Zhuge Liang's Journey to Dominate the World: Starting from Another World

After a long while, Li Muling's emotions gradually calmed down. She slowly raised her head from Kongming's embrace, gently wiping away the tears on her face with her sleeve, her eyes filled with joy and longing.

"Master Zhuge, where have you been all these years? Why... why have you disappeared for so long?" she asked softly.

"Hehehe... You were calling me 'husband' just now, how come you're calling me 'Master Zhuge' now?" Zhu Ganglie teased from the side, grinning from ear to ear.

Upon hearing this, Li Muling's pretty face instantly turned bright red, her head lowered so low it almost touched her chest, and her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes.

Kongming glared at Zhu Ganglie, then briefly recounted his experiences over the years.

At this moment, Yao Yao, seeing that she was being ignored by Kong Ming, pouted and tears welled up in her eyes. She grabbed Kong Ming's clothes with her little hand, looking very aggrieved, "Liang Liang... doesn't like me anymore..."

Kongming was startled, only then remembering that there was still a little devil. He had tried to persuade him to stop clinging to him for the time being and play with Zhu Bajie and Zhao Yun for a while, but he did not expect that this little devil would stick to him again so quickly.

Kongming awkwardly touched his nose and said repeatedly, "How could that be? We all like Yao Yao!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Yao immediately stopped crying and started laughing. She then let go of Kong Ming's clothes and, amidst everyone's astonished gazes, skipped over to Li Muling's side, took her hand, and said in a clear voice, "Sister, you are so beautiful! Yao Yao likes you too!"

Looking at the exquisitely crafted little girl in front of her, who resembled a porcelain doll, Li Muling felt a surge of joy and couldn't help but gently pinch Yao Yao's rosy cheeks.

She said softly, "Yao Yao is truly beautiful, like an angel."

Yao Yao grinned, revealing two charming dimples, and asked curiously, "Sister, what is an angel? Is it as beautiful as you?"

Li Muling was immediately captivated by the girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, but her heart was filled with doting affection, and she showed no impatience whatsoever.

Kongming had just mentioned Yao Yao's background, but Li Muling found it hard to connect the innocent and carefree little girl in front of her with the ruthless flower demon.

Seeing that Yao Yao was naturally close to Li Muling, Kong Ming finally felt relieved. After all, he couldn't possibly carry such a little tagalong with him everywhere he went...

Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie had already eagerly run to the back mountain to rummage through the treasures he had hidden in the cave. Zhao Yun also tactfully left, saying he needed to go into seclusion to cultivate.

As time quietly passed, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually dyed the sky red, enveloping the entire mountain resort in a warm orange halo.

Li Muling remained as obedient as ever, following Kongming around like a well-behaved maid, except now she was accompanied by the chattering Yao Yao, who was like a cheerful little bird.

"Muling, do you feel any changes in your body?" Kongming suddenly stopped and looked at Li Muling, his eyes filled with doubt and inquiry.

Li Muling was slightly taken aback, subconsciously looked down to examine herself, and shook her head. "I don't feel anything special. Why did Master Zhuge ask that?"

Kongming frowned slightly, scrutinizing Li Muling closely. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Haven't you noticed that your appearance hasn't changed at all since ten years ago?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Li Muling's eyes. She raised her hand and gently touched her cheek. Over the years, she had never paid much attention to her appearance. She would only occasionally look at herself in the mirror and attribute it to the blessings of heaven, without giving it much thought.

However, with Kongming's current level of insight, he noticed early on that Li Muling was surrounded by a faint spiritual aura. Although it was extremely weak, it did not escape his notice.

However, what puzzled Kong Ming was that this spiritual energy did not seem to be deliberately cultivated, but rather seemed to have been naturally latent in Li Muling's body, only now slowly emanating out.

Considering that Li Muling's appearance hadn't changed in over a decade, Kongming increasingly felt that she might possess a hidden spiritual root.

"Mu Ling, think about it carefully again. Have you really never had any special feelings? For example, do you sometimes feel light, or at a certain moment do you feel that the atmosphere around you is different?" Kong Ming asked probingly, trying to catch a clue.

Li Muling tried hard to recall, and after a moment, she gently bit her red lips, her face flushed, and stammered, "There was once, in a dream... in a dream with you... I suddenly felt a slight chill seep into my heart, as if... as if I were about to ascend, but that feeling quickly disappeared. This... it was just a dream..."

After speaking, Li Muling's pretty face grew even hotter. She was too shy to look Kongming in the eye, her heart filled with panic. She never imagined that she would tell Kongming such a private dream.

Kongming was slightly taken aback, and an unnatural look appeared on his face, but he quickly regained his composure. In his heart, he secretly pondered that this dream might not be a coincidence, but most likely a special feeling and need given by Li Muling's awakening spiritual root...