"Nothing's wrong. I was just passing by and thought I'd come say hello."
Zhu Zhuqing spoke somewhat nervously.
These past few days, she had often found herself thinking fondly of the time she'd spent traveling with Ye Xuan.
It had been brief, but it had brought her a sense of peace she'd never felt before.
She'd kept thinking that if she ever saw Ye Xuan again, she'd have so much to say to him.
But now that she really had seen him again, she found herself unable to say a word.
However, while she was too embarrassed to speak up, Ning Rongrong spoke on her behalf.
"Yesterday, I even heard Zhuqing mumbling your name in her sleep. Why don't you take her for a walk?"
As soon as Ning Rongrong said that, Zhu Zhuqing's face turned bright red.
She snapped, "When did I ever? Rongrong, don't make things up about me."
"I'm not making anything up. If you don't believe me, ask Xiao Wu. She heard it too, didn't she?" Ning Rongrong said seriously.
"Really?" Zhu Zhuqing asked Xiao Wu.
"Mm!" Xiao Wu nodded gently.
Now Zhu Zhuqing's face was even redder.
Ye Xuan was a little embarrassed too. He hadn't expected that escorting Zhu Zhuqing would leave such a deep impression on her.
Ye Xuan asked Zhu Zhuqing, "How are things at Shrek Academy?"
"Not bad. The teachers at Shrek Academy are all pretty nice, and I can learn a few things there," Zhu Zhuqing replied.
"But if you ask me, you'd learn more from Ye Xuan than you would at Shrek Academy. The one he just beat is the strongest teacher at our academy," Ning Rongrong said, taking a jab at the place.
Ye Xuan knew why Ning Rongrong was praising him so much. This pampered Little Demoness had been getting the short end of the stick at Shrek Academy.
So after seeing him teach Zhao Wuji a lesson, she was naturally delighted.
"I don't understand Martial Souls, so I can't teach anyone about them. And no one else could learn the things I know," Ye Xuan said solemnly.
"Big Brother Ye, are you going to keep living here?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"I'll stay here for a while. In a few days, I'll visit your academy, then I might leave," Ye Xuan replied.
"Leave? I heard Zhuqing hired you to escort her to Suotuo City. If I paid you to do a few things for me, would you be willing?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"Oh? What would you hire me to do?"
Ye Xuan knew Ning Rongrong was a little rich girl. She certainly wasn't short on money.
But what did she want to hire him for?
To help her teach Zhao Wuji and the others a lesson?
To make him her enforcer, so she could throw her weight around from now on?
That certainly sounded like something she'd do.
"Be my bodyguard until we graduate. How does that sound? How much do you want?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"Not interested." Ye Xuan shook his head.
He had no interest in being a bodyguard. It sounded mind-numbingly boring.
"..."
Ning Rongrong fell silent. She hadn't expected Ye Xuan to turn her down so bluntly.
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing spoke up to ease the awkwardness. "Big Brother Ye, my business caused you quite a bit of trouble. I'm sorry about that. Let me treat you to a meal to make it up to you. How does that sound?"
"It wasn't much trouble, but I'm happy to let you treat me to a meal," Ye Xuan said with a smile.
Just then, Xiao Wu asked, "Senior, would you mind if we came along?"
She called Ye Xuan "Senior" partly because of his strength, and partly because Ning Rongrong had tried to hire him only to be rejected outright. Xiao Wu thought Ye Xuan had found Ning Rongrong rude.
"Zhuqing's the one treating us, so it's up to her. Also, don't call me 'Senior.' I'm only two years older than you. You can call me what Zhuqing does. Or just call me by my name. I don't mind," Ye Xuan said kindly.
"Since Big Brother Ye says so, then let's all go together," Zhu Zhuqing said.
"Big Brother Ye, are you really only two years older than us?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
Perhaps she was trying to fish for information, but she naturally called him "Big Brother Ye" to get on familiar terms.
"Otherwise, what am I supposed to be, some old monster?" Ye Xuan said with a laugh.
Ning Rongrong chimed in, "Can someone really cultivate to your level at fourteen?"
"There's nothing in this world that's impossible," Ye Xuan replied.
They chatted back and forth as they walked, and soon reached a high-end restaurant.
Once inside, they placed their orders. Then Zhu Zhuqing asked, "Big Brother Ye, where are you planning to go after you leave?"
"I don't know. I'll decide when the time comes," Ye Xuan replied.
He might travel from city to city, or he might head straight for a few places that interested him.
He had no plans for the future.
If his strength were mediocre, he might carefully plan out how to grow.
But given his current strength, Ye Xuan was certain that even a Titled Douluo wouldn't be his match.
He just didn't know how he would compare to the Limit Douluos.
With power like his, there was no need to plan out how to improve his Martial Soul.
For everyone else, their Martial Soul was practically the only way to grow stronger.
But for him, it was merely the icing on the cake.
Whether it improved or not hardly mattered.
"You don't know?"
Zhu Zhuqing had a sense of Ye Xuan's carefree nature. She'd never met anyone who gave so little thought to the future.
Especially not a powerful genius.
Normally, the more talented someone was, the more carefully they planned their future.
"You have to cultivate your Martial Souls and improve yourselves, but I'm different. I mostly just want to travel the world and see its sights," Ye Xuan said.
"Big Brother Ye, don't you have any family or friends?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"Family or friends?"
Ye Xuan hadn't expected to hear a question like that from Xiao Wu.
He shook his head. "No."
"Big Brother Ye, can I count as your friend?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
But as soon as she'd asked, she started to regret it.
She was afraid Ye Xuan might say no. How would she face him then?
And in front of everyone else, too. Wouldn't that just be humiliating herself?
Ye Xuan looked at her and saw her nervousness, along with a trace of hope.
"Of course. You were the first person I met after coming down from the mountain. You and I were meant to cross paths, so you're naturally my friend," Ye Xuan said firmly.
At his words, Zhu Zhuqing's nervousness vanished, and delight spread across her face.
"Big Brother Ye, thank you. It's an honor to be your friend," Zhu Zhuqing said earnestly.
"An honor? It's my honor too," Ye Xuan replied.
"Stop exchanging pleasantries. The food will get cold if you don't eat," Ning Rongrong said.
As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she wouldn't abase herself, even after witnessing Ye Xuan's strength.
"She's right. Let's eat," Ye Xuan said with a hearty laugh.
Before long, they finished their meal.
After they left the restaurant, Ye Xuan asked Zhu Zhuqing, "Do you have a jade pendant or something like that?"
"I do."
As Zhu Zhuqing spoke, she took out a jade pendant she wore close to her body and handed it to Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan took it and infused it with a strand of sword qi. "If you ever run into danger, this jade pendant can protect you."
"Thank you, Big Brother Ye." Zhu Zhuqing carefully tucked it away.
"Um, Big Brother Ye, could you give me one too?" Ning Rongrong pleaded, looking at him pitifully.
Ye Xuan couldn't help admiring the Little Demoness's acting skills.
In his previous life, she would've been a natural-born actress.
"Sure. Give me a jade pendant." It wouldn't cost Ye Xuan anything, so he agreed.
If Ning Rongrong ever needed to use it, it might even earn him another Soul Ring.
Ning Rongrong quickly took out a jade pendant and offered it to Ye Xuan with both hands.
Ye Xuan infused it with a strand of sword qi as well, then returned it to her.
Xiao Wu, however, didn't ask for one.
After that, the three said their goodbyes and left.
Once they'd gone some distance, a tall man dressed in black and wearing a black hood walked toward Ye Xuan.
"Friend, care for a spar?"
Before you continue