Chapter 12: How Shen Qingyue Showed Her Thanks

“Drink it. From now on, you’re a supernatural too.”

At Lin Ye’s words, Shen Qingyue’s hand trembled noticeably around the vial.

She looked down at the pure white liquid, anticipation almost spilling from her eyes.

To qualify for advancement to Sequence 9, Skyvault Academy students often spent years accumulating credits, then risked their lives gathering materials.

And now she held a complete potion in her hand.

All she had to do was drink it and she could leave her ordinary life behind, entering the supernatural world so many people dreamed of reaching.

She raised the vial to her lips, but stopped just before drinking.

Lin Ye waited two seconds. When she still didn’t move, he said, “What’s wrong? You were so excited your hands were shaking. Now you can’t bear to drink it? You can’t take it home, water it down, and split it into three servings.”

“I’m not trying to water it down.”

She carefully drew the bottle back, curiosity appearing in her eyes. “Young Master Lin, I wanted to ask first: what abilities does the Calamity pathway actually give you? I don’t even know what I’ll become. Drinking it without knowing makes me nervous.”

“That’s what this is about.”

Lin Ye grinned, letting his gaze pass slowly over her delicate face. “The Sequence 9 abilities aren’t especially powerful. You can’t smash a city wall with one punch or conjure fire. But there’s one obvious effect: whether you’re a man or a woman, advancement increases your charm.”

“Increases charm?”

She instinctively touched her face.

“Right. Your features won’t suddenly turn into someone else’s. It mainly changes your bearing, voice, and the impression your movements give people. Someone who was unremarkable before will find it easier to attract attention after advancing. For someone already as pretty as you, the effect will be even more obvious.”

Her eyes brightened.

Few young women would dislike becoming more attractive. Hearing Lin Ye say she was already pretty eased much of her nervousness, and the corners of her lips rose involuntarily.

“What about the later Sequences?” she asked softly. “Are their abilities like that too?”

“Much the same direction.” He recalled what he knew. “As you advance, the abilities lean more toward influencing emotions, drawing attention, and beguiling people. The higher the Sequence, the stronger the influence. Later on, you won’t even need to say anything. Simply appearing before someone could interfere with their judgment.”

Holding the vial, Shen Qingyue was clearly more tempted.

Beauty was only a side effect. What truly interested her was the power to influence and beguile others.

Then another question occurred to her. “If its abilities mainly increase charm, why is the pathway called Calamity? The name doesn’t seem to have anything to do with its powers.”

Lin Ye’s smile gradually became suggestive.

“Haven’t you heard the saying?”

“What saying?”

“A beautiful woman can bring calamity.”

She blinked, then realized he was using the opportunity to compliment her.

Her cheeks flushed. Lowering her head slightly, she murmured, “Oh, stop.”

The simple words and her shy expression seemed to brighten even the dark forest around them.

Lin Ye rubbed his chin. “It’s already having an effect before you’ve drunk it. What happens afterward?”

She glared at him, though without much reproach. Looking at the potion again, she drew a slow breath and finally put aside her hesitation.

She pressed the vial to her lips, tipped her head back, and swallowed the white potion in one go.

The cool liquid slid down her throat, tasteless at first. But as the last drop entered her body, an indescribable warmth spread rapidly from her abdomen into her limbs.

She closed her eyes at once.

Deep within her body, something seemed to seep slowly into her flesh and mind.

After a moment, everything grew calm again.

She waited, but the dramatic change she’d imagined didn’t come. Puzzled, she opened her eyes.

She looked down at her hands, touched her cheeks, and even moved around a little.

“Is that it?”

After several careful checks, her confusion only grew. “Young Master Lin, am I Sequence 9 now? Why don’t I feel anything? I’m no stronger, and my body hasn’t changed. Could something be wrong with the potion?”

Lin Ye didn’t answer.

From the moment she’d opened her eyes, his gaze had stayed fixed on her.

Her features hadn’t visibly changed. Her eyes and face were the same, as was her figure. Yet the air she gave off was entirely different.

Her face had already been beautiful enough to earn her the name of campus belle. Now, when her eyes moved, they carried an irresistible pull. Even a slight frown made it difficult not to notice her.

The simple gesture of touching her cheek in confusion looked especially graceful.

Her former demure, pristine quality hadn’t vanished; if anything, it had grown stronger. Within that innocence lingered a subtle allure she couldn’t yet control herself.

Lin Ye considered himself a man who had seen plenty of beautiful women.

Even so, he found it difficult to look away.

At first Shen Qingyue worried that the advancement had failed. But when she noticed him staring at her without moving, her doubts disappeared.

She had her answer.

The potion had worked.

And its effect seemed stronger than she’d expected.

Joy surged through her, though she deliberately put on a faintly embarrassed, annoyed expression. “Young Master Lin, what are you looking at?”

She didn’t realize that under the influence of her Sequence power, even that ordinary question sounded more captivating than before.

Lin Ye came back to himself but didn’t look away.

“Checking whether Old Wang cut corners.”

“And have you decided?”

“I have.”

He stepped forward, caught her wrist, and drew her into his arms. “The potion works very well. Maybe a little too well.”

Taken by surprise, she gave a soft cry as she bumped against his chest.

She could have stepped back. Instead, after her initial surprise, she leaned closer. One hand still held the empty vial; the other rested lightly on his chest as she looked up at him.

The distance between them vanished.

Lin Ye could smell the faint fragrance of her hair and feel her breathing quicken.

“Well?” he asked, looking down at her. “Are you satisfied with the potion?”

She nodded repeatedly, joy undisguised in her eyes. “I am. Thank you, Young Master Lin. Without you, I don’t know how long I’d have had to wait to become a supernatural.”

“Just saying thank you isn’t enough.”

His arm tightened, drawing her fully against him. “The advancement method was mine. I negotiated the materials with Old Wang for you, and I filtered out all those dangerous pathways. How are you going to thank me?”

Her cheeks grew redder, but she didn’t avoid his eyes.

“However you like, Young Master Lin.”

Her voice was very soft, but clear enough for him to hear.

The last of Lin Ye’s restraint vanished.

With an arm around her waist, he led her beneath a nearby tree. Her back touched the rough trunk, and before she could speak, he bent and kissed her.

Her eyes widened, and her breathing faltered.

After a moment of alarm, she slowly closed her eyes and tightened her arms around his shoulders. She didn’t pull away; instead, she lifted her face and responded, inexperienced but willing.

His kiss deepened, forceful and insistent. He held her against the trunk, one hand firm at her waist while the other slipped beneath the edge of her skirt.

Soft, broken sounds escaped her. Her body moved restlessly in his arms, her waist twisting as though to escape his wandering hand, yet also seeming to yield to it.

Before long, moans and breathless sounds drifted through the quiet forest…