Douluo: Poisonous Tongue, Loves Telling the Truth

For Xia Ran, this was the only solution he could think of; he couldn't exactly let her vent her evil fire with Dai Mubai.

With a portion of the heat within her body shared, Zhu Zhuqing gradually calmed down, gritting her teeth as she continued to circulate her cultivation technique.

Little by little, the young girl's body temperature returned to a normal level, and the restless energy within her began to stabilize.

Time slipped away quietly.

It wasn't until evening that Zhu Zhuqing finally smoothed out the flow of her meridians.

By this time, the two of them had been soaking in the wooden barrel for the better part of the day.

Ning Rongrong had woken up in the afternoon, and the moment she stepped outside, she saw these two taking a bath together in a broken wooden barrel in broad daylight.

At first, she had curiously circled around to get a better look, but upon realizing that Xia Ran was simply helping Zhu Zhuqing cultivate, she returned to her room with a look of disappointment.

The sun set and the moon rose.

Inside the barrel, the Soul Power surging around Zhu Zhuqing slowly began to thin.

It wasn't until she refined and absorbed the very last trace of energy that she awoke from her cultivation and slowly opened her eyes.

The moment she regained consciousness, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly adjusted her clothing.

After such an ordeal, her form-fitting leather outfit had been mostly stripped away.

If Xia Ran hadn't been guarding her from the front, she would have been seen through completely.

"If you've recovered, check your Soul Power Level!"

Xia Ran had woken up before Zhu Zhuqing and had already stepped out of the barrel, changing into a set of clean clothes.

Hearing his voice, the young girl was startled.

She was already feeling a bit guilty, and at Xia Ran's reminder, her cheeks flushed even deeper.

"Mm... I've already reached level 30."

Zhu Zhuqing was shy one second, but the next, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

"I only just reached level 28 a few days ago, how could this... happen!"

Furthermore, what surprised her was that not only had her Soul Power Level increased, but her physical constitution had also received a massive boost.

The importance of a formidable physical constitution to a melee-type Spirit Master went without saying; it could be said that if one's physical constitution improved, their combat power would improve accordingly.

If she had been a level 28 agility-attack Spirit Master before, capable of exerting a combat power of 1.

Then now, her combat power could reach 1.3, or even 1.5.

"Xia Ran, I'm not dreaming, am I!"

"This... there won't be any side effects, right!"

The massive changes brought to her body were simply inconceivable, forcing her to imagine the worst-case scenarios.

For instance, whether Xia Ran had mastered some sort of evil secret technique that could consume life force to boost strength, and so on...

"No, was your suffering all afternoon for nothing?"

"Don't you have any idea whether there's something wrong with your own body?"

Xia Ran was truly amused by her thoughts; this girl was really letting her imagination run wild, coming up with side effects and evil secret techniques.

But this was fine too; the greater the improvement he brought to Zhu Zhuqing, the faster her favorability toward him would grow.

He hadn't forgotten that the system had given him a task to increase her favorability!

[Zhu Zhuqing's current favorability toward the host: 70%]

It had to be said that Zhu Zhuqing was one of the more rational ones among the many heroines.

In the original work, it seemed she had no flaws other than the matter of forgiving Dai Mubai.

Overall, this girl was bold in love and hate, and never dragged her feet when it came to her feelings.

He wondered what kind of love potion Dai Mubai had fed her back then...

"Xia Ran... thank you!"

Zhu Zhuqing naturally knew that there was nothing abnormal in her body at all.

On the contrary, thanks to the Whale Rubber, her blood and energy were extremely abundant, leaving her with a faint sense of excitement.

To raise a level 28 Spirit Master to level 30 in a single day, while also significantly increasing her physical strength.

If this method were known to others with ulterior motives, it would certainly trigger a bloody storm.

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't stupid; she knew that Xia Ran trusted her deeply now and had provided her with immense help.

And for all of this, Xia Ran had asked for no reward, which couldn't help but move her heart.

