A man like that deserved to have such a beautiful woman?
I wasn't exactly a good person myself, but at least I knew how to respect women.
"Tang San, my dearest friend, my own flesh and blood, my sworn brother—your Eight Spider Lances are gone. I'd like to see whether your future Sea God Eight Wings will still appear."
o(*￣︶￣*)o
With a flick of Fu Qin's finger, one Demon Spider Flying Sword suddenly accelerated and cut down the enormous tree blocking the way ahead. The trunk crashed to the ground, revealing a path leading to the outer edge of the forest.
He could feel the connection between the Sword Box and the Flying Swords growing stronger and stronger.
Once his Soul Power broke through to the Soul King realm, the Demon Spider Flying Swords could advance to a ten-thousand-year quality, becoming Magic Treasures in a single leap.
By then, even if he faced a Soul Douluo, he'd have the strength to fight.
The Soul Beasts along the way clearly hadn't realized that the "prey" in their eyes had become a god of slaughter.
A thousand-year-old Holy Illusion Demon Ape cub rushed at him, oblivious to the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth. Fu Qin couldn't even be bothered to use all his Flying Swords; he summoned just three and broke all four of its limbs, utterly annihilating its soul.
Looking at the fourteenth thousand-year Soul Bone newly added to his storage pouch, he couldn't help feeling a little listless.
But then, in the very next instant—
Fu Qin's heart stirred. His Soul Power spread through the surroundings, instantly picking up a familiar presence.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from the woods ahead, accompanied by somewhat panicked, ragged breathing.
Fu Qin's eyes flickered. He concealed his Flying Swords around himself and quietly went forward to investigate.
A pink figure came stumbling through the forest, her skirt stained with dirt and her disheveled hair clinging to her cheeks. It was Xiao Wu, who should have been taken away by the Titan Giant Ape.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and tear tracks still glistened on her face. Her expression was full of panic and anxiety.
"Fu Qin!"
Xiao Wu jerked her head up and spotted Fu Qin not far away. Her tears instantly burst forth, and she could no longer hold them back. She ran straight toward him, threw herself into his arms, and began to sob.
"Wuwu... Fu Qin, I thought I'd never see you again! The Titan Giant Ape left me in the inner region and went away. I was so scared..."
Her soft body pressed tightly against his chest, carrying a faint scent of plants and trees, mingled with the salty taste of tears. Fu Qin's heart softened, and he gently patted her snowy back.
"Don't be afraid, Sister Xiao Wu. I'm here. See? I came to find you."
He feigned delight and concern, though a knowing look flickered in his eyes.
The Soul Power fluctuations around Xiao Wu were much stronger than before. Clearly, she had already condensed her third Soul Ring. The story about being "left in the inner region" was simply an excuse; the Titan Giant Ape had protected her while she absorbed her Soul Ring.
But seeing Xiao Wu weep so pitifully, Fu Qin didn't want to call her out. He merely held her a little tighter.
Xiao Wu cried in his arms for a long while before finally calming down.
She lifted her head and looked at Fu Qin through tear-filled eyes, her gaze full of dependence and affection. "Fu Qin, what are you doing here? Did you come especially to save me?"
"Of course." Fu Qin affectionately tapped the tip of her nose.
"After seeing you carried off by the Titan Giant Ape, how could I just stand by? I chased after you all the way. Good thing I made it in time."
[Xiao Wu's favorability +50, current favorability: 1050 points] [Xiao Wu's thoughts: Fu Qin really is the one who dotes on me most!]
The system notification sounded at just the right moment, and Fu Qin couldn't help feeling a little pleased with himself.
Now that Xiao Wu was on his side, it would be ridiculously easy to trip Tang San up in the future.
"Let's hurry and find the others. The dean and Teacher Zhao must be worried sick about us."
Fu Qin took Xiao Wu's hand, feeling its softness in his palm, and turned toward the outer edge of the forest.
The Demon Spider Flying Swords circled around the two of them, warily surveying their surroundings and keeping every potential danger at bay.
Xiao Wu followed him obediently, clasping his hand tightly, a faint blush still lingering on her face.
The moment she had thrown herself into Fu Qin's arms, she had clearly felt the sense of security he gave off, along with the comforting aura that put her at ease.
Compared with Tang San's coldness after his reincarnation, Fu Qin's willingness to risk everything for her was what she truly wanted.
After walking for about half an hour, familiar figures finally appeared ahead.
It was the people from Shrek Academy. Flender and Zhao Wuji were leaning against tree trunks, their faces still pale; clearly, they hadn't fully recovered from the Titan Giant Ape's attack.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, anxiously scanning their surroundings. When they saw Fu Qin and Xiao Wu return, their faces instantly brightened with joy.
"Xiao Wu! Fu Qin! Thank goodness you're both all right!" Ning Rongrong rushed over first and hugged Xiao Wu. Then she turned to Fu Qin, her eyes reddening.
"Brother Fu Qin, you scared me half to death! I thought something had happened to you!"
[Ning Rongrong's favorability +20, current favorability: 217 points]
Zhu Zhuqing also came over and nodded at Fu Qin, her voice tinged with gratitude.
"Fu Qin, you did it! You brought Xiao Wu back!!"
There was a hint of admiration in her eyes that she tried to hide. Fu Qin's willingness to risk everything had made her see him in a new light.
Fu Qin smiled in reply. "I've done what I could. As long as everyone's safe."
But when his gaze fell on Tang San, sitting cross-legged not far away, his smile instantly froze.
Tang San sat on the ground with his eyes closed. His face was deathly pale, drained of all color, and the Soul Power fluctuations around him were in complete disarray. His once-straight posture now looked somewhat hunched.
His brow was furrowed, and his forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He had clearly suffered some serious misfortune, perhaps even a grave injury.
A storm surged through Fu Qin's heart.
Tang San was a God King reincarnated, with the memories and experience of his previous life. How had he ended up like this?
Or had something else happened to him after Fu Qin left?
Ning Rongrong noticed Tang San's strange condition too. The joy vanished from her face, replaced by deep disdain.
"Hmph, a useless person will always be useless! His girlfriend was taken away and he didn't dare chase after her. Now he's made himself look like this, too. What a disgrace!"
Zhu Zhuqing's expression darkened as well. She looked at Tang San with confusion and disappointment.
Fu Qin had risked everything to chase after Xiao Wu, while Tang San had done nothing. And now he was in this state, too. It was truly disheartening.
Fu Qin hurried to Tang San's side and used his Martial Soul to examine the condition inside his body.
Flender sighed and shook his head.
"Tang San forcibly absorbed a Soul Ring from a three-thousand-eight-hundred-year Soul-Devouring Demon Spider. Now the Soul Ring is devouring him in turn. We didn't dare act rashly."
Fu Qin walked slowly up to Tang San. He could clearly sense the chaotic Soul Power inside him, along with an extremely concentrated spiritual toxin.
At that moment, Tang San was enduring inhuman torment!
"Tsk. I didn't expect the son of destiny, Tang San, to be so reckless. But I'm not giving you a chance to cheat."