"Bro, try this one too."
As she spoke, Dugu Yan took another pink headband from the stall and put it on Yu Tianshuo's head.
Once it was on, she even adjusted it to the right with a thoroughly professional air. Then she nodded and said with a serious expression,
"Mhm, it looks great on you, big brother. Just keep it on like that."
Yu Tianshuo smiled as he took the mirror from the snickering Xue Qinghe. Putting on an utterly enchanted expression, he struck a few poses and nodded, then said to Dugu Yan in an approving tone,
"Yanyan has such a good eye. Big brother's getting this one."
As he spoke, he struck a few strange poses in front of Dugu Yan, making her giggle with laughter.
At the sound of her delightful laughter, Xue Qinghe, whose face had turned red from holding it in, finally couldn't hold back and joined in.
Watching the two of them laugh, Yu Tianshuo didn't stop fooling around. Instead, he kept striking ridiculous poses, making them laugh even harder.
Only when it looked like the two of them were about to laugh themselves breathless did Yu Tianshuo stop clowning around and get ready to pay for the pink headband.
However, some instinct engraved deep in his soul drove him to start haggling with the shopkeeper.
After a verbal tug-of-war, he finally bought the pink headband and all the little accessories Dugu Yan and Xue Qinghe had tried on for one Silver Soul Coin and twelve Copper Soul Coins.
After picking out the accessories Dugu Yan wanted to wear right away, Yu Tianshuo put the bag back into his Storage Soul Tool.
When he stood up, he saw Xue Qinghe looking at him with a probing gaze. Yu Tianshuo was momentarily stunned, but the next instant he guessed what Xue Qinghe was thinking.
To keep Xue Qinghe from thinking the Dugu Manor was so poor it had to haggle over little things, Yu Tianshuo hurriedly explained,
"Don't get the wrong idea. The Dugu Manor isn't so poor it's gone bankrupt. Haggling is just a personal hobby of mine."
Only then did Xue Qinghe withdraw his probing gaze, though he was still thinking that next time, he'd get Emperor Xue Ye to cough up more.
After all, supporting the Dugu Family was the same as supporting the Elder Hall. The more benefits they could get, the more they should ask for.
Seeing that Xue Qinghe seemed to have fallen into thought again, Yu Tianshuo sighed and thought to himself,
Why does he overthink everything so easily? Keeping up this prince act must be exhausting.
He shook his head and patted Xue Qinghe on the shoulder.
When Xue Qinghe looked at him in confusion, Yu Tianshuo gestured with his eyes that they should go.
And so, Qian Renxue set aside the burdens of being a prince and began strolling around with Yu Tianshuo and Dugu Yan.
They didn't finish until noon, when Dugu Yan had grown so tired that she fell asleep.
Yu Tianshuo held Dugu Yan as they sat in the carriage on the way back to the Dugu Manor. Only then did he and Qian Renxue begin discussing serious matters.
"That's about it. My teacher and I encountered a sleeping Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast while passing Jialing Pass. We took it by surprise and dealt with it effortlessly."
"I was lucky enough to benefit, too. There were several Immortal Herbs that could strengthen dragon bloodlines at the place where that dragon was sleeping. After eating one, I was fortunate enough to break through to level thirty."
"After that, my teacher helped me obtain my third Soul Ring, and we came back."
All along the way, Yu Tianshuo had been making up stories that were nine parts true and one part false, so Qian Renxue wouldn't notice anything.
He definitely couldn't tell her the truth. He was afraid she'd covet what he had. After all, there was a level-99 Peerless Douluo standing behind her. It was best not to reveal too many secrets before he had the strength to defend himself.
After hearing Yu Tianshuo's account, Qian Renxue couldn't help marveling at his good fortune.
Still, she had one question, so she asked directly,
"What was the deal with your teacher's rejuvenation?"
Seeing that Qian Renxue had asked, Yu Tianshuo continued,
"My teacher's Martial Soul Evolution transformed his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor into a Jade Phosphor Dragon. It's become a powerful dragon species. Maybe that change is what caused him to grow young again."
"If you ask me for details, I don't have the ability to know."
Qian Renxue nodded, accepting Yu Tianshuo's explanation. After all, it would have been strange if Yu Tianshuo knew the details of something so unbelievable.
That was the end of the topic. Qian Renxue was now very curious about Yu Tianshuo's strength, so she directly challenged him to a spar.
Yu Tianshuo didn't refuse. It was only a spar, after all. He could hold back and avoid using his Ultimate Attribute, using only his physical strength to play around with her.
After the two agreed on a time and place, the carriage arrived at the entrance to the Dugu Manor.
Three days later, atop a high mountain a hundred li outside Heaven Dou City.
Yu Tianshuo sat cross-legged, adjusting his breathing.
Hearing the rustling from the bushes, Yu Tianshuo knew Qian Renxue had arrived.
Yu Tianshuo wore a stern expression as he watched Qian Renxue emerge from the bushes. In a deep voice, he said,
"You're here."
Seeing how serious Yu Tianshuo was, Qian Renxue's expression turned serious too. She replied,
"Mhm, I'm here."
When Qian Renxue played along, Yu Tianshuo's eyes lit up with excitement. He continued,
"You shouldn't have come."
Qian Renxue was taken aback by those words, and several question marks appeared over her head.
???
For a moment, her mind couldn't keep up, and she was left baffled.
Seeing her like that, Yu Tianshuo shook his head, sighed, and muttered,
"You didn't play along. Boring."
Though Yu Tianshuo's self-talk was quiet, Qian Renxue still caught it.
Several veins bulged on Qian Renxue's forehead. She realized she'd been played.
Without hesitation, she summoned her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
"Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black."
Five Soul Rings lit up. the Angel Holy Sword appeared in her hand, and four wings sprouted from her back.
With a bit of personal resentment mixed in, Qian Renxue launched a frontal sneak attack.
Seeing this, Yu Tianshuo was startled. How could she be such a sore loser?
It was just a joke.
But he had no time to think. Just as Qian Renxue's sword was about to strike Yu Tianshuo in the face,
Yu Tianshuo bent backward, narrowly dodging the blow.
But as Qian Renxue passed close in front of him, a fragrant breeze drifted into Yu Tianshuo's nose.
When Qian Renxue turned around, she saw that Yu Tianshuo had an enchanted look on his face.
This made her both embarrassed and angry. She beat her four wings and prepared to teach the rascal a lesson.
Yu Tianshuo hadn't yet figured out what the fragrance was when he saw Qian Renxue attack again. He stopped thinking about it, braced himself with both hands, summoned his Golden Scale Dragon Martial Soul, and kicked her sword.
With just one strike, Qian Renxue was sent flying backward as if she'd been hit by a cannonball.
Seeing this, Yu Tianshuo cried out inwardly, This is bad! He hadn't held back enough and had used three-tenths of his strength without thinking.
That kick left not only Qian Renxue dumbfounded, but also Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo, who were watching the spar.
They all had the same question: was this what a normal Soul Elder was supposed to be like?
Before you continue