A Script That Went Off Course, But Not Entirely

"Burp~"

Xiao Wu let out a satisfied burp and looked at Lin Chen expectantly.

"Well?"

Lin Chen reached out to wipe the corner of her mouth, then patted her head.

"Excellent."

"Hehe!"

Having received praise, Xiao Wu grinned like an idiot.

"I'll continue giving Master a massage."

Xiao Wu returned to Lin Chen's side and placed his head on her thighs.

Lin Chen was more than happy to enjoy it.

The carriage sped along the official road, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.

Three days later.

The carriage carrying Lin Chen and Xiao Wu entered Soto City.

Soto City was far more prosperous than Nuoding City.

The streets were packed with people, and the cries of roadside vendors rang out without end.

All kinds of shops, restaurants, and hotels stood side by side.

Even the architectural style was clearly a level above that of Nuoding City.

It felt like going from a small county town to a proper city.

I wonder roughly when Zhu Zhuqing will arrive in Soto City. I should've checked when Tang San left and what sort of carriage he hired.

Lin Chen searched for a restaurant while quietly pondering.

"Master, this place looks pretty good."

Xiao Wu suddenly stopped and pointed at a restaurant by the street.

Lin Chen took a closer look.

The decor was indeed quite nice, though he had no idea about the taste.

Still, when visiting an unfamiliar place, stumbling into a bad restaurant was unavoidable.

"Then let's go in and try it."

Without giving it much thought, Lin Chen immediately led Xiao Wu inside.

"Please come this way, you two!"

A waiter hurried over and led them to a window-side table.

"Please have a look and see what you'd like to order."

The waiter handed over a menu, but Lin Chen passed it to Xiao Wu.

"You order."

As he spoke, his gaze casually drifted toward a table not far away.

A blond young man and twins? What a coincidence.

Even if Tang San had left on the same day as them, he probably could not have afforded a carriage of the same class, so the timeline seemed a little off.

Could the system be at work?

That shouldn't be possible. Could the system have sent Zhu Zhuqing to Soto City ahead of time?

Or had she actually arrived in Soto City long ago?

That did not seem impossible either. What if she had wanted to secretly observe what Dai Mubai had been doing all these years?

If that was true, then Lin Chen's script seemed somewhat unreasonable.

"Master, does this look all right?"

Xiao Wu picked out several dishes, then handed the menu to Lin Chen.

"This will do."

Lin Chen only glanced at it before handing the menu to the waiter.

"Please wait a moment, you two!"

The waiter took the menu and turned to leave.

"Master, why aren't we going to any of those academies that sent us admission notices?"

Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Their information had long since been submitted to many intermediate Spirit Master academies, and even quite a few advanced Spirit Master academies had sent them exceptional admission notices.

Yet Lin Chen had not chosen a single one of them and had instead brought her here.

Lin Chen smiled. "Do I look like someone who needs an academy to teach me?"

"It really does seem unnecessary."

Thinking of Lin Chen's circumstances, Xiao Wu murmured thoughtfully.

When they had been at Notting Academy, she had never seen Lin Chen attend more than a few classes, nor had he read many books, yet he seemed to know all kinds of things effortlessly.

There was even less need to mention cultivation.

Although Xiao Wu did not understand human Spirit Masters very well, she knew how terrifying a twelve-year-old high-level Soul King was. That was not something genius alone could explain.

Tang San's rank was proof enough of that.

Most outrageous of all was Lin Chen's terrifying Spirit Ring configuration. Even she, a soul beast, had been shocked by it.

She had seen plenty of human Spirit Masters in the Star Dou Great Forest, but she had never seen anyone with such a terrifying Spirit Ring configuration.

Xiao Wu asked again, "So we don't need to attend a Spirit Master academy?"

"Master?"

Xiao Wu waved a hand before Lin Chen's eyes, then could not help following his gaze.

A voluptuous girl stood at the entrance of the restaurant, staring coldly at a table of diners not far from them.

Seeing that girl's figure, Xiao Wu unconsciously lowered her head and looked at herself.

She did seem a little lacking in comparison.

"Hmph, small is cute too, and I'm not that small."

Lin Chen: "..."

Seeing Xiao Wu's indignant expression, Lin Chen was speechless.

But that was not the important thing right now. The important thing was that Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai had met, but not at the Rose Hotel as the script had called for.

The script seemed to have gone off course, yet it did not seem to have gone completely off course.

Meanwhile.

Dai Mubai felt a chill down his back. He instinctively turned around and saw Zhu Zhuqing standing at the entrance, glaring fixedly at him.

After years apart, Zhu Zhuqing had changed completely.

Yet the stirring from their Martial Souls gave him some idea of her identity.

And her eyes were enough to explain everything.

When Dai Mubai considered that she might be his fiancée, who had traveled thousands of miles to find him, he could not help feeling uneasy.

After all, his current situation was hardly suitable for meeting her.

Just as Dai Mubai did not know what to do, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly shot forward. At the same time, a glimmer of light emerged from between her brows and spread across her body.

As the light spread, a pair of cat ears quietly emerged from her head, while a long, slender cat tail grew behind her.

She flexed her fingers, and sharp cat claws sprang from her fingertips one after another.

In the blink of an eye.

By the time two gleaming yellow Spirit Rings rose beneath her feet.

She had already rushed before Dai Mubai.

"Wait... Zhuqing, listen to my explanation."

At that moment, Dai Mubai could finally confirm her identity.

He did not dare fight back and instead dodged to the side.

He ran while shouting, trying to stop Zhu Zhuqing this way.

Unfortunately, she acted as though she had not heard him.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Her sharp cat claws swept past his clothes, instantly tearing several slashes into them, but failing to harm the flesh beneath.

"First Soul Skill, Netherworld Thrust!"

Zhu Zhuqing decisively poured her soul power into her first Spirit Ring.

When he saw her Spirit Ring light up, Dai Mubai's expression abruptly changed.

"Zhu Zhuqing, don't go too far!"

As Dai Mubai shouted, he rapidly retreated, golden light blooming from between his brows as well.

However...

Zhu Zhuqing's first Soul Skill specialized in short-range explosive bursts. By the time Dai Mubai tried to possess his Martial Soul, it was already far too late.

Before his Martial Soul possession was complete, Zhu Zhuqing had already reached him, her claws slashing mercilessly toward his face.

Terrified, Dai Mubai raised his arms in a crossed guard. His face was protected, but he had completely offered his arms to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

Her claws tore through his clothes, leaving several bone-deep wounds across Dai Mubai's arms.

"You're looking to—"

Dai Mubai had not even finished his curse before his chest suffered a heavy blow.

"Bang!"

Zhu Zhuqing was not especially strong, but the blow still forced Dai Mubai to stagger back several steps before he regained his footing.