Ye Lingyuan's face darkened further.
Hmph! This little brat dared to nuzzle against his woman right in front of him. Was he too bold?
No! He wouldn't allow it even if it wasn't in front of him. Never nuzzling his woman!
Ye Lingyuan exuded a chilling aura. He abruptly grabbed Long'er by the collar and tossed him to Ao Xiangtian, saying coldly, "Control your son!"
Zi Linling was stunned!
Ao Xiangtian was taken aback!
Long'er was bewildered!
Ye Lingyuan paid no mind to their reactions.
Frowning, he pulled out a brocade handkerchief from his embrace, wiped Zi Linling's hand twice, then tossed the handkerchief away. He then wrapped an arm around Zi Linling's slender waist and said gently, "Lin'er, you're not allowed to touch other men from now on, understand?"
Zi Linling looked at the "salty pig's hand" around her waist in disbelief and finally realized she had been taken advantage of by Ye Lingyuan!
Her fur instantly bristled, and she roared, "Ye Lingyuan! You scoundrel! You're taking advantage of me again!"
Saying this, she raised her hand to slap Ye Lingyuan's handsome face, while simultaneously kicking him in the groin with her right foot.
Being as cunning as Ye Lingyuan, how could he not have anticipated Zi Linling's reaction?
Therefore, how could Zi Linling possibly succeed?
As expected, the hand holding Zi Linling's waist didn't move. The other hand slowly rose, grabbed the wrist of Zi Linling's striking hand, and pulled sharply. Zi Linling lost her balance, and her right foot, instead of kicking, stomped onto the ground.
Ye Lingyuan smoothly shifted his position, switching his left hand for his right, and pulled Zi Linling into his embrace once more, seizing the ankle of her other foot as she tried to kick again.
Zi Linling found herself leaning into Ye Lingyuan's embrace in a decidedly intimate posture.
Their eyes met, and a tingling sensation instantly made Zi Linling's heart race like a wild deer.
A faint smile played on Ye Lingyuan's lips as he tenderly called out, "Lin'er!"
The surging anger in Zi Linling's heart quickly subsided at this gentle call, and a blush crept onto her face.
A flicker of light flashed in Ye Lingyuan's eyes. Zi Linling at this moment was utterly captivating!
He unconsciously lowered his head, slowly leaning towards Zi Linling's red lips.
"Sister Zi!"
Long'er's voice rang out at an inopportune moment.
Zi Linling suddenly leaped out of Ye Lingyuan's embrace, flustered, and tidied her hair, stammering awkwardly, "Well... um..."
The emptiness in Ye Lingyuan's arms brought a hint of disappointment.
At the same time, his sharp gaze fell upon Long'er, a trace of displeasure crossing his face.
Long'er shivered and instinctively shrank into Ao Xiangtian's embrace.
Ao Xiangtian also felt extremely awkward. He rubbed his nose and cleared his throat, saying, "Well... Miss Zi, I'll entrust Long'er to you. Ao has to leave now."
"Mm!"
Zi Linling nodded somewhat guiltily.
After all, she had just been seen in the most embarrassing situation. Even with her thick skin, she couldn't pretend nothing had happened.
Ao Xiangtian quickly instructed Long'er to take notes, mostly telling him to follow Zi Linling diligently.
Then, Ao Xiangtian transformed into his dragon form, carrying the corpse of the black dragon on his back, and flew off in a certain direction.
Ye Lingyuan watched Ao Xiangtian's departing figure, lost in thought.
Zi Linling ruffled Long'er's little head and said, "Long'er, go play with Xiao Hu for a while!"
Long'er glanced timidly at Ye Lingyuan and said, "Okay, Sister Zi. Remember to find Long'er after you're done!"
With that, he fled as if pursued by a fierce beast.
Ye Lingyuan snapped back to attention and saw Zi Linling's fierce gaze.
He knew, of course, that Zi Linling's anger had not subsided, and it seemed he would have to coax his woman.
But there was still a block of wood beside them – Qing Yu.
Ye Lingyuan's brow furrowed, and he thought to himself, "Why has this Qing Yu suddenly become so oblivious?"
His sharp gaze fell upon Qing Yu, who was looking down.
Qing Yu suddenly felt a chill all over his body. He looked up and met Ye Lingyuan's cold eyes.
He scratched his head and stammered, "Your Your Your... Lord, why are you glaring at me?"
Ye Lingyuan wished he could kick this foolish boy, who was confused at such a crucial moment, away.
His expression turned ugly, and he said coldly, "Go see how Qing Yan and the others are progressing."
The Qing Yan mentioned by Ye Lingyuan referred to Mu Qing Yan, the legitimate young master of the General's Mansion.
Qing Yu was somewhat bewildered. Hadn't they already divided their tasks? Young Master Mu was with Qing Dian and the others to search for the mythical beast, while he was to follow the Lord and be responsible for his daily needs.
But now, why was the Lord suddenly asking him to leave?
"My Lord..."
As Qing Yu uttered "My Lord," he felt the temperature around him drop further.
Simultaneously, Ye Lingyuan's cold command rang out again.
"Why aren't you going yet!"
Qing Yu had followed Ye Lingyuan for many years and naturally detected a trace of anger in his words.
He dared not doubt any further and responded loudly, "Yes! My Lord!" and disappeared in a flash.
Only Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling remained at the valley entrance.
A dangerous glint flashed in Zi Linling's eyes, "Ye Lingyuan, is it fun to tease me?"
Although her tone was fierce, it became incredibly cute when paired with her twelve-year-old face.
Using the fiercest tone to speak the gentlest words was a perfect description of her current demeanor.
A spark of light flashed in Ye Lingyuan's eyes. Zi Linling like this was simply too alluring.
He said, with a hint of melancholy, "Lin'er, I cherish you. How could I bear to tease you?"
Zi Linling was flustered by his sudden affectionate words.
Her mind went blank, and she stammered, "You... you... what nonsense are you talking about!"
No matter how sharp-tongued she usually was, she didn't know what to say at this moment.
Although she had lived over twenty years in her previous life, her romantic life had been very pure.
Having never even been in a relationship, how could she withstand Ye Lingyuan's advances?
At this moment, Zi Linling's face had turned into a ripe apple, flushed with heat.
Ye Lingyuan's deep eyes were filled with tenderness. He ignored Zi Linling's attempts to dodge and took her hand, saying, "Lin'er, I am sincere in my affection for you!"
Zi Linling's head felt dizzy.
The confession had come too suddenly, giving her a floating sensation, as if her feet were treading on cotton.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Lingyuan once again wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "Lin'er, will you be my woman?"
Zi Linling looked at his earnest expression, so shy she wanted to disappear.
Ye Lingyuan's fingertips gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.