Chapter 164: Zhong Ling

"Found it!"

Zhong Ling couldn't help but beam with joy upon seeing Ye Xiu's group: one man and seven beauties.

The group consisted of eight people, seven women, each one a breathtakingly beautiful beauty. The two who had fully grown up, even possessing a hint of mature charm, were truly breathtaking. Beyond these two, the rest were also incredibly beautiful, each possessing a unique aura. Some were strikingly beautiful, while others were more subdued.

Any one of them, taken individually, would have been considered a truly stunning sight. Now, with all seven beauties gathered together, they were simply breathtaking.

Of course, Zhong Ling merely glanced at the seven women, not paying them much attention.

Her primary focus was on the man surrounded by the seven beautiful women.

Seeing that man, Zhong Ling's eyes lit up. She had never seen a man so handsome. Duan Yu

, whom she had met before, was already considered a handsome man, but she realized that Ye Xiu's looks surpassed his. Moreover, this man's good looks weren't just about his appearance. He possessed a unique aura, a quality difficult to describe. In short, for a young woman like Zhong Ling, it was incredibly captivating.

With just one glance, his beauty and aura combined, Zhong Ling

's heart raced. She felt as if she were falling in love. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

Just as Zhong Ling was gazing at Ye Xiu intently, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, obstructing her view. She frowned and tried to avoid the figure, only to be met with a sharp gaze.

The look was too dangerous, too domineering, too aggressive, and Zhong Ling instinctively avoided him.

But once she looked away, she realized what was happening.

While the look was terrifying, Zhong Ling had been waiting at the city gate precisely to see this handsome man, Ye Xiu. Even though the woman beside him looked formidable, Zhong Ling wouldn't back down.

Taking a deep breath, a vast amount of true energy flowed through her body, calming her nerves. Then, she walked directly towards Ye Xiu.

Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue both raised an eyebrow as they watched Zhong Ling approach.

They could sense Zhong Ling's formidable strength, even realizing she was a Grandmaster.

However, upon realizing she was already a Grandmaster despite her youth, a flicker of surprise crossed their eyes.

Noticing the strangeness in Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue's gaze, Ye Xiu and the others turned in their direction and saw a lovely young woman approaching.

"Hi, hello!" Zhong Ling greeted Ye Xiu and the others with a cheerful smile, appearing somewhat graceful and unassuming.

"Uh—" Ye Xiu was surprised by Zhong Ling's unexpected greeting.

Because this world, even the Zongwu, is still ancient, and women in ancient times wouldn't actively show up in public. While being a member of the Jianghu might be less fraught with rules and hassles, it's still rare for a girl to proactively greet a boy.

Well, when Zhong Ling greeted him, her gaze was primarily on Ye Xiu, hence Ye Xiu's surprise.

"You all look so good. My name is Zhong Ling, what about you?" Zhong Ling asked directly with a smile. There was a hint of innocence in her tone.

It was as if she'd taken the initiative to greet Ye Xiu and Dongfang Bubai because they were so good-looking. It matched Zhong Ling's appearance perfectly, not giving off a contrived vibe.

"Zhong Ling?"

Aside from Yi Lin and Ye Xiu, everyone else, upon hearing Zhong Ling's name, looked quizzical yet also a bit enlightened.

Dongfang Bubai, Yao Yue, Huang Rong, Jiang Yuyan, even Qu Feiyan and Yue Lingshan. They had all roughly figured out some of the diary's rules, so they wrote down the names of every woman who appeared in the diary, even if they were rarely mentioned, or even just once.

So, when Zhong Ling appeared here, before them, they immediately understood that this Zhong Ling had likely drawn them to her because of the diary.

"Zhong Ling?" Compared to Dongfang Bubai and the others, Ye Xiu was surprised to hear the name.

