Smack!
Qian Renxue opened her eyes in astonishment, only to see Shang An bring down another slap while muttering, "Nice feel."
Of course, Shang An could not possibly truly do that sort of thing to Qian Renxue. At most, he was giving her a small lesson and leaving a deep impression in her mind.
Qian Renxue had thought she would lose her chastity. She had even thought that if it were Shang An, then perhaps, maybe, it would not be so hard to accept. Yet Shang An's punishment was just spanking her. That was all? It did not even hurt.
Wait, how could I think that?!
Since childhood, no one had ever dared humiliate her like this. This was disgrace, an enormous disgrace.
"Shang An, just wait. I will definitely make you pay for this."
Hearing Qian Renxue's seemingly unyielding words, Shang An's hand unconsciously put a little more force into it. Qian Renxue's stubbornness did not last long.
"Don't, don't hit me anymore. I surrender."
Smack!
"Call me big brother."
"In your dreams!"
"You're pretty proud, huh."
Smack!
Smack!
"Big brother~"
After satisfying his urge to slap, Shang An released Qian Renxue. Covering her reddened butt, Qian Renxue stood up and looked at Shang An's excessively handsome face. She silently swore, Today's humiliation will be repaid tenfold someday.
"I'm leaving." Having had his fun, Shang An did not plan to stay any longer. He rose to leave.
"Wait."
Qian Renxue called out to him. After hesitating for a moment, she asked:
"Was what you said before true?"
"Hm?"
"I mean... about Bibi Dong."
Qian Renxue seemed a little embarrassed.
It seemed this little girl still longed deeply for maternal love. After some hesitation, Shang An said, "She truly has her reasons for not wanting to face you. Everything I said before was true as well."
"I see." Having received Shang An's confirmation, a trace of yearning for warmth surfaced in her eyes.
"Is there anything else?"
Qian Renxue hesitated again before asking, "Can you tell me how strong you are now?"
"Mm, I'm a Spirit King now. If we really fought, I'd probably only be a little stronger than an ordinary Spirit Saint." Shang An still decided to be modest.
Qian Renxue suddenly felt discouraged. He was already a Spirit King at nine years old and could even fight Spirit Saints, while she had only been a Spirit Elder at nine. Getting revenge for this spanking would be a long and arduous road.
"I'm leaving."
Shang An did not linger. The Taiyi Dharma Domain shrank and enveloped him again, and he swaggered out of the bedchamber.
Watching Shang An suddenly vanish before her eyes, Qian Renxue finally understood how he had infiltrated the place. He possessed Tongtian wisdom, unparalleled potential, peerless looks, and miraculous spirit skills. Just how many secrets did he have?
"Goodbye."
The barely audible words escaped her lips, and she did not know why she had said them.
Shang An, who had not gone far, paused slightly. Had he spanked feelings into her?
After Shang An had gone far away, Qian Renxue's expression turned cold.
"Snake Lance!"
"Your subordinate is here."
This time, nothing unexpected happened. Snake Lance Douluo She Long quickly appeared in the bedchamber and dropped to one knee. His respectful expression only made Qian Renxue even more irritated.
"Has anything unusual happened recently?" Qian Renxue asked coldly.
She Long was somewhat baffled. Unusual? What could have been unusual? He had diligently guarded the bedchamber during this period. Absolutely nothing unusual had happened.
"Your subordinate has not discovered anything unusual."
"Oh, really? Then raise your head and take a good look at this bedchamber."
Hearing that, She Long raised his head, and everything in the bedchamber entered his sight.
"This, this..."
The bedchamber was a complete mess, caused by the battle between Qian Renxue and Shang An just now. Some places even still contained traces of light energy, while Shang An's bloodstains remained on the large bed.
This was clearly the aftermath of a great battle in the bedchamber, and one of the people involved had been Qian Renxue.
But how was that possible?
He had not detected even the slightest movement.
At that thought, cold sweat broke out across She Long's forehead. Thankfully, Qian Renxue had not been harmed this time. If anything had happened to this little ancestor, that person in the Worship Hall would skin him alive.
"Please forgive me, Young Mistress! I will immediately search for the culprit."
"Forget it. You cannot be blamed for this. That person's spirit skill was truly unfathomable and strange."
Qian Renxue had summoned She Long because she had some anger in her heart that needed venting. She also knew there was a reason for what had happened and did not truly blame him. Aside from today, She Long had always handled matters reliably.
