First Breeze of Affection Brushes the Moonlit Dust

"This guy, his reflexes are truly fast."

Only Su Qing remained in the sea of consciousness. He secretly lamented that he was merely a spiritual projection; otherwise, his embrace would surely still hold a lingering fragrance. In truth, Gu Yuena had spent years flipping through those memories back and forth, having long since accepted Su Qing. However, having spent millions of years in isolation, she found the sudden addition of someone to rely on to be somewhat abrupt.

In the outside world, Zhang Lexuan, who had slept for a full three hours, slowly opened her eyes, only to quietly meet those violet orbs. The gentle gaze rippled like water, and before she knew it, she was sinking in. This guy's eyes seemed to possess a special attraction that made it impossible to look away.

"What are you looking at, Sister Lexuan? Is there a flower on my face?"

Facing the slightly dazed Zhang Lexuan, Su Qing was completely baffled. He didn't recall Zhang Lexuan ever being one to fawn over looks. But that didn't matter; the urgent task was to hunt a soul beast and then send Zhang Lexuan back. That was the plan, though in reality, it was highly likely he would be the one sent out of the Star Dou Great Forest by her first, only for him to pretend to leave and return once she was gone.

This time, he would likely stay here until he reached the age for enrollment. During the time that followed, the one most delighted would probably be the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Not only could she go out and play every day, but she would also have an extra playmate. However, the fact that she dared to spread rumors about him was something he would have to have a serious talk with her about later.

Coming back to her senses, Zhang Lexuan rolled her eyes at him and scoffed, "That mouth of yours is truly your greatest flaw. But if you dare to be cheeky again, the first thing I'll do when I get back is find the best mute poison in the world, then lie in wait to make you the mute groom for the junior schoolgirls."

"But how on earth did you manage to break through to a Soul King at such a young age?"

After the teasing, Zhang Lexuan suddenly remembered his mention of hunting a ten-thousand-year soul ring. After glancing at Su Qing with the eyes one might use to look at a monster, she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"Who said I'm a Soul King? I'm only at level thirty."

Su Qing looked helpless. He wanted to level up quickly, but with his dual ultimate attributes, he really couldn't! But then again, having cheated to this extent, his Soul Power Level wasn't all that important anymore.

"Level thirty? You want to choose a ten-thousand-year soul ring as your third ring? Are you sure you won't explode and die?"

Zhang Lexuan stared at him in disbelief. Even if Su Qing had said this was his fourth soul ring, she wouldn't have been this shocked, but this was his third! Where on earth did this monster come from?

She suddenly recalled the two soul skills he had revealed: one for hiding his aura and the other for transparent wings. His third soul skill should require hunting a soul beast with strong attack power. If he hadn't met her, a two-ring Soul Elder would have faced a ten-thousand-year soul beast all by himself!

This guy, did he not value his own life at all?

"Of course not. My second ring is already seven thousand years old; what's the problem with a ten-thousand-year third ring? Oh, right, Sister Lexuan will keep this a secret for me, won't you?"

Su Qing said it as if it were a matter of course. Immediately after, he stopped in his tracks and looked up at Zhang Lexuan. It was still that pair of beautiful eyes, but the gentleness within them had vanished.

"Since you chose to trust me, I won't let you down. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your soul ring's age. However... you aren't allowed to go around telling everyone that I leaned on your shoulder!"

She had seen too much of the world's cold and warmth to fully understand why Su Qing didn't want to expose his talent. Naturally, she chose to respect his decision, but a one-sided promise felt too hollow, so she chose to hand over a piece of leverage of her own.

"Sister Lexuan, that's not fair at all. How about you tell me another secret~"

"Don't even try it. You just want to know my secrets!"

Zhang Lexuan pushed away Su Qing, who had leaned in close to her. The last time she had spoken this much was with Bei Bei, but ever since that boy found a girlfriend, he rarely spoke to her, and they didn't even see each other anymore.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask earlier: what kind of soul beast do you want to hunt?"

The two walked side by side for a long time before Zhang Lexuan remembered she hadn't asked about his preferred soul beast. She couldn't help but feel puzzled. What was wrong with her? She was usually meticulous in everything she did, so why did she become so unreliable whenever she was around Su Qing?

"A Silver Hero Beast."

Su Qing had a blade of grass in his mouth and walked forward nonchalantly. There was no way in hell they would find a Silver Hero Beast here; he just wanted to take Zhang Lexuan for a walk in the forest to clear her mind. Having witnessed the death of her teammates not long ago, a shadow had been cast over her heart.

Guilt and self-reproach, compounded by extreme sorrow—without a buffer, these negative emotions would quickly fill her heart. Just like in the original story, her shattered heart left her unable to find meaning in life, leading her to dedicate everything to Shrek. Could that really be the mindset of a normal person?

Such a beautiful girl should smile more often.

"A Silver Hero Beast? Such a rare soul beast isn't easy to find. Don't you have a backup plan?"

Zhang Lexuan was stunned. According to the books, almost no one had seen this soul beast in over ten thousand years; it might even be extinct on the continent. Was this kid serious?

"You won't know until you look. Besides, cheerful boys have good luck. Sometimes, if you shout your wishes to the sky like this, who knows? Maybe the heavens will help you make them come true."

As he spoke, Su Qing began to shout at the sky: "I want to encounter a ten-thousand-year Silver Hero Beast!"

Seeing this absurd scene, Zhang Lexuan didn't know what to say. He was still just a child, after all. If wishes could come true like this, the phrase "man proposes, God disposes" wouldn't exist. But thoughts aside, she didn't want to discourage him and just walked silently by his side.

"I hope you get your wish."

Zhang Lexuan whispered softly. She didn't want Su Qing to feel disappointed; such a handsome face shouldn't wear such an ugly expression.

"Maybe. If Sister Lexuan is my goddess of luck, then I'll surely get my wish."

Su Qing smiled faintly. She was destined to be his goddess of luck. After that shout, Gu Yuena would likely arrange for a Silver Hero Beast to appear. As long as they walked a little further, they were bound to encounter one. He was already looking forward to the Silver Hero Beast's imprint skill.

"You really know how to coax people, but your Sister Lexuan doesn't fall for that. If I could really bring good luck to those around me, I wouldn't have ended up living like this."

Her life experiences flashed through her mind like a slideshow. From beginning to end, she felt more like a jinx who brought misfortune to others. She thought to herself that after this, she must stay far away from Su Qing, otherwise, he would be killed by her too...

"Sister Lexuan, let's wait until you're an old lady to evaluate how you've lived. At the very least, right now, you have indeed brought me good luck. If you don't believe me, look at what's over there..."

Pulled from her memories by Su Qing, Zhang Lexuan looked in the direction he was pointing and froze on the spot.

"This... how is this possible!"