Ma Zhen? Gu Qing's Fourth Soul Ring Idea Shocked Liu Erlong!

The two of them followed the main road toward Sunset Forest for about two li when a red figure appeared by the roadside ahead.

Liu Erlong stood by the roadside, holding a horse's reins. Her fiery red hair fluttered slightly in the morning breeze. Hearing footsteps, she turned around. When she saw Gu Qing and Tang San, a flicker of unease crossed her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

"President Liu, you haven't left yet?" Gu Qing stopped.

"Just call me Erlong."

Liu Erlong tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice was far calmer than it had been at the academy gates, though the slight redness around her eyes still revealed the traces of the turbulent emotions she had experienced while alone.

"I thought about what President Gu said all the way here. You were right. I shouldn't ruin myself over someone like that. I stayed here because I wanted to ask—when you said Self Academy welcomed me as a teacher, did you mean it?"

Gu Qing looked at Liu Erlong but did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "We're heading to Sunset Forest to hunt soul rings. Teacher Erlong, would you be interested in coming with us?"

Liu Erlong froze. She had thought Gu Qing would discuss the details of merging the academies with her. She had not expected him to invite her to hunt soul beasts instead.

Liu Erlong froze. She had thought Gu Qing would discuss the details of merging the academies with her. She had not expected him to invite her to hunt soul beasts instead.

"For one, you can clear your head. For another, you can see Little San's and my practical combat abilities for yourself."

Gu Qing paused, then added in a teasing tone, "Besides, you kissed me in front of all those people just now. Isn't it a little irresponsible to leave like that?"

Tang San suddenly coughed hard beside them.

Liu Erlong's cheeks instantly flushed red, and her phoenix eyes widened. "Who kissed you?! I kissed the corner of your mouth—no, that's not right, I didn't kiss you at all! You dodged!"

"Then you should take even more responsibility." Gu Qing said solemnly, "You missed and now you want to run? Nothing comes that cheaply."

Liu Erlong opened her mouth, wanting to retort, only to find that this brat's twisted logic left her with no way to respond. She glared at Gu Qing for several seconds before finally failing to hold it in. She burst out laughing, her laughter light and cheerful.

She suddenly felt that the boy before her was not merely calm and clear-headed. He also had a strangely relaxing presence, as though she did not need to put on airs or force herself to be strong in front of Gu Qing.

"Fine. I already owe you a favor anyway. Get on. I'll give you a ride." Liu Erlong swung onto the horse and extended a hand to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing did not stand on ceremony. He nimbly mounted the horse as well. There was little room on its back to begin with, and the two were squeezed together. Gu Qing's chest pressed tightly against Liu Erlong's back, allowing him to clearly feel the warmth from her body and the soft, mature curves unique to a woman.

Liu Erlong's body visibly stiffened. In more than thirty years of life, she had never been pressed so closely against a man.

She could feel the boy's firm chest against her back. His scorching body heat seeped through their clothing, making her heartbeat abruptly quicken. Liu Erlong bit her lower lip and forced herself to focus on the road ahead.

The horse began to run. As it jolted along, their bodies inevitably rubbed against each other. Gu Qing's legs clamped around the horse's belly, his inner thighs pressed tightly against Liu Erlong's hips, lightly bumping with every rise and fall of the horse.

To steady himself, he had no choice but to place a hand at Liu Erlong's waist. The moment his fingers touched the hollow of her waist, Liu Erlong softly inhaled. This brat's palm was large and hot; even through her fitted clothes, she could feel its searing warmth. With her waist held in Gu Qing's hand, her body trembled faintly without her realizing it.

Liu Erlong had only just escaped a relationship that had consumed half her life. Her heart should have been dead, yet the unconscious physical contact of a twelve-year-old boy now had her heart racing.

She cursed herself inwardly. Damn it, Liu Erlong, what are you thinking? He's only twelve! If I were ten years younger... The moment that thought surfaced, she quickly shook her head and forced it down.

Yet her body's instinctive reactions were beyond her control. Liu Erlong clearly felt the arm around her waist tightening. Gu Qing's breath brushed across the back of her neck, making every hair there stand on end. She instinctively straightened her back, only to press her buttocks even more tightly against his lower abdomen.

Gu Qing was not having an easy time either. Liu Erlong's fitted outfit outlined every curve of her figure, and her waist was unbelievably slender! As the horse ran, her body bounced up and down in his embrace. Each time she came down, that soft, perky part of her lightly bumped into him.

Gu Qing had no choice but to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill to suppress his body's instinctive response. At the same time, he reviewed every decision he had made today. I should have ridden by myself.

Tang San rode behind them. Seeing the intimate posture of the pair on horseback ahead, she gripped the reins so tightly that her knuckles turned white, sneering inwardly:

Another one. Ning Rongrong was like this, Zhu Zhuqing was like this, and now even a woman in her thirties has started taking an interest in Brother Gu Qing. Liu Erlong, your figure may be good, but you're far too old. Brother Gu Qing and I grew up together—we know each other inside and out!

In the end, Tang San said nothing. She merely urged her horse onward in silence, her gaze fixed the entire time on Gu Qing's hand wrapped around Liu Erlong's waist.

By the time the three reached the outskirts of Sunset Forest, it was nearly noon. Gu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he dismounted. Liu Erlong also jumped down from the horse, moving somewhat hurriedly. Her knees weakened slightly when she landed, and the flush on her face had yet to completely fade.

"Have you looked into the soul beast distribution?" Liu Erlong cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound normal.

Gu Qing spread out a map. His expression had returned to its usual calm as he pointed to an area marked "Swamp Region."

"Third Sister and I are both targeting ten-thousand-year plant-type soul beasts this time. My fourth soul ring for Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus needs to be offensive, around seventy to eighty thousand years old. Third Sister's fourth soul ring for Blue Silver Grass needs to be a healing type with a life attribute, around thirty to forty thousand years old."

Gu Qing's gaze lingered on the swamp region for a moment as a thought silently flashed through his mind. An offensive plant-type soul beast of seventy or eighty thousand years was not his ultimate target, merely a backup option. What he truly wanted to find was the Thunder Hell Vine!

That top-tier lightning-attribute plant soul beast, only detailed in Legend of the Dragon King, possessed offensive power unmatched by any soul beast of the same level. Its lightning-attribute attacks would also perfectly complement Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus's destructive power.

If he could find one here, even if it was somewhat younger, it would still be vastly stronger than an ordinary offensive plant-type soul beast. But Thunder Hell Vine was incredibly rare. In the original work, it only appeared in regions with dense lightning activity. Sunset Forest's environment might not suit its growth. If he could not find one, he would have to settle for an ordinary offensive plant-type soul beast of seventy or eighty thousand years.

Liu Erlong's brows shot up. "Seventy or eighty thousand years? You're only rank thirty-nine, yet you want your fourth soul ring to be seventy or eighty thousand years old? Do you know that ten-thousand-year soul beasts and thousand-year soul beasts are completely different concepts?"

"Ten-thousand-year soul beasts begin to develop intelligence. Soul beasts older than fifty thousand years are no less intelligent than humans, not to mention the total amount of Soul Power in their bodies and their explosive strength..."