Word Count: 3,316 Words
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"Waaah... it's all that bastard's fault... Ning Tian, I'm so sorry..."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Wu Feng's face. She had always believed their secret romance was flawlessly concealed, yet Ning Tian had known everything all along.
Only now did she finally piece it together. Why had Ning Tian actively encouraged her to accompany Ling Bai during the Mingdu exchange program? It hadn't been negligence, nor indifference. It had been a deliberate act of letting go.
An indescribably complex expression stiffened on Ling Bai's face. The Douluo Continent might be a world where 'three wives and four concubines' were accepted, but that didn't mean a man's heart never rippled with guilt, like a cheating husband suddenly remembering the faithful wife waiting quietly at home.
Wu Feng was Ning Tian's closest confidante. That bond carried a weight no other woman could match. The Carving Knife Leaderboard's Heaven's Moon, the Beautiful Silk Tulip, the 100,000-year External Spirit Bone Emerald Wings… treasures the world could only yearn for from afar. In a way, they truly were Ling Bai's small attempt at compensation.
High above, the nine-colored woman felt somewhat lost. Her own past relationships had revolved around only one person; their simplicity couldn't begin to compare with the tangled web among Ling Bai and his women. She shook her head and spoke:
"Ling Bai, your love life is a complete mess. Considering you've shown at least some honesty, I'll barely count you as passing.
Wu Feng, your sincerity comes from the heart, but your twisted view of love is hardly something to emulate. First Round: Pass.
Ning Tian, you sacrifice everything for love. Your devotion deserves both pity and respect. Pure and genuine. First Round: Pass."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng gazed at each other through their bubbles. For a moment, it felt as if a lifetime had passed between them. A faint smile curved Ning Tian's lips, and Wu Feng nodded heavily, tears still glistening in her eyes. The truth had been laid bare, the words long buried in their hearts finally spoken. At last, they could release the weight they had carried for so long.
"Han Ruoruo, do you have a lover?"
The nine-colored woman opened Han Ruoruo's bubble.
Han Ruoruo hadn't heard the earlier exchanges. She nodded calmly. "My lover is Ling Bai."
"As far as I know, the people he loves are far from limited to you, and the one he loves most is very likely not you. Even so, you still love him?"
Han Ruoruo's eyes, dark as a still lake, rippled faintly before quickly smoothing again. She answered steadily:
"I know there are many girls around him, and every one of them is an outstanding woman in her own right.
And your 'very likely' is incorrect. The one he loves most is definitely not me.
But my answer doesn't change. I love him."
The nine-colored woman could no longer hold back and said helplessly, "He can't even manage the most basic exclusivity. What is there about him that's worth loving?"
Han Ruoruo considered for a moment before speaking slowly. "I'm not young anymore. There are many things I can see clearly now.
To me, my lover doesn't have to be handsome or strong. But he must fulfill one condition: his soul must resonate with mine.
The one who accompanied me to the Library Pavilion was him. The one at my side from dawn till dusk was him. The one who stood before me in the Star Dou Forest was him. The one who keeps me in his heart is him. That happiness which seeps into my very soul... I don't want to—and I can't bear to—walk away from it.
I understand he has his responsibilities. The one who will rightfully marry him is Junior Sister Ning Tian. So I've never thought to compete. My greatest wish is simply to bear him a child, and to raise them together with Lexuan."
Han Ruoruo's eyes remained clear and pure. This gentle, understanding Elder Sister asked for so very little in love.
"Yearning Heartbroken Red, hurry it along," Ling Bai urged.
"Oh."
The Yearning Heartbroken Red acknowledged him and bent her focus back to channelling the Goddess of Love's power. She had caught the restless undercurrent beneath Ling Bai's calm voice.
As the Immortal Herb Emperor who governed the true meaning of love, she felt with perfect clarity the slowly rising tide of emotion within him. Truly listening to these women's heartfelt confessions stirred something deep within those brilliant golden pupils: ceaseless waves of genuine feeling, followed closely by thick undercurrents of guilt.
"True love, pure and unreserved. First Round: Pass."
The nine-colored woman let out a long sigh. Third Brother's mission is really too difficult. These women have set their hearts on following a scumbag. What can I possibly do about it?!
Golden light spun at the platform's center, stopping in turn over Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and Huo Yuhao.
In this timeline, due to certain changes in events, neither He Caitou and Xiao Xiao nor Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan had become couples.
