Ning Qiu vs. Zhu Zhuqing

"I made myself very clear. I didn't peep," Ning Qiu replied.

"Then why did you happen to appear by this pool at precisely that time? And you're still a child. Why were you alone at a pool more than a thousand meters away from the village?" Zhu Zhuqing questioned.

Zhu Zhuqing had been in Holy Soul Village for some time now. Yet over these past days, she had not been able to take a proper bath.

With nothing to do in her spare time, Zhu Zhuqing entered the forest over a thousand meters from God Soul Village to train. Drenched in sweat, she discovered a clear pool here.

After confirming that no one was around, Zhu Zhuqing finally removed all her clothes and entered the pool to bathe.

Zhu Zhuqing had never expected that, shortly after diving underwater and playing around for a while, such an unbelievable scene would occur.

"Let's address the questions one at a time. First, why did I appear beside this pool at that particular time? My answer is that I was thirsty and wanted a drink. Second, why was I here alone? My answer is that I was traveling." Ning Qiu answered clearly.

"Everything just happened to be such a coincidence?" Zhu Zhuqing asked skeptically.

"Yes. Everything just happened to be such a coincidence," Ning Qiu replied.

"You think I'd believe that?" Zhu Zhuqing sneered.

"You don't have to believe it. All I can say is that this was a perfect mistake. Or perhaps... this is fate between us!" Ning Qiu said sentimentally.

"Fate?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

"Yes. Only the word 'fate' can explain why things happened to coincide so perfectly." Ning Qiu nodded with a smile.

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, her thoughts sinking into contemplation.

If everything really was as Ning Qiu said, then only fate could explain what had just happened. It was the fate between Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Qiu that had allowed them to meet in such a way. Just like... in those romance stories.

A faint thrill rose in Zhu Zhuqing's heart. Could it be that, like the heroines in those romance stories, she too was about to experience a passionate, soul-stirring love?

Yet Zhu Zhuqing could not bring herself to feel happy. She knew very well that she already had a fiancé.

"So, it really was all just a coincidence?" Zhu Zhuqing put away her martial soul, and not a trace of Soul Power rippled from her body.

"Yes. It was all just a coincidence." Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing no longer held any hostility and would not continue attacking him, Ning Qiu also withdrew his External Soul Bone, Iron Feather Wings.

"Then it seems... this was all... my misunderstanding..." Zhu Zhuqing spoke haltingly. With every sentence, she took a step forward, drawing closer and closer to Ning Qiu. When only three meters remained between them, Soul Power surged from her body, and two yellow soul rings lit up beneath her feet.

"Not good!" Ning Qiu's eyes widened.

"You think I'd believe your nonsense?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was icy as her second soul ring lit up with a yellow glow.

Things were supposed to unfold like they did in romance novels?

The man accidentally saw the woman bathing. It was all caused by fate, and then a passionate love story began?

Could it get any more ridiculous? Zhu Zhuqing was not a child. How could she possibly believe such a fairy tale?

Second Soul Ring: Netherworld Hundred Claws

Zhu Zhuqing's body spun at high speed, and the cold gleam flashing from her cat claws grew even sharper.

"Dragon Elephant, possess me!" Unable to retreat, Ning Qiu could only summon his martial soul, the Primordial Dragon Elephant.

In a mere instant, Zhu Zhuqing's cat claws struck more than a hundred times. Even as Ning Qiu retreated, Zhu Zhuqing continued to pursue him relentlessly.

By the time Ning Qiu had opened up some distance from Zhu Zhuqing, the hands he had held before his chest were streaming with blood. Though his arms appeared to bear only two claw marks, they had endured over a hundred consecutive attacks.

"You're utterly unreasonable!" Ning Qiu roared in fury.

If his martial soul had not possessed him in time and enhanced his abilities in every aspect, Ning Qiu would have died here just now.

"I said it before. Only two people may see my body. One is my husband. The other is a dead man." Zhu Zhuqing's voice was utterly devoid of emotion. Pure and chaste, she could not accept that her naked body had been seen by a second man other than her husband!!!

"Damn it!" Ning Qiu's expression darkened as he looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

Ning Qiu had never expected Zhu Zhuqing to care so deeply about what had happened. He was not a woman, so he could not judge what mindset a woman would have when faced with something like this.

But Zhu Zhuqing had been so determined to kill him, trying again and again to take his life. She had even tricked him in order to do so. This filled Ning Qiu with rage.

"It seems that unless I teach you a lesson today, you won't give up." With a thought from Ning Qiu, the third soul ring around him lit up with purple light.

Third Soul Skill: Gravity Swamp

Strange runes lit up on the ground beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet. Within the area covered by the runes, gravity increased severalfold. The sudden surge in Soul Power caught Zhu Zhuqing off guard. Affected by the gravity, she sank into a half-crouch, only slowly managing to stand again by resisting with her Soul Power.

However, Zhu Zhuqing's delicate brows furrowed.

The enhanced gravity greatly restricted Zhu Zhuqing's movements. She had already found it difficult to get close to Ning Qiu before; now that she was trapped within the Gravity Swamp, it was even more impossible. If she could not get close to Ning Qiu, she could not attack him.

He was actually a Control System Soul Master? Zhu Zhuqing was startled inwardly. With this Control System soul skill, Ning Qiu was already in an invincible position. More importantly, Zhu Zhuqing could sense an immense pressure emanating from Ning Qiu's martial soul.

Under the pressure of Ning Qiu's martial soul, Zhu Zhuqing found that the flow of Soul Power through her veins had noticeably slowed. Her strength had been weakened by at least ten percent.

"What kind of martial soul is that?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.

Born into a prestigious family, Zhu Zhuqing had received an excellent education since childhood. Yet Ning Qiu's martial soul was neither quite dragon nor quite elephant. She had never heard of or seen such a martial soul.

"You've angered me!" Ning Qiu did not answer Zhu Zhuqing's question. He snapped a branch from a nearby tree and ran his palm along it, stripping away the twigs and leaves.

"Y-you... what are you trying to do?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

"You're being so unreasonable. Today, it is necessary for me to teach you a lesson in your parents' stead." As soon as Ning Qiu finished speaking, he had already arrived beside Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively darted aside to evade him, but Ning Qiu shifted at the same time. Bound by the Gravity Swamp, how could Zhu Zhuqing's speed possibly compare to Ning Qiu's now?

Smack

Ning Qiu raised the branch in his hand and lashed it fiercely across Zhu Zhuqing's buttocks.