"Fellow Daoist Ye, how could you give my things to another woman?"


    Ye Chen had already anticipated that Lin Ke''er was eavesdropping outside. He was curious to see how she would react. But when Lin Ke''er stormed in, her first words filled with rage, Ye Chen couldn''t help but chuckle.


    What did she mean "was mine"?


    Her current state reminded Ye Chen of a story from his past life. A man who had regularly given a beggar ten coins every day, but after getting married and tightening his budget, could only give five. The beggar, in turn, furiously accused him, "Why are you using my money to support your wife?" This story bore an uncanny resemblance to Lin Ke''er in this moment.


    Clearly, Lin Ke''er believed that everything about her so-called "simp" was hers by right. So when Ye Chen gave gifts to someone else, it was impossible for her to accept. Indeed, a simp had no rights. What a pity for her that Ye Chen certainly wasn''t actually a simp!


    Lu Jing, on the other hand, displayed far more dedication. She gave gifts and didn''t hesitate to make them public. And what about Lin Ke''er? Was she counting on her aloof, lotus-like demeanor to justify it?


    Ye Chen asked, without a trace of courtesy, "Fellow Daoist Lin, what exactly do you mean by ''your thing''?"


    Lin Ke''er froze at his words, her anger escalating. She shot Ye Chen and Lu Jing a hateful glance before storming back to her room, slamming the door shut behind her with a resounding bang.


    Lin Ke''er''s outburst brought a quiet satisfaction to Lu Jing''s heart. She had feared that upon Lin Ke''er''s return, the two of them might clash over Ye Chen. After all, Ye Chen had once been utterly infatuated with Lin Ke''er.


    It was said that the most irresistible thing to a man was his "white moonlight." Who could say for certain that Lin Ke''er wasn''t Ye Chen''s "white moonlight"?


    But to Lu Jing''s delight, Lin Ke''er''s first reaction was pure fury. If anything, it only pushed Ye Chen further away, didn''t it?


    Lu Jing smiled confidently. Lin Ke''er was no match for her. Yet, a hint of guilt still crept into Lu Jing''s face as she spoke soothingly.


    "Fellow Daoist Ye, do you think Ke''er is angry? It''s all my fault. Had I known that accepting Fellow Daoist Ye''s gift would make her this upset, I would have refused without hesitation. I never meant to cause you any trouble. Fellow Daoist Ye, don''t be angry with Ke''er. There must be some misunderstanding here. I can''t help but feel for you. You''ve given so much, and all she does is get upset. If it were me, I wouldn''t be angry. I would only feel sorry for you…."


    As Lu Jing seized the opportunity to weave her honeyed words and sow discord, Ye Chen''s amusement grew even more evident. He adopted a look of deep emotion and, without hesitation, moved forward to embrace Lu Jing. In the heat of summer, their clothing was light and thin.


    Ye Chen felt the full impact of the "fleshly collision."


    Lu Jing froze, panic overtaking her. Her first instinct was to push Ye Chen away. But then something seemed to click, and she suppressed her urge to pull away.


    Ye Chen, holding Lu Jing in his arms, whispered softly into her ear, "It''s always you, Fairy Lu, who truly understands me...."


    Lu Jing had never been this close to a man before, let alone had someone''s breath so near her ear. The sensation of the warm breath against her skin made her flush, her body feeling as though ants were crawling all over her, uncomfortable at every touch. But with Lin Ke''er''s return, she knew she had no choice but to indulge Ye Chen. After all, even a brief embrace was worth it, given the value of that storage bag. Not to mention, this was the moment that would seal her victory. She had to seize it.


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    After a long time, Ye Chen finally released Lu Jing. Her clothes, which had been compressed during the embrace, sprang back into place with a noticeable force.


    Ye Chen lingered for a moment, savoring the sensation, before raising his hand in a gesture of polite farewell to Lu Jing.


    Lu Jing saw Ye Chen preparing to leave, and her heart secretly rejoiced. She hurriedly spoke up, trying to offer advice. "Ke''er is just upset for the moment. Fellow Daoist Ye, a simple apology should clear up the misunderstanding."