Xu Sanshi was still miserably playing the part of a simp. Taking advantage of the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley's sincerity test, he poured out his heart to Jiang Nannan with everything he had.
Jiang Nannan remained unmoved. Her first statement, "I have no lover," and her second, "I've never loved anyone," landed like devastating left and right hooks, flooring Xu Sanshi where he stood.
Huo Yuhao naturally had a lover. He was willing to sacrifice everything for Wang Dong Er and passed the first round without difficulty.
The golden light finally settled on the last person: Wang Dong Er.
"Do you have a lover?"
"Yes."
"Who is he?"
Wang Dong Er paused for two and a half seconds before answering softly, "...Huo Yuhao."
Her clear voice reached Huo Yuhao's ears simultaneously. Little Huo puffed out his chest with pride.
I misunderstood Dong Er. She still loves me!
"Is he the one you love most?" the nine-colored woman pressed.
Wang Dong Er froze. Hesitation flickered through her pink-blue eyes, and the trident mark on her forehead shimmered faintly in and out of view. She murmured:
"I... I don't know."
Huo Yuhao went completely rigid. Even Old Ling next door snapped out of his swirling mix of emotion and guilt.
What's going on? Sounds like there's fresh gossip to be had!
Wang Dong Er's peerless face twisted with conflict. "Yuhao and I met when we were eleven. We were roommates from the very beginning. We've been through so much together… the freshman assessment, two Spirit Master Tournaments, the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival. We even share four Spirit Fusion Skills with one hundred percent compatibility.
Before, I thought Yuhao was a good man, and I was willing to become his wife. But about a month ago, it was as if he became a different person. Suddenly, nothing about him felt right to me anymore.
In the depths of night, when dreams pull me back, a voice keeps whispering that Yuhao isn't my destined other half. The one I should be chasing... is..."
That name seemed to stick in her throat. Wang Dong Er's pretty face flushed scarlet, but she couldn't force the words out. At last, she stammered:
"My heart is a tangled mess right now. All I can tell you is that my lover is Huo Yuhao. As for who I love most...
I'm sorry. I really don't know."
It's over. My girlfriend's heart has wandered... Huo Yuhao's face turned a tragic shade of green!
Ling Bai had been enjoying the spectacle, but his brow now furrowed involuntarily. A month ago... wasn't that around when I extracted the last 500,000 years of Skydream's origin energy?
Hiss~ This gossip...
He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head.
"Sincerity shrouded in mist needs light to guide it. First Round: Pass."
The first round was complete. The bubbles shattered one after another, and all eleven people dropped onto a single circular platform.
As if sharing a single thought, Ling Bai and Wu Feng turned their heads simultaneously toward Ning Tian, who stood between them. Tears spilled from Wu Feng's eyes once more. Ning Tian gently patted her back, her voice soft with reassurance:
"I've been enduring this in silence for so long. Just getting it out makes everything feel lighter."
"I've wronged you..."
"I don't blame you. If I did, why would I have been the one to send you to keep Bai-ge company in the first place? From now on, you two don't have to sneak around anymore. Be together openly."
"Mm... mm... thank you for forgiving me."
Ning Tian released Wu Feng and drifted toward Ling Bai with graceful, lotus-light steps, her gaze fixing steadily on his.
"Xiao Tian..."
He had barely uttered the two syllables when Ning Tian crooked her index finger and pressed it against his lips, a faint smile curving her own:
"Bai-ge, that night at the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival, I already told you, I'll love you a little more, enough to make our love whole.
If Bai-ge truly wants to make this up to me, can you agree to two requests?"
"Mm."
"First, I'll pretend I don't see them. But aside from Xiao Feng, no other woman who has shared skin-to-skin intimacy with you may live in Nine Treasure City."
Ning Tian's gaze drifted briefly to Ling Qiuxi, who stood with arms folded across her chest in cold, aloof pride, and then to Han Ruoruo, whose smile was as warm as a spring breeze. No matter how broad-minded she was, there still had to be a line drawn somewhere.
"Second, once we return... let's get engaged."
Those sapphire-blue eyes seemed veiled in a fine mist, yet within them hid the turning of sun and moon, the shifting of clear skies and rain. Rather than charging headlong into the fray and breaking things past the point of repair, Ning Tian had learned to worry, to temper that worry, and then to actively seek out solutions to every problem lurking beneath the surface. Step by step, she was growing from a carefree girl into a mature woman.
"Alright. We'll get engaged."
