A Roadside Stream

Zhu Zhuqing slowly turned her head to look at the middle-aged man who had rushed before her with a face full of fanaticism.

"You?"

She looked Yu Xiaogang up and down, her gaze like one looking at a stray dog on the side of the road.

"Brother Cao only helps pretty girls."

The fanaticism on Yu Xiaogang's face froze instantly.

"You..."

His lips trembled.

"What do you mean by that?"

Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her gaze indifferently, her tone calm and without a ripple: "It means that you are not worthy."

"You!"

Yu Xiaogang's face turned the color of liver instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found he could not utter a single word.

He had spent his life's efforts researching theory, priding himself as the person who understood martial spirits best in the spirit master world. He had thought that with his wisdom, he would surely be able to move that mysterious "Brother Cao" and gain his appreciation.

But now, just because he wasn't a pretty girl?

Yu Xiaogang staggered back a few steps, his face as pale as paper, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Nearby, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Jing Ling, and the other male students all looked at each other, their faces filled with subtle expressions.

Just then, a thought suddenly rose in everyone's hearts.

Everyone, including Dai Mubai who had just crawled out of the ruins, cast their gazes in unison toward the other two slender figures in the crowd.

Xiao Wu.

Ning Rongrong.

Of the Shrek Three Beauties, Zhu Zhuqing had already made the list, so what about the remaining two...

Could they also have cultivated the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique?

Once this thought arose, it spread wildly like weeds.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were both young and beautiful women.

They spent their days and nights with Zhu Zhuqing and were close to her. If Zhu Zhuqing had been hiding her strength, then could they also...

Tang San's expression turned incredibly ugly in an instant.

He turned his head sharply to look at Xiao Wu beside him, his originally gentle blue eyes now filled with suspicion and tension.

"Xiao Wu..." his voice was somewhat dry, "You... you wouldn't also..."

Xiao Wu blinked those spirited, large eyes, looking at Tang San's nervous expression, and the corners of her mouth curled into a mischievous arc.

"Guess?"

Tang San's heart tightened violently.

"In reality, I haven't cultivated it."

Tang San breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she hadn't, that was fine; Xiao Wu was still his!

As for Ning Rongrong, she stood there quietly, saying nothing.

She felt the gazes cast upon her by the crowd but gave no indication.

Only deep within her clear eyes did a flicker of complexity, difficult for others to detect, flash by.

Above the sky, the golden light remained brilliant.

Eleventh place, Zhu Zhuqing.

Five practitioners of the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique had already appeared.

And who would be next?

Everyone's eyes were fixed tightly on the sky, waiting for the next name to be revealed.

After receiving all the rewards, Zhu Zhuqing merely swept a faint glance over the crowd before turning and walking toward the distance.

She and Brother Cao had no love or anything of the sort; it was only a physical transaction.

Really!

"Zhuqing!" Flender called out instinctively, "Where are you going?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not look back.

"To find Brother Cao."

That black figure gradually drifted away, finally disappearing into the vast night.

Dai Mubai slumped in the ruins, his face written with humiliation and unwillingness.

Yu Xiaogang was lost and dejected, muttering to himself.

Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with jealousy.

Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Liu Erlong stood quietly in place, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ye Family Fortress, back courtyard guest room.

Xiao Cui stood by the window, her bright, lively eyes fixed on the golden canopy in the sky. Her small mouth was slightly agape, her face filled with wonder and envy.

"Wow... another level 89 Spirit Douluo! This Brother Cao is just too amazing!"

Xiao Cui clutched her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling with stars.

"These girls are truly lucky to be favored by such a powerhouse, going from nobodies to peerless geniuses in an instant! If only I had such luck..."

She chattered away, completely failing to notice the subtle expression on her master's face behind her.

Cao Xiyu leaned lazily against a soft couch, holding a book in his hands.

Hearing Xiao Cui's exclamation, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he replied nonchalantly:

"The tenth place is another pretty girl."

Xiao Cui froze, turning her head to look at her master: "How does Master know the tenth place is another pretty girl?"

"Can't you see such an obvious pattern? The previous five were all pretty girls; if the next one isn't a pretty girl, could it be an ugly one?"

"Uh..." Xiao Cui scratched her head, thinking it over. "That does seem to be the logic..."

Just as she was about to press further, a slender figure walked gracefully into the room.

Ye Lingling.

Her exquisitely beautiful face currently wore a trace of faint scrutiny.

She walked to Cao Xiyu's side and sat down slowly, her autumn-water-like eyes fixed directly on her husband.

"Husband just said that the tenth place is another pretty girl?"

Cao Xiyu's hand, which was turning a page, paused slightly.

Ye Lingling continued: "Husband stays indoors all day, never stepping out; how could you know the information from the canopy? Furthermore, your tone just now sounded as if you had known the result all along."

Cao Xiyu: "..."

Ye Lingling's gaze grew deeper: "Also, I went back and thought about it carefully. Husband did indeed mention the words 'Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique' in front of me. I didn't pay much attention to it then, but thinking about it now..."

She leaned forward slightly, her bright eyes almost touching Cao Xiyu's face:

"Speak, do you really know something?"

The atmosphere in the room turned instantly delicate.

Xiao Cui looked at her mistress, then at her master, her eyes darting back and forth. She suddenly remembered something—Master's surname was also Cao...

Could it be...

Xiao Cui's eyes widened sharply. She pointed at Cao Xiyu, stuttering: "Ma... Master! You wouldn't happen to be that... that Brother Cao, would you?"

Cao Xiyu looked at the two pairs of eyes—mistress and servant—staring straight at him. He remained silent for a moment before finally sighing and setting down the book in his hand.

"Sigh..."

"I'll come clean."

Ye Lingling raised an eyebrow.

Cao Xiyu spoke slowly, his tone as flat as if he were discussing what to have for dinner:

"That Brother Cao is me."

"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique is a technique I created myself."

"It is a technique I created in my dreams, and it was also in those dreams that I had... well, some minor friction with these girls."

"My original intention was to help these girls improve their strength and change their otherwise unsatisfactory fates. I even instructed them to keep a low profile and not cause too much of a stir."

"I just didn't expect..." He looked up at the canopy, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes, "that this canopy would suddenly appear and expose everything."

Having finished, he looked at Xiao Cui, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slightly mischievous smile:

"Xiao Cui, do you know how impressive your master is now?"