Chapter 41: The Mysterious Stone(2)

Gong Xuance scratched his head awkwardly.

“Uh, I’ve really never heard of it. It must be an internal technique of the Fox Clan.”

Lin Ling thought for a moment and then nodded.

She didn’t seem to have seen any records of this technique elsewhere either, so it was likely something the Fox Clan didn’t share with outsiders.

“Well, it seems your cultivation technique is good enough that you don’t need mine.”

Gong Xuance looked a bit disappointed.

He reached into his storage bag, peered inside, and muttered a few things before asking, “Then is there anything else you’re interested in, Little Ling’er?”

Lin Ling immediately wrote: “Drawing talismans.”

“Incantations?”

Gong Xuance thought for a moment after hearing her request.

He then pulled an ordinary-looking ancient book from his pocket.

“I once stole this from the imperial palace. I think it’s called the *Exquisite Talisman Treasure* or something like that. You might be interested. Its rank isn’t low.”

‘It looks like it’s worth even less than the picture books in the library,’ Lin Ling complained internally.

“But speaking of which, how are the ranks of these things determined? I don’t really understand,” Lin Ling added on the paper.

“It’s very simple. There are three ranks: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. Of course, the Heaven rank is the best, and the Mortal rank is the worst. The one I’m giving you is at least a Heaven-rank Dao Archive. It might not be the highest Heaven rank, but it’s definitely not junk.”

Gong Xuance shook the book, trying to tempt her.

Recalling the pile of Fox Clan scrolls she hadn’t finished learning yet, Lin Ling rolled her eyes.

She quickly wrote: “If it’s not something I absolutely need, then never mind. I can’t even keep up with what I’m already studying.”

Gong Xuance frowned, feeling a bit helpless.

It seemed he was out of options.

Seeing this, Lin Ling chewed on the end of her brush and sighed. She wrote: “How about you let me take a look first? If I’m interested, I’ll take it.”

She looked toward Xiu Jiming. Seeing her look his way, Xiu Jiming nodded in agreement.

Both of them turned their gaze toward Gong Xuance.

Gong Xuance sighed helplessly and rummaged through his storage bag.

He pulled out several more volumes and placed them on the table with a loud thud.

“The whole set is right here. Flip through them and see. If you want them, then we have a deal.”

Gong Xuance chewed his noodles without any grace, acting completely unconcerned that they might just run off with the books.

Lin Ling picked up a book and flipped through it casually.

She found that it contained insights into talismans she had never seen before, and she immediately took a liking to it.

She picked up the other books and glanced through them.

Then, she slapped the books onto the table and gave Gong Xuance a thumbs-up.

Seeing this, Gong Xuance knew Lin Ling had accepted them.

Now that Lin Ling had agreed, Gong Xuance smiled with satisfaction.

“In that case, it’s a deal. Three days from now, I’ll need Little Ling’er to come with me.”

Lin Ling nodded and wrote: “Sure, we’ll talk about it then.”

Afterward, she put away her sketchbook and called out to the shop owner for two more bowls of rice noodles.

Gong Xuance watched in surprise, wondering if Xiu Jiming usually didn’t feed the girl enough.

***

After resting, Lin Ling and Xiu Jiming prepared to walk back to the Xun Zhu Si.

She followed slowly behind Xiu Jiming, her steps unsteady.

Seeing Lin Ling swaying as she walked, Xiu Jiming finally noticed something was wrong.

He stopped, but Lin Ling wasn’t paying attention and bumped right into his back.

The Little Fox rubbed her nose, looking up at Xiu Jiming in confusion.

She wondered why he had stopped while walking again, suspecting he might have done it on purpose.

Xiu Jiming studied her for a long time before asking softly, “Are you very sleepy?”

Lin Ling nodded and let out a yawn.

She hadn’t slept much over the past few days, and she really couldn’t hold on any longer.

After the meal, her sleepiness felt even more overwhelming.

She couldn’t even walk straight.

Xiu Jiming pondered for a moment, then slowly crouched down and took Lin Ling onto his back.

Lin Ling naturally leaned against Xiu Jiming’s back.

Feeling his familiar scent, she subconsciously rubbed against him and let her whole body relax.

As an even deeper wave of sleepiness hit her, Lin Ling, unable to hold out any longer, slowly closed her eyes.

She slept incredibly peacefully.

The nightmares didn’t return to haunt her.

It was a rare, steady sleep.

It wasn’t until the early morning of the next day that Lin Ling sat up in bed.

She stepped down and looked out the window.

The sky wasn’t fully bright yet, and the morning star still hung in the corner of the sky, refusing to fade.

Lin Ling felt a bit emotional.

Had she really slept from yesterday afternoon until the next morning?

Lin Ling stretched without any concern for her image, shaking her body out of its stupor.

She looked around but couldn’t see Xiu Jiming anywhere.

A faint sense of loss flickered through the Little Fox’s heart.

However, she quickly regained her composure and prepared to find him.

But the moment she pushed the door open, she ran right into Xiu Jiming as he was walking toward her.

Fearing she would fall, Xiu Jiming pulled her into his arms.

He looked her over and said, “It looks like you’ve recovered well. Don’t misunderstand; I was just worried about you.”

Seeing this, Lin Ling blinked and looked closely at him.

Then, she gave a sweet smile and, in a rare moment of speaking aloud, said sweetly, “Good morning~ Xiao Ming!”

After learning about the trouble Lin Ling had encountered recently, Xiu Jiming’s expression gradually darkened.

“Tang Guanyan?”

He let out a cold laugh.

Then, he turned his gaze back to Lin Ling.

At that moment, Lin Ling was dazing off while holding her teacup.

Sensing Xiu Jiming’s gaze, she instinctively looked away.

Xiu Jiming could see that she seemed to have something to say, so he smiled and asked, “What is it, Ling’er?”

“Uh… ummm…”

Lin Ling awkwardly spun her teacup, her hands fidgeting.

Seeing this, Xiu Jiming comforted her.

“It’s okay, Ling’er. If there’s something on your mind, just say it.”

‘As long as it’s you, I’d even be willing to pluck the moon from the sky,’ Xiu Jiming thought as he watched her.

‘Holy crap. How am I supposed to say this?’

Instead, Lin Ling rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

The Little Fox hesitated for a long while before slowly pulling out a page and writing: “I was wondering… in the future… can I… sleep with you?”

She wrote the words very slowly, as if she were putting all her strength into every stroke, her fingers tracing the characters one by one.

“Pfft!”

Xiu Jiming immediately spat out his tea, looking at Lin Ling with utter disbelief.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Ling felt even more embarrassed and waved her hands.

“Fine, fine. If you don’t want to, I won’t bother you.”

Xiu Jiming’s heart skipped a beat.

Almost instantly, he was in front of Lin Ling, his hands resting on her slender shoulders.

“I’m willing,” he said with absolute sincerity.

“Okay, okay, I get it. Don’t be so excited.”

Seeing his reaction, Lin Ling quickly tried to dodge away.