Ye Xiu knew the name Zhong Ling, but he couldn't understand why she appeared within the borders of the Ming Dynasty, outside of Nanjing. "

Could it be that this Zhong Ling isn't the Zhong Ling I know?" Ye Xiu wondered. He

assumed it was just a coincidence. After all, there are only so many Chinese characters, and people's names are made up of them. With so many people, the chances of having the same name were incredibly high. So, encountering a few women named Zhong Ling wasn't unusual.

As Ye Xiu pondered this, a furry creature suddenly emerged from Zhong Ling's arms—a lovely mink.

The lightning marten swiftly emerged from Zhong Ling's arms and scurried onto her shoulder, its innocent yet curious eyes fixed on Ye Xiu and his companions.

"What's this—" Ye Xiu couldn't help but ask.

"This is a lightning marten, my pet." Zhong Ling smiled as she cradled the lightning marten in her hands.

Okay, the name was Zhong Ling, and she had a lightning marten as a pet. It was definitely the Zhong Ling from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

However, it was a bit confusing that this was a key character in the series, not in the Song or Dali Kingdoms, but in the Ming Dynasty.

But considering that this was ultimately a realistic scenario, and that people had their own perspectives and didn't simply follow a storyline, Zhong Ling's escape from Dali to the Ming Dynasty seemed perfectly natural. Just like Huang Rong, who was supposed to be heading to the Song or even the Jin Dynasty, but somehow ended up in the Ming Dynasty and encountered it.

Qu Feiyan, Huang Rong, and the others looked at the lightning marten in Zhong Ling's arms with fondness in their eyes.

Girls naturally adore furry things, especially the ferret, which is inherently adorable. Perhaps because Zhong Ling loves it and bathes it frequently, it also looks incredibly clean. Coupled with its lively eyes, it's a truly adorable pet.

Soon, Zhong Ling was chatting with Qu Feiyan and the others. In the blink of an eye, Zhong Ling seemed to blend in?

Ye Xiu was bewildered and stunned.

He felt he simply couldn't understand the female mindset.

An outsider suddenly appeared, and after just one encounter, they happily became friends?

In reality, Zhong Ling's quick integration was due to her being one of the diary's owners.

It was also Ye Xiu who mentioned her in the diary, and thus obtained the diary cheat. It could be said that this was the biggest secret among these women.

Sharing a secret naturally made them family.

As for Zhong Ling, she had always intended to connect with Ye Xiu's people and stay by his side.

Hence, their initial abruptness, leaving Ye Xiu stunned and Yi Lin bewildered.

Compared to the others, Yi Lin was truly a carefree, pure-minded girl. However, she didn't understand, and wouldn't offer any opinions. She didn't even care whether Zhong Ling stayed, or rather, she had never considered it.

Zhong Ling's integration into Ye Xiu's team was caught by the minions of Tianzun Murong Qiudi.

Murong Qiudi soon learned of Zhong Ling's joining Ye Xiu's

team. Seeing how easily and simply Zhong Ling joined Ye Xiu's team, Murong Qiudi was so disheartened she nearly vomited blood.

After all, Murong Qiudi already knew Ye Xiu's identity. She hadn't proactively sought out Ye Xiu or approached him because she was worried about Dongfang Bubai and Yao Yue, who were with him.

Or rather, Murong Qiudi believed that approaching Ye Xiu was inherently difficult.

She hadn't anticipated how easily Zhong Ling

approached Ye Xiu. Had she known it would be so easy, she would have definitely approached him before anyone else.

Murong Qiudi forgot that different people have different personalities. Zhong Ling was able to slot into the team so easily because she was Zhong Ling, innocent and simple-minded, without any complexities.

Murong Qiudi, however, lacked Zhong Ling's innocence and her own way of thinking, which meant she couldn't approach Ye Xiu as easily.

In short, Murong Qiudi was in a particularly bad mood.

She hadn't expected Ye Xiu to be so approachable. And now, there was another Zhong Ling beside Ye Xiu.

