Chapter 106: If That Wasn't Love, Then It Was Just Pretending!
A few seconds after the Serpent Women and Meng Yiran left—
"Holy crap!!!"
Ma Hongjun was the first to jump up, his eyes wide as copper bells.
"Lin Qingmo! Y-you… you got kissed?!"
"And by such a pretty girl, and she did it on her own?!"
"Ahhh, I'm so jealous I could die!!"
Oscar beat his chest in exaggerated misery.
"Why?! Why does all the good stuff always happen to you?!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
Meanwhile, the image of Meng Yiran kissing Lin Qingmo replayed in Tang San's mind.
A surge of dark, twisted emotion shot up from the depths of his heart.
He suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Lin Qingmo, and shouted at Xiao Wu:
"Xiao Wu, did you see that clearly?!
"He's obviously a fickle scumbag! Flirting with other girls right in front of you!"
"He's not worthy of you!"
"??!"
Everyone turned to look at Tang San with strange expressions.
Lin Qingmo also turned his head toward him.
His gaze was calm, almost puzzled.
Was something wrong with this guy's brain?
But before Lin Qingmo could even speak—
Smack!
A crisp, resounding slap landed squarely across Tang San's face.
Xiao Wu stood in front of him, her hand still raised mid-air.
"Tang San! Have you no shame?!"
Her cheeks puffed up in anger, her big eyes blazing.
Like a little lioness guarding her cub, she stood firmly in front of Lin Qingmo, her finger nearly poking Tang San's nose.
"You're actually trying to sow discord with such a low, dirty trick? Do you think we're three-year-olds?"
Tang San clutched his cheek. The burning sting hadn't faded.
He felt utterly wronged, his voice trembling.
"Xiao Wu, I'm doing this for your own good!"
"Didn't you see? That Meng Yiran kissed him! In front of everyone!"
"A man who flits from one girl to another like that doesn't deserve you!"
"For my own good?"
Xiao Wu laughed in disbelief.
She turned around, grabbed Lin Qingmo's arm, and practically clung to him.
Then she lifted her face and flashed him a smile so sweet it could melt sugar.
"Ah Qing, do you like me?"
Lin Qingmo lowered his head to look at her. A trace of helplessness flickered in his eyes, but far more than that, there was gentleness.
"I do."
He answered seriously.
"Will you ever leave me?"
Xiao Wu blinked up at him.
"No."
His reply came without the slightest hesitation.
"See?!"
Xiao Wu immediately spun around and lifted her chin at Tang San, wearing a triumphant "I win" expression.
"Ah Qing said he likes me and won't leave me."
"That's enough!"
She stood on her tiptoes and quickly planted a kiss on Lin Qingmo's cheek.
With a smack sound, it was crisp and loud.
After the kiss, she even deliberately raised an eyebrow at Tang San.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer. Try being mad about that.
"???"
Tang San froze where he stood.
It felt as though a bolt of heavenly lightning had struck him from head to toe.
His mind buzzed blankly.
Why?
Why wasn't Xiao Wu angry?
Shouldn't she have been crying and demanding to know why Lin Qingmo let another girl kiss him?
Shouldn't she have been heartbroken and then thrown herself into his arms?
That wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Stop fooling around."
Zhao Wuji couldn't bear to watch any longer.
Tang San's behavior was simply embarrassing.
Was he even a man?
He patted Oscar on the shoulder, urging him on.
"Xiao Ao, hurry up. Stop spacing out. If we delay any longer, the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent will die on its own."
Oscar finally snapped back to his senses.
Excitement and urgency flashed in his eyes.
"Right, right! The soul ring comes first!"
He quickly picked up the dagger from the ground, took a deep breath, and stabbed it into the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent's vital point.
"Hiss!"
The serpent's body twitched one final time before falling completely still.
A purple soul ring slowly rose into the air, hovering above the corpse and radiating a mesmerizing glow.
A thousand-year soul ring.
Oscar's eyes shone.
He immediately sat cross-legged, formed hand seals, and began guiding the soul ring toward himself.
Purple light enveloped his entire body.
The absorption had begun.
Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun instantly formed a triangular formation around him, protecting him in the center.
Their eyes scanned the surroundings warily.
The forest was quiet; only the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind could be heard.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
…
Tang San still knelt on the ground.
His head hung low. His shoulders trembled faintly.
Over and over, the scene replayed in his mind: Xiao Wu hugging Lin Qingmo's arm, smiling so sweetly.
The trust and reliance in her eyes when she kissed Lin Qingmo stabbed painfully into his heart.
Why?
On what grounds?
…
Not far away, Lin Qingmo stood slightly apart.
He released Blue Silver Grass. Fine vines spread silently across the ground, sensing every movement within a fifty-meter radius.
This was his habit.
No matter the situation, safety came first.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu pulled Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing over to sit on a tree root nearby.
The three girls leaned close together, chatting softly about girl things.
"Xiao Wu, you really don't mind at all?"
Ning Rongrong lowered her voice, though her eyes secretly drifted toward Lin Qingmo.
"That Meng Yiran kissed him right in front of everyone."
"If it were me, I'd be furious."
Of course, she would be furious at Meng Yiran.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, but she turned her head quietly to look at Xiao Wu.
She was clearly curious, too.
Xiao Wu tilted her head and thought seriously for a moment.
Then she smiled.
The smile was pure and bright, like sunlight filtering through the forest canopy.
"I don't mind."
She sounded completely relaxed.
"Ah Qing is so outstanding. It's normal for girls to like him. As long as he has me in his heart, that's enough."
After a pause, she added softly:
"And I trust him."
Ning Rongrong was stunned.
She opened her mouth but in the end could only mutter, "Xiao Wu, you're way too broad-minded. I definitely couldn't do that."
She meant it.
But in her heart, a sudden thought emerged—
If Xiao Wu truly didn't mind… then did that mean…
Her eyes drifted once more to Lin Qingmo's profile.
Her heartbeat quickened unexpectedly.
…
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.
The happiness on Xiao Wu's face was genuine.
As she looked at Lin Qingmo's figure standing vigil with focused seriousness, a trace of complicated emotion flickered in her eyes.
But it was quickly suppressed.
…
Time passed bit by bit.
The purple glow surrounding Oscar grew denser.
Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His brows furrowed slightly. The absorption had clearly reached a crucial stage.
The energy of a thousand-year soul ring was not so easily tamed.
Just when everyone thought this hunt would conclude smoothly—
"AHHHHH!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream exploded through the forest.
Tang San leapt up from the ground.
He clutched his head and shook it wildly, his eyes chaotic and crazed.
"Why?! Why?!"
He seemed possessed, muttering over and over.
"Why isn't Xiao Wu angry? Why isn't she angry?"
"Unless… unless she doesn't love Lin Qingmo at all!"
The thought split through his muddled mind like lightning.
That's right!
If Xiao Wu truly loved Lin Qingmo, how could she not be angry seeing him intimate with another girl?
Unless that wasn't love at all.
Unless it was just an act. Just a perfunctory pretense.
—
End of Chapter