Six Hundred and Twenty-One Times

Suotuo City.

After days of travel, Zhu Zhuqing had finally arrived here. Her destination was an academy called Shrek, located south of Suotuo City.

According to information she had gathered from her family, her fiancé, Dai Mubai, was currently studying at this academy. Having left behind the stifling environment of the Star Luo Empire to focus on cultivation here, how far had he grown by now?

Zhu Zhuqing walked slowly along the streets, the thought crossing her mind unintentionally. Her eyes swept over her surroundings out of habit, but she suddenly froze.

As for why she had frozen—

In the distance, a group consisting of one man and two women was particularly eye-catching.

The man had golden hair, broad shoulders, a sturdy build, and handsome features. Most unusually, he had double pupils in his eyes, giving him a rather sinister air.

At that moment, the blond man wore a contented smile, with one woman tucked under each arm. He strutted down the street with an utterly arrogant, swaggering gait.

The two women in his arms were clearly not respectable ladies. Both wore gaudy makeup and revealing clothes that showed more than they covered. They were obviously women of the night. More importantly, they were identical twins, making them even more conspicuous.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing instinctively concealed her Soul Power aura to avoid being sensed, then flashed into a corner. From a blind spot, she silently observed the man and two women.

The longer she watched, the colder her expression became!

Because who else could that man among the two women be but Dai Mubai, who was supposed to be diligently cultivating?

Before long, the three of them gradually disappeared into the distance.

Zhu Zhuqing did not show herself. Instead, she carefully followed them in secret. She wanted to see where they were going and what they intended to do.

Even though she already knew the answer deep down, she still could not accept it without seeing it for herself.

And so—

Zhu Zhuqing tailed the three of them all the way to a hotel.

The hotel was three stories tall. Though it was not particularly large, its exterior was entirely decorated in rose red. The building itself was shaped like an enormous rose, making it striking at first glance.

But when Zhu Zhuqing saw the ambiguously decorated Rose Hotel, her heart sank. She was not some innocent little girl who knew nothing. On the contrary, because of her family's education, she understood far more than most girls her age. She knew perfectly well that this sort of hotel differed from ordinary inns—it was a place specifically prepared for certain men and women.

Commonly known as a love hotel.

"..."

Without saying a word, Zhu Zhuqing stepped out from the shadows and walked straight into the Rose Hotel.

The first thing that greeted her was the rich fragrance of roses. The refreshing scent carried a hint of intimacy, making one feel relaxed in both body and mind.

But she had no interest in observing her surroundings. She went directly to the front desk, too impatient for nonsense. She summoned her martial soul and slapped the counter.

Bang!

The receptionist, who had just been about to offer a polite greeting, jumped in fright. When he saw the two soul rings around Zhu Zhuqing, he could not help swallowing. Carefully, he said, "Hello, esteemed Lord Soul Master. How may I assist you?"

"The man and two women who just came in—do they come here often?" Zhu Zhuqing asked coldly.

"Um... that is a guest's privacy. We cannot..." The receptionist hesitated, but when he saw the young girl frown and felt the overwhelming pressure radiating from her, he immediately caved.

"Please wait a moment. I'll check for you!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked like she had come to make trouble. Most likely, she was here to catch someone cheating! And she was a Soul Master. As an ordinary person, the receptionist did not dare offend such a distinguished Soul Master. He could only do his best to meet her demands.

Very quickly, the receptionist began flipping through a thick ledger.

A moment later, having found the information he needed, the receptionist closed the book and respectfully said, "Esteemed Lord Soul Master, that Young Master Dai who just came in is a regular guest of our hotel. Since three years ago, he has visited our hotel a total of six hundred and twenty-one times."

"Six hundred and twenty-one times..."

After hearing the receptionist's answer, Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her martial soul. With a dark expression, she silently left the hotel.

Six hundred and twenty-one times!

What did that number mean?

Dai Mubai had fled the Star Luo Empire at the age of twelve. This year, he was fifteen.

Three years—three hundred and sixty-five days a year.

That was over a thousand days.

And in those thousand-plus days, he had brought women to this hotel over six hundred times to rent rooms.

What did that mean?

It meant that, for the past three years, that bastard had not put his mind into cultivation at all. All he cared about was finding women and indulging in pleasure!!!

Zhu Zhuqing felt deeply saddened.

Saddened for herself.

In truth, Zhu Zhuqing did not care whether Dai Mubai was unfaithful, because in this world, it was perfectly normal for the strong to have many women. Even a life of wine and women would only earn someone praise for being a romantic.

Especially since Dai Mubai was a prince. He was destined to have more than one woman, so no one would ever condemn him for being promiscuous.

What truly angered Zhu Zhuqing was that Dai Mubai had willingly sunk into depravity. Rather than cultivating diligently, he only spent his days drinking, carousing, and playing with women. He looked as though he had given up competing for the throne entirely, as if he no longer cared what happened and had simply given up.

What a fool she had been to think that her fiancé had escaped the Star Luo Empire in order to cultivate more diligently. In the end, he was only drowning himself in pleasure, having long since given up completely.

Yet she alone was still stupidly struggling on.

Heh. How laughable. How foolish.

A trace of self-mockery appeared at the corner of Zhu Zhuqing's lips. She only felt that she... was truly a complete idiot!

In the shadows.

Ye Cheng watched Zhu Zhuqing's desolate figure and knew that her expectations for Dai Mubai had now been shattered. But that was not enough, because Zhu Zhuqing's tolerance for Dai Mubai was actually very high.

After all, as a member of the Star Luo Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuqing's fate had been bound to Dai Mubai from the moment she was born. Therefore, even if Dai Mubai drank and caroused and willingly sank into depravity, with no other choice available, Zhu Zhuqing—if she did not want to die—could only choose to forgive him. She would also try to see whether she could change him and make this scumbag turn over a new leaf.

So even after witnessing this scumbag's willing depravity and indulgence in wine and women, Zhu Zhuqing would still follow her original plan and join Shrek Academy. She wanted to see whether her fiancé could still be saved.

Therefore, it was not yet time for Ye Cheng to make his appearance.

He had to wait until Zhu Zhuqing was utterly despairing and had completely given up on Dai Mubai. Only then would it be time for him, her teacher, to appear.

Otherwise, if he showed up now to take her as his disciple, then with hope before her, whether Zhu Zhuqing could truly cut ties with Dai Mubai completely would be impossible to say.