Suotuo City, Worthy of Being Balak's Greatest Stronghold!

On the official road west of the Lima Plains in the Balak Kingdom.

Zhu Zhuqing ran wildly with Qian Ni on her back, humiliation written all over her face.

Lackey? Mount? Her?

What a bizarre combination of words.

Before today, Zhu Zhuqing had never imagined she would be reduced to this state.

First, she had been knocked unconscious by someone riding a Soul Beast into her. Then, her sister had sold her to a lunatic.

And this lunatic's strength far exceeded anything she had imagined.

He looked about the same age as her, yet a casual strike could shatter a thousand-pound boulder.

Just his aura alone was enough to frighten Soul Beasts away.

He had a handsome face, but unfortunately, he was a complete bastard underneath.

No normal person would open his mouth and start taking in lackeys and mounts.

And there was that bizarre bridle Soul Tool. Once it had been put on her, Zhu Zhuqing could not break free no matter what she tried. She could only keep running against her will.

Qian Ni lay smiling on Zhu Zhuqing's back. His left hand held the Rider's Bridle, while his right held a branch with a small wooden box tied to one end by a thin string.

Had she ever seen a carrot dangling in front of a donkey?

Well, this was pretty much the same scene.

"Miss Zhu Zhuqing, keep it up. When we reach the next town, this box of little pills will be your reward!"

Qian Ni's smug voice rang beside her ear.

Zhu Zhuqing ground her teeth in hatred, but she could not speak!

Talking while sprinting could easily leave her out of breath!

She could only curse him inwardly.

That was mine to begin with! Even if my sister stole it, it has nothing to do with you!

Qian Ni seemed to have guessed what she was thinking and said leisurely, "Who told you to injure my Alien mount? The Soul Coins and pills on you were all given to me by your sister as compensation. And that wasn't enough—she even sold you to me along with them!"

Crack!

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her pearly teeth until they creaked.

Shameless! You were the one who ran into me!

I'm so angry! I can't beat him, and I can't escape!

Qian Ni patted the top of her head and said with a smile, "Don't be angry. Let me tell you a story.

"There was once a young man who killed a vicious hunting dog. He chose to take the dog's place and protect its owner, eventually becoming a world-famous hero.

"What do you think? Inspiring, isn't it?

"As long as you become my lackey and work hard, you can become a great hero too!

"Life will only get sweeter and sweeter!"

Zhu Zhuqing cursed him viciously in her heart.

She was only a Soul Grandmaster below Rank Thirty. After days of fleeing and running herself to the limit, her Soul Power had long been depleted.

Even her body was approaching its limit. Her chest rose and fell rapidly like a broken bellows.

She felt that she might pass out again at any moment.

Fine. Fall to your death, you bastard!

Zhu Zhuqing wanted to give up.

But how could Qian Ni let her have her way?

When he noticed her slowing down, Qian Ni took out a rectangular sticker with a frog pattern on it.

With a slap, he stuck it onto Zhu Zhuqing's back.

Fatigue-Removing Sticker!

In an instant, the exhaustion in both her body and mind was sucked away, and Zhu Zhuqing perked up again.

Her limbs were still somewhat heavy, and her Soul Power had not recovered, but compared to before, her condition was like night and day.

But that was not all!

Qian Ni activated Martial Soul Possession. The blue-gold feathered wings of the Twin-Winged Bird unfurled, and the Entwined Branches soul skill enveloped Zhu Zhuqing.

All of his refined, high-quality human Soul Power poured into Zhu Zhuqing's body.

The surging power made her entire body burn hot.

"Wait! What did you do?

"Your Soul Power is inside me! There's so much of it!

"It's so hot! So full! Mm~"

She let out a muffled moan, nearly crying out in embarrassment.

Scalding Soul Power surged through her body, tangling with the little Soul Power she had left.

She was a Rank Twenty-Seven Soul Grandmaster, so in theory, she should have been able to withstand Qian Ni's infusion of Soul Power.

But Qian Ni's Soul Power was quite different from that of ordinary Soul Masters.

Its quality far surpassed that of his peers, and even the amount at every rank was at least equal to that of an anime character.

To vent the excess Soul Power, Zhu Zhuqing could only accelerate once more and burn it off while running wildly!

The gale blew straight at them, sending Qian Ni's silver hair flying in the wind.

"How is it? What does my Soul Power enhancement feel like?