    However, Ye Chen directly shook his head. Without further hesitation, he pushed open the gate and left. This brought an even broader smile to Lu Jing''s face. Her biggest rival was dealt with just like that.


    Perfect!


    But as she glanced down at her clothes, Lu Jing felt a slight discomfort. Ye Chen had held her too tightly, compressing her too much. Now, she could feel a dull ache from the pressure.


    ...


    Inside the room, Lin Ke''er''s face was filled with indignation. But from time to time, her gaze flickered toward the door. In her heart, she was sure Ye Chen cared for her the most. Otherwise, how could he have been so obsessed with her in the beginning? Even the invaluable Dragon Elephant Fist his father had prepared had been given to her without hesitation. So, Ye Chen must have been completely devoted to her. Seeing her upset, he would undoubtedly come to comfort her right away.


    But Lin Ke''er had no intention of forgiving Ye Chen so easily. He must return the storage bag and the spell. They were hers. If the spell had already been used by Lu Jing, then Ye Chen would have to buy her a new one— no, two. That was the price of betraying her. Otherwise, there would be no forgiveness.


    Lin Ke''er seethed with rage as these thoughts churned in her mind. But her gaze kept darting toward the door. She waited and waited, but Ye Chen never came to knock.


    Unable to sit still, Lin Ke''er moved to the window. There, she saw Ye Chen and Lu Jing tightly embracing each other. Ye Chen held Lu Jing with such force that it seemed as though he had completely crushed her. After the embrace, Ye Chen turned and left without even a glance toward her. This only made Lin Ke''er''s fury grow more intense.


    Ye Chen, I will never forgive you...


    Ye Chen, of course, had no intention of appeasing Lin Ke''er. He was a man driven purely by self-interest. Both gifts were of the same value, yet he could enjoy something from Lu Jing.


    Why bother with Lin Ke''er? She had always kept him dangling, never offering him a shred of sweetness, always giving him empty promises. Even meals were nothing more than polite speech. And yet, she had the audacity to get angry? Did simps have no dignity? In any case, Ye Chen had no patience to cater to her. He decided to just shower Lu Jing with gifts from then on.


    Now, Ye Chen was eager to see just how long Lin Ke''er could tolerate it. Lin Ke''er''s tantrums were nothing significant in Ye Chen''s mind. What truly occupied his attention was the reward he''d received for giving away the storage bag. The system''s prompt had already sounded in his mind earlier. But, having been preoccupied with holding Lu Jing, he hadn''t had time to check. Now, as he saw the message, Ye Chen''s brows lifted in pleasant surprise.


    "Gift successfully!"


    "The gift is a one-cubic-meter storage bag…."


    "Processing feedback…."


    "Detected that the gift given by the host is of extreme importance to the recipient, far exceeding their expectations. This caused a significant shift in their mindset, triggering a critical reward!"


    "Reward: One thousand cubic meters of storage wristband…."


    "Detected that the host does not yet own storage equipment. The physical item will be stored in the system''s space and can be retrieved at any time.…"


    Ye Chen couldn''t help but exclaim internally.


    He had indeed triggered a critical hit. Instead of the usual ten times reward, it had been multiplied by a thousand. What was once one cubic meter had now become one thousand cubic meters. But the best part? It had been upgraded from a storage bag to a storage wristband. This was truly a major win.


    Earlier, during his reception at the Green Cloud Shop, Ye Chen had already figured out the difference between storage bags and storage rings. A storage bag was a product of formation magic. Whereas a storage ring was made from a special type of space stone.


    As a result, it didn''t age, was incredibly difficult to damage, and there was no need to worry about anything being trapped inside. It was also faster to access. In terms of grade and security, it was far superior to a storage bag. And because space stones were monopolized, their price was astronomical. Only powerful cultivators in the Golden Core stage could afford one.


    Yet, the capacity was usually limited to just one hundred cubic meters. And here he was… a single critical hit, and he''d received a thousand-cubic-meter storage wristband, which something even Golden Core experts couldn''t easily purchase.


    This was a massive, unprecedented gain!