Zheng Li: Makeup Techniques...

She wanted to cultivate, too, but the poison was still inside her.

Speaking of Soul Power, she was already at level eighteen! The thought made her exceptionally happy, especially since she was still so young.

She wished she could have another dozen adventures like the Valley of Love and Emotion!

At that moment, inside Zheng Li's Sea of Consciousness.

"How's Xiao Nai doing today?"

"Nothing much."

Zheng Li was naturally asking about Baobao, the Night Glow Beast.

Since he and Xiao Nai had killed Baobao, the beast held quite a grudge.

Of course, Baobao now understood what had happened. Knowing that the jungle followed the law of the fittest, its resentment had eased a little. If it had been in their place, it would have done the same.

What it was extremely unhappy about was the master-servant contract.

Why should Zheng Li and the others be the masters? Baobao wanted to turn the tables! It wanted to be the master.

But throwing a tantrum only got it disciplined by Xiao Nai time and again. As Xiao Nai put it, there were two words for it:

"Ask for it!"

That even outweighed her guilt over Baobao.

Zheng Li and Xiao Nai didn't want to rely solely on the contract to keep Baobao in line, either. They wanted to win it over and make it their companion.

But things weren't going very smoothly.

Zheng Li watched Xiao Nai stroke Baobao's fur and felt rather helpless.

Xiao Nai seemed to be enjoying herself.

But Baobao's golden eyes were full of resistance and disdain.

"Let's take it slowly." Zheng Li smiled and reached out to pat Baobao's head as it nestled in Xiao Nai's arms.

"Squeak!"

To his surprise, Baobao suddenly lunged forward and bit down hard on his finger.

Damn ugly human! You think you can make Baobao submit? No way!

Zheng Li: "..."

If Baobao had been able to hurt him, he had no doubt it would have bitten his finger off just then.

Well, since he felt guilty, he naturally wasn't going to hold it against the beast.

"Phew~"

In the morning, Zheng Li stretched. After a night of cultivation, he felt refreshed!

It also made him appreciate the wonders of the Spirit Sutra even more.

He woke the little girl, who was still lazing in bed, and after they finished dinner, they continued on their way.

After all, they were in the Sun Moon Empire. Knowing what the future held, he couldn't feel at ease.

They bought a carriage pulled by two horses and set off along the route Zheng Li had planned.

Zheng Li knew how to drive a carriage.

When he was little, his grandfather had taught him to drive a donkey cart. Horses and donkeys were different, but not by much.

The little girl insisted on sitting outside, and Zheng Li couldn't talk her out of it, so he agreed.

"Hey, Zheng Li, do you even know what you're doing?"

After his third mistake, Wang Xin'er asked with a frown.

"Give me a little more time to get the hang of it. It's been a long time since I last drove one." Zheng Li wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

This was harder than he'd expected!

Still, Zheng Li had a knack for it. Once he got used to it, they soon passed through the eastern gate of Lunye City.

But they had no idea that as soon as they left the city, a dozen or so people in ordinary clothes had set their sights on them.

After Zheng Li had gone some distance, they exchanged glances, then quietly left, following from several different directions.

Nearly an hour later, they were already far from Lunye City.

Wang Xin'er seemed to be in a good mood and was even humming some unfamiliar tune.

The carriage sped along.

Suddenly, a vast pressure poured down like a torrential rain. The two ordinary horses collapsed on the spot, and the carriage pitched forward from its momentum.

Zheng Li reacted quickly. He grabbed Wang Xin'er's hand, pushed off the floorboards with his right foot, and leaped clear of the carriage.

After landing, Zheng Li frowned and looked up at the sky. Someone stood there motionless, displaying eight Soul Rings. Even without the pressure, his presence was intimidating.

The pressure hadn't been aimed directly at them. Otherwise, Zheng Li might not even have managed to jump.

"What's going on? Did those evil cultists find us?"

Wang Xin'er asked anxiously.

Zheng Li shook his head, his expression grave. "I'm not sure."

Robbers? Bandits? How could that be? This was a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse. He wouldn't be doing something like that.

Just as Wang Xin'er was about to say something else, several more people appeared without a sound and surrounded the two of them. The weakest among them was a Spirit King!

Damn it!

Was he really going to have to give up his first Reincarnation?

Wang Xin'er stared blankly at the scene. Realizing there was no chance of escape, she wailed, "My luck is just too awful! I haven't even been in love yet, damn it!"

Zheng Li glanced at Wang Xin'er, utterly speechless. Was this really the time to say that?

Just then, the middle-aged Soul Douluo in the sky slowly descended. He was a rather handsome man, and his eyes remained fixed on Wang Xin'er, who was standing behind Zheng Li. His gaze held a hint of delight.

Zheng Li didn't notice.

Damn! Zheng Li cursed inwardly as he circulated his Soul Power and prepared to fight for his life, even though he knew it would be useless against a Soul Douluo...

But in the next moment, after the middle-aged Soul Douluo landed and met Zheng Li's eyes for a few seconds, he bowed slightly to Wang Xin'er, who had been hiding behind Zheng Li but was now peeking out. As Zheng Li and Wang Xin'er stared at him in bewilderment, he said, "Young Miss, we've finally found you!"

Wang Xin'er froze and tilted her head, confused.

"Huh?!"

"Young Miss!"

After the middle-aged Soul Douluo bowed, the others bowed slightly as well and called out to her.

