Chapter 146: Earth Spirit, She Actually Has an Earth Spirit!??

"Jin'er, you are finally mine..." After their passionate embrace, He Lingfeng pulled the slightly panting Jin'er, who still had her eyes closed, into his arms with supreme satisfaction, speaking with immense joy and triumph.

Jin'er instinctively let out a soft hum, already too exhausted to bother speaking.

"Jin'er..." He Lingfeng smiled, lowering his head to kiss her ear, and whispered in a low voice, "Just now was simply marvelous." In the past, he only knew the characters for "soul-stirring ecstasy," yet never understood what that feeling truly entailed; now, he finally understood.

Jin'er slowly opened her eyes, lifted her gaze, and gave him a sidelong glance. "Bullying me feels quite good, doesn't it?"

"Of course not." He Lingfeng chuckled with a guilty conscience, planting an ingratiating kiss on her slightly pouting lips. "I cherish you far too much to ever bully you. Besides, it felt to me like you were rather..."

"Shut up!" Jin'er fiercely cut him off, not allowing him to finish that sentence. "Sleep!" Having dropped those words, Jin'er turned her sore and limp body over and closed her eyes.

Sensing that Jin'er was somewhat tired, He Lingfeng refrained from bantering with her further. Instead, he inched forward, gently wrapped his arms around her from behind, and quietly relished the deep sense of happiness and fulfillment in his heart.

At that moment, although Jin'er's eyes were closed, she felt not a shred of sleepiness, her mind plagued by a faint trace of doubt and unease. When she and he had reached the peak of ecstasy together in that final moment just now, she had suddenly experienced that exact same strange sensation that first occurred when she shared intimacy with Moyan. It was akin to a release, or perhaps the feeling of breaking through some kind of bondage.

Was it just an illusion? Yet ever since that very first time, she had never felt that way with Moyan again, nor did she feel it last time with Qingyue. Why, then, had it suddenly reappeared now?

Recalling how she had discovered the fire spirit within her body following that initial incident, and remembering how Palace Master Bai had told her that she was struck by the Ultimate Sealing Technique, carrying five ancient characters representing "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth" within the seal at the back of her neck, alongside the suspicion that she was not the Wood Country Emperor's biological daughter... After pondering and tangling with these thoughts for a long while, a bold, uncertain hypothesis suddenly flashed across Jin'er's chaotic mind.

Abruptly, she snapped her eyes open. Her gaze locked onto the floor before the bed, and she concentrated her mental energy, staring fixedly at the marble tiles.

A short while later, when she saw a crack suddenly fracture across the exact spot where her gaze was fixed, continually spreading outward in all directions, Jin'er gasped in sudden shock, her heart overwhelmed by an indescribable astonishment.

"Jin'er, what is wrong?" He Lingfeng, who was likewise awake, felt the slight tremor in the body of the person in his arms and hurried to open his eyes, asking with bewildered concern.

Daring not look at the floor any longer, Jin'er rolled over and burrowed back into He Lingfeng's embrace, the shock in her heart still lingering while she remained filled with confusion and bewilderment. How could this be? How could this possibly be? An earth spirit—she actually possessed an earth spirit now?!

Earlier, after experiencing physical intimacy with Moyan, she had discovered she possessed a fire spirit, and had assumed the seal had simply dissolved by sheer coincidence, convincing herself she was the offspring of her mother and the Fire Country imperial family. Now, it appeared things were entirely different from what she had thought!

Dammit, what on earth was going on here? She had never once heard of anyone simultaneously possessing two types of spiritual energy. Word had it that even when the imperial families of two different nations intermarried, the resulting child could only inherit the stronger of the two spiritual energies, rather than harboring both simultaneously. Why, then, did she...

Connecting this once more to the five characters corresponding to the Five Elements hidden within the seal, she grew increasingly suspicious that her seal had not been completely lifted at all. Heavens! Could it be that she inherently possessed all five types of spiritual energy at the same time?

If that were true, wouldn't she be some kind of freak? *Bah, bah, bah!* What freak? She should be called a one-of-a-kind, peerless genius instead! At this thought, Jin'er's heart inexplicably surged with excitement...

No, she had to return to Flower Mist Island to find her master and Palace Master Bai! Since it was possible to hold two spiritual energies simultaneously, there was indeed no ruling out the possibility of holding all five. If that truly proved to be the case, wouldn't she become invincible?! Haha! Just the thought of it made her incomparably excited!

"Jin'er? What is the matter? Are you alright?" He Lingfeng gently stroked her back, asking with a hint of worry.

***

Jin'er withdrew slightly from his embrace, her lips curving into a smile as she looked at him without speaking, her eyes flashing with a dazzling brilliance.

"What has you so happy? Just a moment ago you looked half-asleep," He Lingfeng said in puzzlement.

"Nothing. Haha! I'm just happy!" Truly, wonderfully happy! Smiling, Jin'er threw herself back into He Lingfeng's arms, indulging in her own foolish joy, as though blinding rays of light had suddenly pierced through a gloomy sky.

He Lingfeng was slightly taken aback, failing to understand why she had undergone such a drastic transformation. Yet, seeing her so delighted, he was naturally happier than anyone. Thus, asking no further questions, he merely chuckled and shook his head, lowering his head to press a doting kiss upon her forehead.

Jin'er's mood at that moment was exceptionally bright. Receiving his gentle kiss, she lifted her head to look at He Lingfeng with a smile, suddenly finding him infinitely pleasing to the eyes. Raising her hands to cup his face, she planted a fierce kiss squarely on his lips. Seeing He Lingfeng stare at her in a daze, Jin'er burst into a fit of silvery laughter.

