Looking at Lan Si's delicate, white hand, Zhu Zhuqing hesitated. Since childhood, she had never had physical contact with any male other than her father. Due to the repulsive marriage contract and her curvaceous figure, she often had to endure lecherous glances, which made her detest men.
Yet, this young man in front of her, though it was their first meeting, did not make her feel disgusted.
"Sorry, I was being rude." Seeing her hesitation, Lan Si showed a trace of embarrassment on his face and was about to withdraw his hand when Zhu Zhuqing, with a blush on her face, extended her slender, jade-like hand.
Lan Si smiled gently and held Zhu Zhuqing's delicate hand.
A gust of wind blew, the clouds dispersed, and moonlight fell on their delicate faces.
Unnoticed, a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.
The night passed in silence.-
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The Next Morning
As the first light of dawn touched Lan Si's face, he slowly opened his eyes, ending his state of meditation.
Looking at the tent, he saw that Zhu Zhuqing was already awake and was changing her clothes. In the sunlight, her silhouette, with its curves and elegant figure, was outlined beautifully.
Lan Si immediately covered his eyes. Through the gaps in his fingers, he whispered, "Look away, look away. Lust is a person's biggest enemy."
"What are you mumbling about so early?" Zhu Zhuqing, holding her folded clothes, walked out of the tent, already dressed in her black leather outfit.
"Nothing," Lan Si shook his head somewhat guiltily and changed the topic, "How are your injuries?"
"Thanks to your medicine, they're much better. Once I find a healing-type spirit master, I should be fully recovered in a few days." Spirit masters' bodies differ from ordinary people's; injuries that would be severe for a regular person can heal several times faster for them with the aid of spirit power.
"That's good. Later, I'll take you to the nearest town. We're close to the Star Dou Forest, so there should be places that specialise in treating spirit masters injured while hunting spirit beasts." Lan Si got up and began packing the tent while speaking.
"Okay," Zhu Zhuqing responded softly, her pale fingers tightly gripping the clothes in her hands.
"What's wrong, Zhuqing? Is there something on your mind?" Lan Si asked, sensing her unusual mood.
"Ah Si, your clothes have bloodstains on them... I..."
"Oh, I thought it was something serious. It's just a piece of clothing; you can keep it. If you really feel guilty, you can wash it and return it to me next time we meet."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, placed the clothes into her soul tool, and asked seriously, "Where are you headed? And how will I find you next time?"
"We're near the Star Dou Forest, so of course, I'm heading there to hunt for a spirit ring. As for how to find me..." Lan Si smiled calmly, stepped forward, and took her left hand.
Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled, and she instinctively wanted to pull away, but Lan Si didn't give her the chance. He took out a jade bottle from his soul tool and placed it in her hand.
He smiled gently, "If fate allows, we will meet again. If there ever comes a day when you have nowhere else to go, you can come to Blue Tyrant Academy in Heaven Dou City to find me. This bottle contains the same healing salve you used on your wounds. If you accidentally get hurt again, you can use it."
"I..." Zhu Zhuqing blushed. She understood the implication in Lan Si's words, but she didn't have the courage to respond.
To be honest, while she didn't necessarily have feelings for Lan Si yet, she definitely had a good impression of him. If not for the marriage contract, she might have considered getting to know him better. If things developed, they might even end up in marriage.
But life doesn't always allow for 'ifs.' If she did follow her heart, she wouldn't just be facing Zhu Zhuyun's assassination attempts but also the entire Star Luo Empire's royal family.
To the Star Luo royal family, betrayal is intolerable.
If it came to that, it wouldn't just be her; Lan Si would also be implicated, bringing disaster upon both of them.
Unless they became powerful enough to fear no one, even the royal family's assassins.
"Don't rush to answer," Lan Si shook his head fearlessly, offering a reassuring glance. "Just try your best, do what you must, and even if you fail, it won't matter."
A breeze blew by, the clouds drifted away, and Lan Si's hair fluttered in the wind. The warm sunlight caressed his fair and handsome face as he spoke in a slow and deliberate manner.
The camera pulls away, tree branches swaying in the wind, the rustling of leaves echoing through the forest.
Apart from Zhu Zhuqing, no one heard what Lan Si said, but from afar, one could see two elongated shadows slowly merging together in the morning light until they were inseparable.
At this moment, it felt like they were reborn.
After bidding farewell to Zhu Zhuqing, Lan Si resumed his journey toward the Star Dou Forest.
Maybe it was because of Zhu Zhuqing, or perhaps for some other reason, but now he was more eager than ever to grow stronger.
Walking through the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, Lan Si used his dynamic vision and keen speed to easily avoid one spirit beast after another. Standing on a tree branch, he touched his slightly warm cheek and muttered to himself:
"Is this what it feels like to like someone? No, no... It should just be a physical attraction. There's no reason to fall for someone after just two days. But this feeling in my heart..."
Lan Si shook his head, clearing his mind, and refocused on finding a spirit beast.
His first spirit skill was Blue Lotus Assault, which belonged to the power attack type and allowed him to fly.
The second spirit skill was Clone, which allowed him to split his martial spirit .
Besides the sharp attack power of his blades, the flying and clone abilities were more for assisting in battle and enhancing his martial soul itself.
His attacks were too simple.
So, for his third spirit skill, Lan Si decided to add a control skill.
Spider-type spirit beasts were undoubtedly the best choice.
His first spirit ring was from a Crimson Eagle, aged between 410 and 430 years, pushing the limit outlined by Yu Xiaogang in the Spirit Hall records. It even exceeded it slightly.
The second spirit ring came from a Shadow Beast over 900 years old, far surpassing the limit for a second spirit ring.
So, for his third spirit ring, he was looking for a spider-type spirit beast over 2,000 years old.
Species like the Man-faced Demon Spider, Death Spider (the precursor to the Death Spider Emperor, which requires over 50,000 years to become an Emperor), and Soul-devouring Spider (the precursor to the Soul-devouring Spider Emperor) would work.
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