Xu Jiujiu: Qiangu Yunche, You Little Bastard!

Qiangu Yunche wanted to ask her for help?

After coming back to her senses, Xu Jiujiu swallowed her pudding, a flash of delight swiftly passing through her eyes.

Asking for help meant owing a favor, and favors were the hardest things in the world to repay.

As an imperial princess, Xu Jiujiu had understood one truth since childhood.

The martial world was not about fighting and killing; it was about connections and social obligations!

War was merely an extension of political conflict. As long as different nations and different hegemonic powers continued to exist, war would never end.

But social obligations were different. Wherever there were people, there was the martial world; wherever there was the martial world, there would be human relationships and social obligations.

But Xu Jiujiu could not be bothered with any of that right now. She set down her silver spoon, its crisp clink echoing through the room.

"Go ahead. As long as it is something I can help with, everything is negotiable."

Xu Jiujiu's gentle voice sounded beside him. Qiangu Yunche looked directly into her clear eyes, as boundless as an emerald sea, before slowly saying,

"I need a secret spiritual technique that can conceal and disguise my cultivation and Soul Rings, or a high-grade spiritual Soul Tool with similar functions."

"The upper limit does not need to be too high. It only needs to block the perception of an ordinary Super Douluo."

A savage beast as his first ring, along with four ten-thousand-year Soul Rings, was simply too eye-catching. If exposed, it would definitely cause a massive uproar throughout the outside world. Qiangu Yunche knew very well that he was only a five-ring Soul King for now and did not yet possess the confidence to roam the continent alone.

Though he had protectors whenever he went out, if the Holy Spirit Cult or other hidden experts ever set their sights on him, even having someone protect him might not be enough.

The caution he exercised now was all for the sake of being arrogant later.

At his words, a trace of surprise flashed through Xu Jiujiu's eyes.

She frowned and pondered for a moment. Rather than answering Qiangu Yunche directly or asking why he wanted such a secret technique or Soul Tool, she asked,

"Yunche, haven't the elders in your family prepared such things for you?"

Qiangu Yunche smiled helplessly, unable to help admiring Xu Jiujiu's intelligence. She was trying to probe into the situation of the family behind him through a roundabout approach.

But at this point, there was no need to hide certain matters from Xu Jiujiu anymore.

"The elders in my family are all martial arts fanatics, almost entirely devoted to cultivation. Besides, Jiujiu, you know that spiritual secret techniques and spiritual Soul Tools like these are incredibly rare to begin with. My great-grandfather did find me a ten-thousand-year head soul bone with camouflage abilities, but I thought its age was too low, so I do not intend to fuse with it."

The information revealed in that one sentence alone was enough for Xu Jiujiu to ponder for quite some time. Even just the fact that Qiangu Yunche found a ten-thousand-year head soul bone too low-grade was already shocking enough to her.

She stared at Qiangu Yunche for a long time. Seeing that he did not seem to be joking, Xu Jiujiu wore an odd expression before finally speaking.

"On the continent, there are almost no spiritual Martial Souls that can be reliably passed down. Spiritual secret techniques have always been the rarest and most precious among all secret techniques. The imperial family does possess the type of spiritual secret technique you need, but at most, it can only obscure the sight of a Title Douluo..."

After a brief pause, however, Xu Jiujiu suddenly changed tack.

"Still, while I cannot find you a secret technique or Soul Tool that alone can block a Super Douluo's perception, I do happen to have a ready-made combination that can achieve that effect when used together."

"It is just that the price..."

As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu gave a wicked smile, its meaning obvious.

"Name your price. Money is negotiable."

Qiangu Liting had once said that for people of their status, anything that could be resolved with Gold Soul Coins was not a problem.

But Xu Jiujiu was clearly no fool. She smiled faintly and said softly,

"I do not want your Gold Soul Coins."

"Then what do you want? Don't tell me you want me to marry you?" Qiangu Yunche asked with amusement.

"Mm... that would not be impossible, would it?"

Just as Xu Jiujiu finished speaking, Xiao Yu happened to push in a dining cart piled high with dishes.

She forced a smile. After setting out all the dishes, she immediately fled the room at the speed of a hundred-meter sprint.

After she left, Qiangu Yunche sampled the dishes. They really were delicious and unique; no wonder Xu Jiujiu had personally invested in the place.

A moment later, he set down his chopsticks, looked at Xu Jiujiu's burning gaze, and curled his lips into a smile.

"I am not even eleven yet, Jiujiu. Isn't this a little inappropriate?"

The moment those words fell, Xu Jiujiu was first stunned, then the smile on her face abruptly froze.

"Y-You... what did you say? You are not even eleven?"

When she spoke again, her voice was actually stammering.

