Who Are You Loyal To?

Dugu Yan soothed Yu Tianheng while fixing Lin Yan with a vicious, unrelenting glare.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"I'll remember this grudge. If you've got the guts, wait for me at the hotel in three days."

She vented her anger in the only way she could at the moment.

But this only made Ning Rongrong knit her brows, clearly displeased.

Lin Yan said nothing more. Given Dugu Yan's personality, she would definitely pass the message along. Then all he had to do was wait for Dugu Bo to come to him.

With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's name as his shield, he wasn't worried that the other party would attack outright.

He simply turned and led the others away from the Soul Fighting Arena.

After Lin Yan left, Qin Ming and Yu Xiaogang also arrived. The scene didn't calm down with the protagonist's departure—instead, it grew even more chaotic...

Evening.

Since Shrek Academy had been competing in team Soul Fighting matches every day lately, Flender had brought everyone to stay at a nearby hotel for a few days.

Of course, they had to pay for their own rooms.

The evening breeze drifted gently through the hotel corridor window, lifting Xiao Wu's hair.

The young woman had been waiting outside Lin Yan's door for a long time. She wanted to get an answer about what had happened yesterday—why had Lin Yan specifically asked Zhu Zhuqing to tell her that someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had arrived?

She had spent a long time steeling herself, but still couldn't summon the courage.

She was afraid Lin Yan really had done it for that reason...

Her mind was filled with tangled thoughts. Sweat dampened her palms, and her overwhelming unease and fear left her looking deathly pale.

Just then, a man's voice suddenly broke into her thoughts.

"Xiao Wu? What are you doing outside Lin Yan's room? I've been looking for you for ages, but couldn't find you anywhere."

Xiao Wu looked up and saw that it was Tang San. As she stared at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar face across from her, her first reaction was guilt. Then the fear in her heart grew even stronger.

She stammered out a reply.

"I... I wanted to find Rongrong."

"I see." Tang San relaxed a little. Ning Rongrong shared a room with Lin Yan, so he'd thought Xiao Wu had come to find Lin Yan.

With the weight lifted from his heart, the gloom in Tang San's eyes gradually faded.

"You've looked pale all day, so I went out of my way to buy some ingredients and make you a bowl of ginseng soup. Drink it while it's hot."

As he spoke, Tang San held out the porcelain bowl in his hand to Xiao Wu.

Only then did Xiao Wu notice that Tang San had been holding something the whole time they'd been talking.

Her expression grew even more awkward. She felt so guilty toward Tang San that she didn't know whether to accept the soup or refuse it. Tang San held out the bowl for a long while, but Xiao Wu still didn't react.

Just then, Lin Yan returned from dinner with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. They had gone for a stroll and were now walking back.

"Lin Yan..."

Xiao Wu looked up and saw Lin Yan approaching with Ning Rongrong clinging to his arm. She greeted him, then lowered her head again.

Anyone could tell from her troubled expression that something was on her mind.

Lin Yan nodded.

"What's wrong?"

Xiao Wu parted her lips, then glanced at Tang San and the other two from the corner of her eye. In the end, she still couldn't bring herself to ask.

Then Lin Yan suddenly spoke. "Don't overthink it. Nothing's happened for now."

With that, he didn't ask anything else. He didn't even glance at Tang San as he led the two women into the room.

Zhu Zhuqing seemed somewhat reluctant, but Ning Rongrong's enthusiastic invitation provided the perfect cover. Just like that, all three of them went inside together.

Click.

The door shut, leaving only Tang San and Xiao Wu in the corridor.

Tang San had already sensed something from Xiao Wu's expression. Having lived two lives, how could he fail to see that she'd wanted to say something, but hadn't been able to bring herself to speak with other people around?

But hadn't Xiao Wu just said she was there to find Ning Rongrong? Had she been lying to him? Why? Did Xiao Wu like Lin Yan too?

Impossible! What was so great about Lin Yan? He and Xiao Wu had lived together for six years.

"I'm going back to my room."

As Tang San mulled it over, Xiao Wu left him with those words and turned to walk back to her own room.

Click.

The crisp sound of another door closing finally brought Tang San's thoughts back to reality.

He looked at the ginseng soup cooling in his hands and, for no reason he could explain, felt as though something was missing from his heart...

Elsewhere.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had changed into their nightclothes. They nestled obediently against Lin Yan, one on each side.

Lin Yan leaned back against the headboard, both hands roaming as he compared every inch of their skin, looking for all the ways they differed.

Every so often, his hands passed over their ample curves, drawing soft moans of varying intensity from beside his ears, with little attempt at concealment...

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously,

"What were you and Xiao Wu hinting at earlier? Why couldn't you just say it outright?"

Ever since Lin Yan had asked her to find Xiao Wu in Suotuo City yesterday, Zhu Zhuqing had been wondering about it. And now that scene had happened. What was going on?

Lin Yan didn't give her a direct answer. "Everyone has their own secrets."

Ning Rongrong followed up with another question.

"Then why did you say that to Dugu Yan after the match? Do you like her?"

Lin Yan chuckled, wrapped an arm around the young woman's waist, and gave her soft lips a light peck.

"I like you!"

Ning Rongrong wasn't buying it. She pouted and pretended to be angry.

"Give me a break! Her grandfather's a Titled Douluo. What are you planning to do by using my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's name?"

At those words, Lin Yan's expression froze.

His roaming hands came to a stop, and even Zhu Zhuqing realized how serious those words were.

For a moment, the air fell silent.

Then Lin Yan's smiling face gradually stiffened.

Ning Rongrong realized something was wrong, but it was already too late. She was about to say something when Lin Yan spoke first.

"Zhuqing, tell me. Who are you loyal to now?"

Zhu Zhuqing knew Lin Yan was angry. She answered with complete seriousness.

"You, of course!"

Lin Yan continued, "Do you still want to return to the Star Luo Empire? Tell me what you really think."

Before Zhu Zhuqing could answer, Ning Rongrong tensed, her expression growing increasingly uneasy.

Soon, Zhu Zhuqing spoke slowly.

"I... To be honest, I don't really want to go back anymore."

"There's no one there I feel I have to return for. I just want to stay by your side from now on, like yesterday and today..."

The young woman's answer wasn't brief.

That was the only way to show she had thought it through carefully.

That was the only way to show how much Lin Yan mattered to her.

But even though her answer was perfect, Lin Yan's expression didn't improve. That question had been aimed at Ning Rongrong.

He turned to look at Ning Rongrong.

"Do you think I shouldn't use my status as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's son-in-law? Or do you think I'll bring trouble to your sect?"