"Draw for me?"
Ye Lingling was momentarily stunned. Her exquisitely beautiful, cold and delicate face reflected curiosity in her violet eyes.
"Ye Yu, you can actually draw?"
"Of course!"
Ye Yu smiled and replied.
"I'm not bragging, but I think my drawing skills are pretty good!"
"Most of the money I used to buy the century-old ginseng and spiritual herbs in Notting City came from the painting classes I opened!"
This left Ye Lingling quite surprised.
"Is it really that amazing?"
"Hehe, Lingling, you'll know once you try!"
At Ye Yu's urging, Ye Lingling, wearing a blue long dress, tall and graceful, with a slender and elegant figure, and a cool, delicate face, stood shyly in front of a patch of vibrant purple flowers, holding a book in her hands.
Not far away, Ye Yu took out the prepared drawing board and charcoal pencils, then began to draw seriously, adding color to the image.
An hour later, after finishing the painting, Ye Yu smiled and handed the portrait to Ye Lingling.
"Take a look!"
Ye Lingling took the painting.
When she saw the portrait, which resembled her perfectly, the blue-haired girl in the painting holding a book and standing shyly in front of the vibrant flowers, her lips slightly parted in shock, she was astounded.
The painting was incredible!
It looked almost exactly like her.
This kind of artistry, she had never seen before!
"Lingling! This painting is for you. I hope it brings you more happiness and less sadness every day!"
After handing over the artwork, Ye Yu's handsome face was full of smiles as he wished her well.
Upon hearing this, Ye Lingling felt a slight sting in her nose, and with a cool voice, she replied,
"Ye Yu, thank you for the painting and the blessing!"
The two parted ways after that.
Ye Lingling was headed to meet Du Gu Yan and return to the Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Ye Yu, on the other hand, left the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to head toward a dense field of Blue Silver Grass he had recently discovered in a nearby forest.
Using the natural martial spirit mimicry training ground, he planned to practice his internal core technique.
Ye Lingling arrived at the martial spirit mimicry training ground and waited for Du Gu Yan.
Since it was around the same time every day, Du Gu Yan soon appeared.
On the way back together, Du Gu Yan noticed the painting in Ye Lingling's hands.
"Lingling, what's this?"
Du Gu Yan's exquisite and beautiful face was filled with curiosity, her emerald eyes flashing as she asked.
"It's a painting. Ye Yu gave it to me!"
Ye Lingling's eyes softened a little, and she replied coolly.
"Is it a portrait of you? Let me see!"
"This guy can draw?"
Du Gu Yan was curious, and when she grabbed the painting from Ye Lingling's hands, her shock was immediate.
"Wow! This guy draws this well?!"
"This is even better than the court painters I know!"
Originally, Du Gu Yan wasn't very interested in Ye Yu.
But after seeing Ye Yu's painting, Du Gu Yan immediately grabbed Ye Lingling's hand, playfully asking,
"Lingling! Quickly introduce me to your little admirer! I want him to paint one for me too~"
"Yan Zi, don't talk nonsense. Ye Yu and I are just friends!"
Ye Lingling's cool, delicate face turned bright red with embarrassment.
"Alright, alright! Friends, I got it!"
"Either way, I don't care. I still want one of those paintings!"
In the end, Ye Lingling had no choice but to agree, promising to introduce Ye Yu to Du Gu Yan the next day.
The next day, after school in the morning, as others left,
Ye Lingling brought Du Gu Yan to meet Ye Yu, feeling a little shy as she said coolly,
"Ye Yu, this is Yan Zi."
"Yesterday, after she saw the painting you did for me, she thought you did a great job and hoped you could do one for her as well."
"Hello, Ye Yu. I'm Du Gu Yan!"
Du Gu Yan smiled generously and extended her hand to Ye Yu.
"Hello!"
Ye Yu shook her hand lightly, and Du Gu Yan felt a sense of good impression towards him.
This guy was good-looking, and he seemed like a proper gentleman!
"Ye Yu, when do you think you can make a painting for me?"
After shaking hands, Du Gu Yan immediately asked eagerly.
Ye Yu smiled slightly in his heart, unsurprised by this.
The reason he had painted for Ye Lingling yesterday was to catch Du Gu Yan's attention.
He had expected Du Gu Yan to approach him.
For someone like Du Gu Yan, proud and cold, her personality was likely shaped by always being admired and never rejected as a child.
To win a girl's heart,
one must leave a special and lasting impression.
So Ye Yu smiled and said,
"Du Gu Yan, are you hoping I can paint a portrait for you just like the one for Lingling?"
"Exactly!"
Du Gu Yan proudly placed her hands on her hips.
Since her best friend Ye Lingling had one,
how could Du Gu Yan fall behind?
"If that's the case, I'm really sorry!"
Ye Yu shook his head and said.
"Right now, I probably can't do it!"
"Because painting a perfect artwork is not something that can be done casually."
"Good landscape paintings require one to deeply imprint the scenery in their heart."
"And to paint a good portrait, you need to be very familiar with the person you're painting."
"I've spent a lot of time with Lingling, so I know her well and can capture her likeness."
"But Du Gu Yan, I don't know you well enough to create the best effect."
"Ah!"
This left Du Gu Yan a little disappointed.
However, Ye Yu's words were not a refusal, but rather a sign of unfamiliarity.
This could easily be solved!
"Then, I'll join you at the library from now on!"
"And during the holidays, we can also visit the Heaven Dou Imperial City."
Du Gu Yan furrowed her brows and thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Alright!"
Ye Yu agreed immediately.
From then on, the three of them often went to the library together.
During their time together,
Ye Yu quickly became friends with Du Gu Yan.
After learning about Ye Yu's soul ring and the theory of soul ring origin restoration,
Du Gu Yan felt it made a lot of sense and admired him.
Because her own Bilin Serpent martial spirit also had flaws,
but the Bilin family had never found a solution.
Yet Ye Yu had found a theoretical way to evolve the Blue Silver Grass martial spirit.
And he hadn't even hunted any soul rings in months,
showing his determination and perseverance.
Such determination was truly admirable!
After learning about Ye Yu's orphaned status,
Du Gu Yan felt a deep sympathy and pity for him,
since she had lost her parents and grandfather,
but Ye Yu had no family at all.
After becoming friends with Du Gu Yan,
Ye Yu quickly realized the best way to win her heart.
First, Du Gu Yan had lost her parents at a young age.
Although her grandfather, Du Gu Bo, doted on her, he was mostly focused on his cultivation.
This left Du Gu Yan longing for care and attention.
When she was younger, before Du Gu Bo became a Title Douluo,
due to the Bilin family's poisonous toxins,
Du Gu Yan was often ostracized by her classmates at the Royal Academy.
This made her feel insecure and sensitive.
To protect herself, she became proud and aloof, avoiding others.
However, deep down, Du Gu Yan longed for care, attention, and protection.
Seeing this, Ye Yu naturally knew how to respond.
As a modern-day traveler, caring for and protecting girls was something Ye Yu excelled at.
Although right now, protecting Du Gu Yan wasn't possible,
since no one dared to bully her in Heaven Dou Imperial City after Du Gu Bo became a Title Douluo.
However, Du Gu Yan still craved protection.
In some ways, this reflected her admiration for strength.
Although Ye Yu's power wasn't strong enough yet,
with Big Shiyu and Xiao Gang leading the way,
Ye Yu knew that showing his strength wasn't limited to power alone—he could show it in other ways too!