If it weren't for Zhong Ling, Murong Qiudi could still approach Ye Xiu. But she plotted against Zhong Ling, and they had become enemies. As long as she appeared in Zhong Ling's sight, Zhong Ling would probably not be able to help but kill her.

Therefore, as long as Zhong Ling was by Ye Xiu's side, she would not be able to approach Ye Xiu.

For Murong Qiudi, Zhong Ling was even a bigger obstacle than Yao Yue and Dongfang Bubai.

"Oh! If I had known earlier--" Murong Qiudi stroked the diary with her palm.

Only now did she realize that this diary was so magical. If she had known that the diary was so magical, then her attitude towards Ye Xiu and Zhong Ling would have changed completely, and she would not have let the situation become like this.

"Zhong Ling, since you are from Dali, why did you travel thousands of miles to the Ming Dynasty and even come to Nanjing?" Ye Xiu couldn't help but be curious and asked the question in his heart.

"Because I've mastered martial arts, I planned to travel the world with my sword. Then I heard about Rama's body, so I came here. Unfortunately, I was too late. By the time I arrived in Nanjing, it seemed to have been stolen and disappeared," Zhong Ling explained with a smile.

Because she couldn't bring herself to talk about the diary, Zhong Ling had already made up an excuse long ago, and Ye Xiu's questioning was just the right thing to do.

"Mastered martial arts?" Ye Xiu's eyes flickered with surprise at this statement.

In Ye Xiu's memory, or perhaps even in the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils universe, among Duan Yu's many sisters, aside from Wang Yuyan, who didn't know any martial arts, Zhong Ling's martial arts skills were probably at the bottom. And now, she was actually claiming to be a master of martial arts.

"Zhong Ling is right. If I'm not mistaken, Zhong Ling must be a Grandmaster now," Dongfang Bubai said, his eyes slightly quizzical.

Dongfang Bubai suspected that Zhong Ling, based on Ye Xiu's diary, had intercepted Duan Yu and mastered the Northern Sea Divine Art. By utilizing the Beiming Divine Art's ability to absorb the cultivation of others, she became a Grandmaster at such a young age.

As for martial arts like the Beiming Divine Art, which absorb the true energy of others, most cannot achieve Grandmaster status. Dongfang Bubai understood that with the monthly bonus granted by the diary, the so-called limitations of the technique could be easily overcome.

Ye Xiu was also shocked to hear that Zhong Ling was actually a Grandmaster. He couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "Zhong Ling, you're a Grandmaster?"

Not only Ye Xiu, Huang Rong, Qu Feiyan, Yue Lingshan, and Jiang Yuyan, but even Yi Lin was shocked, even feeling a surge of envy.

Even if they were destined to become Grandmasters due to their possession of the diary, they weren't, while Zhong Ling was already one, so naturally, they couldn't help but feel envious.

"I just had a little more luck, so I became a Grandmaster," Zhong Ling chuckled with a hint of pride.

Hearing Zhong Ling's words about her good fortune left everyone speechless.

Is becoming a Grandmaster really just a matter of luck? It's not just about luck.

"Sister Zhong Ling, how did you do it? You became a grandmaster at such a young age, how did you do it?" Qu Feiyan hugged Zhong Ling's arm with a smile, and asked in an intimate tone.

"Well, it's because the martial arts I practice are quite special. As for the others, I can't tell you." Zhong Ling was quite rational and did not reveal the words of Beiming Divine Art.

"Special martial arts? Could it be a martial art that can absorb the cultivation of others for its own use?" Qu Feiyan's eyes lit up.

In fact, Qu Feiyan has always wanted a martial art that can absorb the cultivation of others for its own use. The Sun and Moon Sect's Star Absorbing Art, the Tiedan Shenhou's Power Absorbing Art, the Yihua Palace's Flower-Transplanting Art, and Dali's Beiming Divine Art. It's a pity that she didn't get any of them, so she had to give up, but now, she saw hope in Zhong Ling.