"My eleventh birthday is in a few days. Just a few days short." Qiangu Yunche did not think much of it. The earlier tasting had whetted his appetite, and he was indeed a little hungry, so he ignored Xu Jiujiu's shifting expression and began earnestly devouring his meal.

After a long while, when Qiangu Yunche raised his head again, Xu Jiujiu was still staring blankly at him.

"Have you decided, Jiujiu? Are you still going to help me with this..."

Hearing Qiangu Yunche speak, Xu Jiujiu finally jolted back to her senses.

She looked deeply at Qiangu Yunche, then said decisively,

"Give me half a month. The corresponding Soul Tool will have to be smuggled in from the Sun Moon Empire through special channels. Once it arrives, it will be delivered to you together with the secret technique."

Her mind was still somewhat muddled. She had thought Qiangu Yunche might only be twelve or thirteen, but she had never expected him to be a mere ten-year-old brat.

Then what she had thought and done before...

People could not, or at the very least, should not...

Xu Jiujiu found it somewhat difficult to speak.

"Alright, then thank you." Qiangu Yunche did not bring up the Gold Soul Coins again, because he knew Xu Jiujiu would never accept them. Besides, looking at the bigger picture, owing her this favor was nothing much.

On the contrary, from beginning to end, he would be the only one gaining from this.

The meal had been quite enjoyable.

At least, it had been for Qiangu Yunche.

After the meal, Xu Jiujiu paid the bill. The two of them left the restaurant side by side under Xiao Yu's complicated gaze, passed through the alleyways, and returned to the bustling streets.

Only then did Xu Jiujiu truly come to her senses. Looking at the incomparably handsome and extraordinary Qiangu Yunche beside her, then at his tall, upright figure that stood much taller than her own, she simply could not see how he was not even eleven.

Qiangu Yunche felt helpless under her lingering gaze. As they passed a street corner, he bought a skewer of candied hawthorn and handed it to Xu Jiujiu.

"Stop looking at me like that. Eat something sweet and sour; it will improve your mood."

Xu Jiujiu gave a soft snort, but still took a bite of the candied hawthorn.

The sweet-and-sour flavor burst across her mouth, and it truly improved Xu Jiujiu's mood considerably. Then she snorted again.

"Kids these days mature too early. You actually made both Grandma Manyi and me misjudge you... If I had known you were this young, I should have bought some toys to coax you, then directly abducted you back to the imperial family..."

Buy him toys? Abduct him?

Qiangu Yunche was amused by her words and simply followed along.

"A dignified Star Luo princess wants to become a human trafficker. If the imperial families of the other empires found out, they would probably laugh at you for ten thousand years."

"Pah, pah, pah! Keep your voice down." The crowd here was dense, and Xu Jiujiu was afraid someone might overhear Qiangu Yunche. She hurriedly reached out to cover his mouth.

"Alright, alright, I will stop, okay?" Qiangu Yunche did not want to draw too much attention either. He grabbed Xu Jiujiu's wrist and pulled her forward.

Mm, he was definitely not holding Xu Jiujiu's wrist because her skin felt far too good. He was just afraid she would get lost in the crowded streets.

Such a considerate man.

"Since my father was willing to meet your imperial brother and that senior from the Offering Hall, it means he may indeed have intentions of cooperating with the imperial family... Mm, at worst, he is at least not opposed to dealing with your imperial family."

"Therefore, Your Highness, to thank you for treating me to a meal and helping me with such a major favor, you may ask me some questions whose answers you want to know. I will answer as I see fit."

Xu Jiujiu's eyes widened, and she said somewhat irritably,

"What do you mean, 'as you see fit'? Can't you just tell me the truth?"

"That depends." Qiangu Yunche clearly did not fall for Xu Jiujiu's act.

"Qiangu Yunche."

"Mm?"

"You really are a little bastard!"

After venting the dissatisfaction in her heart, Xu Jiujiu finally began tossing out serious questions one after another.

"What is your current cultivation?"

"Just a tiny bit stronger than yours."

"Then what is your Martial Soul?"

"The Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear, a mutated Martial Soul."

"Then what is your family's inherited Martial Soul?"

"The Coiling Dragon Staff."

Upon hearing the name Coiling Dragon Staff, Xu Jiujiu frowned slightly, as though she had thought of something.

Then her expression changed abruptly, and she continued,

"Could your family be..."

"That's right. Just as you think."

Qiangu Yunche smiled as he cut her off, making Xu Jiujiu grit her teeth in frustration.

"Qiangu Yunche."

"Yep, I'm here."

"I'm going to bite you to death, you little bastard!"

Amid their playful bickering, the boy and girl gradually disappeared into the surging crowd, until they vanished completely...