I Need You

On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, in a clearing surrounded by trees on all sides, a bonfire had been lit.

Zhu Zhuqing was sitting on the ground, her back against a tree trunk. Now, she no longer looked as haggard as before; instead, she seemed aloof, even cold.

Leaning against the tree, whenever Ye Qiu was not paying attention, her eyes could not help drifting toward him.

He was holding skewered beef in his hands, roasting it over the fire.

Ye Qiu glanced at Zhu Zhuqing beside him. He had not expected the person he saved to actually be one of the future Shrek Seven Devils, and even more so someone who would become the second-level deity God of Speed in the future.

Thinking of the Shrek Seven Devils, Ye Qiu could not help thinking of that silly rabbit again. Though they had only parted not long ago, his surroundings had suddenly become much quieter, and he was still somewhat unused to it.

In the flames, Xiao Wu's pretty face seemed to appear, baring her teeth and waving her claws, and a faintly gentle smile appeared on Ye Qiu's face.

A pleasant aroma wafted from the roasted meat. Golden drops of oil fell into the fire, sizzling.

"Done! Let it cool a bit and you can eat." Ye Qiu handed over the roasted meat in his hand. "Speaking of which, I shouldn't need to feed you this time, right?"

"No need. After a whole day, moving my arms isn't a problem." Taking the roasted meat Ye Qiu handed her, she slightly pursed her small lips and blew cool air over it.

"That's good!" Sticking the meat into the ground, Ye Qiu took the opportunity to lie down on the grass. Beside him, the Blue Silver Emperor he had released mischievously touched his cheek.

A day had already passed since Scarred Leopard and the others died. During this time, Ye Qiu had already begun searching for soul beasts, but he still had not found one he was satisfied with.

The Star Dou Great Forest was simply too vast. Even searching with his Sharingan would take quite a lot of time.

Soul beasts of one or two thousand years had not reached the current limits of his Sharingan at all. Ye Qiu speculated that his ability should be able to control soul beasts of over three thousand years! It was just that making one obediently offer itself as a sacrifice might be a little uncertain.

Just like that Sato from before, when one's own life was threatened, an intense will to survive would often arise.

Unfortunately, I really have too few attack methods. The gunpowder from before is gone too. Sigh! Ye Qiu felt regretful about this in his heart.

A cold voice sounded.

"What... what were you thinking about just now?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about what kind of soul beast I should look for."

Zhu Zhuqing seemed a little nervous. Her fingers pinched off strands of beef and brought them to her mouth as she lowered her brows and eyes. "I mean, when you smiled just now, were you... thinking of someone?"

"Huh?" Ye Qiu was stunned, not understanding why she would ask such a question.

"I don't mean anything else. I just feel like you rarely smile, so I was curious." The corner of her eye glanced at him, then immediately dodged away again.

Ye Qiu looked at her strangely, placed both hands behind his head, and said leisurely, "Mm... I guess it was a person."

"I guess?" What kind of answer was that? Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes at him and said nothing more.

The meat had cooled about enough. Ye Qiu picked it up and began eating heartily.

"Can you help me become stronger?" After the silence, Zhu Zhuqing's voice once again turned cold.

"Mm?" Ye Qiu quickly swallowed the beef in his mouth and looked at her in surprise, pointing at himself. "I'm just a commoner. As the Zhu Family's second young miss, don't you have far more resources than me? And you still want my help?"

"I mean help me hunt for a soul ring! With your strength, even a Soul Ancestor couldn't do anything to you. Helping me hunt down a hundred-year soul beast shouldn't be difficult, right? I can pay you compensation!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him seriously, waiting for his answer.

"Help you? And there's compensation?" Hearing her words, Ye Qiu's eyes lit up!

On the Douluo Continent, the most common form of soul hunting was forming a team. With teamwork, not only could the efficiency of soul hunting be improved, but the weak could often defeat the strong.

Although he did not have gunpowder now, didn't he have a living, breathing teammate right beside him?

Ye Qiu tore off a piece of beef and chewed it with relish, his eyes beginning to sweep back and forth over Zhu Zhuqing.

