"What!" Ethan Drake jolted inwardly. He had considered the possibility that Bibi Dong might refuse him, but he had never imagined she would do it so bluntly.
After all, how could Ethan know about the power of the Type-Moon three-star Craft Essence, Love Potion?
Love Potion: an elixir made by a mage skilled at manipulating the human heart. Its effect is so powerful that even Servants cannot resist it. Anyone who tries to drink it must be careful. The emotion hidden in the heart will transform into uncontrollable, vicious love, burning both you and the person you love to ash.
Of course, what Bibi Dong had eaten was not the true Love Potion. It was a variant Rose had created using it as a template: the Elixir of Affection.
Its effect would not make Bibi Dong fall madly in love with Wu Ling. Instead, whenever her emotions stirred, it would draw out and amplify her existing feelings toward Wu Ling.
For example, suppose Bibi Dong had ten points of feeling for Wu Ling and five points for someone else. If something caused pity, sadness, or another similar emotion toward that other person, her feeling for that person would rise to ten. The extra five points of emotional change would be added together with the original feeling and transferred toward Wu Ling, making her feeling for Wu Ling rise to twenty.
Naturally, this only reacted to positive feelings such as love, pity, and affection. It did not respond to anger or hatred.
In simple terms, anger and hatred did not matter. As long as there was positive emotion, it would increase. If there was only hatred, nothing would change.
So from the moment Ethan arrived, when Bibi Dong saw his fallen, miserable state, part of the effect that Rose had hidden inside her cultivation pills began to activate.
As for why Rose had not simply given Bibi Dong the real Love Potion, it was not because Rose could not make it. In a world like Soul Land, where Spirit Masters were such unusual ability users, let alone the real Love Potion, even an incomplete version would be enough to make someone love to the point of obsession.
The real reason was that Rose knew Wu Ling had a tiny bit of cleanliness fixation. Wu Ling would not necessarily mind having a relationship with Bibi Dong, but if it came to making her his wife or something similar, he would still care a little.
Under Rose's control, this delicate balance was achieved.
Of course, Wu Ling was still a normal man, so Rose left a back door. If he wanted her in the future, she could change one of the medicines and turn the Elixir of Affection into Love Potion. As for the consequences afterward, she could simply change it back once Wu Ling got tired of it. Rose, whose ethics had shifted somewhat because she often let Medea possess her, had once thought exactly that.
It had to be said that abilities involving emotional manipulation were terrifying no matter what world they appeared in.
Perhaps one day, one of your companions would take out a monocle ground from crystal, pinch the rim, put it over their right eye, and say, "Actually, I am A... cough, actually, I have already been shaped into that person's form."
But there was nothing to be done. Rose had succeeded with only a small test back then. Who told this world to be so weak?
Even after clearly hearing Bibi Dong's answer, Ethan still refused to give up. "Your Holiness, for the sake of the fact that I once... loved you, can you truly not make an exception?"
"Love!" Bibi Dong's expression changed. Her hatred seemed ready to pierce Ethan full of holes.
"You, Ethan Drake, dare speak of love?"
Then Bibi Dong laughed in fury and actually agreed. "Fine, fine, fine. I can give you the cultivation method."
"Truly!" The moment Ethan heard Bibi Dong agree, his mind filled with nothing but the cultivation method. He even ignored her expression and tone.
But before Ethan could start celebrating, Bibi Dong changed her tone. "However! As a man, especially as a famous Master with a grand reputation outside, I assume you would not beg a woman for something, would you?"
"How about this? Are you not the son of the current clan head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Go speak to your family about feelings and bring me your clan's Dragonization secret art."
"Right. Since you were able to obtain an Elder Token from the Clear Sky Sect, I imagine your relationship with them is not bad either. Go speak to them about feelings too. Bring me their Great Sumeru Hammer and Exploding Ring secret arts. Once you do that, I will give you the cultivation method. How does that sound?"
"Do not think it is not worth it. Those secret arts can only be used by a handful of people, but the cultivation method suits old and young alike, from Titled Sages down to Spirit Masters who have only just awakened their Martial Souls."
"You would only be trading secret arts that belong to a few people for a cultivation method that can benefit an entire sect. In this deal, I am the one taking the loss."
As Bibi Dong finished speaking, Ethan's face froze as if time itself had stopped.
"But... but..."
Ethan still wanted to say something, but Bibi Dong cut him off first. "But you do not want me to suffer a loss, correct? After all, you once loved me. In that case, I will reluctantly add the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret art, the Sevenfold Exquisite Heart."
Ethan clenched his teeth in frustration. He already understood that he would not be getting the cultivation method today. Although he was still puzzled by Bibi Dong's change, so many years had passed and she had experienced many things. Thinking about it that way, it was normal that she was no longer as easy to fool as before.
"Your Holiness, I will think on this matter further."
Bibi Dong looked at Ethan with her eyes while thinking of Wu Ling in her heart. She nodded silently.
"..."
"..."
"Do you have anything else? Or must I blast you out myself?" Looking at Ethan, who was still kneeling there now that the pressure had vanished, Bibi Dong asked coldly.
"...Your Holiness, I have one more unreasonable request."
"Hmph. Since you know it is unreasonable, do not say it."
"..."
"..."
"Fine, fine. If you have something to say, say it quickly. Stop kneeling there and dirtying my eyes."
Faced with Bibi Dong's verbal humiliation, Ethan did not dare make a sound. After the cultivation method had become hopeless, the success of his other objective still depended entirely on Bibi Dong.
"Your Holiness, I recently accepted a disciple. Like you, he is also a gifted twin Martial Soul Spirit Master. So I wanted to ask, Your Holiness, what is the cultivation method for twin Martial Souls?"
At Ethan's second question, or rather, his second demand, Bibi Dong let out a disdainful laugh. "Ha. Are you not a Master? How do you not even know this?"
"And why do you think I would tell you? So that you can raise a powerful enemy and send him against Spirit Hall?"
"She did not refuse outright. That means there is still a chance!"
Noticing that, Ethan hurried to explain. "I can guarantee it on my name as a Master. Once my disciple grows up, he will absolutely never become Spirit Hall's enemy!"
"Hahahahaha! Never become Spirit Hall's enemy? Do you think Tang Hao's son will never become Spirit Hall's enemy?"
Bibi Dong's words made Ethan snap his head up, terror written across his face. "How do you know!"