Zhuqing Takes the Initiative

Registration was tomorrow. Even if he entered Spirit Hall Academy, he would still visit Shrek in six months.

After choosing Spirit Hall's side, he and Tang San's group were naturally at odds, given the irreconcilable enmity between the two sides.

The bond between Zhuqing and Dai Mubai alone was something he couldn't ignore.

"It might be good to go there and meet them. Knowing yourself and your enemy will help me handle things better in the future."

Mu Qian set aside his distracting thoughts and decided to get some good rest, so he'd be refreshed for the upcoming assessment.

"Click~"

Suddenly, Mu Qian's gaze sharpened as he looked toward the bedroom door.

For some reason, a crack had appeared in the bedroom door, which had been carved from the finest wood.

"Zhuqing, what are you doing here?" Mu Qian asked, stunned and a little bewildered.

He had already taken off his clothes and was getting ready for bed. Her sudden appearance had caught him completely off guard.

Before Mu Qian could react, however, he felt a smooth, soft body slip beneath his covers.

Zhuqing wore only a thin silk nightdress, barely long enough to cover her hips. Her jade-white legs and arms were exposed, and when she touched Mu Qian, her skin felt as silky smooth as cream.

Mu Qian could tell that she wore nothing beneath her nightdress. His body stiffened at once, and he didn't dare move a muscle.

"Zhuqing..."

Mu Qian had just started to ask her something when Zhuqing cut him off, placing a soft finger against his lips.

"I'm not used to sleeping alone..."

Zhuqing didn't seem bothered that Mu Qian wasn't wearing anything. She shifted closer into his arms and rested her head on his arm.

The girl kept her head down, so Mu Qian couldn't see her expression.

"This... All right, but could you wait until I put some clothes on?" Mu Qian asked nervously.

For the past year, they had spent most of their time outdoors, and it wasn't unusual for them to sleep side by side. But this was the first time things had gone this far.

He couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

But Zhuqing didn't respond. She seemed to have fallen asleep, her breathing growing even.

Mu Qian raised his other hand, hesitated for a moment, then decided not to wake her.

Looking at the girl's stunning profile in his arms, he couldn't help wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Zhuqing seemed calm, but inside she was terribly nervous, doing her best to control her breathing.

The excitement she had felt from Hu Liena that evening had left Zhuqing with a powerful sense of urgency.

She had lain in bed thinking it over, and in the end decided she needed to take the initiative. Otherwise, that little vixen would steal Mu Qian away.

So she had crept into Mu Qian's room.

But this innocent girl had no idea how these things worked. Simply lying beneath the same covers as Mu Qian had made her so nervous she couldn't bring herself to do anything else.

Mu Qian was no different.

Part of it was nerves, but more than anything, he cherished her.

As far as he was concerned, things between them had progressed naturally, and he knew exactly how she felt.

But even if Spirit Masters on Douluo Continent tended to mature early and develop quickly, Mu Qian wasn't going to do anything to Zhuqing before the time was right.

They could leave everything else for later. For now, the restlessness in his body made him feel ashamed—and left him suffering in silence.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, the heavy rain finally let up. The first rays of dawn pierced the dense clouds and slipped through a gap in the curtains.

Mu Qian slowly opened his eyes.

He had slept more soundly than he had in months. He hadn't needed to meditate and cultivate around the clock, nor had he needed to stay alert for danger that might come from any direction, as he had in the Spirit Beast Forest.

The only downside was that he had been smothered awake.

Some nameless "object" was pressing down on him, its grip tight around his neck, nearly choking him.

Even though his cultivation was above level forty, enough to make him impervious to cold and heat, the bedsheet beneath him was damp with sweat.

The stunning beauty beside him, with a figure that could tempt a man to sin, was wrapped around his neck without a care for appearances. Her pale, beautiful legs were coiled around his waist like an octopus.

The intoxicating scent of a young woman drifted around his nose.

He looked down and caught a glimpse of alluring curves beneath her loose nightgown. Mu Qian hurriedly looked away, silently chastising himself.

"Ah, this is torture!"

Mu Qian sighed. He'd called Hu Liena a vixen, but this girl was just as much of a little "vixen" herself.

He carefully moved Zhuqing's smooth arms and legs aside, planning to slip out of bed and avoid an awkward scene.

Unfortunately, his movements woke Zhuqing.

She seemed to realize how unladylike she'd been, and her tightly shut eyes began to flutter. She planned to keep pretending to sleep.

But her face was already bright red. How could Mu Qian not know what had happened?

Mu Qian quietly got up and left the bedroom, without exposing her act.

Let her pretend to sleep. At least that would make things less awkward.

After getting dressed, Mu Qian went downstairs to the restaurant and picked up two breakfasts.

When he returned to the room, Zhuqing was already dressed and waiting for him. She acted as if nothing had happened. The blush had faded from her face, leaving only a faint smile.

Mu Qian couldn't help marveling that women really were the strangest creatures in the world.

Zhuqing accepted the breakfast Mu Qian handed her and ate in small bites.

He didn't do anything to me last night. Am I really that unattractive to him?

The girl's thoughts were impossible to read. On one hand, she thought Mu Qian was a gentleman and felt she'd chosen the right person. On the other, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Could there be something wrong with him?

At that thought, Zhuqing began looking at Mu Qian strangely.

It was a good thing Mu Qian couldn't read minds. If he'd known about her bizarre thoughts, he would have had to prove right then and there that there was nothing wrong with him!

A man's pride was not to be questioned!

Zhuqing suddenly remembered the natural reaction Mu Qian's body had shown when he'd held her the night before, and she relaxed a little.

She had almost concluded that something was wrong with Mu Qian and started planning to find an opportunity to take him to a healing-type Spirit Master for an examination.

Spirit Hall Academy wasn't in the center of Spirit City. It was in the northern part of the city, near North City Gate.

Beyond North City Gate, Death Canyon was less than a day's journey away along the main road.

Mu Qian and Zhuqing checked out of their room and strolled down the street toward Spirit Hall Academy.

The rain had passed, leaving the air full of damp mist with a fresh scent. The downpour had washed the streets spotless, and everything looked so clean and bright that it lifted the spirits.

Mu Qian knew very little about Spirit Hall Academy. The original story had only mentioned it briefly, and the three people he knew most about were Hu Liena and her two companions.

Beyond that, all he knew was what he'd heard over the past few days about some of the publicly announced admissions assessment requirements.