Xia Yi took a deep breath and once again pushed open Leng Yaozhu's office door.
"Master!"
Seeing Xia Yi appear, Leng Yulai was so overwhelmed with emotion that her eyes welled up with tears.
She felt that calling him "Master" had been worth it.
If Gu Yue's visit had been a stabilizing injection for her, then Xia Yi's arrival was like a weight being lifted off her heart.
At the very least, Leng Yaozhu's matter now had a resolution.
"Your sister doesn't want you to call me 'Master,' so just stop calling me that. There's no need for such a big gesture either. Otherwise, if your sister sees this, she'll blame me again," Xia Yi said in a deep voice as he helped Leng Yulai up.
"No, it's my fault. I acted on my own and brought trouble to Master. If Master punishes me, it's what I deserve," Leng Yulai shook her head.
"I said, stop calling me 'Master,'" Xia Yi said, a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Then… how should I address you, Mas—" Leng Yulai opened her mouth but hesitated, not knowing what to say next.
Xia Yi thought for a moment and said, "Call me 'Lord.'"
"Lord." Leng Yulai immediately nodded, her heart filled with gratitude.
"Lord" and "Master" were two completely different concepts.
Only then did Xia Yi nod and ask, "Where's your sister?"
"When my sister heard the sound of the door opening, she got embarrassed and ran into the bedroom to hide," Leng Yulai replied seriously.
"I see." Xia Yi nodded, then turned and headed toward the bedroom.
Watching Xia Yi walk away without a second glance, Leng Yulai couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment in her heart.
"Crack!" As Xia Yi turned the bedroom doorknob, both Leng Yaozhu inside the bedroom and Leng Yulai in the living room felt their hearts tighten.
"Leng Yulai, what are you thinking? Lord didn't even punish you, you should be grateful! What more do you want?" Leng Yulai's heart sank, and she began shaking her head vigorously, trying to shake off any unrealistic fantasies.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't suppress the disappointment in her heart as she watched Xia Yi's retreating figure.
"Is he here?"
Inside the bedroom, Leng Yaozhu sat up straight, feeling extremely nervous.
Just as both Leng Yulai and Leng Yaozhu were feeling the height of their tension, Xia Yi suddenly stopped.
He turned around and began walking back toward Leng Yulai, one step at a time.
Xia Yi's unexpected actions startled Leng Yulai, making her feel anxious. "Lord… what is he going to do? Could it be..."
Xia Yi didn't give her time to overthink. He stepped forward, gently wiping away the tears that had unknowingly fallen from her eyes.
"I was too rough with you last night. That was my fault. I'm sorry," Xia Yi said gently.
"No, it's me who should apologize to you, Lord," Leng Yulai's eyes instantly became misty. Xia Yi's simple apology made her feel that everything had been worth it.
"There's one more thing. Because of your special identity, I can't publicly acknowledge you for now. You'll have to endure this for a while. Once I've settled everything, I'll give you an official status," Xia Yi said apologetically.
Leng Yulai's identity was too sensitive. If people found out she was by Xia Yi's side, it would cause an uproar.
The first person who wouldn't sit still would likely be Qiangu Dongfeng.
He would go to any lengths to eliminate Leng Yulai and Xia Yi.
The second threat was the Holy Spirit Cult. Although Xia Yi and the Demon Emperor were still cooperating for now, they would never allow Leng Yulai—who knew so many of their secrets—to remain with him.
Previously, they hadn't made a move because they only suspected Xia Yi had a connection with Leng Yulai. They had never imagined that Xia Yi was actually her "Master"—or rather, her "Lord."
"Mm…" Leng Yulai could no longer hold back. She burst into tears, throwing herself into Xia Yi's arms and shaking her head as she sobbed, "I don't care. As long as Lord gives me even the tiniest bit of his heart, just a little bit, I'll be satisfied. I don't care about a title."
She buried her head in Xia Yi's shoulder, crying freely, letting out all of her suppressed emotions.
She didn't even understand why—why someone as proud as her could be so easily moved.
Clearly, Xia Yi had only given her the slightest bit of warmth, and yet she was so touched that she couldn't stop crying.
"Alright, stop crying. Or else your sister will laugh at you," Xia Yi gently patted her back. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her.
"I won't cry. I'll listen to Lord—I won't cry," Leng Yulai sniffled, rubbing her face against Xia Yi's shoulder, wiping her tears on his clothes. She let out a few soft sobs but still clung tightly to him, unwilling to let go.
Xia Yi wasn't in a hurry. He continued to pat her back gently, comforting her.
Gradually, Leng Yulai's sobs quieted down, replaced by steady breathing.
She had actually fallen asleep on his shoulder.
"Sigh, why do you have to put yourself through this?" Xia Yi brushed away a few strands of hair from her forehead, then carried her toward Leng Yaozhu's bedroom.
Leng Yaozhu, seeing Leng Yulai sleeping so soundly in Xia Yi's arms, no longer felt embarrassed. She took Leng Yulai from him, gently placed her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then turned to Xia Yi.
She bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, truly."
"Yaozhu-jie, don't do this. If Yue'er finds out, she'll kill me," Xia Yi quickly helped her up.
Leng Yaozhu looked at Leng Yulai, eyes filled with heartache. She sat down beside her sister, held her hand, and said, "Yulai has done many wrong things over the years, but she's truly pitiful. As a child, she worked hard to cultivate, hoping to earn our father's recognition. But no matter how hard she tried, he always remained wary of her.
