Are you playing hard to get with me?

She lifted her head, looking at Gu Zheng with seductive, rippling eyes, and giggled, "Oh, my dear Zhengzheng, this is truly a rare treasure. If it weren't for the fact that Junior Martial Uncle had set you up as a candidate for a Dao Companion, I would have had trouble restraining myself!"

"Zhengzheng... if you really don't like him, you must tell me in advance, so I can make my move!"

Gu Zheng glared at her fiercely, the inexplicable, unyielding spirit in her heart surging up once again.

"He said he didn't want to be bothered by romance, but when he was in Black Stone City, he clearly..."

For the sake of that person surnamed Mu, he didn't hesitate to leave the senluo bone boat directly. That impatient look, how could it possibly look like he wanted to live a life of asceticism?

It was clearly that he didn't like her! He would rather choose someone from the past than even look at her properly!

Su Meiniang looked at her pouty expression, seemed to have thought of something, and covered her mouth with a light laugh: "I have another plan! I guarantee it will help you turn the tables!"

"I don't believe you!" Gu Zheng's pretty face flushed red, recalling the embarrassment of being mocked to her face by that person yesterday, "After being mocked by him like that yesterday, I..."

"This plan will definitely work, trust me!" Su Meiniang leaned into her ear, acting mysterious.

"... I'll trust you one last time, speak."

"Feelings, after all, can be cultivated slowly." Su Meiniang's voice carried a bewitching magic, "Anyway, you just want to prove your own charm, you don't really want to marry him. Why not change your method and spend more time with him..."

"Once you spend more time together, he will naturally realize how good you are... When his heart is entirely focused on you, when he is infatuated with you and cannot live without you, then you can casually tell him... Junior Brother Lin, you've overthought it, there is only a normal fellow disciple relationship between us."

"What do you say?" After Su Meiniang finished speaking, she blinked at her, a mischievous smile curling the corners of her lips.

After hearing Su Meiniang's scheme, Gu Zheng's pretty face turned red and then white, emotions surging uncontrollably in those clear phoenix eyes.

This method sounded... much more brilliant than the bad idea from yesterday where she had to learn how to pose and act flirtatiously.

But the thought of taking the initiative to interact with that detestable guy, and even having to be pleasant to him, made her feel suffocated.

"What do you think? This is a good idea, right?" Su Meiniang raised her eyebrows, her red lips curling into a cunning arc, "Let him fall for you first, and when he is deeply mired in it, you pull away. By then, it will be him begging you, not you chasing after him. Won't the initiative return to your hands?"

Gu Zheng's breathing became slightly rapid.

Su Meiniang's words were like a feather, precisely tickling the itchiest part of her heart.

What annoyed her was never jealousy, but Lin Yuan's attitude of turning a blind eye to her, and even avoiding her.

This was the first time her heart, which had been wrapped in pride and halos since birth, had tasted the flavor of defeat.

She refused to accept it; she wanted to prove herself.

"... Fine." Gu Zheng bit her lower lip and finally squeezed a word out from between her teeth, "I want to see just how stubborn that heart of stone can be!"

Watching her regain her Battle Intent, Su Meiniang covered her mouth and chuckled, though a flash of amusement at watching a good show flickered deep in her eyes.

...

The night was like ink, shrouding Black Stone City in silence.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, slowly finishing his Cultivate, and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

Today, he had refined five more supreme grade spirit gathering pills, and the Qi in his Dantian became increasingly vigorous and solid.

With a thought, the golden characters in his eyes refreshed quietly.

【 Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Middle Stage: 280 / 100000 (addable points) 】

【 Fourth-Grade Alchemist: 1 / 600 (addable points); Sixth-Grade Artifact Refiner: 1 / 400 (addable points); Sixth-Grade Formation Master: 0 / 400 (addable points) 】

【 Fifth-Level Fire Control Art: 0 / 500; Illusion Transformation Art (Perfection) 】

【 Available attribute points: 1886 】

【 Special attribute points: 1 】

"Still too slow."

Lin Yuan looked at the long progress bar for Cultivation and frowned slightly.

"At the speed of one furnace of supreme grade spirit gathering pills a day, it will take at least nearly two years to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection!"

Two years, for a Cultivator who often goes into seclusion for decades or centuries, is just a snap of the fingers. But for Lin Yuan, it was too long.

He was just calculating how to speed up his Cultivate when suddenly, a subtle disturbance came from the Little Nine Nether Soul-Bewitching Formation that shrouded the small courtyard.

Someone was outside the Formation.

Lin Yuan pinched a spell, and the silent mist surged to both sides, opening a passageway.

A moment later, a familiar figure pushed the door and entered; it was Xue Linglong.

"How did it go?" Lin Yuan asked with a smile.

Xue Linglong stuck out her tongue, her face showing lingering fear: "It failed... that Junior Martial Uncle Gu is too shrewd. She knows you very well, and in just a few words, she sensed something was wrong and said directly that I was lying. Fortunately, I was quick-witted and pushed the blame onto you, otherwise I would definitely have been punished by Master."

Lin Yuan was not surprised by this; neither Gu Zheng nor Su Meiniang were easy to deal with.

"Then what do they plan to do next?"

Hearing this, Xue Linglong rolled her eyes, leaned in feigning mystery, and said coquettishly: "This is a secret. If I tell you, I will have to bear the infamy of betraying my Master and ancestors, ruining the great plan of Master and Junior Martial Uncle Gu. At that time..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Yuan had already pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear with a low laugh: "Fine, fine, since you won't say it, then I can only let you taste my power, and see if that little mouth of yours is still hard!"

"Oh..."

...

An hour later.

Xue Linglong leaned lazily in Lin Yuan's arms and told him Su Meiniang's new idea one by one.

After listening, the expression on Lin Yuan's face became strange.

"Gu Zheng wants to play this game with me?" He looked puzzled, "No... your Master and she are close friends, are you sure this isn't setting her up?"

That Gu Zheng looked like a Cultivation fanatic, her personality cold and arrogant, long immersed in Cultivate, probably having barely even touched a man's hand.

Let her come to Cultivate feelings with him, play some game of hard to get, and then kick him away after feelings are cultivated?

This process... Lin Yuan could almost foresee the awkward appearance of that ice beauty falling into it herself.

"I don't know about that." Xue Linglong blinked those watery, seductive eyes, "My Master, that old lady, must have her own reasons! She said this is called 'finding survival in the midst of death', letting you witness the true charm of Junior Martial Uncle Gu."

"Forget it, forget it, water comes to cover, soldiers come to block." Lin Yuan shook his head, but a wicked smile of an experienced veteran who saw through everything appeared on his face, "If she wants to play, I will play along with her."

Xue Linglong in his arms suddenly sat up straight, her face full of excitement.

"By the way, I have discussed it with my Master. For the next period of time, I will stay in the city center and be responsible for collecting Medicinal Pill. From now on, I will... come every day."

As she finished speaking, her voice lowered, and her cheeks flushed with a moving blush.

"That's great." Lin Yuan felt settled in his heart upon hearing this, pinched her cheek, "From now on, you are my exclusive informant. If there is any movement, report it in time. The organization will not treat you unfairly; I'll give you extra meals at night."

"Hate you!" Xue Linglong gave a coquettish shout, her eyes shifting, her whole person almost hanging on Lin Yuan.