Three Women, One Man, Mingdou Mountain Range

The next night.

Mingdou Mountain Range.

"I never expected you to have the guts to turn down Xuan Zi's one-on-one instruction. Should I call you arrogant, or should I call you brimming with confidence?"

"That's right, little junior brother, tell us. I'm quite curious myself. Elder Xuan is a level 98 Super Douluo, after all. Across the entire Douluo Continent, there are so many who would kill for the chance to be personally mentored by him, yet they lack the connections."

As Ling Luochen spoke.

The eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, chimed in as well.

Although Ma Xiaotao was off to the side tending to the fire and remained silent, her attention had never once strayed from Jiang Yang.

Clearly, there are no airtight walls in this world.

Even though the three women hadn't been present at the scene, Jiang Yang didn't doubt for a second that they even knew the exact tone he had used when he flatly refused Xuan Zi.

"I was afraid something might go wrong."

"Pfft—"

The moment Jiang Yang finished speaking.

Ma Xiaotao, who had just opened her canteen to take a drink, suddenly spat it all out.

The two women, who had been staring at Jiang Yang in disbelief, instantly shifted their gazes toward Ma Xiaotao.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I just couldn't help but spit it out..."

Ma Xiaotao's face flushed red.

After all, she had been pretending to ignore Jiang Yang throughout this entire journey.

However, this action had completely exposed her inner thoughts to everyone present.

At the thought of this.

Ma Xiaotao's face turned even redder.

"Jiang Yang, I never realized you were so good at joking. No wonder, you're cozying up to Jiang Nannan while simultaneously stringing Ma Xiaotao along."

Ling Luochen sneered.

Her words were filled with teasing.

However, she didn't mean it maliciously; she simply found it amusing.

Furthermore, since Jiang Yang hit all the right marks for her in terms of both strength and appearance, she felt a deep sense of interest in him.

If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Nannan had clearly stated her feelings for Jiang Yang, she would have considered snatching him away for herself.

"Ling Luochen!"

"If you don't have anything to say, no one is going to mistake you for a mute!"

Ma Xiaotao stood up to snap back.

It was true that she felt shy around Jiang Yang, but that didn't mean she was some delicate, shrinking violet.

"What? Am I wrong?"

Ling Luochen crossed her arms, not backing down in the slightest.

If her earlier teasing of Jiang Yang had been a joke, her retort to Ma Xiaotao was a declaration of war.

"Both of you, quiet down. We haven't even sorted out dinner yet; if you have the energy for this, you might as well go find something to eat."

Zhang Lexuan immediately intervened to cut them off.

With the eldest senior sister speaking up, the two women, who had been at each other's throats, instantly fell silent.

"Eldest Senior Sister, you know me—I wouldn't know how to prepare anything decent. But I did bring some small cakes; would you like some?"

Although Ling Luochen and Ma Xiaotao were like needles clashing, she held deep respect for Zhang Lexuan.

She was more than willing to act like a little girl in front of her.

"Eldest Senior Sister, how about I go catch a couple of fish... to roast?"

Ma Xiaotao said, sounding a bit tentative.

She said this with very little confidence.

While she hadn't been born with a silver spoon in her mouth like Ling Luochen, she hadn't exactly suffered much hardship either.

Moreover, after becoming a soul master, she had spent most of her time cultivating, so naturally, she didn't know how to cook.

If she were really forced to roast fish, it would likely be impossible to swallow.

Sure enough.

Upon hearing that she intended to cook the fish herself, Zhang Lexuan's expression shifted abruptly, and she quickly waved her hands, "Let's forget about that. You've been traveling for so long, you must be tired... Hm?"

"Little junior brother, where are you going?"

Before Zhang Lexuan could finish her sentence.

She noticed that Jiang Yang was walking away without a word, startling her into calling out to him.

"Looking for food."

Jiang Yang answered immediately.

However, his footsteps never faltered from start to finish.

For others, coming into the wild might be an adventure, but for him, it was as if he had returned home.

Come to think of it.

This wilderness could indeed be considered his home.

"Senior Sister, do you think Jiang Yang is really out looking for food?"

"He's such a cold person; he wouldn't be too proud to ask me for a cupcake, would he?"

After seeing Jiang Yang walk away, Ling Luochen walked over to Zhang Lexuan and muttered.

"I've heard the academy teachers mention that Jiang Yang was an orphan from a young age and grew up in the wild, so it's normal for his personality to be a bit withdrawn."

"As for food, since he said he's going to find something to eat, he certainly wouldn't lie to us."

"If even he can't find good food out here, then we'll have no choice but to gnaw on dry rations."

Zhang Lexuan said with a helpless tone.

In her voice, there was sympathy for Jiang Yang, expectations for him, and even a hint of hidden feelings.

However.

These hidden feelings were buried too deep.

So deep that even she herself had not realized them.

"Ah? How pitiful..."

A trace of compassion immediately surfaced in Ma Xiaotao's eyes.

Even Ling Luochen's expression dimmed slightly.

She had lost her younger brother when she was young, so she could empathize with that sense of loneliness.

Thinking of this.

She even began to feel a sense of guilt, guilt for her previous attitude toward Jiang Yang.

Boom—

"What's going on?!"

"Hm?!"

"..."

Just then, a violent sound, like a towering tree collapsing, rang out.

The three women immediately released their Martial Souls and rushed toward the source of the noise.

"Ah?"

"Jiang Yang! You..."

"A five-thousand-year Red-Tailed Fire Boar?!"

The three women were all top talents of the Inner Court, so their knowledge of Soul Beasts was naturally solid. With just one glance, they identified the species and age of the Soul Beast lying before Jiang Yang, which was still emitting a purple soul ring.

"Mm."

"I got lucky. This kind of pork is delicious; the meat can be roasted, and the bones are great for porridge or soup."

"Especially the neck and spine bones; the meat is very tender."

Jiang Yang nodded.

As he spoke, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Such succulent meat was not easy to come by.

Originally, he thought he would have to search for a long time, or perhaps just make do with something simple for the night.

Who knew that he would run into this Red-Tailed Fire Boar without having gone very far.

"Am I seeing things, Jiang Yang?"

"Are you really just a level 37 three-ring Soul Elder?"

"This is the Red-Tailed Fire Boar, known for its incredible explosive power, and it's a five-thousand-year specimen! Even some of the weaker ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts wouldn't dare claim they could kill it, right?"

"You... you finished the fight so quickly, don't tell me it was a one-hit kill?"

Ling Luochen swallowed hard.

Actually, there was one more thing she didn't say out loud: even someone as strong as her, a five-ring Soul King, wouldn't be 100% sure she could kill this five-thousand-year Red-Tailed Fire Boar.

Because its explosive power was immense, and they were in a forest where the Red-Tailed Fire Boar was in its element.

She could certainly win a fight, but she might not be able to keep it from escaping.

Looking at Jiang Yang, however.

Not only did he kill the Red-Tailed Fire Boar, but he also didn't seem to have exerted much effort at all.

How did he do it?

"Mm."