"There is no need to search for the culprit. He is not an enemy. If he were, I would not have the chance to stand here talking to you."
"This... Your subordinate obeys."
Though She Long was not especially skilled at plotting, he was not stupid. He understood that the person who had come this time was likely an insider from Spirit Hall. Qian Renxue had summoned him only to give him a warning, so naturally, he would not say anything foolish about pursuing the culprit.
Still, he silently reminded himself to be more vigilant in the future. This time, the intruder had not been an enemy, but what about next time?
After returning to Dugu Manor, Shang An prepared to bid farewell to Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
Most of the goals of this trip had already been achieved. There was no point in lingering outside any longer. He might as well return to Spirit City and cultivate properly. After spending a night hugging that fake Pope pillow, he missed his teacher more and more.
"An Gege, are you really leaving?"
Dugu Yan held Shang An's hand and spoke reluctantly.
"Yan Yan, I've been away for so long. It's time for me to go back." Shang An stroked Dugu Yan's head. "If two hearts are meant to last, why must they be together every morning and night?"
"But I want to be together every morning and night~"
Dugu Yan did not buy Shang An's smooth talk and said so without wavering.
Dugu Bo, standing nearby, also pretended to persuade him. "Yes, His Holiness the Holy Son. Why not stay a few more days and allow me to properly entertain you?"
"Oh, really?" Shang An looked at Dugu Bo with a smile.
Dugu Bo coughed awkwardly twice. Of course it was false. Shang An's previous disappearance had left him terrified, and he did not want to go through that again. His little temple could not accommodate such a great Buddha as Shang An.
"Grandfather!" Dugu Yan said resentfully after seeing through Dugu Bo's expression.
"Hahaha, all right. We have plenty of time ahead of us. Cultivate diligently. I'll come see you when I have time. If I find that your cultivation has not improved, I'll be angry." Since Shang An had decided to leave, he would not stay behind over romantic attachment.
Besides, compared to the one at home, Dugu Yan still fell far short.
"All right, then. You must come see me. I'll cultivate properly and catch up to you." Hearing Shang An's firm tone, Dugu Yan did not try to persuade him further.
"Then I'm leaving." Shang An turned to go with Xiao Wu and Ni Huang.
"Wait." Dugu Yan called out to him.
Shang An stopped. Why did all these women like doing this? Couldn't they just say everything at once?
"Can you tell me how strong you are?" Since Dugu Yan wanted to catch up to Shang An, she naturally wanted to know his true strength. Only then would she have a target and motivation to pursue.
"I'm level fifty-two now," Shang An answered honestly.
"Level fifty-two! An Gege, your talent is actually this strong? You became a Spirit King when you were barely in your teens."
Dugu Yan felt a little discouraged, but her fighting spirit quickly rekindled. With the help of the Immortal Herb, her cultivation speed had increased greatly. It was not impossible for her to catch up to Shang An.
"I'll definitely work hard to catch up to you."
"Pfft." Xiao Wu, standing nearby, could not hold back her laughter.
"Wh-what is it?" After Xiao Wu laughed at her, Dugu Yan immediately felt a little embarrassed. Was setting herself a goal really something worth mocking?
"Do you know how old Shang An is?" After spending the past few days together, Xiao Wu's relationship with Dugu Yan had improved considerably. Yet she still delighted in teasing Dugu Yan.
Shang An could see Xiao Wu's mischievous intent, but he did not stop her. He had not planned to hide it anyway; Dugu Yan simply had not asked before.
"Fifteen?" Dugu Yan guessed.
"Nope, guess again." Xiao Wu shook her head.
"Fourteen?"
"Too old. Guess again."
"Twelve?" Dugu Yan asked uncertainly.
"I'll tell you. Your An Gege is only nine years old."
"Nine years old? How is that possible?"
Both Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Dugu Bo even looked Shang An up and down. He was over six feet tall, handsome and well-built, with an imposing bearing, sharply defined features, and an extraordinarily beautiful face. He also had his own methods for dealing with people and matters.
What the hell, he was nine years old?
"Hehe, hard to believe, right? I didn't believe it myself, but Brother Shang An really is only nine. He's the same age as me." Xiao Wu said cheerfully to Dugu Yan, practically spelling out that she and Shang An were a better match.
Shang An nodded. "I really am only nine this year," he said, automatically swallowing the first half of the sentence, not counting before I transmigrated.
Before you continue