Chapter 87: "What Kind of Woman Do You Like?"
However, in that brief moment Lin Xuan was distracted, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
Ma Xiaotao's consciousness became increasingly hazy in the tug-of-war between the brief comfort brought by the Ultimate Ice and the even fiercer backlash of the evil fire.
The temperature around her body rose instead of falling, and a crimson glow faintly seeped through her skin.
Sizzle—!
A faint scorching sound was heard.
The fabric of Lin Xuan's school uniform actually began to curl and blacken from the high temperature, showing signs of burning!
Ma Xiaotao's own clothes were even worse; in thin areas like her shoulders, neck, and waist, the fabric was already visibly brittle, even revealing the slightly reddened, delicate skin beneath!
If this continued, in less than ten seconds, the two of them would probably be completely exposed to each other!
"Damn it!" Lin Xuan cursed inwardly, knowing he couldn't hesitate any longer.
In a flash, he made a decision.
Lin Xuan suddenly turned, used his arms forcefully, and directly scooped up the semi-conscious Ma Xiaotao, who was practically hanging on him.
Ma Xiaotao let out a muffled whimper, but her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, and her burning cheek unconsciously rubbed against the hollow of his neck, searching for a more comfortable, cool spot.
"Nue!"
Lin Xuan let out a low growl, and behind him, lightning flashed. The Shikigami's broad, purplish-black wings instantly unfurled, wreathed in lightning serpents.
Holding the scorching, soft, and astonishingly curvaceous body in his arms, he pushed off the ground with his feet!
Boom!
Lightning exploded, and a wave of air pushed outwards.
Lin Xuan, holding the dazed Ma Xiaotao, whose clothes already had several scorch marks, transformed into a swift bolt of lightning and shot into the sky, heading straight for the vast, misty, and water-rich Sea God Lake under the night sky!
First, physical cooling; the rest can wait!
The night wind whistled in his ears, and the person in his arms squirmed restlessly.
Lin Xuan felt the astonishing heat and soft touch transmitted through the thin fabric, and looking at the rapidly passing surface of Sea God Lake below, he had only one thought.
Yan Shaozhe, Xuan Zi, this isn't over between us!
A moment later, the lightning, like a meteor, plunged into the lake, creating a huge ripple on the calm surface of Sea God Lake, then deeply submerged into the icy lake water.
The midnight lake water carried a bone-chilling cold, instantly enveloping the two of them.
"Ugh—cold—" Ma Xiaotao let out a muffled moan under the icy stimulation, instinctively curling tighter into Lin Xuan's embrace.
The intense heat from the evil fire fiercely clashed with the low temperature of the lake water, raising a misty vapor that formed small bubbly vortices around them.
However, the intensity of the evil fire surpassed imagination, and their clothes had already succumbed before entering the water.
Now, under the extreme clash of ice and fire, the already brittle fabric finally turned completely into ash, silently dissolving into the lake water and bubbles.
Moonlight refracted weak, shimmering water light through the rippling lake surface.
In the tranquil, dim lake water, the current gently caressed her breathtaking curves, and her fair skin glowed with a pearly luster under the dim light, a sight enough to make a saint's heart waver.
Above the high-altitude clouds, Yan Shaozhe frowned, his face filled with disbelief, and he whispered to Xuan Zi, "Old Xuan, this kid—is he still a normal man? How can he—how can he remain so composed? He just threw her into the lake to cool down?"
Xuan Zi took a swig of wine, smacked his lips, and his eyes showed disappointment.
Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, wondering whether to push things further, a soft golden stream of light quietly rose from the center of Sea God Island, arced across the night sky, and silently descended above Sea God Lake.
The golden light spread out like a thin veil, forming an invisible barrier that instantly cut off all external prying.
At the same time, Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi both stiffened, as if they had heard something. Especially Yan Shaozhe, a trace of cold sweat even seeped from his temples.
The two exchanged glances, not daring to linger for a moment, and then transformed into two streaks of light, swiftly returning to the depths of Sea God Island without looking back.
