"So... what about you?"
Ye Feng looked at Bibi Dong with concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine. I'm not in a hurry," Bibi Dong said with a soft smile. "We've both become gods now, Feng. Do you really think we won't have time to be together from now on?"
Ye Feng reached out and gently pulled Bibi Dong into his arms.
Bibi Dong leaned into the embrace, resting her head on his chest. She wrapped her arms around him in return. In his warmth, she felt a wave of comfort wash through her, soothing the ache in her heart. After a long, quiet moment, she let go of him and looked up.
"Feng, you should go find Sister Lingling," she said gently. "The more you misunderstand her, the more it hurts her. And her father... the successful formation of the Spirit Federation wouldn't have been possible without Haitang Douluo's support."
Ye Lingling's martial spirit was the Nine-Heart Begonia, just like her father's. Haitang Douluo, a Spirit Douluo with strength above rank ninety, was a rare Titled Douluo who had never joined Spirit Hall—and had never been hunted by them either. His status as a high-level powerhouse was enough to keep him untouchable.
Ye Feng nodded seriously and released Bibi Dong. With a flicker of thought, space warped around him, and his figure vanished from the secret chamber, reappearing outside a quiet single-family villa.
This villa belonged to Ye Lingling—it was a private gift from Bibi Dong. In fact, all of Ye Feng's close companions—Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Huo Wu, Hu Liena—each had their own private villa within Spirit City.
Ye Lingling's courtyard wasn't large, only about 200 square meters, but it overflowed with beauty. Flowers and plants bloomed everywhere. In the middle of it, a young woman was gently humming a melody as she watered the garden with a sprinkler in hand.
"I can't fall asleep at night… What can numb this feeling? I've got too many emotions to face.
It's not that I don't want you by my side, it's just… there are things you'll never understand.
The moment I let my guard down, loneliness creeps in again…
I just want a space to think about our future.
If love isn't as sweet as we imagined, then I'll bear the pain alone.
My heart is too confused. I need space…
Please, just let me go for a while..."
Ye Feng stood quietly outside the courtyard fence, watching as Ye Lingling sang her heart out, her voice carrying a deep sadness that tugged at his soul.
Ye Lingling was, in fact, his cousin—Ye Feng's mother was her aunt. Before they were born, their families had arranged a marriage between them. In other words, Ye Lingling was supposed to be his fiancée.
But tragedy struck. When Ye Feng was just a baby, his parents were killed on their way back to the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan. He never learned the identity of their killer, but deep down, he had always suspected Ye Lingling's parents.
That wasn't entirely without reason.
The Nine-Heart Begonia spirit was unique—only two people in the entire clan could possess it at any given time. And only when one of them died would the spirit awaken in someone new.
Ye Feng's mother had the Nine-Heart Begonia. So did Ye Lingling's father. If they had wanted Ye Lingling to inherit the spirit, it would have meant eliminating Ye Feng's mother.
That suspicion festered in Ye Feng's heart, fueling years of distance and coldness toward Ye Lingling.
But it wasn't his fault.
He simply never knew the truth.
Just now, Bibi Dong had told him everything. She had learned the truth from Haitang Douluo himself. Seeing how much Ye Lingling had suffered because of Ye Feng's coldness, the old Douluo had finally come forward to explain everything.
No matter how harsh Ye Feng had been, Ye Lingling had never left his side. She endured the pain in silence, staying close despite the burden in her heart.
As Ye Feng listened to the heartache in her song, he felt an overwhelming wave of guilt wash over him.
She had never stopped waiting.
"Cousin," Ye Feng called softly.
Ye Lingling froze for a moment. Her hand stilled, the sprinkler paused midair. Yet she didn't turn around. She let out a soft, bitter chuckle.
"Am I hearing things again...?" she whispered.
Her voice made Ye Feng's heart ache even more.
He spoke again, a little louder this time. "Cousin."
Ye Lingling's body trembled. Slowly, she turned around.
The moment her eyes met his, the sprinkler in her hand slipped and fell to the ground with a soft clatter.
"Cousin... Is it really you?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ye Feng smiled warmly. "Yeah, it's really me."
"You... Why are you here?" Ye Lingling's voice shook. She could hardly believe it. For Ye Feng to appear in her courtyard uninvited... It was like seeing the sun rise from the west.
"I want to talk to you about something," he said.
"What is it?"
"I want to go back with you... to the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan," he said. "I want to meet Uncle."
"...Huh?" Ye Lingling's delicate frame trembled, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she just heard.
"I said, I want to go back to the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan with you, and see Uncle. Are you free now?" Ye Feng repeated gently.
"Is... Is that true?" she asked in disbelief.
Ye Feng nodded. "Of course it's true. So—when can we go?"
"I'm free now. I can go anytime," she replied. Then, with hesitation in her voice, she asked, "But cousin... you always refused to go back before. Why now?"
Ye Feng shook his head. "Don't ask too many questions. Since you're free, let's go now."
His heart was heavy with guilt. He had misunderstood his uncle for so long. If he were in his uncle's shoes, he'd have been furious—devastated even. And now, all Ye Feng wanted was to return and clear things up.
Reaching out, Ye Feng gently took Ye Lingling's hand.
"Ah?"
Ye Lingling stared at him in wide-eyed shock, completely frozen.
Ye Feng gave her a warm smile. "What's with the look? Isn't it normal for a fiancé to hold his fiancée's hand?"
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Discord Link Here:
https://discord.gg/VvcakSux