Buy, Buy, Buy

Dou I timeline.

Ye Guchen had finished absorbing the Soul Ring, and his Soul Power had now reached level 52.

While absorbing the Soul Ring just now, Ye Guchen hadn't completely lost his awareness of the outside world.

The moment he finished resisting the Explosive Ant's soul attack, he sensed Zhu Zhuqing quietly approaching him. Then he felt something soft against his face.

After getting up, Ye Guchen pretended nothing had happened. After all, bringing it up would only make things awkward.

Zhu Zhuqing's face was still flushed, and she didn't dare look Ye Guchen in the eye.

This is so embarrassing! Zhu Zhuqing, what were you doing just now?!

Seeing Ye Guchen's calm expression, Zhu Zhuqing finally relaxed a little.

He probably didn't notice, right?

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing so flustered, with "I have a problem, I just did something bad" written all over her, Ye Guchen almost felt bad teasing her any further.

"Let's go!"

Ye Guchen took Zhu Zhuqing by the wrist.

Even Zhu Zhuqing herself didn't understand why she couldn't bring herself to feel the slightest aversion toward Ye Guchen. When he took her hand, she wasn't repulsed at all. Instead, she felt a strange sense of pleasure.

Then he took Zhu Zhuqing to Suotuo City. Since they were passing through, they might as well go take a look at the protagonist group.

Over in Dou II.

Ye Guchen and Ma Xiaotao had arrived at the Treasure Pavilion to attend the Treasure Appreciation Fair.

"Sister Xiaotao, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Ma Xiaotao had entered the Treasure Pavilion just ahead of Ye Guchen. He rested a hand on her shoulder, his eyes carrying a hint of reproach.

"Uh, well..."

Ma Xiaotao stammered, trying to think of an excuse to talk her way out of it. Just then, she caught sight of a fist-sized, deep-black object displayed in a nearby cabinet.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!"

She immediately broke free of Ye Guchen's hand and rushed toward the display.

Ye Guchen could only rub his forehead helplessly. He hadn't really meant to interrogate her. He followed close behind Ma Xiaotao.

When they reached the display, they saw the price tag: 400,000 Gold Soul Coins.

"It shouldn't be any use to you, Sister Xiaotao, right?"

"Uh..."

Seeing her reaction, Ye Guchen shook his head with a laugh. Ma Xiaotao hadn't actually taken a liking to the Whale Rubber; she was just trying to dodge his questions.

"All right, all right, I won't hold it against you. Let's go look over there!"

Ye Guchen took Ma Xiaotao's hand and led her to another display cabinet.

Buying Whale Rubber in Dou II was a losing deal for Ye Guchen. In Dou II, Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber could fetch 400,000 Gold Soul Coins or more because it greatly increased the number of years a Soul Master's Soul Ring could have. But in Dou I, it was used purely as an aphrodisiac. Though Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber was rare there too, its purpose meant it could never command a high price. At most, it would be worth 10,000 Gold Soul Coins.

"Right, speaking of Whale Rubber, I almost forgot—I can buy it up in bulk in Dou I and sell it here in Dou II!"

Ye Guchen smacked his forehead. He'd nearly forgotten about that stuff. He had to blame the huge profits he'd made reselling metal materials; they'd made him forget all about it.

Soon, the two of them reached the next display.

"40,000-Year Flame Lion Left Arm Bone! Sister Xiaotao, it's a great match for your Martial Soul!"

"Want to grab it?"

Ma Xiaotao was tempted too, but when she saw the price—8.9 million Gold Soul Coins—she shook her head.

"Forget it. I already used up this year's free allowance, and that price... never mind."

The brief flash of longing in her eyes naturally didn't escape Ye Guchen's notice.

"I've got the money! Think of it as a gift."

He waved over a nearby staff member.

A young woman with a striking figure hurried over.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ye Guchen pointed to the Soul Bone in the display and handed her a Gold Soul Coin card.

"I'll take this Soul Bone!"

"A b-black card!"

The young woman was so shocked that she took a step back. She quickly accepted the card, her expression turning respectful.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

She took out a card reader and placed the Gold Soul Coin card on it.

Soul Guidance Technology in Dou II was undeniably convenient. At least in terms of transactions, it was countless levels ahead of Dou I.

In Dou I, Gold Soul Coin cards relied on trust. They were like checks; you couldn't simply deduct the exact amount you spent.

