My Martial Soul is My Fiancee in Douluo Chapter 33

At this moment, hurried footsteps came from ahead. The little girl looked somewhat flustered, quickly sidestepping Zheng Li and running toward the city gate.

The next moment, a group of soldiers appeared before Zheng Li. One of them, upon seeing the little girl running away, shouted, "The young miss is over there, after her!"

Young miss?

Zheng Li's mouth twitched.

The little girl was one of the two women he had seen right after he transmigrated, just after Wang Xian'er had saved him. Zheng Li remembered her calling Wang Lao her great-grandmother.

He had originally intended to help the little girl, but hearing the title, seeing their attire, and observing the reactions of the passersby, he realized they were her own people, so he felt relieved.

He could never forget the debt of gratitude he owed Wang Lao for saving his life.

"Did she sneak out to play?"

Zheng Li considered the possibility, but didn't dwell on it, continuing to walk into the city.

He planned to get things done today and then spend two days enjoying Xingluo City before returning to Shrek Academy; he had plenty of time.

Xingluo City was divided into an outer city and an inner city, and the Starlight Auction House, where the Blade of Life was located, was definitely in the inner city.

According to Zheng Li's memory, the Starlight Auction House should be near Xingluo Square in front of the imperial palace in the inner city.

He would just have to ask for directions once he got there.

A while later, Zheng Li walked into an inn that looked quite decent.

Plans could never keep up with changes.

The Xingluo Imperial Capital was naturally vast, and he feared that by the time he reached the Starlight Auction House, it would already be dark.

Little did he know that the Starlight Auction House happened to have a small auction that night.

Because he had been traveling for several days in a row without proper rest, Zheng Li decided not to cultivate and instead planned to get a good night's sleep.

"Beds are just more comfortable..." Zheng Li lay on the large bed in the room, feeling content. After chatting with Xiao Nai for a while, he drifted off into a dream.

Xiao Nai maintained her habit of waking up early and going to bed late, even though it didn't matter if she didn't sleep.

She didn't need to cultivate and usually slept in the Sea of Consciousness at night.

As for the issue of bathing, it had just been confirmed that it was still possible.

In a haze, Zheng Li seemed to hear: Ding! Warning! Warning! Danger approaching...

He opened his eyes groggily, but exhaustion and a sense of powerlessness swept over his entire body, and he closed them again immediately.

Finally, he heard two voices speaking.

"Won't there be any mistakes?" This was a deep, cold voice.

"Rest assured! This kid clearly just arrived in Xingluo City today. He's dressed plainly, and while his Spirit Power fluctuations aren't low for his age, he doesn't have a Soul Guidance Ring on him. He must be a commoner genius." The second voice sounded raspy and sinister.

"Hmm, then..."

After that, Zheng Li lost consciousness.

He didn't know how much time had passed before his consciousness finally woke up within the Sea of Consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Nai looking extremely serious.

Noticing Zheng Li's consciousness, Xiao Nai glanced at him and said, "Xiao Li, you really know how to pick an inn."

Zheng Li hadn't fully reacted yet and asked blankly, "What's wrong? Xiao Nai?"

"What do you think?" Xiao Nai glared at him.

At this point, Zheng Li recalled the hazy system notification sound and the two sentences he had heard before losing consciousness.

Connecting the dots and analyzing slightly...

"Holy crap! Did I run into a black shop?"

"Yes, and a very shrewd one at that! Since being tied up, I've learned from their conversations that they only target outsiders and low-level Spirit Masters, regardless of age. Of course, they prefer children around eleven or twelve, but they only go after commoner geniuses." Xiao Nai said while observing the outside world.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Li felt miserable. "System, I remember you warned me, didn't you? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Ding! Host, do not wrong this system, and please do not be so foolish. The kidnappers used drugs. Given this system's free-range rules, this system has no obligation to help the host detoxify. You should be grateful that this system even warned you..." The system's mechanical voice carried a hint of disdain.

Zheng Li: "..."

"Xiao Li, it's not your fault you didn't wake up in time. The drug they used in the room is colorless and odorless, causing one to fall into a deep sleep rapidly. Spirit Masters under level 30 have no possibility of resisting it." Xiao Nai explained.

"So, I didn't even have a chance to wake up?" Zheng Li gave a bitter smile and muttered.

"You didn't wake up at all." Xiao Nai looked at Zheng Li and said.

"...It's all the same."

Zheng Li sighed.

What could he say? That his luck was bad?

"Black shops are a menace! Once I escape, I'm definitely going to smash that place to pieces!"

"Escape? Xiao Li, can I say you're overthinking it?" Xiao Nai turned her head to look at Zheng Li calmly. If one looked closely, they would see a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"After you were knocked unconscious and taken out of Xingluo City, they gave you another kind of medicine... no, this time it should be called a poison."

Zheng Li: "!!"

"Damn! Isn't that going too far? I'm just a Spirit Master, is all this really necessary?"

Without asking what kind of poison it was, Zheng Li said with great indignation.