"Hey, what on earth has you this happy? Won't you tell me?" He Lingfeng felt his heart blossom with delight from her kiss, yet remained terribly curious about the source of her joy.

"Nothing at all, haha." Jin'er rolled over onto her back, her two dimples appearing exceptionally sweet and captivating.

"Are you going to talk or not?" He Lingfeng spoke as he began to tickle Jin'er's ribs. Highly sensitive, Jin'er instantly squeegeed with laughter, twisting and dodging away. Seeing how ticklish she was, He Lingfeng pressed the advantage with renewed vigor, refusing to stop her relentless giggles.

"Haha... It's too ticklish... Haha..." Jin'er kept up her futile protests, but He Lingfeng did not let up until tears of laughter brimmed in the corners of her eyes, at which point he finally deigned to stop.

"You look truly mesmerizing when you smile," He Lingfeng said with a chuckle, lowering his head to gently kiss away the stray tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

Panting, Jin'er slowly subsided from her laughter, lifting her head to gaze at the handsome, charming, and thoroughly gentle He Lingfeng. Her eyes darkened slightly, her gaze dropping to his handsome lips.

As she stared in a brief trance, those lips slowly descended, gently covering her soft, pink lips.

Jin'er slowly closed her lovely eyes, offering a soft, tender response as she raised her arms to hook them around his neck. This time, the two of them kissed with profound earnestness and purity; all thoughts of transactions or conquests seemed to have been cast completely to the winds...

"This time, you are not allowed to be like before." Before He Lingfeng could enter her, Jin'er placed her hand against his chest to stop him.

A faint smile touched Lingfeng's lips as he pulled her small hand away from his chest, kissed it lightly, and slowly united as one with Jin'er, his movements indeed exceedingly gentle.

Only then did Jin'er truly relax, surrendering herself entirely to him...

The following day, Jin'er rose early in the morning.

"He Lingfeng, lend me the book you used to study earth-spirit manipulation." Scarcely had they finished breakfast when Jin'er impatiently demanded the book from him.

"The *Art of Earth Control*? What do you need that for?" He Lingfeng asked in bewilderment, simultaneously reaching out to capture a strand of her soft hair, winding it around his fingers to play with.

"I'm just curious whether the contents of the *Art of Earth Control* and the *Art of Fire Control* are similar."

"Oh. But why are you suddenly taking an interest in this? We are still newlyweds, after all." With that, He Lingfeng lowered his head, intending to kiss Jin'er, only to have her small hand firmly clamp over his mouth.

"I want to read it right now! Are you going to give it to me or not?" Jin'er arched an eyebrow, glaring at him with a domineering expression.

With a twitch of his brows, He Lingfeng would not dare utter a single syllable like "no"; nodding was hardly fast enough for fear that answering too slowly might provoke his little ancestress into a fresh fit of anger.

Satisfied by this display, Jin'er withdrew her hand and signaled for him to lead the way.

With a helpless sigh, He Lingfeng caught her small hand and led her toward the study.

Upon reaching the study, He Lingfeng fished out the *Art of Earth Control* and handed it to Jin'er. Taking it, Jin'er began to flip through the pages with absolute concentration. Just as she was about to start practicing along with the text, she realized that He Lingfeng was still obediently standing right beside her. In a flurry, she pulled the *Art of Fire Control*—which Moyan had previously given her—out from her tunic, pretending to cross-reference and study both simultaneously.

"What is the use of reading this? Their attributes are completely different, so the operational techniques are naturally distinct," He Lingfeng said, tilting his head to examine the two books before her with a frown.

"Go back to your room and rest. I want to stay here for a while," Jin'er said without even raising her head.

"What? On our very first day as newlyweds, you are sending me back to my room alone to rest?" He Lingfeng was displeased.

Only then did Jin'er look up, pulling a stiff, insincere smile as she told him, "There'll be plenty of time in the future, won't there? Don't we have decades ahead of us? Besides, I'm only going to be in the study for half a day. Be a good boy and go play by yourself."

"Hey, I am your husband, not a child!" He Lingfeng complained with deep depression. "How about this: I'll just sit right beside you and keep you company. I won't disturb you." With that, He Lingfeng marched over to a grand armchair on the side and sat down uninvited.

Jin'er rolled her eyes, turned to cast him a sidelong glare, and said, "You aren't leaving? If you don't leave, then I will." As she spoke, Jin'er gathered up the two books and made to head out the door. Scrambling to his feet, He Lingfeng hurriedly called out, "Alright, alright! I'm going, I'm going."

Sighing helplessly, He Lingfeng cast one last lingering, reluctant look at Jin'er, then muttered consolations to himself about having plenty of time ahead as he finally departed the study and headed back toward their bedchamber.

Watching his figure recede into the distance, Jin'er flicked her sleeve, causing the door and windows to slam shut one after another with a loud *bang*. Following that, she impatiently began following the chants and mental cultivation methods within the book to learn how to perceive and manipulate her earth spirit. After a round of experimentation, she discovered that she indeed possessed an earth spirit; this undeniable result made her heart, which had just begun to settle, surge with renewed excitement once more.

Perhaps she was truly destined from birth to lead an extraordinary life—whether as her true self or as Shangguan Jin'er. Having survived countless close brushes with death, only for one pleasant surprise after another to emerge now, she suddenly realized that her life was becoming more and more wonderful. Since the heavens treated her with such lavish favor, why on earth should she act with modesty?

Hehe... Jin'er, oh Jin'er, whatever you desire, use your own two hands to seize it!