"This is a lackey benefit, exclusive to you!

"You're really lucky!

"I didn't have such conditions back then!"

No matter how fiercely Zhu Zhuqing cursed, her words could only be swallowed by the wind.

That day, she learned deeply what a bastard truly looked like.

And Qian Ni? He was busy counting money.

Fate Stone Joy +2

In the wilderness outside Suotuo City.

Ning Rongrong, dressed in a light green skirt, skipped toward the northern city gate.

The young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, who had run away from home, felt freer than ever before.

She had had enough of the sect's tedious rules and dull life.

She planned to travel and train on her own, to experience the beauty of the world.

She had a dream: to quietly rise above the rest, then amaze everyone in the sect!

Before long, the rapid sound of intersecting footsteps interrupted Ning Rongrong's daydreaming.

She turned around warily, and what she saw made her eyes widen.

A silver-haired youth rode a black-haired girl as they sped past her like the wind.

As the three passed each other, the silver-haired youth even waved at her in greeting.

"Morning, miss! Had breakfast yet?"

Ning Rongrong did not even have time to respond before the two disappeared from her sight.

Perhaps this was what the legendary Lü Bu riding Dian Wei looked like.

But who were Lü Bu and Dian Wei?

Ning Rongrong did not know.

She only knew...

"Are they crazy? It's almost evening. What morning?"

At Suotuo City's northern gate, Qian Ni put away the Rider's Bridle and jumped to the ground.

He looked over the city before him, nodded, and casually praised it.

"Suotuo City truly deserves to be Balak's greatest stronghold!"

In truth, he did not even know what cities the Balak Kingdom had.

Behind him, Zhu Zhuqing braced her hands on her knees and caught her breath, staring fearfully at Qian Ni's back.

This lunatic!

Whenever she became utterly exhausted, he would use that sticker to suck away her fatigue, then pour excessive Soul Power into her until she was so swollen with energy that she could only keep running.

There was not the slightest joy from escaping Zhu Zhuyun's pursuit. Not a trace of fear was missing from going straight from the tiger's den into the wolf's lair.

"Come on, Little Zhu. Follow your boss into the city for a stroll."

Qian Ni beckoned, then headed toward the city gate first.

Zhu Zhuqing did not dare refuse. Even if she wanted to escape, she had to find the right opportunity!

Suotuo City was located inland. Let alone compared to Sea God Island, even compared to Vast Sea City, the difference was enormous.

Whether in clothing, architectural style, or city layout, everything was clearly different.

Uneasily, Zhu Zhuqing followed Qian Ni into an inn called the Rose Hotel.

From its interior decor alone, it was obvious that this was the sort of establishment that was both respectable and not so respectable.

Could this guy... finally be unable to hold back anymore? Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, thinking despairingly.

Suotuo City had originally been her destination.

Before leaving home, she had already found out that her fiancé, Dai Mubai, was near Suotuo City.

Originally, Zhu Zhuqing had planned to meet with Dai Mubai after running away, and for the two of them to find a way to break free from their families' restraints together.

At the very least, they had to survive the battle for succession.

But she had failed before even getting started, intercepted by Qian Ni halfway there...

After suffering blow after blow, Zhu Zhuqing's nose stung, and she nearly burst into tears.

Her fiancé was clearly in this city, yet she had fallen into the hands of such a lunatic Soul Master.

"Sorry, sir. The last room was just sold, and the hotel is full."

The front desk attendant's voice pulled Zhu Zhuqing back to reality.

Heaven hasn't abandoned me! My innocence can still be preserved! It's not time to give up yet!

Zhu Zhuqing gathered her courage again. She had to resist Qian Ni!

At the very least, they had to switch to a normal hotel! And they absolutely could not stay in the same room!

"Full?" Qian Ni heard the word and smiled carelessly.

He casually tossed out a bag of Gold Soul Coins. It landed on the counter with a slap, its mouth opening wide as glittering Soul Coins spilled everywhere.

"You! Go coordinate things and clear out two rooms for me!"

Qian Ni pointed at the front desk attendant and spoke boldly.

Two rooms? Zhu Zhuqing relaxed when she heard that.

Before the attendant could agree, another voice impatiently called out.

"Wait! You can have my room! But there's only one."

A tall young man appeared, with golden hair and double pupils in his eyes. It was none other than Young Master Dai, Dai Mubai!

He... picked up the Gold Soul Coins.