With those words, everything settled into place. Ning Tian relented on the matter of the 'outer rooms,' while Ling Bai, for his part, granted his future wife the basic respect she was due, promising to arrange the other women in his life so that each presided over her own corner of the world.
Queens would not meet queens.
"Sincerity First Round, complete. Adventure Second Round begins. Those exempted advance directly to the Third Round."
The nine-colored woman's voice fell, and Zhang Lexuan's figure vanished instantly. Everyone's hearts leapt back into their throats.
A thick, killing pressure descended over the platform. A massive roulette wheel rose from the ground, divided into ten segments, each bearing a distinct symbol.
The nine-colored woman's voice rang simultaneously in the ears of all ten remaining participants:
"Adventure Second Round, begin.
You will face this trial one at a time. The wheel will spin, and when it halts, the symbol before you will determine your task.
Succeed, and you pass. Fail, and you enter Deep Adventure. Should you fail there as well, the outcome is death. You may also choose to bypass the trial and proceed directly into Deep Adventure.
First: Han Ruoruo."
Golden light flared beneath Han Ruoruo's feet. The roulette wheel spun to life on its own, the symbols blurring into a whirl of color as it gathered speed.
Then, gradually, the wheel began to slow. Symbol after symbol drifted past her until it finally came to rest. The mark before her showed three fists, one large and two smaller.
"Defeat the two chosen opponents to pass. Should your opponents defeat you, they pass instead. Lose, and you enter Deep Adventure."
Two beams of golden light swept across the platform and settled upon Ning Tian and Wu Feng. The gold flared, and the three women found themselves standing in a triangular formation. Yet not one of them moved to strike first. They merely exchanged complicated glances in silence.
"Senior Sister Han... come."
The two younger women released their Martial Spirits, and Wu Feng shifted sideways, placing herself squarely between Ning Tian and Han Ruoruo.
Han Ruoruo was a high-ranked Spirit Douluo. After her Dazzling Golden Rope had absorbed the Black Jade Divine Bamboo, the foundation of her Martial Spirit had grown by tremendous leaps, and her true combat strength now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a Titled Douluo. Ning Tian and Wu Feng were merely two fledgling Spirit Emperors. The crushing disparity in their Martial Spirit Avatars alone meant they stood no real chance against her.
And yet Han Ruoruo only gave them a calm, unhurried glance.
"I concede. I'll enter Deep Adventure of my own will."
"Han Ruoruo enters Deep Adventure. Ning Tian and Wu Feng pass the Second Round," the nine-colored woman declared.
"Senior Sister!"
The two girls watched Han Ruoruo's figure fade thinner and thinner, utterly stunned. They were not close to her, and in matters of the heart, they were rivals. Had their positions been reversed, neither would have conceded so easily!
Han Ruoruo smiled faintly. "I'm the Senior Sister. It's my duty to protect my Junior Sisters.
My cultivation is far higher than yours, so stepping into an unknown Deep Adventure is safer for me than for you. Don't overthink it."
Ning Tian and Wu Feng returned to the circular platform with their heads lowered, their hearts churning like stormy seas.
A column of golden light blazed abruptly beneath Ling Qiuxi's feet, signaling that the wheel was now spinning for her. This time, it came to rest on a symbol depicting four sword blades.
"Two-on-two battle. Winners pass. Losers enter Deep Adventure."
Three more beams of golden light settled in swift succession, one large and two small. Ling Qiuxi released a quiet breath when she saw where they had landed. This was the best outcome she could have hoped for.
The large golden beam marked her teammate, Soft Bone Rabbit Jiang Nannan. The two smaller beams marked her opponents: Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the sworn brother duo.
So long as her opponent was not Ling Bai, everyone else was indistinguishable in Ling Qiuxi's eyes. She hefted the Golden Dragon Spear and charged straight at Bei Bei.
Jiang Nannan dipped slightly at the knees, and her pair of long, jade-smooth legs exploded with sudden force. The speed she reached in that single instant nearly rivaled Ling Qiuxi's own, though her aura lacked the same savage ferocity.
Facing down the Golden Dragon, Bei Bei didn't dare let his guard slip for a heartbeat. His Light Holy Dragon bloodline awakened at once… and then an absurdly exaggerated "Aiyaaa!" rang out beside him.
