However, Shui Bing'er's reaction to her words was surprisingly strong.
"He can just stick with me."
Shui Bing'er abruptly turned her head and stared straight at Dugu Yan with her ice-blue eyes. The cool aura that had faded just moments ago from her embarrassment spread around her again, even sharper than usual. Her tone was firm and left no room for argument. "I can protect him."
She didn't know why she'd suddenly said that, or why she felt a trace of... displeasure at Dugu Yan wanting to "take him as her little brother" and "protect Ning Xiaochun."
It was as if someone were eyeing a territory or responsibility that belonged exclusively to her.
That was it. She was his fiancée. Protecting him was her responsibility, and also... her right. What gave this Dugu Yan the right to stick her nose in? And she even wanted Xiaochun to call her big sister?
The thought flashed through Shui Bing'er's mind, and she was startled by it herself. Her cheeks seemed to grow even hotter.
She hurriedly looked away, inwardly chiding herself for thinking such nonsense.
Shui Bing'er's sudden show of force caught Dugu Yan off guard. Her strange green eyes widened. "What do you mean? Just because you can protect him, does that mean I can't?"
"There's no need." Shui Bing'er was brief and blunt, her tone icy.
"You!" Dugu Yan was at a loss for words.
The two girls had just gained extraordinary opportunities and made great strides in strength, yet now they were glaring at each other over the question of "who would protect Ning Xiaochun." The atmosphere had turned oddly... comical.
Caught between them, Ning Xiaochun felt his scalp start to prickle.
On his left was a top-notch Ice Phoenix radiating cold, and on his right was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, exuding a sweet, fishy poisonous miasma. Both auras were faint, but to a squishy support like him, the pressure was immense.
Th-this wasn't how the script was supposed to go! Where was the happy life of "living off a woman while acting tough" and having "beautiful bodyguards"?
How had things suddenly turned into a preview of a battlefield where he was caught between two sides? He was only six! Damn it, his charm had nowhere to go!
"Um... Big Sisters, don't fight, don't fight..." Ning Xiaochun tried to smooth things over with an ingratiating smile.
"We're going to hunt Soul Beasts. We have to stick together. Unity is strength..."
"Hmph!" The two girls snorted at the same time and turned away from each other. But strangely, neither showed any intention of letting go of her "claim" on Ning Xiaochun.
Dugu Yan was even more direct. She grabbed Ning Xiaochun's left hand, sounding a little petulant. "Come on, Xiaochun. Big Sister will take you hunting Soul Beasts. I promise I'll find you the best one!"
Shui Bing'er didn't say anything, but her ice-blue eyes flicked to Dugu Yan's hand holding Ning Xiaochun's. Then she, too, reached out and gently but firmly took his right hand.
Ning Xiaochun: "!!!"
His left hand was held by a soft hand that was warm yet cool with a hint of poison; his right, by a cool, delicate hand. On one side was purple hair and green eyes, alluring with a touch of willfulness; on the other, blue hair and icy eyes, cool and composed yet resolute.
Ning Xiaochun stood frozen, caught between two very different yet equally unstoppable urges to "protect" him. His little face wore an expression that was a jumble of bewilderment, embarrassment, a hint of delight, and even more helplessness over What am I supposed to do?
He looked to his father and the several grandfathers for help.
However, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and even Dugu Bo were all watching with amused, mischievous expressions. None of them had any intention of stepping in.
Ning Fengzhi even gave a light cough to hide his smile, then waved a hand.
"All right, don't dawdle. Let's go. Remember, we won't show ourselves unless your lives are in danger. You're on your own."
With that, the four powerful men blurred and vanished from where they stood, like ghosts. Their auras also disappeared without a trace; clearly, they had hidden themselves nearby.
At the empty mouth of the valley, only Ning Xiaochun remained, "held captive" between Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan.
Ning Xiaochun looked left, then right, and finally up at the depths of the forest. He let out a long, mournful sigh.
"Sigh... Let's go."
Wasn't the biggest challenge on the road to steady growth supposed to be internal competition among teammates?
Ning Xiaochun felt that his "living off a woman" skills still needed polishing... along with his risk management.
Outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well valley, the serenity of Sunset Forest was utterly shattered by the two girls' "enthusiasm."
Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan had clashed over "who would protect Ning Xiaochun" and "who had more right to be his big sister."
But when it came to Ning Xiaochun's Second Soul Ring, they were in perfect agreement: it had to be a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and it had to be the best!
They had personally witnessed the miracle of Ning Xiaochun's twin pagodas evolving and his Soul Power surging.
Ning Fengzhi had also made it clear: given Ning Xiaochun's current physical condition and Soul Power reserves, absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be absolutely no problem. His earlier concerns had simply been the result of being too "cautious."
So once the three Titled Douluo and Ning Fengzhi had concealed themselves and left the "stage" to the three children, Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan immediately got down to business. They turned their little competitive streak into motivation to find Ning Xiaochun the "most suitable Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"For the Second Soul Skill of Xiaochun's Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda, he wants something that can slow an opponent down..."
Shui Bing'er swept her sharp ice-blue gaze across the surrounding woods as she calmly analyzed the situation.
"So the best choice would be a Soul Beast that's naturally fast, or one with an innate ability that can slow or immobilize its targets. Somewhere between twelve hundred and fifteen hundred years would be the safest."
"Sure, analyzing things is all well and good." Dugu Yan pursed her lips, though she had to admit Shui Bing'er had a point. A snake-like glint shone in her strange green eyes.
"But you have to find one first. There aren't many Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest that fit those conditions, and most are cunning. I say we look for a tortoise-type Soul Beast with especially strong defenses. Their Soul Rings often come with powerful traits like 'toughness' or 'stability.'
"Maybe that could mutate into something like a 'Slow Domain' or 'gravity suppression.' Either way, it would slow enemies down—and it'd be tougher, too, so it could take more hits when protecting you in the future."
The two girls exchanged suggestions. They still couldn't stand each other, but they were focused and efficient.
Relying on their enhanced perception and the traits of their Martial Souls, they shot through the outer reaches of Sunset Forest like two arrows loosed from their bows. They temporarily "parked" Ning Xiaochun beneath a relatively safe tree and set up a simple Soul Power alarm.
Leaning against the tree, Ning Xiaochun watched the two girls risk so much for his Soul Ring. He was touched, but also a little at a loss for words, with a trace of helplessness at how thoroughly he'd been "taken care of."
He scratched his head and muttered, "Actually... eight or nine hundred years would be fine, too. Really. Better to be safe, and it wouldn't hurt so much to absorb... Thousand-Year Soul Beasts sound scary..."
Unfortunately, the two "Big Sisters" automatically tuned out his opinion.
Before long, two clear, ringing calls sounded from the forest, followed by a roiling surge of poisonous mist.
Before you continue