The three returned to the main hall.
Zhao Linchuan sat in the seat of honor, lightly tapping his knee with his fingers.
The chain reaction triggered by Tang Hao's death had come faster and spread farther than he'd expected.
This little place called Nuoding City would soon become a chessboard where various factions maneuvered in secret.
The people who had come today were merely scouts. Tomorrow or the day after, Soul Saints, Soul Douluo, or even... Titled Douluo might come in person to investigate.
His gaze swept over Yue Shen and Yan Fei, who stood at his sides.
They were extraordinarily talented, highly skilled, and strong-willed—truly rare assets.
But they had yet to obtain Soul Rings. Though they possessed Soul Power reserves on the level of Soul Saints, they couldn't fully bring their strength to bear, and they lacked powerful Soul Skills.
Against an ordinary Titled Douluo, their strange methods might let them hold their own, perhaps even create an opening to kill him.
But if two or more came at once, or if the one who came was a Super Douluo, they would probably be outmatched.
Though he had the Puni Martial Soul and the system, he was still only just starting out.
Until he truly grew stronger, he needed more reliable protection.
After weighing the matter for a moment, he suddenly spoke. "I have a resource in my hands."
Yue Shen and Yan Fei immediately looked up, their eyes fixed on him.
"This resource could transform someone completely, laying an unprecedentedly solid foundation and granting them the potential to truly reach the peak of this world and look down upon all beings."
He paused, his gaze moving slowly between their faces. "I can give this resource to one of you."
Yue Shen and Yan Fei both caught their breath, their eyes blazing with unconcealed fervor!
They had both understood his implication: this resource might be related to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, or perhaps... something even more incredible!
But Zhao Linchuan's next words were like a bucket of cold water. "But how can I be sure that the person who receives this resource and gains the potential to reach the summit won't choose to leave once her strength is great enough—or even... turn on me?"
The air in the main hall seemed to freeze.
Yue Shen and Yan Fei fell silent, thinking rapidly.
After a moment, Yue Shen drew a deep breath, as if she'd made up her mind. She lifted her head, her cheeks flushed, and spoke in a tone that sounded almost like she was throwing caution to the wind:
"Young Master, I... I already belong to you!"
"My heart and body are yours, Young Master. Heaven itself can bear witness to my unchanging resolve!"
"You..."
"Wait!" Zhao Linchuan abruptly raised a hand, cutting off Yue Shen's earth-shattering declaration. Astonishment showed on his face. "Yue Shen, when did you become mine? What are you talking about?"
Yan Fei's beautiful eyes widened at once. Completely bewildered and shocked, she looked back and forth between Zhao Linchuan and Yue Shen.
What did Yue Shen mean?
Had something already happened between them...?
Th-that couldn't be!
Seeing that Zhao Linchuan seemed to have "forgotten," Yue Shen's cheeks flushed even more. She bit her lower lip, both embarrassed and a little aggrieved, and reminded him:
"Young Master, have you forgotten... that day in the Soul Hunting Forest, you... you took liberties with me!"
The shock on Yan Fei's face turned to utter disbelief!
She stared at Zhao Linchuan as though she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.
Young Master... had actually done that to Yue Shen...?
H-how had he managed that?!
Could Young Master actually be...?
With Yue Shen's reminder, Zhao Linchuan remembered teasing her that day by trying to "taste her lip balm."
At the time, he'd been acting mostly out of mischief and curiosity. He hadn't expected Yue Shen to take it as a sign that she belonged to him in both body and heart!
So that's all it takes for her to belong to me? That's quite a leap in logic! Were people in ancient times really so serious about chastity? One kiss and it's for life?
Zhao Linchuan was at a loss for words. But looking at Yue Shen's flushed face and Yan Fei's stunned expression, as if she'd discovered a whole new world, he suddenly felt that... things had gotten rather interesting.
He rubbed his brow, caught between laughter and exasperation. But this wasn't the time to dwell on it.
His gaze lingered on Yue Shen's face, then shifted to Yan Fei, whose expression was complicated. His thoughts raced.
Suddenly, he rose to his feet and said to Yue Shen, "Yue Shen, take me to your room."
Yue Shen froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up with overwhelming delight! Was Young Master going to speak with her alone? Or was he going to...?
She struggled to calm her pounding heart and hurried to her feet. Her voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Yes! Young Master, this way!"
She moved to Zhao Linchuan's side and turned slightly to lead the way. Her manner remained respectful, but she couldn't hide her excitement as she headed toward the room where she lived.
Zhao Linchuan followed, leaving Yan Fei standing alone in the main hall. She watched the two of them leave, one after the other, her lips slightly parted and her expression shifting uncertainly. In the end, it settled into a hint of unease and urgency.
In Yue Shen's room, Zhao Linchuan sat in a chair beside the table, his eyes lowered as if admiring the wood grain. In truth, his mind was racing.
According to his original plan, he'd meant to wait until Yue Shen and Yan Fei had earned more merit and their loyalty was more firmly established before gradually bestowing core resources like Soul Rings and Soul Bones upon them.
Although the system's basic bindings ensured they couldn't directly attack him, they weren't compelled to stay by his side.
For now, they followed him mainly out of curiosity about this unknown world, a desire for power, and the "mystery" and "resources" he'd displayed.
Put plainly, theirs was a relationship built on mutual benefit, with shallow roots.
But the ripple effects of Tang Hao's death had come faster and hit harder than he'd expected.
Nuoding City was about to become the eye of the storm. Relying on two Soul Saints without Soul Rings and himself, a newly minted First Soul Ring holder, was too risky.
He needed a powerful bodyguard who could, at least in the short term, truly deter one side and ensure his safety.
Without changing his expression, he opened the System Mall interface and quickly scanned it:
[Hundred Thousand Year Self-Adaptive Soul Bone, price: 20000 points/piece.] [God-Bestowed Soul Ring (100,000 years–999,999 years), price: 20000 points/each.] [Divine Self-Adaptive Soul Bone, price: 200000 points/piece.] [Divine God-Bestowed Soul Ring, price: 200000 points/each.]
His gaze fell on his points balance: 371000.
Exchange for a divine Soul Bone?
A single one cost two hundred thousand points. It would instantly burn through most of his balance, making it poor value for the price.
As for a Divine God-Bestowed Soul Ring, that wasn't something he should even consider yet.
Weighing the pros and cons, a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone might not be the very best, but they were already treasures most Soul Masters in this world could only dream of. They would be enough to forge a powerhouse with a terrifyingly solid foundation.
Besides... he glanced at the drop of "Tears of Remidios" resting in a corner of his system space, and a vague idea crossed his mind.
Before you continue