If your purchase didn't meet the card's limit, you'd have to go through the hassle of exchanging it for Gold Soul Coins.

"All done, sir. Here's your card. Please take it."

The attendant then unlocked the display cabinet.

Ye Guchen took out the Soul Bone and handed it straight to Ma Xiaotao.

"Sister Xiaotao, take it."

Ma Xiaotao wasn't one to stand on ceremony. She accepted the Soul Bone Ye Guchen handed her.

"Then I'll take it. But where did you get all that money, you brat? If you've found a way to make money, don't forget your big sister!"

"Secret."

"Hmph! If you don't want to tell me, just say so. What's with all this 'secret' nonsense..."

As they walked away, the staff member watched them with envy.

Ye Guchen had come here to shop till he dropped. Anything he couldn't use himself could simply be resold in Dou I. Money only kept growing when it was put into circulation!

He'd snap up anything he could use himself, or anything that was extremely rare in Dou I.

Ma Xiaotao kept glancing at him, again and again.

"Are you sure you were adopted?"

"Absolutely!"

"Level 7 Defensive Soul Tool, Starry Trace!"

The pair of delicate necklaces inside the display case looked as if all the stars in the sky had been gathered into the gems at their centers. The moment Ma Xiaotao saw them, she couldn't tear herself away.

Ma Xiaotao wasn't very interested in Soul Tools, but what girl could resist such exquisite ornaments?

But the price—four million Gold Soul Coins—was steep. Though Ma Xiaotao was a core disciple of Shrek, she really didn't have that much money.

She immediately turned to Ye Guchen.

If the other students had seen Ma Xiaotao like this, they would have been stunned. The reason was simple: the Shrek firecracker, feared by thousands, was now batting her eyes at Ye Guchen.

"Two Level 7 Defensive Soul Tools. The price is pretty fair."

They thought of the Evil Soul Master surveillance mission that had cost the Shrek Seven Devils so dearly. They also remembered how every member of the Shrek Seven Devils looked down on Soul Tools. It was rare for Ma Xiaotao to take a liking to one.

If she had a Defensive Soul Tool, it might prove extremely useful at a critical moment.

He reached out and patted Ma Xiaotao's head.

"It's not often that you find something you like, Sister Xiaotao. Let's buy it."

Starry Trace came as a red and a blue necklace. Ma Xiaotao naturally chose the red one and put it on.

"Pretty, right?"

"Pretty."

Looking at Ma Xiaotao dancing with joy, Ye Guchen's eyes were full of affection.

"But you're prettier."

Ma Xiaotao's face instantly turned scarlet.

"You smooth talker!"

Though they hadn't officially defined their relationship yet, they were already acting like a normal couple. They just needed to break through that final thin barrier.

The Treasure Appreciation Fair soon came to an end.

Ye Guchen bought a batch of Level 3 Soul Tools—100 in total—as well as various pills and every low-grade Thousand-Year Soul Bone he could find.

All told, he spent 30 million!

But aside from the things he'd keep for himself, he'd resell everything else in Dou I. The money would multiply at least tenfold, enough to recoup the cost of his own purchases and still double his money!

Ma Xiaotao was numb by then. She had no idea what Ye Guchen wanted all that stuff for and thought he might have started his own faction.

It was late at night when the two finally strolled back to their dorms.

In the inner courtyard, most core disciples had a whole courtyard to themselves.

Ye Guchen's residence was wedged between Ma Xiaotao's and Ye Guyi's.

However, ever since someone discovered that Ye Guchen could suppress Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire, she'd been using suppressing her Evil Fire as an excuse to hang around in Ye Guchen's courtyard.

As soon as they returned, Ma Xiaotao pounced on Ye Guchen, knocking him down onto the sofa.

"Little Guchen, you haven't helped your big sister let off steam in days!"

"I've been holding it in so badly!"

Then she leaned close to Ye Guchen's ear. "How about trying a different way to let off steam tonight?"

A breath of warm air brushed Ye Guchen's ear, setting the heat he'd built up in Dou I ablaze.

On the same timeline, Zhu Zhuqing was someone he could look at but not touch. Now a beautiful woman was pinning him down, and his desire burned even hotter.

Ye Guchen's hand began exploring Ma Xiaotao's back.

"Sure!"