"......"
Han San swallowed a mouthful of water and turned his gaze toward Huoyao, his eyes full of astonishment.
Even in battle, he'd never imagined that a small place like Suotuo City could produce a Soul Venerable with such extraordinary strength.
That was a Soul Venerable! Even those titled Douluo might not have possessed thirty thousand years of soul power, right?
He remembered Yu Xiaoqian saying that the first soul ring could only be a hundred years old at most. Yu Xiaoqian had been an unrivaled genius, and even he'd only dared to absorb a thousand-year soul ring. The rules of soul masters were clear: there was no room for error.
So the story about Huoyao having a thirty-thousand-year soul ring had to be fake!
After the attack on Soul Venerable Taolangke ended, Huoyao recalled her soul power. She looked at Han San and Xiao Wu, then smiled and gave them both a nod.
Han San froze for a moment, then also smiled and nodded to show his goodwill.
What Han San didn't know was that Huoyao had already started writing another story in her diary.
[爽!]
[The disguise skill is so useful! I disguised all three of my soul rings as ten-thousand-year rings, and even fooled Han San with them.]
[What a pity. Now I've got no way to kill him secretly, so I can only wait until he lets his guard down.]
[He must've realized that I was behind the attack on Huohuo. He definitely won't deceive me like he did in my previous life. When I reveal my identity and go after his head, he'll be much harder to deal with.]
[Never mind. If I can take Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing with me, even better.]
[They'll be useful to Han San in the early stages. If I take them away, his growth will definitely slow down, which will buy me more time to get the soul bones.]
[But in my previous life, I didn't have much contact with them. I can't say I know them very well. I'll have to wait until I leave the academy and find a chance to get closer to them.]
[According to the original story, Zhu Zhuqing and the others will become my best friends. Perhaps they'll help me get out of the academy and into the Blazing Academy.]
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance. Their eyes shifted subtly, as if they'd both realized that their friend had made up her mind. They'd have to have a proper talk with her.
Now that everything was over, Xiao Wu had no reason to stay at the Rose Hotel. She could only leave with the group and find somewhere else to stay.
After settling the others at the Rose Hotel, Huoyao went to a room with Zhu Zhuqing.
To keep Zhu Zhuqing from realizing that she had a diary, Huoyao deliberately asked her a question, despite already knowing the answer.
"Zhuqing, what's going on with your soul ring? How did it become thirty thousand years old?"
Huoyao asked, blinking her big eyes at her.
"My first soul skill is Mimicry. I only disguised all three soul rings as ten-thousand-year ones. I'd wanted to scare him, but I didn't expect him to be so weak that I could knock him over without even lifting a finger."
Zhu Zhuqing's face filled with admiration.
"He really is full of tricks."
When she heard that, Huoyao's expression turned strange.
Poor Huohuo. She'd become a useless freeloader before she'd even married, and now she was going to have to share a room with Huoyao.
The room Huohuo had given Zhu Zhuqing was at the far end of the corridor. It was called the Coral Sea.
The room's main color matched its name: a brilliant coral red. The door was also set with dark coral-colored crystals, with a small plaque beside it that read, "The Coral Sea."
Huoyao followed Zhu Zhuqing through the door. Both of them looked amazed.
Huoyao spoke first.
"Zhuqing, this hotel might be too expensive. There's only one room left, and it costs a lot. Should I find somewhere else for us?"
Without Huoyao's suggestion, Zhu Zhuqing might have chosen to stay in another hotel.
But she appreciated Huoyao's thoughtfulness. If Huoyao hadn't brought her to the hotel, Huohuo would already have taken that pregnant woman into the room.
Since she'd already acted so recklessly, what did she have to lose now?
Besides, in her previous life, she and Huoyao had become so close that they'd been inseparable. And Huoyao had helped her a great deal. At worst, she'd just have to be Huoyao's wingwoman for a while.
Thinking of that, Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate. She answered directly.
"No need. We'll stay here."
Huoyao pushed open the door and went inside.
Huoyao watched Zhu Zhuqing's graceful figure with a satisfied smile, then couldn't help praising Huohuo in her heart.
Thank you, Huohuo, for sending me such a lovely little gift. You're so sweet—what a wonderful girl!
After Huoyao and Zhu Zhuqing went into the room, Han San also felt a little emotional. Huohuo had spent so much effort preparing all this, and it must have cost a fortune. No wonder she insisted on treating him to a meal.
The room was enormous. Just the reception area was more than fifty square meters, and the furnishings and decorations were exquisite. It was breathtaking even to look at.
Most striking of all was the huge coral-red heart arranged from roses in the middle of the room. It covered an area of about two square meters and must have taken at least a thousand roses to complete. A small blackboard had been placed on top of the heart, with a line of words written on it.
One thousand and one. You're my one and only.
There were also flower vases placed around the room, and roses scattered across the floor. The fragrance of the flowers filled every corner, making the air feel warm and inviting.
Taking in the scene, Huoyao deliberately remarked,
"That freeloading fellow called Huohuo probably enjoyed this. Too bad she went to all that trouble for that pregnant woman. It'll all be wasted in the end."
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been admiring the roses, quickly looked away. She took a deep breath, then turned to Huoyao and said in a low voice,
"Huoyao, Huohuo's that pregnant woman's fiancé."
"Huh? Her fiancé? That—"
Huoyao looked genuinely surprised, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Zhu Zhuqing, who'd been in a bad mood, couldn't help laughing.
"Ha! Huoyao never would've guessed. All those things she wrote about him in her diary—I saw them long ago. She clearly knew what was going on, and she even brought me here so I could see Huohuo for myself. Now she's acting like she has no idea."
Zhu Zhuqing had thought Huoyao was on the first floor while she was on the second, so she could see more clearly how much Huoyao had done for her.
That's right. This little girl has a pretty good smile.
"Since we found out she'd brought that pregnant woman here, the marriage between us was already over. There's nothing between us anymore."
Huoyao—
Before you continue