Educate Qian Renxue, Shrek

She had thought she would see surprise or regret on Zhao Linchuan's face.

"Only five minutes? That really is quite short."

Sure enough, Zhao Linchuan nodded with a regretful expression.

That reaction displeased Qian Renxue somewhat. This was not what she had expected.

"Lin Chuan! Do you know what a five-minute Hundred Percent All-Attribute Boost means?" she could not help emphasizing.

"I know. What about it?" Zhao Linchuan looked as though it were only natural. "I have a similar Boost Type Spirit Ring Spirit Skill too."

Qian Renxue pursed her lips and pressed on with a hint of unwillingness. "Then... how long can your Soul Skill last?"

"Not that long," Zhao Linchuan said calmly, as if discussing something utterly insignificant. "Take this Raikage Sprint I just obtained, for example. Its base duration is only Half an Hour."

"Half an Hour?!" Qian Renxue cried out, her beautiful eyes widening in utter disbelief. "Y-you're joking, right?!"

Five minutes and Half an Hour—the difference was simply worlds apart!

"Why would I lie to you?" Zhao Linchuan shrugged. "We can spar when we get the chance. You'll know once you experience it yourself."

He slowly rose to his feet and brushed the grass clippings from his clothes. "All right, this little 'outing' has ended perfectly. We should head back."

Time flew by, and Seven to Eight Months passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the manor's courtyard, crackling impacts rang out without cease.

Occasional delicate cries of annoyance could be heard.

Suddenly!

With a soft cry, Qian Renxue's body was thrown off balance by a deft force. The next moment, Zhao Linchuan seized her arm with a clean, decisive Grappling Hand and firmly pinned her to the ground covered in fine gravel.

"Do you admit defeat?" Zhao Linchuan's voice was stern, his knee lightly pressing against her Lower Back and restraining her movements.

"I don't!" Qian Renxue struggled with all her strength. Her pretty face had flushed red from exertion and indignation, and aggrieved tears even welled in her eyes. "You always do this! You rely on your fast movement technique to launch Sneak Attacks! Can't you... can't you go easy on me?"

She shouted through tears, feeling that she had lost all face.

"Go easy on you?" Zhao Linchuan's tone sank further. "Will your enemies go easy on you in the future? On the battlefield, who would give you a Fair Duel!"

Smack—!

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gave her slightly raised Buttocks a hard slap, producing a dull sound. "Do you admit defeat?"

"Ugh!" That blow carried a trace of punishment, but even more shame. Two tears slid from the corners of Qian Renxue's eyes.

She completely gave up resisting, her body going limp as she lay weakly on the ground. Her muffled voice came out, "I admit defeat..."

Smack—!

"Since you admit defeat, shouldn't you Acknowledge the Bet and Accept Defeat?" Zhao Linchuan did not release her immediately, his tone still stern.

"Wuwuwu... stop hitting me..." Qian Renxue begged through tears. "I surrender. I'll acknowledge the bet and accept defeat... I'll wash your feet tonight, all right..."

In resignation, she revealed the terms of their wager.

Just then, She Long appeared at the entrance to the courtyard. He clearly had something to report.

When he saw the "intense" battle in the courtyard, especially his own young master being mercilessly pinned to the ground, his steps immediately froze.

The corner of his mouth twitched. After swiftly weighing the matter, he ultimately decided to See No Evil and Hear No Evil. Pretending he had seen nothing, he silently turned around and slipped away without a sound.

"Ah—!" Qian Renxue caught sight of She Long's departing figure from the corner of her eye and was instantly Utterly Ashamed, wishing she could bury her face in a crack in the ground.

"There, stop crying. Get up." Seeing her like this, Zhao Linchuan loosened his hold and bent down, extending a hand toward her.

"Hmph!" Though Qian Renxue was still unwilling to accept it, she awkwardly placed her hand in his palm.

Zhao Linchuan exerted a little force and pulled her up from the ground.

He reached out and carefully brushed the grass blades and dust from her hair. Looking at her Little Kitten appearance, tear-streaked and with the tip of her nose red, his tone softened somewhat as he asked:

"Do you feel embarrassed?"

"Mhm..." Qian Renxue nodded aggrievedly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"If you know it's embarrassing, then you're not beyond saving yet." Zhao Linchuan took the opportunity to lecture her.

"Daring to make a bet out of blind confidence without knowing your opponent's true strength or trump cards—if this sort of arrogance and overconfidence were brought into a real Life and Death Struggle, it would sooner or later cost you your life!"

He stared into her eyes and asked sternly, "Tell me, do you know what you did wrong?"

"I know..." Qian Renxue lowered her head and answered quietly, but the lingering unwillingness in her eyes showed that she was not fully convinced.

Zhao Linchuan took in her expression completely. He knew that a leopard cannot change its spots; it was unrealistic to expect to eradicate the pride she had developed over many years in one go.

But he was not in a hurry. There would be plenty of time, and he had all the patience in the world.

After going through Setback Education like this a few more times, she would naturally learn caution and composure.

"All right, go wash up and tidy yourself. What kind of appearance is this?" His tone finally eased.

"Mhm..." Qian Renxue felt as if she had been pardoned. She hurriedly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, lowered her head, and hurried toward the bathroom.

Only after Qian Renxue had left did She Long appear again. He walked to Zhao Linchuan's side and reported respectfully:

"Young Master Zhao, the Shrek Team you asked me to keep an eye on—based on their current win rate at the Suo Tuo Great Soul Arena, they will need no more than three days to accumulate enough points to obtain the Silver Soul Douluo Team Medal."

Zhao Linchuan nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. She Long."

"Young Master Zhao, you are too polite," She Long said sincerely. "You are my young master's close friend and teacher. Over this past year, your frequent guidance has benefited even Ci Xue and me greatly."

"These are merely things within my duty."

He sincerely admired this young man. His vision and methods were often astonishing.

"It's just..." A trace of awkwardness appeared on She Long's face as he carefully chose his words. "Young Master Zhao... in the future, when you and the young master... spar and play around, could you... be a little gentler?"

"At the very least... please do not let Ci Xue and me witness it... As guards, if we see the young master being... restrained and do not step forward, that would be a dereliction of duty."

"But if we do step forward... we fear disturbing the two of you. It truly leaves us in a difficult position." In the end, he tactfully raised the troublesome issue that had plagued him for a long time.

Zhao Linchuan understood and nodded. "That's easy to handle. If Xue'er wants to bet and spar with me again, we'll do it inside. I guarantee you won't see us."

She Long heaved a sigh of relief and immediately bowed. "Thank you for your consideration, Young Master Zhao! This subordinate will take his leave."