Zheng Li: "..."

He turned to look at the little girl, who was completely bewildered, and his mouth twitched.

Zheng Li smacked the back of the little girl's head. "What are you 'huh'-ing for? Aren't these your people? You don't recognize them?"

The little girl blinked at the slap, then looked up at him, hurt and angry. "Damn it, Zheng Li, why are you yelling at me? I've never seen them before! How would I recognize them?"

The middle-aged Soul Douluo straightened and watched Zheng Li expressionlessly. If he hadn't seen how well Zheng Li and the young miss got along while following them, he would have tied Zheng Li up over that slap!

Of course, if he confirmed that Zheng Li was involved in the young miss's kidnapping, then...

He couldn't act rashly just yet. The young miss might owe him a debt of gratitude.

The others simply watched in silence. It was anyone's guess what they were thinking.

After hearing Wang Xin'er's explanation, Zheng Li was at a loss for words. Even if she was a young miss, that was no reason to ignore a Soul Douluo from her own family! Even if they were royalty, she should have met him by the time she was this old!

Just then, the middle-aged Soul Douluo stepped forward and wiped a hand across his face. His appearance changed completely, leaving Zheng Li staring in astonishment.

Wang Xin'er was startled, too. Then she cried out in delight, "Uncle Xiao! So it was you! I was wondering why your voice sounded so familiar."

The middle-aged Soul Douluo nodded. "It's me. But please call me Uncle Xiao."

"Okay, Uncle Xiao!" Wang Xin'er said with a grin, throwing herself into his arms. They seemed very close.

"Uncle Xiao, I've been so scared these past few days. I kept thinking someone would come to rescue me, but who knew..."

Wang Xin'er sounded aggrieved.

Who knew no one would come, no matter how long she waited.

The middle-aged Soul Douluo patted Wang Xin'er on the back and apologized. "I'm sorry, Young Miss. Uncle Xiao arrived too late."

Only then did Zheng Li finally react. His mind was filled with one word: Damn!

Was this one of the Four Great Mystical Arts—makeup?

That was incredible... There wasn't a single flaw!

Even the little girl, who was so close to him, hadn't recognized him.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that they were finally safe! It hadn't been easy!

Zheng Li nearly burst into tears. He'd thought he was going to have to reincarnate...

Wang Xin'er and the middle-aged Soul Douluo chatted for quite a while before she finally remembered something. She turned to Zheng Li, then happily introduced him to the middle-aged Soul Douluo:

"Oh, right, Uncle Xiao, I forgot to introduce you. This is Zheng Li. He's from the Star Luo Empire, too, and he's a student at Shrek! We were kidnapped together. He wasn't the one who rescued me, but he helped me a lot along the way."

It hadn't been Zheng Li who rescued her. It had been the Valley of Love and Emotion.

The Valley of Love and Emotion had killed the Spirit Saint Elder and sent his lackeys somewhere unknown.

That was why Zheng Li and the others hadn't run into those lackeys when they got out.

Or, if they wanted to trace things back even further, should they thank the Sun Moon Empire's marquis for activating the Valley of Love and Emotion?

Naturally, Zheng Li knew nothing about the marquis.

After hearing Wang Xin'er's introduction, the middle-aged Soul Douluo's wariness eased considerably. He gave the others a subtle look.

They understood and withdrew their Soul Rings and Martial Souls before moving behind the middle-aged Soul Douluo.

Zheng Li: "..."

He'd noticed it all. They were pretty cautious...

Wang Xin'er hadn't noticed. After introducing Zheng Li, she went over to him and led him up to the middle-aged Soul Douluo. "Zheng Li, this is my Uncle Xiao, Xiao Xiao. He's always been very good to me. Oh, and he isn't a member of the royal family."

Zheng Li nodded. "Elder Xiao, it's nice to meet you."

Xiao Xiao smiled faintly. "Nice to meet you, Zheng Li. Thank you for looking after my young miss."

Zheng Li shook his head. "It was nothing. Just a few small things."

"Come on, Uncle Xiao, Zheng Li, can you two stop being so formal?" Wang Xin'er said with a pout.

For some reason, she felt as though there was suddenly a distance between her and Zheng Li. It made her uncomfortable.

"You're right, Young Miss. Let's not be so formal, young man." Xiao Xiao nodded with a smile, then glanced around. "Young Miss, we're inside the Sun Moon Empire. They're at odds with the three former Douluo Empires, and many of their city lords know my face since I often appear along the border. That's why I disguised myself. Let's get moving. We can talk once we reach the Heaven Dou Empire, all right?"

Xiao Xiao had a lot of questions himself. For example, how had Zheng Li and the young miss escaped?

Their enemy was exceptionally cunning. They had followed one clue after another all the way to Lunye City.

As it happened, part of the route Zheng Li had chosen overlapped with the route the Spirit Saint Elder had taken. If Zheng Li had gone around Sun Moon City to the south, they wouldn't have met.

Fate worked in mysterious ways.

Some of Xiao Xiao's people had been searching Lunye City, while Xiao Xiao waited at the city gates with another group, in case the suspicious people who had kidnapped the young miss came out through the gates. He didn't want them to miss each other.

They had done the same thing in every city along the way, leaving none unchecked.

Zheng Li: So this is why you took so long...

"Okay, Uncle Xiao. I don't feel safe in the Sun Moon Empire, either." Wang Xin'er readily agreed.