The Two of Them Put on an Act

About half an hour later, Lan Si returned carrying a cleaned rabbit over a meter long.

"Sorry for the wait." Lan Si hung the rabbit nearby and skillfully built a campfire.

"You were gone that long, and all you brought back was a rabbit?" Qian Renxue rolled her eyes. If Porcupinefish Douluo hadn't gone to check, she would have thought Lan Si had run off. The consequences would have been serious—she hated feeling deceived.

"You don't understand. This is a Soft Bone Rabbit, and a hundred-year-old one at that. I picked it out from a whole group of them after searching high and low. Its meat is simply flawless. Add my exceptional cooking skills, and I guarantee you'll be savoring the taste long after you've finished." Lan Si flashed a mysterious smile.

A faint smile tugged at Qian Renxue's lips. "Then I'll look forward to it."

Before long, the air was filled with a delicious aroma. The two of them were soon enjoying fragrant skewers of rabbit meat.

"Roasting meat in the Star Dou Great Forest without a care in the world—aren't you worried about attracting Soul Beasts?" Qian Renxue took a bite of rabbit, chewing slowly as she casually asked.

"What's there to worry about? We're at the border between the outskirts and the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest. Thousand-year Soul Beasts show up fairly often, but Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are rare. Besides, even if one does attack, you're here—a top expert at the Soul Emperor level. What have I got to be afraid of?" Lan Si pursed his lips. He knew two Titled Douluo were secretly protecting Qian Renxue. Even if a powerful Soul Beast attacked, the strong ones would deal with it. What was there for him to fear?

"You certainly take things lightly." A hint of pride swept through Qian Renxue. She had only just turned twenty and was already a Soul Emperor. Compared to her, that so-called youngest Titled Douluo on the continent was nothing special.

And she had achieved this despite neglecting her cultivation. Otherwise, she would have accomplished even more by now.

(Note: Tang San was twenty during the Heaven Dou Palace Coup. Qian Renxue said she had been undercover for twenty years, meaning she began around the age of eight or nine and was twenty-eight or twenty-nine at the time. She became a god in her thirties, six years later. The Heaven Dou Palace Coup is still eight years away, so Qian Renxue is estimated to be twenty now. She reached Soul Emperor at twenty without taking Immortal Herbs, despite neglecting her cultivation while undercover.)

"Xue'er," Lan Si said, taking a bite of rabbit.

He hadn't finished speaking when he saw Qian Renxue frown and glare at him. "Hmm?"

Lan Si swallowed and hurriedly corrected himself. "Oh, no—Miss Leng Xue."

Qian Renxue furrowed her brows again. It was clear she didn't like that name. Then she let out a long breath and said, "Forget it. You can call me Xue'er."

Lan Si nodded. "All right. Then from now on, you can call me A-Si. That's what everyone close to me calls me."

"A-Si, A-Si..." Qian Renxue murmured, then smiled. "Your name is surprisingly easy to say. Anyway, A-Si, what are you planning to do after leaving the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"I'm going to enroll at Blue Tyrant Advanced Soul Master Academy in Heaven Dou City." Lan Si didn't bother to hide it. He was sure Qian Renxue had already thoroughly investigated him while he was absorbing his Soul Ring.

"Why not go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Blue Tyrant Academy is an Advanced Soul Master Academy, but its overall strength isn't particularly impressive. In two years, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament will be held again; it takes place every five years. With your strength, if you joined an academy with a strong team, you could make a name for yourself in the Soul Master Tournament. Heaven Dou Royal Academy would be a good choice. One of this year's students even has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Number One Beast Martial Soul."

Qian Renxue coaxed him along. She knew that the Golden Generation trained by that woman would also compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament in two years. If she could, she would love to enter the competition herself, crush that so-called Golden Generation, prove herself, and rile up her rival.

But that clearly wasn't realistic. Now, however, things were different with Lan Si around. The woman had undoubtedly already considered him one of her own. If Lan Si entered the tournament and defeated her disciple—

The scene would be very interesting.

Hearing this, Lan Si couldn't help rolling his eyes. "You're right, but you've forgotten one thing: I'm a commoner, and Heaven Dou Royal Academy only accepts nobles."

"That's a small matter. Leave it to me," Qian Renxue said with a smile.

"You?" Lan Si deliberately gave her a doubtful look.

"What? You think I can't handle it?" Qian Renxue said coquettishly.

Lan Si shook his head and solemnly talked nonsense. "It's not that you can't. With your talent and bearing, I can tell you received a proper noble education. I was just wondering who you really are. Earlier, when I saw you absorbing your Soul Ring, I noticed a pair of wings behind you. The Heaven Dou Royal Family's Martial Soul is the swan. You wouldn't happen to be a princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, would you?"

"No, no. The Heaven Dou Royal Family's surname is Xue, but yours is Leng. Could you be that old codger Xue Ye's illegitimate daughter?"

Qian Renxue was instantly amused by Lan Si's guess. The little fool had actually called Emperor Xue Ye, ruler of one of the two great empires, an old codger. He truly didn't know what he was saying.

Still, that worked out nicely. It saved her the trouble of explaining. She lowered her head and began putting her Oscar-worthy acting skills to use, forcing tears into her eyes with her Soul Power. In an instant, tears streamed down her face.

Watching this, Lan Si couldn't help exclaiming inwardly, Damn, she deserves an Oscar.

If that was how she wanted to play it, then Lan A-Si could play along.

Blue Tyrant Academy would eventually become Shrek Academy, after all, and he didn't want anything to do with that damn Grandmaster. Now that he had a better option, why not take it?

"I'm sorry, Xue'er. I didn't mean to bring up something that hurt you." Lan Si stood and sat beside Qian Renxue, gently patting her jade-like back to comfort her.

"Now that you know all this, what are you going to do?" Qian Renxue raised her head, eyes red, and kept up the act.

"I swear that I won't reveal your identity to anyone else without your permission. If I break my promise, may I never find a wife." Lan Si dutifully held up three fingers. It was only an empty promise, anyway. The Douluo world didn't have a Heavenly Dao like the Primordial World. Lying didn't cost a thing.

Besides, he'd sworn he wouldn't find a wife in the future, but that didn't mean he couldn't find one now. Little Kitten came first, and Qian Renxue came after. At worst, he'd only marry the two of them in this lifetime.

Only then did Qian Renxue stop crying and smile. She raised her palm. "A promise is a promise."

"A deal's a deal." Lan Si slapped his palm against hers to seal their vow. He had to admit, Qian Renxue's hand was even softer than Little Kitten's.

(Note: This is the second update. Please vote and leave a monthly ticket.)