Douluo Dalu: Beginning with Signing in with Yan Lingji

After a long time, the door opened, and Zhao Ming and Cai Lin stepped out.

At that moment, Zi Ji was waiting outside. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the overwhelming power of Medusa's bloodline. It seemed her bloodline even surpassed Zi Ji's own.

"Zi Ji, her name is Medusa, but you can call her Cai Lin," Zhao Ming said after some thought. Initially, he had planned to call her Queen Medusa, but considering that the Douluo Continent didn't have a snake-human race, she could hardly be considered a queen here.

"Medusa? You belong to the Medusa lineage?" Zi Ji asked, surprised. In the Douluo Continent, Medusa was the supreme of the snake species.

"That's right." Queen Medusa glanced at Zi Ji, her voice calm.

Medusa was one of the most powerful snake soul beasts in the Douluo Continent. Her human upper body and snake lower body made her a formidable and rare soul beast. Even Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, possessed a Medusa skull.

However, the Douluo Continent and the Battle Through the Heavens universe were different realms. Their classifications of species and other circumstances were not the same.

"Zi Ji, thank you for your hard work. It's getting late; you should go rest now," Zhao Ming said as he glanced at the darkening sky.

"Yes, my lord." Zi Ji nodded, giving Cai Lin a deep look before turning to leave.

Although Medusa's bloodline was noble, it was not to the extent of suppressing her own. Zi Ji understood that the woman beside Zhao Ming must possess an extraordinary Medusa bloodline.

After thinking it over, she was no longer surprised.

After all, anyone who caught Zhao Ming's attention was unlikely to be simple.

The night had fallen, and a cool breeze blew, yet it carried no chill.

With the breeze, Medusa's hair fluttered, releasing a fresh fragrance that was both soothing and intoxicating.

"You're free to leave." Zhao Ming said softly, looking at the beautiful Cai Lin after a long silence.

"Leave?" Queen Medusa looked at Zhao Ming, puzzled.

"I know that with your personality, you wouldn't want to be confined here. You're like a bird of the sky; you shouldn't be bound by me," Zhao Ming explained.

Having read the original work, he understood Queen Medusa's nature well.

She was proud and noble, unwilling to be restrained.

Hearing Zhao Ming's words, Queen Medusa smiled radiantly. She could feel that Zhao Ming was sincere; he wasn't just saying this to make her happy.

This touched her. She, Queen Medusa, had countless suitors willing to give up everything for her. Yet none of them compared to Zhao Ming. No matter how much they offered, it was always to obtain her body. Zhao Ming was different; he genuinely cared for her.

"Aren't you afraid that if I leave, I won't come back?" Queen Medusa's cold face softened with a smile.

"Of course, I am. But if staying by my side makes you unhappy, I'd rather you leave," Zhao Ming said with a smile.

"But you can't like any other man out there. Even if you don't like me, you're not allowed to like anyone else." Zhao Ming puffed out his chest, his tone domineering as he looked at the beautiful Medusa.

"If I don't like you, and I'm not allowed to like anyone else, what am I supposed to do?" Queen Medusa's eyes narrowed as she looked at Zhao Ming, her delicate brows furrowing.

Although she knew she wouldn't fall for any other man, Zhao Ming's possessiveness left her feeling conflicted. If she wasn't allowed to like anyone else, wouldn't that mean she could only like him?

"Well, that means you can only like me," Zhao Ming said with a smile.

"One year. If after one year you still don't like me, or even hate me, then I will set you free." Zhao Ming promised, his gaze gentle as he looked at her stunningly cold face.

"Set me free?" Medusa was stunned.

"Yes, I can sever our connection so that you will no longer be my puppet. At that point, you will be completely free."

"What? There's a way to do that?" Queen Medusa's eyes lifted, looking at Zhao Ming, her expression neutral. Yet, she found herself unexpectedly unwilling to take that path.

"If we do that, it will likely cause you a lot of harm, won't it?" She asked, her eyes showing a hint of concern. From the moment she awoke, she had been filled with information about this world. Terms like martial soul, spirit rings, and spirit bones were no strangers to her. So, when she heard Zhao Ming could sever their bond, she realized that she was essentially his spirit ring or perhaps even his spirit skill.

Would severing their bond harm Zhao Ming? This thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Was Zhao Ming willing to harm himself for her sake?

"It's nothing—just a minor physical injury. It's worth it for you." Zhao Ming smiled at Medusa and stepped forward to stand beside her.

He breathed in the fragrance emanating from Queen Medusa and looked at her slender waist. He wanted to hold her and feel her soft warmth, but the time was not yet right. His Cai Lin had not truly fallen for him.

Even though the puppet bond made Queen Medusa naturally favor him greatly, she was no ordinary girl.

She was rational and proud, with her own mind and thoughts. She was incomparable to ordinary women.

An average girl with such high affection for him would have already submitted to him.

But Queen Medusa was unique, unparalleled.

"Thank you." Queen Medusa's usually calm eyes showed a ripple of emotion as she looked at Zhao Ming. It was the first time someone was willing to treat her this way, even if it meant harming themselves.

Within the snake-human tribe, both inside and outside the tribe, no one had ever shown such care for her.

Even her admirers mostly pursued her for her beauty.

How many would be willing to suffer losses for her?

None—until now.

Zhao Ming genuinely wanted to make her happy, without any ulterior motives. She was his puppet; he could have anything he wanted from her. If he wished, he could imprison her, torment her at will… but instead, he was willing to grant her freedom.

"You're the most foolish man I've ever met." Queen Medusa smiled charmingly. The beauty that came to him willingly, and he didn't seize it—what a fool.

"I'm not like this with anyone else," Zhao Ming replied with a smile.

"Hmm." Queen Medusa's eyes gazed into the distance. "I just want to explore a bit. This world seems interesting. Once I've seen enough, I'll return to find you. If you need me, you can always summon me."

"Don't worry, I won't fall for anyone else." With that, Queen Medusa disappeared swiftly into the darkness.

She left, but the lingering fragrance in the air was the only proof of her presence.

Watching her disappear into the distance, Zhao Ming smiled brightly.

Sooner or later, he would win Queen Medusa's heart completely.

When that time came, as her man, he would give her a thousand times what Xiao Yan ever could.

Though Queen Medusa left, Zhao Ming could still sense her location. He could easily find her. Moreover, whenever Medusa used a combat technique, it would consume his soul power. By monitoring the fluctuations in his soul power, he could judge whether she was in danger or facing trouble. If she were ever in danger, he could summon her back to his side.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.