You really make one want to cherish you dearly.

Hearing Qin Hao's words, Ling Feng's face turned ashen in an instant. His lips trembled violently, and the hands hanging by his sides clenched into fists:

"You—! What the hell do you think you are? Do you have the right to speak here?"

With that, Ling Feng took a step forward. The oppressive aura of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm poured out like a burst dam, crushing toward Qin Hao.

Qin Hao acted as if he was completely terrified by Ling Feng's Tribulation Transcendence Realm aura. He subconsciously took a half-step back and shrank behind Ling Shuangshuang. Seeing this, even Ling Shuangshuang could not help but frown, utterly baffled in her heart.

Ling Shuangshuang could not understand. Given Ling Feng's strength, even if Qin Hao stood there motionless and let Ling Feng attack him, Ling Feng probably wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on his head, right? Why was Qin Hao putting on such a frightened appearance?

Could it be that something had happened to Qin Hao?

Just then, Qin Hao's voice rang out. It was no longer the indifferent, aloof tone from before, but had become soft and light, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremble:

"Shuangshuang, he's so scary~"

Qin Hao's body shrank further behind Ling Shuangshuang, hiding half of his body behind her back and exposing only his face:

"Is he trying to kill me?"

Ling Shuangshuang was completely thrown off by Qin Hao's act. Seriously, bro, you are even stronger than I am, and now you're hiding behind me?

But soon, Ling Shuangshuang figured it out. He needed her! He wanted her to show what a proper Dao Companion should look like! Since she had publicly announced that he was her Dao Companion, she ought to protect him well!

Thinking of this, Ling Shuangshuang waved her hand casually, and Ling Feng's fierce aura collapsed on its own. Then, she turned her head and said to Qin Hao, "Don't worry, with me here, no one can hurt you."

The scene before him shocked Ling Feng so much that he staggered back several steps. Ling Shuangshuang—the woman he had pursued for three years, who had never given him a single good look—was now turning slightly to shield Qin Hao behind her. Her purple eyes held a kind of gentleness and determination he had never seen before.

Ling Feng felt as if someone had ruthlessly squeezed his heart. It hurt! It hurt too much! Ask yourself, how could you accept it if the woman you loved treated another man with the tenderness you had always dreamed of?

"Shuangshuang!" Ling Feng's voice was hoarse and trembling. "What makes him worthy of you protecting him like this? A man like this, who only knows how to hide behind a woman when encountering trouble, what is there for you to see in him?"

Ling Shuangshuang turned back to face Ling Feng. The gentleness in her eyes had long vanished, replaced by an indifferent, unapproachable aloofness. "You wouldn't understand!"

Ling Feng's face was livid, his lips trembling violently. There it was again! Every time she faced him, it was always this extremely cold look! Why! Why couldn't she be as gentle to him as she was to that guy?

Ling Feng wanted to vent all his pent-up anger and jealousy, but he couldn't bear to direct it at Ling Shuangshuang. Therefore, he pointed all his spearheads at Qin Hao.

"You! What kind of skill is hiding behind a woman? Are you even a man? If you have the guts, fight me in a real, head-to-head battle. If I lose, I'll submit to you. Of course, there's no way I could ever lose to someone like you."

Seeing Ling Feng's flustered and exasperated appearance, Qin Hao almost couldn't hold back his laughter. This guy was a true simp. Couldn't he see that his goddess didn't even want to spare him a second glance? Why was he still lingering around?

Qin Hao blinked his eyes, his face full of innocent and aggrieved expressions. "Shuangshuang, look, he's yelling at me!"

Seeing Qin Hao like this, Ling Feng's blood pressure skyrocketed through the roof. His temples throbbed, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his entire face turned the color of pig liver.

He had lived for over fifty years and had never seen such a brazen and shameless person! A madman who had declared he would set up an arena to challenge all cultivators at or below the Immortal Realm in the entire Lingxiao Divine Dynasty was actually hiding behind a woman, pulling her sleeve, and complaining in a tone that gave people goosebumps!

Shameless, absolutely shameless!

Ling Feng pointed at Qin Hao, his finger trembling slightly from extreme agitation. "Are you a three-year-old child? Running to tattle to your mommy when you get bullied? Does someone like you even deserve to be called a man?"

"Ling Feng, that's enough!" Ling Shuangshuang frowned slightly and immediately struck out with a palm.

Although she didn't use her full strength behind this palm strike, it wasn't something a Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator like Ling Feng could withstand head-on. Taking this hit, Ling Feng was directly sent flying and coughed up blood.

Flying backward violently, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He ended up half-kneeling on the ground, supporting himself with one hand while clutching his chest with the other.

He couldn't even bother with the physical pain. His eyes stared fixedly at Ling Shuangshuang, filled with disbelief, agony, grievance, and a nearly shattered fragility.

"You hit me. You hit me for him?"

Ling Shuangshuang's face was icy cold. "Enough! This is the Princess's Estate, not your Prince's Manor. If you don't want to die, get out!"

"Haha, haha..." Ling Feng stood up as if he had lost his mind, his face full of self-deprecating smiles.

"Fine, I'll remember what happened today! Ye Hao, just you wait!"

As soon as these words came out, Qin Hao was completely dumbfounded. No, bro, I wasn't the one who hit you, so why are you telling me to wait? Go after the person who actually hit you.

"Hmph, to think someone like you dared to set up an arena, inviting all the cultivators at or below the Immortal Realm in the entire Lingxiao Divine Dynasty to challenge you. Heh, there must be some shady trick behind this!"

"Let me guess. Did you hire a few actors to deliberately lose to you, just to boost your reputation and make you look more worthy of Shuangshuang?"

Qin Hao twitched the corners of his mouth. In his heart, he only wanted to say: You're too dense, bro, you're way too dense, and your imagination is running way too wild.

Ling Feng continued talking to himself, "But you can give up on that idea. Seven days from now is when the arena battles begin. On that day, I will defeat you in front of everyone! A fake will always be a fake!"

Having said his piece, Ling Feng left in a huff.

Honestly, looking at Ling Feng's departing back, Qin Hao actually felt a bit sorry for the guy. Finally, Qin Hao shook his head. "Simps never meet a good end. This is what happens."

Just as Qin Hao was sighing in lament, suddenly, an aggressive embrace tightly wrapped around him from the front. A soft warmth pressed against his chest, and a faint fragrance—hard to tell if it was the scent of flowers or a natural body scent—drifted into his nose.

"My dear Dao Companion is truly so delicate. It really makes me want to tenderly cherish you."

Ling Shuangshuang buried her face against Qin Hao's collarbones, her warm breath spilling over his chest. The tip of her nose rubbed against his neck, like a cat marking its territory.

"That was just acting on the spot. I'm not normally like this."