"I even confronted him about it, but he said everything he did was for the family. He wanted to pour all resources into me, to cultivate me into an Ultimate Douluo, so that the Leng family's status in the Spirit Pagoda would rise.
"Meanwhile, Yulai, with no resources, worked even harder than me and managed to almost catch up to my cultivation. Yet, because of her martial soul, our father always remained on guard against her.
"At that time, there was nothing I could do except try to make it up to her, to treat her as well as I could. Slowly, I became her only emotional support. But because of what happened with Yun Ming, she thought I had betrayed her.
"In the end, she never truly hated me because of Yun Ming—it was because of me. Her love for me was so deep that it turned into resentment. That's why she was deceived by the Holy Spirit Cult."
"Now, because of you, she realizes she misunderstood me. Out of guilt, she's trying to bring us together."
Leng Yaozhu looked at Xia Yi and pleaded, "Yuai is different from me. Because of her childhood and her martial soul, she's much more extreme.
"People may see her as intense, but I know that deep down, she's fragile. She craved a father's love and couldn't get it. She loved Yun Ming and couldn't have him either.
"She needs care and love. So please, I beg you, give her even just a little bit of your affection. Just a little is enough. I don't want her to keep suffering like this.
"I don't care about myself—I just don't want to see her in pain anymore."
At her final words, almost pleading, Xia Yi's face darkened.
"Are you done?" he asked coldly.
Leng Yaozhu finally noticed that Xia Yi's expression had darkened at some point.
Seeing Xia Yi's gloomy gaze, Leng Yaozhu gritted her teeth and continued, "I know you hold some resentment toward Yulai, and you're also worried that her past as an Evil Soul Master might bring trouble to you if it gets exposed. Don't worry—if that happens, I'll atone for her sins. It won't implicate you in any way."
After saying that, she looked up at Xia Yi again.
"Are you done talking?" Xia Yi asked coldly, his expression still dark.
"I'm done." Leng Yaozhu bit her lip. Though she said she was done, she couldn't help but add, "What happened yesterday was Yulai's fault, but she didn't mean any harm."
"If you're done, then don't just sit there—get up and lie down on the bed." Xia Yi's voice was ice-cold.
Leng Yaozhu's delicate face turned bright red in an instant. Memories from the previous night flooded her mind, and she quickly said, "No! You'll wake Yulai. Can we wait until tonight?"
The moment those words left her mouth, she was stunned. She realized she had no hesitation at all.
She just felt a little shy.
And, shamelessly, a bit happy.
"So, you're being disobedient?" Xia Yi grabbed Leng Yaozhu and pressed her down onto the bed effortlessly.
Poor Leng Yaozhu—despite being an Ultimate Douluo, she had no power to resist Xia Yi.
He easily pinned her down.
Yet, just as Leng Yaozhu braced herself for Xia Yi's "assault"—
Smack! A crisp sound rang out as Xia Yi raised his hand and landed a firm slap on her perky rear.
"Explain to me—what the hell do you mean by 'I can just give up on everything'? You are my woman. If you don't want me, are you planning to go to Yun Ming instead?" Xia Yi grew angrier as he spoke, raising his hand for another slap.
"Stop hitting me! I was wrong, okay?" Leng Yaozhu, like a little girl, covered her bottom with both hands and turned to look at Xia Yi with teary eyes.
"Call me 'husband,'" Xia Yi demanded as he delivered another smack.
"H-Husband, I was wrong..." Leng Yaozhu said pitifully.
After being "enlightened" by Leng Yulai and Gu Yue, and with Xia Yi's "forceful" approach, she no longer felt any guilt.
"Now that's more like it." Xia Yi finally smiled in satisfaction. He pulled Leng Yaozhu into his embrace, kissed her gently on the forehead, and declared domineeringly, "From now on, you are not allowed to say such nonsense again. Understand?"
"Mm!" Leng Yaozhu nodded, her eyes red with emotion. Still, she hadn't forgotten about Leng Yulai and cautiously asked, "Then… what about Yulai?"
"Don't worry. Your husband has a big heart—big enough to fit both you and your sister… and Gu Yue, too." Xia Yi patted his chest proudly.
"Ugh, scumbag. How did I not realize before how shameless you are?" Leng Yaozhu buried her face into Xia Yi's chest. Blushing, she pinched his waist hard, but her face was full of relief and happiness.
"Leng Yaozhu, how did you fall so fast?" she lamented in her heart. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would end up like this. And yet, in just one day, she had fallen from her lofty status as the Skywind Douluo to become a bashful little woman.
"Women love bad men." Xia Yi shamelessly laughed, lifting Leng Yaozhu's chin before capturing her soft, red lips in a deep kiss.
Xia Yi knew he had to be firm now. Even a tiny moment of hesitation would only amplify Leng Yaozhu's guilt.
Only by being forceful could he make her throw everything else aside.
Make her accept him without any psychological burden.
"Since I've already fallen, then so be it. Before, I was willing to be someone else's secret lover without fear. So what is there to be afraid of now? At least this time, I have a proper identity—this isn't bad at all."
As the familiar warmth enveloped her, Leng Yaozhu quickly let go of all lingering doubts. Her fair arms wrapped around Xia Yi's neck, and she responded clumsily to his kiss.