Dragon Emperor Demonic Rupture caught the onrushing Golden Dragon Spear. But when Bei Bei spared a sidelong glance, he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Xu Sanshi had collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest with a theatrically contorted face, wailing at the top of his lungs:
"Nannan, how could you be so heartless! A one-hit kill~"
Jiang Nannan stood rooted in place, utterly bewildered. This is way too fake! All I used was my first spirit skill, Waist Bow!
"Xu Sanshi, what the hell are you doing?!" Bei Bei roared.
Xu Sanshi scratched his rear with a sheepish grin. "Old Bei, I really can't bring myself to let Nannan suffer. Let's show a bit of gentlemanly style and throw this one, yeah?"
"I really... just can't with you..."
Bei Bei let out a bitter laugh and raised his hands in surrender. One-on-one, he stood no chance against Ling Qiuxi. Their only hope of victory had hinged on Xu Sanshi swiftly subduing Jiang Nannan, and since the man had decided to flop outright, there was no point in dragging the battle out any further.
Ling Qiuxi and Jiang Nannan claimed the victory. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi entered Deep Adventure!
Golden light flickered once more. Everyone held their breath, eyes locked on the rapidly spinning wheel as it slowed, then slowed further, and at last settled on Wang Dong Er. The symbol: a pair of lips.
"Adventure content: Tongue Kiss.
The wheel will spin again. No matter who it lands on, you must persuade or force that person to share a tongue kiss with you for three minutes. Total time allotted: ten minutes. Failure will result in entering Deep Adventure.
Allow me to emphasize once more: Deep Adventure is extremely dangerous. You may face opponents you cannot possibly resist. The probability of death exceeds fifty percent. Make your choice now."
Wang Dong Er listened to it all with her jaw hanging open. Everyone else heard the nine-colored woman's calm voice just as clearly, and the corners of their eyes twitched violently.
A tongue kiss counts as adventure content?!
The wheel began to spin once more, the selection pool including everyone present: Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Ling Qiuxi, Jiang Nannan, Ling Bai, Huo Yuhao...
Two men, four women. Of the two men, Huo Yuhao was her official boyfriend, and Ling Bai was the conflicted option. The women were simpler still; surely any of them would cooperate for the sake of survival. Wang Dong Er's clenched fists slowly relaxed.
Huo Yuhao's palms, on the other hand, were already slick with sweat. He prayed silently to the heavens:
Lord Sea God, please... not him, not him...
A moment later, the golden light halted. It came to rest precisely on the one-in-six outcome Huo Yuhao had been desperately praying against: beneath Ling Bai's feet!
"Countdown begins."
Two beams of golden light flared in unison, and Ling Bai and Wang Dong Er appeared at the center of the platform in the next instant. A golden hourglass hung suspended in the air above them, pale golden grains of sand trickling steadily downward.
Ling Bai's mind went blank.
Me?
Wang Dong Er?
Tongue kiss?
Three minutes?
With Huo Yuhao watching helplessly?
He glanced toward Huo Yuhao, whose bloodshot eyes blazed with grief and fury, and his thoughts short-circuited on the spot!
You really know how to play. How is this any different from cucking the man right in front of him?!
"No... no! You can't! Dong Er! Dong Er!"
Huo Yuhao howled hysterically, and Jiang Nannan sighed as she tried to console him.
Yuhao, you wouldn't want Dong Er to fall into real danger, would you!
Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Ling Qiuxi ground their teeth. Damn it, that scumbag is getting another massive windfall, and this time he has a perfectly legitimate excuse for it!
"Go ahead... just... hurry up and get it over with."
Wang Dong Er's breath came quick and shallow, her cheeks flushed crimson. She took a small step forward until barely half a meter separated them.
Her long lashes fluttered once before drooping as she tilted her chin up slightly, eyes closing shyly. Her glossy lips pressed together in a tight line, then parted ever so slightly after a moment's hesitation, revealing the faintest glimpse of pink tongue. Her hands curled into fists at her sides, the delicate lines of her arms standing out against her soft, trembling frame.
In that posture, anyone with eyes could tell she was offering herself up.
Yet she waited, and waited, and the sensation she had been anticipating never came. A flicker of confusion stirred in her heart. With her breathtaking beauty and her tacit consent already given, any man would have pounced like a starving wolf by now. So why hadn't Ling Bai kissed her yet?!
Curiosity overcame shyness. Wang Dong Er cracked one eye open just a sliver, and saw Ling Bai standing perfectly still, not having moved so much as an inch.
A heartbeat later, his clear voice rang across the platform:
"I choose Deep Adventure."