"What are your eyes looking at! Although I agreed to give you compensation, that doesn't mean you can have those filthy thoughts." Zhu Zhuqing covered her chest and looked at him with a guarded expression.

"Cough, cough... What are you thinking?" Ye Qiu nearly choked on the meat. He casually tossed aside the roasted meat in his hand, walked over to her, and crouched down.

He stared at her seriously. "You... what are you trying to do?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes dodged away.

Pressing both hands on her shoulders, he said, "I need you!"

"Ah, n-need me!?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at him blankly, panic on her face. She did not know what he meant. Hadn't she been the one who asked him for help first?

"I need your help. Or rather, we help each other!"

"Help each other? I'm injured right now. What can I help you with?" She pushed Ye Qiu's hands away.

"I'll help you obtain a thousand-year second ring! You help me hunt a soul beast over three thousand years old. How about it?" Ye Qiu stated his request bluntly.

"Have you lost your mind? Putting aside whether I can even help, I've never even heard of—"

"Never heard of a thousand-year second ring, right?" Under her strange gaze, Ye Qiu finished her sentence for her.

Sometimes, facts spoke louder than words!

Ye Qiu directly activated his Martial Soul, and a purple light rose from beneath his feet.

"This... how could this... how is this possible!" Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, somewhat incoherent, staring at him in shock. Her eyes were filled with that streak of purple.

Ye Qiu leaned in front of her, pinched her chin, and his voice seemed to carry a magical power, brimming with temptation. "Don't you really want to become stronger? As long as you obtain a purple second ring, your Soul Power will definitely advance by leaps and bounds. Just how much bitter cultivation would that save you~"

He had thought she would agree without hesitation, but in the end, she froze there instead, staring tightly at the blood-red color in Ye Qiu's eyes. Her lips parted slightly.

She's going to agree! Seeing her reaction, Ye Qiu was delighted.

However, the voice he was expecting did not sound. Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks kept enlarging in his eyes.

Pop! Ye Qiu's whole body jolted, and his eyes lost focus.

A coolness came from his lips, a slick sensation filling his mouth. Her hands cupped his face, and a misty sheen veiled her eyes.

This is...! Ye Qiu froze where he was. The Soul Power in his body stopped circulating, and the Sharingan in his eyes slowly faded away.

After a moment, Zhu Zhuqing's body temperature slowly returned to normal. Clarity came back to her eyes, her pupils dilated, and the two of them stared at each other, wide-eyed.

A flush rose across her face. Her almond eyes snapped open in anger, and she shoved Ye Qiu away.

Ye Qiu fell back onto the ground, feeling that lingering, unfamiliar taste, dazed for a long time.

Zhu Zhuqing covered her own mouth, her small chest rising and falling, her earlobes so red they looked ready to drip blood! She had actually...

She glared at Ye Qiu bitterly, wishing she could cut off her own tongue.

Everything suddenly went quiet. Only the rustle of leaves stirred by the wind remained.

A withered leaf fell from the tree and landed between Ye Qiu's brows. His whole body shuddered, and only then did he come back to himself.

"S-sor—" He hurriedly got up and apologized to Zhu Zhuqing in a panic, but before he could finish, she cut him off.

"I agree!"

"Huh?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him coldly and said again, "I said, I agree to helping each other!" Her voice carried a chill as well.

"That's great!" Ye Qiu first pumped his fist, then hurried to explain to her, "Just now... just now, I..."

"Enough! That was just an accident. I don't want to bring it up again." Her small hand clenched until it turned white. "If you dare tell anyone what happened between us, I'll definitely kill you! Definitely!"

She glared fiercely at Ye Qiu, her words firm and absolute. Even if her heart had been somewhat stirred, her identity meant she had to cut away such unrealistic thoughts!

Ye Qiu also calmed down. He wasn't too clear on what she was thinking, but he understood that she truly didn't want to mention it again.

"All right! Don't worry. I'll take all of this to my grave."

"Mm!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her eyes a little dim.