The restless thought churned through her mind several times, but Shui Ling still couldn't condense her True Yuan.
"What kind of physique do you have?" Yang Kai tilted his head and looked at her. Judging by what she'd said, he immediately realized that the woman in front of him also seemed to possess a special physique.
Special physiques—Yang Kai had only ever seen one person with one so far, his little senior sister. Such a gift was a blessing from the heavens, born with the person from birth. They were extraordinarily rare, and each special physique could manifest entirely different abilities. It was seldom the case that two people shared the same type.
His little senior sister's physique was particularly suited for alchemy. Now here was another person with a special physique, and Yang Kai was naturally brimming with interest, wanting to know some of the details.
Shui Ling eyed Yang Kai warily, reluctant to answer.
Just like how Xia Ningshang's Medicine Spirit Sacred Physique was kept under strict secrecy, Shui Ling's physique was naturally something she wanted desperately to conceal. But with her current situation—living under someone else's roof—she had no choice but to bow her head.
After a long, hesitant pause, Shui Ling finally muttered, "Water Spirit Physique."
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, knowing she wasn't lying to him. Based on this woman's repeated displays, her physique was clearly related to water, and her very name likely derived from it.
"Is there anything special about it?" Yang Kai asked amicably.
"I can transform my body into something like flowing water." As she spoke, Shui Ling channeled her True Yuan to demonstrate. Yang Kai made no move to defend himself. Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes in the room, the petite woman with her pale blue hair truly became as transparent and clear as water, leaving behind only the outline of a human figure. Gradually, she even transformed into a round water ball.
Even someone as composed as Ying Jiu couldn't help but gape, his face full of disbelief.
"Surely that's not the extent of your abilities?" Yang Kai smiled and reached out to touch the water ball in front of him.
With a soft *pop*, the water ball suddenly burst apart. Mist scattered, and Shui Ling's body eerily reappeared not far to Yang Kai's side. Her face was flushed crimson, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her teeth clenched as she glared at him furiously. She seemed to be trembling with rage.
Yang Kai looked genuinely bewildered. He rubbed his fingers together, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Touched somewhere I shouldn't have?"
"What do you think?" Shui Ling gasped heavily, her silver teeth gritted so hard they creaked.
"I didn't do it on purpose, and besides... I didn't feel anything." Yang Kai's expression remained perfectly calm. Just now, he'd only felt like he was touching a stream of water—there had been none of the sensation of touching a human body. But for Shui Ling, the experience was likely very different; otherwise she wouldn't be so outraged and humiliated.
"I'll remember you!" Shui Ling spat, her gaze filled with hostility.
"Plenty of people remember me," Yang Kai said, slowly shaking his head without a care. "But none of them had a happy ending. Now, tell me more about your Water Spirit Physique's abilities. I'm quite curious."
Seeing his utterly nonchalant expression as he brushed off the whole indecency incident so effortlessly, Shui Ling felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.
She had never encountered such a shameless man in her life. He'd clearly cultivated all his cultivation base into the thickness of his skin.
"I'm not in the mood to talk anymore," Shui Ling snorted coldly. "Kill me or do whatever you want—suit yourself."
Yang Kai scratched his forehead, knowing that his earlier accidental gesture had genuinely angered her, so he decided not to press the matter. The reason he'd been wary of this mysterious woman was that he hadn't known her intentions or her background.
Now that he did, he didn't particularly care, so long as she wasn't one of his brothers' recruited subordinates. As long as she had no intention of harming Xia Ningshang, Yang Kai wouldn't bother with her.
"Anything else you want to ask? If not, I'm leaving now."
Yang Kai shook his head.
Shui Ling's expression flickered with surprise for a moment—she hadn't expected him to be so accommodating. Then she briskly extended a hand. "Give me back my hair."
"That's not happening," Yang Kai chuckled. "You're free to go, I won't stop you. But this"—he glanced at the strand of hair in his possession—"stays with me. Because I don't know if what you just told me was true or false, and I don't know whether you'll come back here to stir up trouble in the future!"
"How can you be like this!" Shui Ling said, exasperated. "If you hold onto that, I'll never be free of your control for the rest of my life. And you have the nerve to say you'll let me go? Where exactly can I go?"
"Wherever you like. As long as you don't cause trouble at my estate, the world is vast—go wherever you please." Yang Kai paused, then smiled lightly. "Of course, if you're willing to work for me, I'd be very welcoming."
"Work for you?" Shui Ling scoffed derisively. "Do you even have the qualifications?"
"If you're not willing, we could always cooperate. As long as you agree to stay, everything is negotiable," Yang Kai continued to persuade.
"Who on earth would want to stay!" Shui Ling snorted coldly, turned, and walked out. She silently raised her True Yuan, ready to defend herself in case Yang Kai was lying through his teeth and launched a sneak attack.
But she waited until she'd left Yang Kai's estate entirely, and still nothing happened behind her. He clearly had no intention of making things difficult for her.
She glanced back, and Shui Ling couldn't help but stomp her foot in fury. This time she'd truly lost out—not only had she failed to shake free of his control, but even her pure, untouched body had been groped by the man, and the perpetrator had the gall to say he "didn't feel anything"!
It was absolutely infuriating!