At Zhu Zhuqing's words, joy rose in her heart. She lowered her voice and spoke to Ning Rongrong, excitement in her tone.
"Really? Thank you so much, Rongrong. I knew you wouldn't have the heart to let Lin Yan fall into danger."
"You had me worried all day..."
"Don't get too excited yet!" Ning Rongrong changed tack. "I... I have a condition~"
"Hm?"
Zhu Zhuqing and Lin Yan both let out a quiet, questioning sound.
Ning Rongrong lowered her eyes slightly. A blush spread across her pretty face, and she said, somewhat bashfully,
"I~ I want Lin Yan to be my boyfriend..."
At her words, both of them stiffened. Lin Yan, caught off guard, suddenly squeezed the soft flesh in his hand, making Zhu Zhuqing let out a muffled groan before she could stop herself.
Ning Rongrong paid it no mind and continued speaking as if to herself.
"Anyway, I don't care. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a rule: the partners of all Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters must be powerful Battle Soul Masters..."
"Lin Yan's Martial Soul is even stronger than Ma Hongjun's. I... anyway, I just like Lin Yan."
"If you don't agree, I'll tell Dai Mubai about you two."
At that, Zhu Zhuqing stared at Ning Rongrong in disbelief.
"Rongrong, you..."
In the darkness, the faint light reflected in Zhu Zhuqing's trembling, beautiful eyes. Seeing this, Ning Rongrong turned her guilty conscience into brazen defiance...
"Don't look at me like that. If you hadn't happened to run into Lin Yan yesterday while his Evil Fire was acting up, I would've confessed to him today."
"I... I can be after you. Anyway, I want Lin Yan to be my boyfriend."
She paused slightly, as if arranging what to say next, or trying to steady herself.
About four or five seconds later, Ning Rongrong spoke again.
"You stole my crush once, so I'll steal your boyfriend once. Now we're even."
"Can you really call it even like that?"
Lin Yan couldn't help speaking up, only for Ning Rongrong to shoot him down with a single line.
"Shut up! If you'd kept your lower half under control, things wouldn't have gotten this complicated."
By now, Ning Rongrong no longer cared about appearances. She had liked Lin Yan first, but Zhu Zhuqing had beaten her to him.
She was the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, accustomed to getting everything she wanted. How could she accept taking a loss over something like this?
Mustering her courage, Ning Rongrong swung herself over and straddled Lin Yan's waist. Even Zhu Zhuqing, who hadn't reacted in time, was pushed aside.
She cupped Lin Yan's face in both hands, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.
"Rongrong!"
"Don't you dare dodge, or I'll have Sword Grandpa kill you."
Ning Rongrong put on a fierce little expression, summoned up her courage, and steeled herself. Then she slowly closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss Lin Yan on the lips.
In the darkness, Lin Yan braced both hands against the ground as Ning Rongrong held his head firmly in place. He looked very much like someone being forced against his will.
As the one at the center of it all, Zhu Zhuqing watched the two of them intently. Whether she was trying to keep the secret from getting out or could really accept this sort of situation, she made no move for a long while.
Their hot breath brushed against each other's cheeks. Lin Yan was...主动ly closing his eyes...
"Something's out there!"
A shout tore through the darkness. Lin Yan, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all jolted in fright. Lin Yan and Ning Rongrong, one above the other, tumbled awkwardly to the ground.
The three hurried to their feet and hastily smoothed out their rumpled clothes. The campfire flared to life.
Dai Mubai was the first to rush out of his tent. "Teacher Zhao, what happened?"
Zhao Wuji was on high alert. Without a word, he summoned his Vajra Bear Martial Soul.
"Everyone, get out of your tents! Now!"
The moment he finished speaking, the sound of trees crashing down echoed from the horizon. The earth began to tremble, and the air grew murky and heavy.
Before long, a colossal figure, like a small mountain, appeared in their sight.
"It's the King of the Forest, the Titan Giant Ape!"
The pressure from the creature made their chests feel tight, as though they could barely breathe. Zhao Wuji had no time to explain. He immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar, taking up a stance as if he planned to stay behind and buy everyone time.
Yet the Titan Giant Ape ignored him completely. It simply reached out a huge hand and snatched at Xiao Wu in the crowd.
In an instant, beams of light, jets of fire, Blue Silver Grass, and all manner of hidden weapons rained down on the enormous hand. But how could a group of Soul Grandmasters break through the flesh of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Just as expected, Xiao Wu was carried off...
"No, Xiao Wu!"
At the sight, Tang San let out a heart-rending roar, even more anguished than when he had been in the academy's back hills a few days earlier...
He turned to Oscar.
"Oscar, please, help me."
"Tang San, you... don't be like this. You're scaring me."
Oscar stumbled backward, frightened by the look on Tang San's face. Then Tang San stepped forward and grabbed Oscar by the wrist.
"Give me your sausage to eat! Hurry!"
"I need a Flying Mushroom Sausage. I'm going after Xiao Wu."
Only then did Oscar understand what Tang San wanted.
"Oh, right! Okay!"
Too frightened to think through the pros and cons, he instinctively channeled his Soul Power.
[Third Soul Skill: Rapid Flight Mushroom Sausage!]
The moment the dark red sausage appeared, Tang San snatched it up and swallowed it without hesitation.
The next second, a pair of translucent wings suddenly grew from his back. Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, Tang San channeled his Soul Power and chased after the Titan Giant Ape.
Seeing this, Lin Yan urgently turned to Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, give me a speed boost!"
"What are you going to do?"
"There's no time to explain. Give me a speed boost."
Lin Yan looked almost as anxious as Tang San. Ning Rongrong instinctively summoned her Martial Soul.
[Seven Treasures Turn Out Glazed: Second - Speed!]
A brilliant light, symbolizing her support effect, entered Lin Yan's body. Without another word, Lin Yan turned and charged into the forest, vanishing in the direction Tang San had gone.
"Whoa, Lin Yan went after them too?"
"I can't believe it. Tang San was always picking on him at the academy, but Lin Yan still put the past behind him. He's going to help, even though he's only a support Soul Master."
Once Ma Hongjun understood what was happening, he couldn't help admiring Lin Yan's empathy.
Zhao Wuji snapped irritably, "Quit yapping and get moving! Xiao Ao, make a few more sausages!"
"Oh, right! Okay!"
Meanwhile.
Not long after running out, Lin Yan summoned his [External Soul Bone: Dragon Wings!]. With the flight skill and the speed boost, he stayed close behind Tang San.
At the same time, he began silently praying.
"Those are the Eight Spider Lances! If he really gets his hands on them, we'll be in trouble. Yu Xiaogang raising a god might be laughable, but there's no smoke without fire when it comes to the Eight Spider Lances raising a god."
"I absolutely can't let Little Scumbag get his hands on that thing!"
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