At the bottom of the lake, Lin Xuan naturally noticed the vast golden light enveloping the lake surface, and instantly understood, "Old Mu has made his move—"
As for why Mu En only blocked prying eyes and didn't personally help Ma Xiaotao resolve her evil fire problem, Lin Xuan thought about it and guessed a possibility.
Perhaps this Sea God Pavilion Master also wanted to take this opportunity to see how he would choose when faced with such a situation?
Would he, out of resentment for Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi's schemes, deliberately stand by and let Ma Xiaotao suffer?
Or would he set aside those schemes, deal with the matter as it was, and save this girl who was completely dependent on him at this moment?
Meanwhile, due to the continuous stimulation of the cold lake water, Ma Xiaotao recovered a faint trace of consciousness.
Her hazy, pink eyes struggled to focus, reflecting Lin Xuan's face, still clear and handsome in the dim water light, close at hand.
And his calm, clear, even slightly helpless, yet devoid of lust or panic, dark eyes.
Looking at his clear eyes, for some reason, Ma Xiaotao suddenly felt a little lost and unwilling, as if in Lin Xuan's eyes, she wasn't a beauty, but a piece of meat.
In her hazy consciousness, she subconsciously asked a question.
"You—what kind of—woman do you like?"
Lin Xuan was stunned. What? Are you also like Todo Aoi, wanting to see if we're best friends?
But looking at Ma Xiaotao's eyes, wide open and staring directly at him, he suddenly felt that perhaps he could answer.
Setting aside the schemes, at this moment, it was just a simple question from a girl, half-conscious, to a boy who made her feel complex and special.
Lin Xuan thought for a moment, "If I had to say—someone more assertive."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes showed confusion.
Lin Xuan continued, a faint curve on his lips, "After all, I'm—quite lazy."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Ma Xiaotao's previously hazy eyes suddenly brighten slightly, and her stunningly beautiful face, close at hand, rapidly magnified in his pupils!
The next moment, Lin Xuan felt a cool, moist, soft touch from the lake water.
Just a few seconds later, the last trace of consciousness and strength Ma Xiaotao had forcefully gathered seemed to deplete. Her body went limp, and she completely lost consciousness, softly leaning against Lin Xuan's embrace.
Lin Xuan was speechless for a moment, holding the warm, soft, jade-like, yet unconscious body in his arms, and looked up towards the lake surface.
There, the golden light still faintly rippled.
Should he save Ma Xiaotao?
Lin Xuan already had an answer to this question in his heart.
For a young man, falling for a girl is simple.
She only needs to be beautiful enough to find a thousand, ten thousand excuses for a fluttering heart at first sight.
There can be many reasons, but of course, all of this is predicated on her being beautiful enough.
Is Ma Xiaotao beautiful?
The answer is beyond doubt.
Lin Xuan lowered his head, looking once more at the stunningly beautiful face in his arms, which retained its captivating allure even in unconsciousness.
Never mind.
He gently exhaled, his breath turning into a string of tiny bubbles in the cold lake water.
The next moment, an ultimate chill, thousands of times colder than the lake water, as if capable of freezing the soul, suddenly erupted from his right arm!
On the lake surface, centered around Lin Xuan and Ma Xiaotao's location, large areas of water rapidly froze into ice, forming a small, crystal-clear ice surface that reflected a cold light under the moonlight.
Sea God Pavilion, deep inside.
Mu En, lying on a lounge chair, slowly opened his cloudy eyes.
His gaze seemed to penetrate the obstruction of the pavilion, looking towards Sea God Lake. There was no smile on his face, only a long, wistful sigh.
—
He saw Lin Xuan's character, which was perfect, but precisely because of its perfection, it seemed particularly glaring when compared to Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi.
Even Mu En himself did not act at the last moment. Perhaps their starting points were different, but ultimately, he made the same mistake as Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi, scheming against a young man who had done nothing wrong.
Mu En looked around. This was the Sea God Pavilion's meeting hall, where all major decisions of the academy had been finalized for ten thousand years.
It could be said that the initial root of the academy reaching its current state lay here.
Finally, he slowly raised his head to look at the roof, at the beams.
"Everything has decayed—"
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