Let Ye Lingling join the Butterfly House?
Not only Lin Yang, even Ye Lingling herself was slightly stunned upon hearing Ye Xuanyin's words. Clearly, she had not known about this beforehand.
Bang!
Dugu Bo placed his wine cup on the table with a neither light nor heavy sound. He looked at Ye Xuanyin, his eyes carrying a hint of warning. "Old Ye, you're not planning some crooked scheme, are you?"
"You old poisoner, what kind of person do you take me for?" Ye Xuanyin laughed and scolded, then explained, "Lingling is too solitary. She doesn't have any friends worth talking to in the academy.
"Coincidentally, Lin Yang and Lingling are in the same team. My Lingling's Nine-Hearted Begonia can also heal people. Why not let her go to the Butterfly House and interact more with others?"
At this point, Ye Xuanyin paused and looked at Lin Yang half-jokingly. "Of course, if she can learn something from you, I definitely won't let you suffer a loss. The Ye Clan may not have a Title Douluo, but our foundation is still there, and I guarantee it's no worse than the old poisoner's."
"Hmph, you're thinking quite beautifully!"
Dugu Bo snorted coldly but didn't say anything more. He could issue warnings on certain matters, but he couldn't make decisions for Lin Yang.
Lin Yang thought for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Senior. I have already personally witnessed the healing effects of the Nine-Hearted Begonia. However, staying in my small Butterfly House might be委屈ing Senior Lingling."
"It's fine."
This time, it was Ye Lingling who spoke. There was a hint of seriousness in her voice. "I am also very interested in the Butterfly House."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan, who was sitting beside Lin Yang, had a flash of vigilance in her eyes. As a woman's sixth sense, she felt there was more to Ye Lingling's words.
"Then it's settled. The Butterfly House welcomes Senior Lingling's joining." Lin Yang made the final decision.
"Hahaha, good!"
Ye Xuanyin laughed loudly. His gaze toward Lin Yang also carried a few traces of closeness.
After the meal, Ye Xuanyin prepared to leave and return to the Ye Clan. "I will send people over to coordinate as soon as possible. Rest assured, as long as the potions are sufficient, within one month I will make the Butterfly House potions widely circulated among all major cities."
Lin Yang slightly bowed. "Thank you for your trouble, Senior."
"No need to be polite." Ye Xuanyin waved his hand.
After chatting a bit more with Dugu Bo and giving some instructions to Ye Lingling, Ye Xuanyin boarded his carriage and left Heaven Dou City.
After Ye Xuanyin left, Dugu Bo didn't stay long either. Without the toxic backlash, the bottleneck that had troubled him for many years showed signs of loosening. He had been in closed-door cultivation recently. If not for the need for someone to guard Lin Yang's side, he wouldn't have come out.
The remaining three looked at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat quiet for a moment. The three of them were teammates at school, but their private relationship wasn't particularly deep. Now, because of the potion business, they had an additional layer of "business partners." A business partnership was, after all, a bit closer than simple teammates.
In the end, Lin Yang was the first to break the silence. "Welcome to the Butterfly House, Lingling. Shall I… show you around first?"
Ye Lingling looked at him indifferently, then nodded slightly. "Alright!"
Looking at Ye Lingling's attitude, Lin Yang felt somewhat puzzled. He had a feeling that during today's meeting, Ye Lingling seemed to hold quite a big opinion of him.
Seemingly sensing his confusion, Ye Lingling spoke up. "I don't like being used by others."
Lin Yang was first stunned, then understood. It seemed his "casting bait to fish" had been seen through by Ye Lingling, or perhaps Ye Xuanyin had reminded her.
However, Lin Yang was straightforward about it. Since he had already used her, he would admit it. Extra explanations would only make the relationship more awkward and serve no purpose.
"This matter was my fault. I hope Senior Lingling can be magnanimous and forgive this junior this once?"
Lin Yang cupped his hands, showing a sincere "I admit my mistake" expression.
Ye Lingling was slightly stunned. She hadn't expected Lin Yang to admit his fault so cleanly.
In truth, this matter wasn't a big deal. The Ye Clan hadn't suffered any loss and had instead gained greater benefits. She simply didn't like the way Lin Yang had treated her. If he wanted to contact the Ye Clan, he could have just said so directly. Would she have refused?
In his eyes, was she just a petty woman who wouldn't act without benefits?
Ye Lingling simply looked at him, her gaze deep and quiet, saying nothing and giving no response.
Lin Yang felt his scalp go numb from being stared at.
The girls he had interacted with the most were Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan. Their personalities were different, but they shared some similarities. Xiao Wu was fiery and lively, simple-minded in a straightforward way. Yan'er, although she had some small thoughts, basically said whatever was on her mind and didn't hide things.
But Ye Lingling was different. She was meticulous and introverted. Whatever was on her mind, she would keep it inside and simply look at you. It made him feel as if he had done something wrong to her. It was truly hard to see through or guess.
Dugu Yan, watching the exchange between the two, had alarm bells ringing loudly in her heart. She quietly reached out and pinched the soft flesh at Lin Yang's waist, whispering, "What riddle are you two playing? Are you hiding something from me?"
Lin Yang turned his head and whispered softly in Dugu Yan's ear, "I'll explain later."
The warm breath brushed against her earlobe. Dugu Yan felt her cheeks heat up, but she still forced a light snort. "I'll be waiting."
Seeing the intimate interaction between the two, Ye Lingling seemed to suddenly snap back to reality. Her gaze regained its usual coldness as she said indifferently, "Let's go. We'll take a look at the Butterfly House."
The Butterfly House was still the same as before. However, with more people, the small courtyard now looked a bit crowded. Therefore, Lin Yang planned to rent the neighboring courtyard as a temporary solution, then find a larger place later.
When Catherine saw Lin Yang return, she immediately put down what she was holding and stood up.
"Teacher, you're back. And Yan Yan-jie…"
Halfway through her sentence, when she saw Ye Lingling, her eyes instantly lit up. She quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Ye Lingling with gratitude. "Miss Ye, thank you for saving my brother…"
Ye Lingling gently shook her head. "No need to thank me."
Catherine wanted to say more, but Lin Yang waved his hand to interrupt her. "No need to be so formal. Let me introduce you. This is Ye Lingling—you already know her. From today onward, she has officially joined the Butterfly House."
Catherine's face instantly bloomed with a delighted smile as she subconsciously exclaimed, "That's wonderful! Teacher mentioned Miss Ye's martial soul is a miracle among martial souls. In the future, no matter how many patients the Butterfly House has, we won't have to worry."
Before she finished speaking, Lin Yang flicked her forehead with a finger. "Don't think about slacking off."
Catherine covered her forehead with a "wronged" look on her face. Wasn't she right?
Lin Yang had already turned around and looked at Ye Lingling with a serious tone. "Lingling, there's one thing I need to make clear first. In the Butterfly House, try not to use your martial soul."