I, Martial Soul Hall's Holy Son, Have an Unshakeable Background

On the other side of the forest, Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong were currently darting rapidly through the woods.

They were quite fortunate to have been teleported together by the energy of the Holy King Ruins.

"Sister Nana, will Brother Ye Xuan be alright on his own?"

Although Ning Rongrong felt very unconvinced by Hu Liena in her heart, at this moment, she was the only one she could rely on.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother's strength is formidable; he will not meet with any mishap."

The two of them had already discovered that the positioning ability granted to them by the seed from the Blue Silver Life Tree had malfunctioned.

As a spirit-type Spirit Master, Hu Liena could sense that the closer they got to the center of the forest, the higher the concentration of spiritual energy lingering in the surroundings.

She believed that Ye Xuan would surely notice this anomaly as well, and by then, the three of them would be able to reunite.

"Mm!"

Inside an inconspicuous cave, the young girl whom Ye Xuan had rescued from the tiger's maw was lying on a stone covered with tiger fur.

The tattered, pure black leather outfit she had been wearing was already stripped away, and the various wounds on her body had been healed by Ye Xuan using the power of the Blue Silver Life Tree.

The stream outside the cave entrance made a rustling sound; her hair was damp, and it was evident that after Ye Xuan had fully healed her injuries, he had also cleaned the bloodstains from her body.

"The quality of this leather outfit is actually quite good, it's just a pity it has such a large tear that it's unwearable."

Having lived in Martial Soul Hall for over six years, Ye Xuan knew that only someone from a noble family could afford clothing of this material.

"Tsk... though I have to say, this girl has an exquisite doll-like face, but her figure is absolutely stunning. That scale is even more exaggerated than Senior Sister's. If one were to compare her to Ning Rongrong, it would truly be the difference between flat shoes and high heels..."

Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, the crackling sound of the roasting fire startled the girl awake.

The first thing she did upon waking was to check the wounds on her body, and only after seeing that her injuries had completely recovered did she let out a sigh of relief.

But soon, she realized something was wrong...

"My... my clothes?!"

Then, she saw Ye Xuan sitting beside her, roasting meat while drying her torn leather outfit.

Hearing her voice, Ye Xuan snapped back to reality and replied without a second thought.

"I'm physically drying them, though your leather outfit is severely damaged; I wouldn't recommend you continue wearing it."

Not long after.

The girl sat opposite Ye Xuan, wrapped in the pelt of the century-old Nether Tiger, her cheeks flushed to the roots of her ears as she warmed herself by the fire.

Ye Xuan, meanwhile, looked at her speechlessly, sporting a red palm print on his face.

"I... I'm sorry, I just acted on instinct..."

She wanted to apologize, but Ye Xuan cut her off directly.

"If saying sorry were useful, why would empires bother recruiting soldiers and buying horses to defend against foreign enemies?"

"We're both adults, so let's skip the empty pleasantries. If you want to apologize, give me some actual compensation."

Having already witnessed the girl's remarkably mature figure, Ye Xuan didn't treat her like a little brat like Ning Rongrong at all.

"I... I'm sorry, I have already left my family, and I only have fifty Gold Soul Coins left for my journey..."

Hearing her excuse, Ye Xuan, who had lived two lifetimes, didn't believe a single word.

"No compensation? Then..."

Ye Xuan turned around and looked the girl up and down, a satisfied curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"No... you can't. I am already betrothed, and I am not even the master of my own fate. If you touch me, you will be hunted down just like me."

Seeing Ye Xuan's actions, the girl panicked.

She remembered that storybooks always said heroes didn't ask for rewards after saving a princess, didn't they?

Yet this young man, who looked every bit the "hero," was...

"Hm? Betrothed? Hunted down?"

Ye Xuan was a bit bewildered; could he really encounter the tropes of a fantasy web novel here on the Douluo Continent?

But soon, a bold guess formed in his mind, and a strange look crept into his eyes as he looked at the girl.

"What... is your name, and what about your family?"

The girl heard his inquiry.

Her eyes darted around, but eventually, she spoke with hesitation.

"My surname is Zhu, my given name is Qing, and I am a collateral descendant of the Star Luo Zhu Clan."

Zhu, Qing?

Zhu Zhuqing?

How could she be here!?

Based on his familiarity with the original work, he had roughly confirmed that this young girl, whose figure was even more exaggerated than his own senior sister's, was none other than Zhu Zhuqing from the original protagonist group.

"What kind of trouble did you get into? Why are you being hunted?"

"I... my fiancé stole something from the royal family, but he had already fled before the incident came to light. The royal family was furious, so they shifted the blame onto me..."

Listening to Zhu Zhuqing spin this fabrication, Ye Xuan, who had already guessed her true identity, did not bother to expose her directly.

"Honestly, I really appreciate your figure and appearance. Are you interested in becoming an assistant by my side?"

Although Zhu Zhuqing's actions in the original work were truly... well, they were just very baffling.

But if one were to step into her perspective, it would become clear that she had no choice at all; her only path to survival was to rely on Tang San's help, submit to Dai Mubai to complete their Martial Soul Fusion, and oppose her sister and Dai Weisi.

It could be said that if there had been any other path for her to choose, Ye Xuan believed that Zhu Zhuqing would never have chosen to be with Dai Mubai, who had given up on himself and spent his years wallowing in brothels.

As Ye Xuan's words fell, Zhu Zhuqing froze in place.

Good grief.

This man was far too blunt.

That was the only thought currently in Zhu Zhuqing's mind.

"Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Star Luo royal family?"

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid?"

Ye Xuan directly shook the Pope's Order hanging from his waist.

The Pope's Order was the highest-ranking token of Martial Soul Hall, also known as the Heaven Dou Six Imperial Token, or the Elder Token.

There were only six in the entire continent—three held by Martial Soul Hall and three by the Upper Three Sects. To see the token was to see the Pope, and it granted the bearer the honor of an elder.

This Pope's Order had been given to him by Bibi Dong when he became the Holy Son.

After all, she was the Pope herself, so holding a Pope's Order was of little use to her; the other two Martial Soul Hall tokens were in the possession of Qian Daoliu.

It was engraved with six patterns: a sword, a hammer, a dragon, a chrysanthemum, a ghost, and a crown.

"See this? This is our Martial Soul Hall's Pope's Order. To see the token is to see the Pope. Even if the old emperor of Star Luo saw it, he would have to give me some face."

Seeing the token at Ye Xuan's waist, Zhu Zhuqing was stunned.

The Pope's Order?

One had to know that there were only six such tokens in the entire continent; how could the young man before her possess one?

"You... are you from Martial Soul Hall?"

"Of course, genuine and authentic."

"Is your status within Martial Soul Hall... very high?"

"It's alright. The ones coming here to participate in the Holy King Ruins this time are the Holy Maiden Hu Liena and myself."