Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch, Another Recruitment

"You... you..."

Meng Yiran opened her mouth, only to find her voice trembling, unable to form a complete sentence.

She wanted to break free, but her whole body had gone weak, leaving her unable to muster any strength.

The warm touch against her waist and outer thigh was exceptionally clear and scorching.

Xiao Yin looked at the girl's flushed face in his arms and the breathtaking curves rising and falling slightly with her rapid breaths. Ripples stirred in his heart as well.

That snake-like waist... it really did feel incredible.

The smile on his lips deepened as he deliberately spoke in a low voice beside her ear:

"Miss, next time... be more careful.

Such a beautiful waist would be such a pity if that beast had scratched it up."

Those near-teasing words were like oil poured onto a fire!

"You... lecher! Let go!"

Both embarrassed and furious, Meng Yiran finally found a sliver of strength. She struggled violently and broke free from Xiao Yin's embrace!

She stumbled back two steps, shielding her waist with one hand as she glared angrily at Xiao Yin, her pretty face bright red.

[Ding! Quest 'Idol Drama Encounter' completed!]

[Reward issued: Wish Value +50 (Current: 564); [Love-Stirring Chocolate] ×1 has been placed in the system space.]

Xiao Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the quest was complete, that was all that mattered.

Then, he put away the slightly roguish smile from before, spread his hands, and said apologetically:

"Please do not misunderstand, miss. I acted in urgency and offended you. Please forgive me."

Seeing him suddenly act as though he had taken advantage of her and was still playing innocent, Meng Yiran stamped her foot in anger, yet she did not know how to vent it.

After all, he really had saved her.

It was just... just that contact had been far too... too embarrassing!

At that moment, two powerful auras suddenly appeared in the clearing.

One was a tall, thin old man holding a Dragon-headed Cane, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

The other was an aged old woman holding a Snake Head Staff, her eyes filled with scrutiny.

Xiao Yin was startled by the sudden appearance of the two figures. But after seeing the canes in their hands, then looking at the girl...

Why did they look so familiar?

Could it really be such a coincidence...

That was right. The two of them were Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang, who had been secretly protecting their granddaughter!

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

The moment Meng Yiran saw them, it was as though she had found her pillar of support. She immediately ran over and hid behind Snake Matriarch, though she could not help sneaking glances at Xiao Yin.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu's sharp eyes swept across the Nether Shadow Leopard's corpse on the ground. The one-strike kill wound made his pupils contract slightly.

He looked at Xiao Yin and asked in a deep voice, "Kid, were you the one who saved my granddaughter?"

Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang, meanwhile, examined Xiao Yin with great interest. Then she looked at her granddaughter's still-flushed cheeks, and a meaningful smile curled onto her lips.

"Young man, not bad moves. That move just now... you held her quite steadily, didn't you?"

Meng Yiran's face instantly turned even redder. Tugging at her grandmother's sleeve, she whined, "Grandma! What are you saying?!"

If Xiao Yin remembered correctly, Dragon Duke Meng Shu should be an eight-ring Soul Douluo!

Even Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang was at least a six-ring Soul Emperor!

Not to mention that the two of them could use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to go head-to-head with a Title Douluo!

Forget it, forget it. He could not beat them yet!

Xiao Yin clasped his hands in salute without being either servile or overbearing.

"This junior is Xiao Yin. Greetings, seniors.

I saw this young lady in danger and acted in urgency. If I caused any offense, I hope the seniors and this young lady will forgive me."

His posture was humble, but his gaze remained calm and fearless.

That was how one had to live! Keep one's principles flexible!

Dragon Duke Meng Shu saw Xiao Yin's composed bearing and extraordinary skills, and a trace of appreciation flashed through his eyes.

Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang's smile only grew broader. Her gaze moved back and forth between Xiao Yin and her granddaughter, as though she were watching something amusing.

"Hehe, no harm done. How could saving a life be considered an offense?"

Snake Matriarch said with a smile, "Yiran, why are you not thanking little brother Xiao Yin?"

Pushed forward by her grandmother, Meng Yiran faced Xiao Yin's gaze and recalled that embarrassing contact from before. Her face reddened again, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Th... thank you..."

"You are too polite, miss." Xiao Yin smiled slightly. To Meng Yiran, that smile seemed to carry a few more traces of something that made her heart race.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Yin once more. The longer he looked, the more extraordinary the young man seemed.

Alone at such a young age, with exceptional bearing and the astonishing strength to instantly kill an eight-hundred-year Nether Shadow Leopard in a crisis... this youth was no ordinary person!

If he could be recruited into the Meng Clan...

At that thought, Dragon Duke Meng Shu revealed a gentle smile and went straight to the point.

"Little friend Xiao Yin, I can see that your skills are remarkable and your bearing steady. You are truly a rare young talent.

May I ask where you trained, little friend? And where are you currently employed?

If you have nowhere to go for now, my Meng Clan has some foundations within the Heaven Dou Empire!"

Dragon Duke's words were full of recruitment intent, while also displaying the presence of a Soul Douluo!

At the side, Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang also put away her smile and looked seriously at Xiao Yin. Clearly, this was the shared intention of the couple.

Meng Yiran's eyes widened. She looked at Xiao Yin with nervousness, mixed with a trace of expectation she had not even noticed herself.

Her grandfather was personally recruiting him. That was an exceedingly rare occurrence!

But Xiao Yin's heart skipped a beat.

A Soul Douluo personally extending an offer was undeniably tempting. For the vast majority of independent Soul Masters, this would undoubtedly be a better home.

But not for him!

He had too many secrets. Joining a clan would bring too many restraints and too great a risk of exposure.

Reject them directly?

Facing a Soul Douluo and a Soul Emperor, especially after they had just shown goodwill, a blunt refusal would not only seem ungrateful, but could also invite unnecessary trouble.

In that flash of thought, inspiration struck Xiao Yin!

He remembered the white jade token Ye Qingyi had given him!

An opportunity!

Xiao "Movie Emperor" Yin steadied himself inwardly, while his face showed just the right amount of flattered "panic" and deep "regret."

He hurriedly bowed deeply to Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch, his respectful tone carrying a hint of distant apology.

"This junior is deeply overwhelmed by the seniors' kindness! I am endlessly grateful that you think so highly of me!

It is only that..."

He deliberately paused, then took out the white jade token carved with begonia patterns from his storage Soul Tool.

"To be honest, this junior is not an unaffiliated cultivator. This junior... is a member of the Ye Clan in Heaven Dou City. By the clan head's trust, I serve as a guest elder."

Xiao Yin's voice carried the reserved air expected of a "clan disciple."

"This is my Ye Family Guest Elder Token.

This junior appreciates the seniors' kind intentions, but I already belong elsewhere. I truly dare not betray my host clan and join another.

I hope the seniors will forgive me!"

The white jade token glowed with a warm luster beneath the sunlight. The lifelike begonia pattern upon it instantly made Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang's expressions turn solemn.

The Ye Clan?