Chapter 178: Xiao Yanzi, Hurry and Snuggle Up to Jiang Lin!
"But didn't Brother Lin eat the most? Why is there no reaction at all?" Feeling embarrassed under Yun Zhi's accusing "pervert" stare, Xiao Yan quickly changed the subject. He was genuinely confused—Jiang Lin clearly ate the most, yet he looked completely unaffected, still calmly eating!
"Reaction? How could a gentleman like me possibly..." Jiang Lin replied with a straight face, spouting nonsense without a second thought.
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Brother Lin, come on. Are you really going to keep pretending?"
"Sigh..." Even after being exposed, Jiang Lin's expression didn't change. With a melancholic air, as if burdened by years of sorrow, he sighed softly and said, "I was just wondering why you two were getting so excited over grilled fish... So the issue was with me."
"The burning I endure during daily cultivation is far more intense than this little bit of heat."
Both the Forging Flame Art and the Soul Refining Art were techniques centered on the concept of destruction before rebirth. When Jiang Lin first started cultivating the Forging Flame Art, the pain had been real, but over time, he adapted. Even cultivating the Soul Refining Art didn't faze him anymore.
Because of that, Jiang Lin himself hadn't realized another extraordinary trait of his—his exceptional mental resilience.
"So basically, Brother Lin is just overflowing with vitality all the time, so this kind of thing has no effect on him?" Xiao Yan looked as though he had everything figured out.
Because Jiang Lin's internal furnace was too strong, a normal flame couldn't stir him at all.
"Do you want to spar again?" Jiang Lin gave Xiao Yan a glare. Honestly, that explanation wasn't wrong.
Due to the forging principle of the Forging Flame Art treating the body like a weapon, Jiang Lin's physical resistance was insanely high. The little aphrodisiac pills Xiao Yan had crafted only caused his abdomen to heat slightly before being instantly broken down by the art into pure energy for tempering his body.
"Did you make an antidote?" Yun Zhi, her eyes growing hazy, looked weakly at the two still bickering. She gave a light hum and asked softly, not hiding her displeasure.
"No... I was just curious and made a small batch. I forgot all about it, and they got mixed in with my other pills…" Xiao Yan was on the verge of tears. The effects were intensifying, and he was beginning to feel it—his whole body was heating up, and things were, well… getting heated.
"Th-then what do we do?" Yun Zhi, her body burning, hugged herself tightly, head buried in her knees. Her turquoise eyes shimmered with tears. Her voice was soft, alluring, yet filled with fear and helplessness.
Since she couldn't access her Dou Qi, she had no way of circulating energy to suppress the reaction. Xiao Yan's powder was having the strongest effect on her.
Xiao Yan was already trying to suppress it with his energy, but he could barely hold on to a sliver of rationality. Yun Zhi, on the other hand, just clung to her knees, trembling all over, fragile and helpless.
And sitting between them, completely unaffected, was Jiang Lin—calm as ever, munching on grilled fish while watching the two of them burn up with deadpan disbelief.
He never expected that something as normal as eating grilled fish would turn into a live-action softcore drama.
"Brother Lin, stop eating!!! Help us!!!" Because Jiang Lin was still clear-headed, Ghostfire Old Man had just been sitting back, enjoying the show, and made no move to assist. Xiao Yan, trying to rely on his own strength, could barely stay conscious.
From Xiao Yan's perspective, Jiang Lin just needed to toss them into separate corners and wait for the heat to pass.
Whoosh—
A shadow flew toward Xiao Yan. He reflexively caught it and realized it was a Qi Recovery Crystal Pill?! And it was greasy with fish oil!
"Special antidote. Want it or not?" Jiang Lin held a grilled fish in one hand and wiped his other on his clothes.
"Human attention is limited. Between two evils, pick the lesser. Sound fair?" Jiang Lin smirked as he looked at Xiao Yan. The latter's flushed face twisted with conflict and hesitation.
Finally, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and swallowed it whole! Instantly, golden energy surged like a blade, slicing through his lower abdomen!
"Can… can I have one too?" Yun Zhi, still buried in her knees, trembled as she spoke in a small, tearful, utterly helpless voice.
"Sigh, this isn't exactly an antidote. The golden energy inside the pill is extremely uncomfortable for someone who can't circulate Dou Qi. I really don't want to see Miss Yun Zhi suffer that much," Jiang Lin muttered softly, his heart softening at her nearly tearful voice. He finished off the last grilled fish, then extended his hand to Yun Zhi.
"Don't be afraid. Since I've eaten your grilled fish, I can't stand to see you cry like this." Jiang Lin's voice was gentle. Right now, Yun Zhi was at the lowest point in her life—her Dou Qi sealed, completely powerless, and unintentionally affected by Xiao Yan's aphrodisiac powder. Her fear of the unknown left her utterly vulnerable.
Yun Zhi, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears, looked up at Jiang Lin's outstretched hand. In that moment, something deep in her heart was stirred. Her emotional defenses shattered, and she threw herself into Jiang Lin's arms.
"Uh—"
A fragrant scent rushed into his nose. Feeling the soft, hot body suddenly pressed against him—even through their clothes—Jiang Lin could sense her supple curves. In that moment, even someone with a body tempered like steel felt himself slightly melt.
"Ahh! Brother Lin, you're too much!" Off in the distance, no longer burning with desire but suffering from internal golden energy, Xiao Yan curled up on the ground, wide-eyed as he watched the beauty fall into Jiang Lin's arms. He saw it! With both eyes! Ahh! His stomach hurt more now!
"Sigh…" Jiang Lin's gaze drifted for just a second before snapping back. He grabbed Yun Zhi's hands, which were wandering all over his body, and in one swift move, turned her around, holding her hands behind her back with one arm while pinning her shapely legs into a cross-legged position with the other. He then pressed her wrists against her lower back, locking her firmly in place in his lap.
"I really don't want to see Miss Yun Zhi in such a pitiful state," he whispered in her ear. Her body froze slightly at his words.
Then Jiang Lin's body began to emit heat as he entered the Forging Flame Art's cultivation state. Using his Dou Practitioner-level Dou Qi projection and powerful spiritual sense, he directly integrated Yun Zhi's body into his internal circulation system for the art—effectively making her the second loop of his Forging Flame cycle! Normally, the art would complete two loops in his body; now it could only run one.
"That's… human-artifact unity!! Damn!! If you want to reduce the pain, stick closer!"
"Ah???"
(END CHAPTER)
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