Ye Tian was taken aback. The moment he saw the fury on Lin Ling's face, he understood everything. But right now, trying to explain seemed hopeless.
Lin Ling slowly got to her feet, though she looked incredibly weak. She took one step after another toward Ye Tian.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Ye Tian asked nervously. 'This girl isn't actually going to fly into a rage and try to kill me, is she?!'
Lin Ling's face was an icy mask. She glared at Ye Tian and raged, "What do you think I'm going to do? Don't you know what you've done? You're a despicable scoundrel who took advantage of me when I was helpless. Do you think I'd let you off the hook?"
"Lin Ling, please, listen to me. I swear I didn't do anything to you. Aren't you jumping to conclusions?" Ye Tian said hurriedly.
"Explain? How could you possibly explain this? What happened to my clothes? Don't tell me Xiao Yaoyao and the others came and changed them for me. A man saw a woman's entire body. What is there left to explain?" Lin Ling raged.
Ye Tian felt utterly speechless, unable to defend himself. He knew Lin Ling was truly enraged now, and it seemed impossible to console her. She wouldn't listen to a word he said.
However, if he said nothing, it would be taken as an admission of guilt. He didn't want her to misunderstand him, so he said,
"Lin Ling, I didn't do it on purpose. You were too heavily injured, and I was the one who saved you. You were covered in blood, and I just wanted to clean you up. Besides, your clothes were already in tatters—it was no different from wearing nothing at all! You have to believe me. I really didn't do anything to you."
"Didn't do anything? You saw my entire body, and you have the nerve to say it was nothing? Ye Tian, are you even human? Do you have any idea how I'm supposed to face anyone after this? This secret cannot get out. The only way to ensure that is for you to die!" Lin Ling raged.
Ye Tian was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Lin Ling and said, "You're severely injured right now. Do you really think you can kill me? Don't forget, I have a Demon Pet by my side. You should think this through. Surely there's another way to resolve this!"
Ye Tian's words seemed to make Lin Ling realize the gravity of her situation. She tried to circulate the Spiritual Power in her body but found it wouldn't move at all. Right now, she was as helpless as a cripple. Trying to kill Ye Tian was simply impossible.
Lin Ling's expression turned even darker. Killing Ye Tian was impossible. Since she couldn't kill him, the only way to restore her honor was to die herself.
At this thought, she said, "Ye Tian, my honor is ruined because of you. Since I cannot kill you, I can only die before your eyes. Please, give me a quick end."
Ye Tian was dumbfounded. 'I can't believe Lin Ling is such an unyielding woman. Kill her? How could I possibly do that? I went to so much trouble to save her life. There's no way I'm going to let her die.'
'It was the same with Ye Feifei back then, but she ended up becoming my woman. Does that mean Lin Ling has to become my woman, too? It doesn't seem like she feels that way about me at all. This might be difficult.'
Ye Tian glanced at Lin Ling and said, "Lin Ling, can't you look at this from a different angle? Isn't there another way to resolve this? Does it really have to be that if you can't kill me, you must kill yourself?"
Lin Ling was still furious. She shot Ye Tian a withering glare. "What other way is there? Don't tell me you expect me to pledge myself to you? Then you'd get everything you wanted, wouldn't you? And another thing, you're much younger than me. How could I possibly accept you?"
"Pledge yourself to me? I could accept that," Ye Tian said with a grin. "But really, I didn't do anything to you. Don't let your imagination run wild. Your honor is still intact!"
"Ye Tian, have you no shame?! You saw my body, you touched me, and you dare say my honor is intact? Do you really think I'd want to be with you?! You don't have to lift a finger; I can die right here in front of you myself!" Lin Ling raged.
Ye Tian started to panic. It would be a disaster if Lin Ling actually went through with her threat. He quickly said, "Lin Ling, that's not what I meant! If… if you wouldn't mind, I'm willing to take responsibility for you. I just hope you'll give up any thoughts of taking your own life."
"Ye Tian, do you take me for a three-year-old? I may not be some pampered lady from a noble family, but I am still a respectable, unmarried woman. How exactly do you plan to take responsibility for me?" Lin Ling demanded.
Ye Tian was getting anxious. Lin Ling completely misunderstood him. To stop her from doing something drastic, he realized he would have to take a more extreme approach. He just didn't know if she would be able to accept it.
"Lin Ling, you should know that I, Ye Tian, am not an irresponsible person. If I say something, I mean it. You know Xiao Yaoyao, right? I can only tell you this… she is my woman. And she's about your age, isn't she?" Ye Tian said with a very serious expression.
At his words, Lin Ling froze, staring at Ye Tian in utter astonishment. She seemed to be searching his eyes for any sign of a lie. This was a complete bombshell, one she could barely process.
She stared at Ye Tian for a long moment before asking, "Ye Tian, are you telling the truth? Yaoyao is your woman? What's going on? She told me she would never fall in love with a man as long as she lived."
"It's true. The story between Sister Yaoyao and me isn't something I can explain in just a few words. You can ask her yourself when you get the chance," Ye Tian said. He didn't want to explain too much; it would just sound like he was making excuses, and there was no need.
At this, Lin Ling's emotions seemed to stabilize a bit. She did know a little about Xiao Yaoyao's situation; after all, they had been friends for a long time. It was rumored that she had a hidden affliction that made it so no man could touch her. If one did, their life would be in danger.
"Ye Tian, don't just call me Lin Ling in the future. I'm older than you; the least you could do is call me Sister Lin Ling. Do you know about Xiao Yaoyao's condition? And you still dared to make her your woman?" Lin Ling asked, her face a mask of shock.
Ye Tian broke into a smile. "Sister Lin Ling, you're not going to threaten to kill yourself anymore, are you? Of course I know about Sister Yaoyao's condition. She only agreed to be my woman after I cured her of that hidden affliction. You understand now, right?"
Lin Ling hesitated. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but she couldn't settle on any of them. Finally, she asked in a small voice, "Are you really willing to take responsibility for me?"
Hearing her say this, Ye Tian could finally relax, but it also gave him a massive headache. 'I don't have any feelings for either Xiao Yaoyao or Lin Ling. If they're going to be my women, I guess I'll just have to cultivate those feelings over time.'
'I just wonder what Ye Feifei and Xiao Yaoyao will think when they find out about her existence.' But he couldn't refuse her now. So he said, "Of course it's true. Do I look like I'm joking?"
A smile finally broke out on Lin Ling's face. "I believe you, Ye Tian. But we have to set three conditions first. Otherwise, I can't bring myself to accept this!"
"Three conditions?" Ye Tian couldn't help but ask…