460: Chapter 460 Have we forgotten someone?

Over the next week or so, the Lin family's offensive hit walls one after another.

The Feiyun Princes Mansion remained in closed-door cultivation.

The butler politely declined every time.

Claiming that Your Highness was at a critical juncture and it was inconvenient to disturb her.

On Ziyi's side, Lu Shan took the sisters and made several trips under the pretext of "visiting Little Aunt."

But every time they went, the servants at Ziyi's residence said the chief manager was out on business and not at home.

Lu Shan believed it the first few times, but eventually, even she began to suspect whether Little Aunt was deliberately avoiding her.

Once or twice was understandable.

But this many times...

Everyone knew in their hearts that she wasn't out on business; she simply didn't want to see them.

As for Moli, she gave everyone an even bigger headache.

That little loli had completely shrunk back into the Virtual World.

No matter how Su Yingxue sent messages, brought pastries to her door, or shouted from outside, it was all in vain.

The doors were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn secure.

Every time, only after shouting for a long time would Moli's voice drift out.

"Stop shouting, stop shouting! I'm playing games! No time!"

And then, nothing else.

No matter what Su Yingxue said outside, there was no longer the slightest movement in the courtyard.

Pastries couldn't be delivered, spiritual fruits couldn't be sent in, and they couldn't even catch a glimpse of her.

...

Su Yingxue stood outside the courtyard gate, looking at the tightly shut door.

She turned to look at the sisters behind her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Qiao Feifei leaned in:

"Sister Yingxue, is she really playing games, or is she just pretending?"

Su Yingxue sighed:

"Whether she's pretending or not, if she won't come out, we can't exactly break down the door."

She looked down at the box of pastries in her hand, then at the tightly shut courtyard door, and ultimately led everyone back home.

...

After returning to the Lin family home, everyone sat in a circle, their faces showing a mix of confusion and disappointment.

Qiao Feifei looked utterly bewildered:

"Senior Moli wasn't like this before."

"She used to love joining in on the fun. Every time we called her, she would come, eating, drinking, and chatting, happier than anyone."

"How did she suddenly turn into a gaming shut-in?"

Bai Ling also nodded, her little face scrunched up:

"Yeah, when we invited her before, she never declined."

"And about that mecha game she mentioned, I secretly looked it up. It's a very old one, released hundreds of years ago, and the mechanics aren't even new."

"Is it really that fun?"

Shen Youqing spoke up thoughtfully:

"Could it be... she is also avoiding us?"

Su Yingxue sat in the main seat, her fingertips lightly tapping the table, not replying immediately.

Only after a good while did she speak:

"Since she says she's playing a game, let's also take a look at what's so fun about that game."

"Only by knowing ourselves and our opponent can we find a Breakthrough."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lin Qianxi had already begun searching for information about that mecha game on her light computer.

The feeling of disappointment from consecutive setbacks lingered in the living room for a while.

But the Lin family group had never been the type to give up easily.

Disappointed they might be, but they still had to eat, life had to go on, and the conquest had to continue.

Su Yingxue composed herself and clapped her hands:

"Alright, that's enough for today. We'll think of something tomorrow."

Another night passed.

Another morning arrived.

The passion in the master bedroom had lasted all night, finally drawing to a close just now.

The brocade quilt was piled messily at the foot of the bed, with a few long hairs scattered near the pillows.

The air was thick with the lingering, intimate scent of afterglow.

Lin Yun threw on an outer robe and scooped up the limp Su Yingxue in his arms.

He leaned down to kiss her forehead:

"Let's go soak in the hot spring."

Su Yingxue leaned against his chest, too lazy to even lift a finger, and gave a muffled "mhm."

She let him carry her toward the hot spring room next door.

The others also got up one after another, draped in light gauze, following behind in twos and threes.

The hot spring room was filled with dense steam, and flower petals floated and swayed gently on the surface of the pool.

Everyone slipped into the warm pool water one after another, sighing in unison with comfort.

Su Yingxue leaned against the edge of the pool, the hot water submerging her collarbones, making her feel completely lazy.

She closed her eyes to rest for a moment, and those unresolved matters in her mind automatically surfaced again.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, causing the water to ripple gently:

"Wait, something's not right."

Qiao Feifei, who was next to her, was so startled by her voice that she almost choked on the water:

"What's not right?"

Su Yingxue sat up straight, the laziness on her face fading slightly:

"Did we forget someone?"

Everyone turned to look at her in unison.

Su Yingxue counted on her fingers:

"King Feiyun, Ziyi, Moli... we've been pondering over them for so long."

"But do you remember, during the Friendship Tournament, who did we lay our eyes on first?"

Qiao Feifei froze for a moment, then suddenly slapped the surface of the water:

"Zhi Rou!"

Wen Yan also realized:

"Right, Zhi Rou. That girl with the Ice Phoenix Divine Body."

Chu Xiaoxiao remembered as well:

"Yeah! The moment we saw her, we wanted to marry her off to Husband!"

"We even wanted to get to know her at the banquet that night! But she didn't show up!"

"Right! I searched all over afterward but couldn't find her!"

"I was thinking at the time, how did she just vanish after the match?"

Everyone chimed in one after another, and the atmosphere in the hot spring pool instantly became lively.

Lin Yun leaned against the pool wall, also frowning slightly.

Zhi Rou.

The possessor of the Ice Phoenix Divine Body.

Standing at the end of the Lingyuan Empire team on the day of the match.

Exquisitely beautiful with a cold, elegant temperament.

When Lin Yun first saw her, he had checked her with the System.

Perfect looks, special Physique, System rating [Heaven-grade Peak+], marriageable.

After the tournament ended, he was busy getting married to Fei Xue and Feiying.

Immediately after was Ruozao's wedding.

Then came six consecutive days of passion.

And after that, more than a week of continuous pursuit campaigns.

Amidst all the busyness, he had actually forgotten Zhi Rou completely.

Only now, when Su Yingxue brought it up, did he remember.

"I didn't add her as a friend that day either."

Lin Yun spoke, his tone carrying a hint of regret.

"The tournament ended too quickly. From the backstage to the arena, and then to the celebratory banquet, she never showed up."

"I didn't even get a chance to say more than a few words to her."

Su Yingxue sat up from the water and leaned close to him:

"Then why don't you ask Senior King Blood Axe? He definitely knows where Zhi Rou went."

Lin Yun nodded, sinking his Divine Thought into his light computer to send King Blood Axe a message.

The reply came quickly.

"Oh, Zhi Rou."

"On the day the tournament ended, Her Highness King Lingyuan emerged from her closed-door cultivation."

"She was overjoyed when she saw Zhi Rou's Ice Phoenix Divine Body, and took her in as a Disciple on the spot."

"She should be undergoing special training right now."

"King Lingyuan had been in closed-door cultivation for hundreds of years. Having finally met a Disciple with the same Physique as hers, she must be treasuring her immensely."

At the end of the message, King Blood Axe also attached a brief introduction about King Lingyuan.

Lin Yun glanced at it and understood.

King Lingyuan was also an Ice Phoenix Divine Body, and her strength was much more formidable than King Blood Axe and King Feiyun.

When Zhi Rou was first discovered to possess the Ice Phoenix Divine Body, the upper echelons of the Lingyuan Empire immediately thought of King Lingyuan.

Unfortunately, King Lingyuan had been in closed-door cultivation all along, not showing her face for hundreds of years.

It wasn't until the day of the Friendship Tournament that she ended her cultivation.

Upon emerging and seeing the news, she immediately rushed over to accept her as a Disciple, moving so quickly as if she were afraid someone else would snatch her away.