"It's not just you; everyone kidnapped at the same time as you is the same. The effect... it dissipates your Spirit Power. It recovers a bit and then dissipates again. You'll feel it once your consciousness returns. I'm not sure how long the effect lasts," Xiao Nai explained, then paused and said, "Prepare yourself for reincarnation."

Zheng Li: "..."

Could it be that his first life was going to end just like this?

He let out a long sigh and said, "Let's wait and see. If it really comes to that, I'll choose reincarnation."

"What is the situation like outside right now?"

"Three carriages pulled by unknown Spirit Beasts. There are over a dozen people kidnapped in total, all crammed into the largest carriage. There are five enemies, and they are heading northwest, sticking to the main roads the entire way."

"The main road?! Aren't they afraid of being discovered?" Zheng Li asked in surprise.

"They split into two groups from Xingluo City. The other group also has kidnapped people, and the scale is about the same. Furthermore, although they are taking the main road, they aren't entering any cities," Xiao Nai said.

"...Fine, how many days have I been unconscious?"

He had finally managed to get some Gold Soul Coins and reached his destination, yet the Blade of Life was still out of reach, and now he was being taken north again...

What a headache.

"How many days do you think? It's the afternoon of the second day. Go take a look outside; there's a surprise waiting for you," Xiao Nai said with a strange expression.

Zheng Li: "??"

"It's already surprising enough as it is, what other surprise could there be?"

"You'll know once you go out, Xiao Li."

"Oh."

Zheng Li frowned slightly. Why was she being so vague? Of course, he didn't say anything else, exchanged a few words, and exited his Sea of Consciousness.

Then, he opened his eyes...

He immediately felt that something was wrong; there was a heavy weight on his left shoulder!

He turned his head to look.

Hmm??

Green?

No, it was light cyan.

"A little loli? Xin'er?" Zheng Li opened his mouth in shock. "What the hell! How is she here?"

"Is it a surprise?"

Xiao Nai asked.

"A surprise... my foot! Besides, shouldn't there be people protecting Xin'er? How could she..."

Before Zheng Li could finish his sentence, the little loli let out a soft "ying" sound, then groggily lifted her head and reached out to rub her eyes.

"Mm? Is it dawn?"

What the hell, dawn... Zheng Li was speechless.

Little girl, could you please look at the situation you're in?

Was she kidnapped in her sleep just like him?

"Eh?! This isn't my room? Who are you people? Are you bad guys? Let me tell you, my great-grandmother is very powerful, so you'd better confess!" Upon seeing the people around her, the little loli Xin'er's expression instantly turned "fierce," and she took a defensive stance.

Zheng Li, who was to the side, couldn't help but grab his chest with his right hand...

So... fiercely cute!

"You're beyond saving," Xiao Nai said with a cold tone.

"Perhaps," Zheng Li didn't refute. "So, that means..."

Just then, a middle-aged woman who had already woken up reminded her: "Little girl, didn't you try to save us, only to get yourself captured instead?"

The carriage space was large enough to hold over twenty people without being crowded, and the material wasn't wood, but a black, lightweight metal.

It wasn't too light, though, and Zheng Li was quite curious about the Spirit Beasts pulling the carriage.

The light inside the carriage was very dim, and there were no seats. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the four walls of the carriage.

There were thirteen people in the carriage, including him.

What surprised him was that nine of them appeared to be his age, along with two middle-aged men and the middle-aged woman who had spoken.

The only ones awake were him, the little loli Xin'er, the middle-aged woman, and three others his age.

After hearing Xin'er's words, Zheng Li: "??"

The little girl Xin'er was stunned upon hearing this.

It took a full ten seconds for her to react.

She lowered her guard, awkwardly reached up to scratch her head, and smiled shyly: "It seems... that is indeed the case..."

"..."

Failed to save the captives and got captured herself instead?

What a... talent! By the way, where were her soldier guards?

Zheng Li asked Xiao Nai in confusion.

"That little girl's group of soldier guards were all Spirit Masters, and the highest among them was a Spirit Emperor..."

"A group of Spirit Masters? The highest was a Spirit Emperor?" Zheng Li interrupted Xiao Nai. "And they still got captured?"

"Let me finish. The people who did the kidnapping this morning brought you all to the outskirts of Xingluo City. Little girl Xin'er stumbled upon it by accident, and then she ended up getting captured herself while trying to save the others. Among this group and the other group of kidnappers, there is a Spirit Saint."

"I don't know the reason, but the little girl didn't have many people around her, so their combat power was insufficient."

"Her guards weren't killed; they were just taken away by the other group."

After hearing Xiao Nai's words, Zheng Li was speechless. A Spirit Saint acting as a kidnapper? Was he being pranked?

"So you had better prepare for reincarnation."

Xiao Nai felt that Zheng Li's hope of escaping was slim.

Zheng Li then thought about it calmly.

"Is the other group a decoy? To lure out those coming to rescue Xin'er? They probably know that Xin'er's identity is not simple."

"Hey! You bastard outside, hurry up and release your great-aunt... me?" Little girl Xin'er looked at Zheng Li and the others: "No, that's not right, release your great-aunts! Otherwise, hmph hmph!"