s match against Wang Hao?"

Ling Chen shook his head and said, "Honestly, I don’t even have a ten percent chance. The difference between Wang Hao and me is clear, it’s not something that can be compensated for with just tactics."

"Knowing that, are you still planning to continue?"

"There’s no choice, I’ve come this far, I can’t back out at the last minute; it’s not my style. Besides, I really want to see just how powerful that Wang Hao is."

"Alright, in any case, just be careful."

"Wang Hao, it’s Wang Hao who has arrived!"

With a burst of excited shouting in the crowd, everyone’s attention was drawn to the approaching Wang Hao.

Under everyone’s gaze, Wang Hao, hands behind his back, walked with his head held high and a steady gait, not glancing aside and seemingly oblivious to the surrounding chatter.

Watching Wang Hao step onto the platform, Ling Chen withdrew his gaze and turned to Yang Tao and Yang Zhe with a smile, "Gentlemen, I’ll go first."

"Wait!"

Yang Tao stopped Ling Chen, who was about to leave, and handed him something, saying, "Take this with you, it might be of use to you."