"Don't look at me with those eyes; didn't I already promise you earlier?"

Being watched by Zhu Zhuqing's grateful gaze, Xia Ran felt a bit embarrassed.

After all, he had spent so long soaking in the same barrel with a girl...

Setting aside the improvements he brought to Zhu Zhuqing, he had also taken some advantage of the situation.

"I already told you, the surprise for you isn't here."

"What surprise?"

This sentence was overheard by Ning Rongrong, who had just stepped out of the room.

The little girl had recovered from the shadows, and although her eyes were still red, she had regained much of her vitality.

Seeing her, Xia Ran felt a bit guilty and chose to change the subject.

"You're awake."

"How do you feel? You aren't feeling uncomfortable, are you?"

Ning Rongrong's gaze darted back and forth between Zhu Zhuqing and Xia Ran, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face.

"I woke up a while ago. I saw you two taking a lovebird bath, so I didn't want to disturb you."

"Not bad, Xia Ran! I was wondering why Zhuqing had been acting so strange lately; turns out she's been captured by you."

Still sitting in the wooden tub, Zhu Zhuqing felt embarrassed and pouted.

"Rongrong!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

However, the little witch was not so easily fooled. Don't let her morning appearance—where she was so scared she couldn't even speak—deceive you.

Now that she had regained her composure, her sharp intellect had reclaimed the high ground.

"Pfft! I'm not talking nonsense."

"Don't try to brush me off. You still haven't told me what the surprise is."

Seeing how persistent she was, Xia Ran simply refused outright.

"What does it have to do with you? Go play with your Little Pagoda."

Yet, Ning Rongrong remained relentless. Just as Xia Ran was preparing to make dinner, she kept pestering him nearby.

"Just tell me, Xia Ran."

"What surprise! What on earth is the surprise!"

"Why can't you tell me the surprise you gave Zhu Zhuqing? Have you two officially started dating?"

"How about you just join my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? You can bring Zhuqing along too..."

However, the only response she received was an extremely impatient expression.

Zhu Zhuqing went back to the dormitory to change, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

Xia Ran busied himself in the kitchen, while Ning Rongrong chirped on like a little sparrow.

"Xia Ran, why don't you take me in too?"

As the final sentence fell, Xia Ran's hand, holding the spatula, froze in mid-air.

He looked at Ning Rongrong to the side with an expression of disbelief and utter shock.

The expression on her delicate face was incredibly serious as she stared straight into Xia Ran's eyes.

Chapter 23 Ning Rongrong Favorability: 20%

"If you dared to say that in front of old man Chen Xin, he would hack me into mincemeat."

He hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to say something so bold; she truly lived up to her reputation as a little witch, daring to say anything.

Recalling the aura Chen Xin had exuded at the time and that threatening tone of his.

Then looking at this little witch, who appeared harmless on the surface but was extremely "dark" on the inside.

Xia Ran could already imagine himself tied to a stone pillar at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, enduring all sorts of torture.

"I'm serious, teach me how to cultivate."

"Didn't you promise me before!"

Phew~ So that's what she meant by "take me in"!

"You scared me to death! Can you stop leaving such long pauses when you speak next time!"

Seeing that the vegetables in the pan were about to burn, Xia Ran hurriedly started stir-frying again.

The tension that had been stuck in his throat slowly eased. The linguistic art this girl used when speaking was on another level!

"Also, when did I promise you that?"

"You said it yourself: once I find a blade, you'll teach me how to cultivate."

"And have you found one?"

Xia Ran wore an expression of taking it for granted, which made Ning Rongrong feel a bit guilty.

What a joke. A blade of higher quality than the Black Blade? Even if the blacksmiths of the Douluo Continent evolved for another few tens of thousands of years, they wouldn't reach that standard.

He had relied on the Black Blade to break through the defenses of a level 55 Diamond Mammoth Spirit King when he was only level 42.