Who Cuckolded Whom?

Hu Liena jolted in fright and hurriedly stepped in front of Wu Qi and Qian Gu Changkong.

"Yan, have you lost your mind?"

Yan cursed, "Nana, don't stop me. If you're a man, fight me! Sneaking around behind my back while I wasn't here—what kind of ability is that?"

Hu Liena was utterly speechless.

Although the gift in the little box could easily lead to wild speculation, it was their first time meeting. Anyone with half a brain would know it couldn't possibly be a ring!

Xie Yue rushed over to mediate. "Yan, that's enough. Who Nana meets and what she does are none of your business. Don't be so sensitive."

Given the bond they had forged through life-and-death experiences, it would be unrealistic to say Hu Liena had never considered Yan.

However, Yan's possessiveness was far too strong, making Hu Liena extremely uncomfortable.

What girl liked being controlled?

It would be a miracle if she gave Yan a pleasant look.

Wu Qi stepped forward and cupped his fists toward Hu Liena. "Sorry, Senior Sister. I caused you trouble."

"Please accept this gift first, Senior Sister. Another day, I'll treat you to a grand meal as an apology for today."

Hu Liena accepted with a smiling expression, then turned her gaze to Yan, her face becoming filled with disgust and impatience.

Yan immediately grew anxious. "Nana, what's so good about that pretty boy? I—"

"Enough! Yan, are you done yet? I don't want to tell Teacher about what you did, so know when to stop!"

With that, Hu Liena stormed off.

The moment Yan heard Bibi Dong's name, he immediately wilted.

There was no other reason: Bibi Dong's presence was simply too terrifying. Especially when she reprimanded someone, it felt as though they had been thrown into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

That kind of scene was difficult to bear even for ordinary Soul Douluo experts, let alone Yan.

As for the gift in the little box, it was a dazzling Blue Crystal.

Given Qian Gu Changkong's family circumstances, this crystal was nothing much, but to Hu Liena, it was a priceless treasure.

After leaving Martial Soul Hall Academy.

Qian Gu Changkong rested both hands behind his head and teased, "I'm saying, Wu Ge, Senior Sister clearly has feelings for you. Why didn't you take advantage of the situation? Don't tell me you're afraid of Yan?"

Hu Liena was indeed rather beautiful; that was beyond doubt.

But then again...

Wu Qi shot him a look. "Do you know that Hu Liena and Xie Yue have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

This was no secret among the upper ranks of Martial Soul Hall.

Qian Gu Changkong looked puzzled. "What does that mean? What does it have to do with you being afraid of Yan?"

Wu Qi replied irritably, "Then let me ask you: what are the conditions for performing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

As the child of a high-ranking official, Qian Gu Changkong was very familiar with the Soul Master theories surrounding Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

Suddenly, Qian Gu Changkong raised a brow. "Two companions must merge with each other without holding anything back. Hiss~ Their relationship is a little complicated."

The greater the power of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the deeper the understanding between its users.

A husband-and-wife relationship was easy enough to explain, but siblings...

For a moment, he actually felt a little sorry for Yan. "This guy has a whole grassland growing on his head, yet he doesn't even know it."

Wu Qi added, "It's also possible Yan put the horns on Xie Yue instead."

"Alright, let's stop here. Hu Liena gave us important information. Don't gossip about her for no reason, and especially don't spread it around."

Having accepted the gift, Hu Liena took the matter seriously.

To prevent Yan from troubling Wu Qi, she asked a close friend to deliver a letter to him.

In the letter, Hu Liena listed in detail everything she had seen and heard in Death Grand Canyon, and instructed him to destroy the original after reading it.

At the end of the letter was Hu Liena's invitation.

She said that once Wu Qi finished his training, she would host a welcoming feast for him at the Spirit Hall Hotel.

Wu Qi did not take her invitation to heart, but he remembered the other matters mentioned in the letter.

That night, Azure Luan Douluo came to find him.

"Tell me, why are you going to that Poisonous Land? If you merely want to bring back a Venomous Flashhorn Deer, then there's no need to go. Just go to the estate and take Little Deer away."

Cute things did indeed arouse people's desire to possess them.

But putting oneself in danger just to capture and raise a soul beast was far too unwise.

Wu Qi shook his head. He had not yet reached the point of neglecting important matters for the sake of a pet. "Master, that is the resting place of an unknown expert. Even Grandpa Qian cannot thoroughly investigate what lies within. There must be a great opportunity there."

"Back then, you entered it by chance and came out alive. Can that be understood as meaning that the place is friendly to Soul Masters with the Azure Luan Spirit?"

Azure Luan Douluo fell into thought.

Back when he had entered it, he had indeed encountered little danger and had even obtained quite a few treasures.

Later, Martial Soul Hall had sent people inside, resulting in the deaths of many geniuses. For years, he had been unable to understand why.

He had clearly encountered no danger, so why had others met with disaster the moment they entered?

At first, he had thought that the underground world had changed over the fifty-year interval.

But thinking about it now, Wu Qi's speculation did seem possible.

Still, it was only speculation in the end. Using one's own life to verify a guess was far too costly.

How could an opportunity to defy fate and change one's destiny be so easily obtained?

After thoroughly lecturing him, he finally made Wu Qi "give up" the idea of going to the Poisonous Land.

"By the way, word of your contact with Hu Liena has already spread among the higher-ups." Azure Luan Douluo raised his brows.

Originally, no one had known about it. But who would have thought that Yan, that fool, would investigate Wu Qi and Qian Gu Changkong's identities all over the academy, making the matter known to everyone?

Of course, neither Azure Luan Douluo nor the experts of the Worship Hall had any intention of blaming Wu Qi.

Contacting Hu Liena had surely been for the sake of learning about Death Grand Canyon.

Using available resources to safeguard one's own training was a wise move. Qian Daoliu could hardly be more encouraging of it.

Wu Qi explained, "I learned quite a lot from him—"

Azure Luan Douluo raised a hand. "You don't need to tell me about that. As long as we understand it ourselves, that's enough. If you're ready, take Little Deer and set off."

Wu Qi blinked. "Master, are you really giving it to me?"

Azure Luan Douluo said irritably, "Little Deer can sense poisons. Keeping it with you will help you avoid danger. However, it is still juvenile, and its blood cannot detoxify poison. You must not kill it to drain its blood."

Little Deer had accompanied him for a hundred years. He was surely tired of "playing" with it by now, but the bond of a century remained. He did not want Little Deer to die.

Wu Qi chuckled and promised that he would protect its life.

"You have no sense of propriety. If you're ready, go draw a mission tomorrow. Finish your training early, then report to Martial Soul Hall Academy."

"Advanced Spirit Master Academy is an important stage of life for any Spirit Master. I have no worries about your attitude toward studying, but what comes next concerns your qualification to participate in the Spirit Master Competition. You still need to put more effort into it."

Just as I thought, Wu Qi mused.

Without any surprises, the path Azure Luan Douluo had arranged for him was to have him accumulate competition experience as a substitute in the next Spirit Master Competition.

Then, in the competition after that, he and Qian Gu Changkong would serve as the main team members and win the championship for Martial Soul Hall.