As for Xia Ran, this was the only solution he could think of. It wasn't as if he could really let Zhu Zhuqing vent her Evil Fire on him.
With some of the heat inside her body being drawn away, Zhu Zhuqing gradually calmed down. Gritting her teeth, she continued circulating her cultivation technique.
Gradually, the girl's body temperature returned to normal, and the restless energy inside her settled.
Time passed quietly.
It wasn't until dusk that Zhu Zhuqing finished stabilizing her meridians.
By then, the two of them had been soaking in the tub for nearly half a day.
Ning Rongrong had woken up in the afternoon. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the two of them taking a couple's bath in that shabby wooden tub in broad daylight.
At first, she'd circled around them curiously, looking them over. But when she realized Xia Ran was only helping Zhu Zhuqing cultivate, she went back inside, disappointment written all over her face.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
The Soul Power swirling around Zhu Zhuqing in the tub gradually thinned.
Only after refining and absorbing the last trace of energy did she wake from her cultivation and slowly open her eyes.
The moment her mind cleared, Zhu Zhuqing hurried to straighten her clothes.
After all that, most of her close-fitting leather outfit had come undone.
If Xia Ran had been sitting in front of her, guarding her, he would have seen everything.
"If you've recovered, check your Soul Power Level!"
Xia Ran had woken before Zhu Zhuqing. He'd already gotten out of the tub and changed into clean clothes.
His voice startled the girl.
She was already feeling a little guilty, and Xia Ran's reminder made her cheeks flush even redder.
"Mm... I've reached level thirty."
A moment ago, Zhu Zhuqing had been blushing with embarrassment. The next, her beautiful eyes were wide with shock.
"I'd only just reached level twenty-eight a few days ago. How could this... happen?"
What surprised her was that it wasn't just her Soul Power Level that had increased. Her physical strength had also improved tremendously.
The importance of physical strength to a close-combat Soul Master went without saying. An improvement in physical strength meant an improvement in one's overall fighting ability.
Before, as a level-twenty-eight agility-type Battle Soul Master, she could fight at a strength of one.
Now, her fighting ability could be as high as 1.3, or even 1.5.
"Xia Ran, I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Could this... have some kind of side effect?"
The immense change in her body was so unbelievable that she couldn't help imagining the worst.
Maybe Xia Ran knew some kind of evil secret technique that could improve someone's power by consuming their life force, or something like that...
"Seriously? Did you suffer for nothing all afternoon?"
"Can't you tell for yourself if anything's wrong with your body?"
Xia Ran couldn't help laughing at her idea. The girl really had an imagination, coming up with side effects and evil secret techniques.
Still, this was a good thing. The greater the improvement Zhu Zhuqing gained, the faster her favorability toward him would grow.
He hadn't forgotten that the system had given him a favorability-raising quest!
[Zhu Zhuqing's current favorability toward the host: 70%]
Zhu Zhuqing was undeniably one of the more rational heroines.
In the original story, she didn't seem to have any real flaws aside from forgiving Dai Mubai.
All in all, she was a girl who loved and hated fiercely and never dragged her feet when it came to feelings.
He wondered what kind of love potion Dai Mubai had given her back then...
"Xia Ran... thank you!"
Zhu Zhuqing knew there was nothing wrong with her body.
On the contrary, thanks to the Whale Rubber, her blood and energy were abundant, and she even felt a faint surge of excitement.
Taking a level-twenty-eight Soul Master to level thirty in a single day, while also greatly increasing her physical strength—
If anyone with ulterior motives found out about this method, it would surely cause a bloody storm.
Zhu Zhuqing wasn't stupid. She knew Xia Ran trusted her deeply and had given her tremendous help.
And he hadn't asked for anything in return. She couldn't help feeling touched.
"Don't look at me like that. Didn't I already promise you?"
Under Zhu Zhuqing's grateful gaze, Xia Ran felt a little embarrassed.
After all, he'd spent so long soaking in the same tub as a girl...
Even setting aside the improvements he'd helped Zhu Zhuqing gain, he'd still gotten something out of it.
"I told you before, the surprise I promised you isn't this."
"What surprise?"
Ning Rongrong had just stepped out of the room when she heard that.
The girl had recovered from her fright. Her eyes were still red, but she'd regained much of her energy.
Xia Ran felt a little guilty when he saw her, so he changed the subject.
"You're awake."
"How are you feeling? Nothing bothering you?"
Ning Rongrong's gaze darted back and forth between Zhu Zhuqing and Xia Ran. A mischievous grin spread across her face.
"I woke up ages ago. I saw you two taking a couple's bath, so I didn't want to interrupt."
"Not bad, Xia Ran! I was wondering why Zhuqing's been acting weird lately. So you've already won her over!"
Still in the tub, Zhu Zhuqing flushed with embarrassment and protested,
"Rongrong!"
"Don't say things like that!"
But Little Demoness wasn't so easily fooled. Sure, that morning she'd been so scared she could barely speak.
Now that she'd recovered, her sharp mind was back in full gear.
"Hmph! I'm not making things up."
"Don't try to change the subject. You still haven't told me what the surprise is."
Seeing how persistent she was, Xia Ran simply refused to answer.
"What's it to you? Go play with your Little Pagoda."
But Ning Rongrong wouldn't let it go. Xia Ran happened to be making dinner, and she kept pestering him as he worked.
"Just tell me, Xia Ran."
"What surprise? What is it?"
"Why can't you tell me what surprise you're giving Zhuqing? Have you two made things official?"
"Why don't you join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? You could bring Zhuqing along, too..."
The only answer she got was an extremely impatient look.
Zhu Zhuqing had gone back to the dorm to change, leaving just the two of them in the room.
Xia Ran busied himself in the kitchen while Ning Rongrong chattered away like a little sparrow.
"Xia Ran, take me in, too."
At her last words, Xia Ran's hand froze in midair as he stir-fried the food.
He turned to look at Ning Rongrong, disbelief and shock written all over his face.
Her delicate face was utterly serious as she stared right into his eyes.
Ning Rongrong's Favorability: 20%
"If you dare say that in front of that old man Chen Xin, he'll chop me into mincemeat."
He hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to say something so outrageous. She really did live up to her name as Little Demoness—she'd say anything.
Remembering the imposing aura Chen Xin had released, along with his threatening tone,
and looking again at the seemingly harmless Little Demoness, whose heart was extremely "dark,"
Xia Ran could already picture himself tied to a stone pillar in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and subjected to every kind of torture.
"I mean it. Teach me how to cultivate."
"Didn't you promise me before?"
Phew... so that was what she meant by "take me in"!
"You scared me to death. Next time, can you not leave such a long pause?"
Seeing that the food in the pan was about to burn, Xia Ran hurriedly resumed stir-frying.
The tension that had risen to his throat slowly eased. This girl really had a way with words.
"Besides, when did I promise you that?"
"You said you'd teach me how to cultivate once I found a blade."
"Have you found one?"
Xia Ran acted as though it went without saying. Ning Rongrong looked a little guilty.
As if! A blade of higher quality than the Black Blade? The blacksmiths on the Douluo Continent wouldn't reach that level even if they evolved for tens of thousands of years.
With the Black Blade, he'd pierced the defenses of a level-fifty-five Diamond Mammoth Soul King while he was only level forty-two.
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