The Atmosphere She Longed For

As Ye Lulu vanished from where she stood.

By the time the red-haired woman reacted.

The trio of bandits who had just chased her into a panic were all clutching their throats in terror. Each had been killed by a single slash to the throat, collapsing painfully to the ground as blood flowed steadily out and they gradually descended into the abyss of death.

"S-So strong!" the red-haired woman exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Qian Mo's lesson continued. He spoke earnestly.

"Xiao Qi, don't be fooled by how cool Sister Lulu looked charging in like that. That only worked because she had an absolute advantage in strength.

If there had been even one Soul Emperor on the other side, Sister Lulu could have been held back and then surrounded, putting her at a disadvantage.

Although Sister Lulu's Sacred Angel Martial Soul would definitely have carried her to victory in the end, she would have had a very rough time.

And if anything had gone wrong, she might even have lost.

So remember this. Don't just rush in recklessly the moment you see a fight."

Ye Lulu, who had just flourished her sword to look cool, instantly lost her composure when she heard Qian Mo talk about her like that.

"Hey! Qian Mo! Don't undermine me!"

But Qian Mo could not be bothered with Ye Lulu's foolishness, and Xiao Qi's serious nod of agreement dealt the final blow.

In an instant, Ye Lulu went from a valiant goddess of war to a resentful little woman. She could only draw circles on the ground with her sword, silently cursing the ungrateful master and disciple.

She had clearly saved them, yet she was still being criticized. How awful! (>_<)!

Meanwhile, Qian Mo continued teaching.

"So, Xiao Qi, in a situation like this, the best solution is to first eliminate the weaker enemies you believe you can take out immediately.

That way, there will be fewer variables in the battle that follows. And if the lower-level enemies lack mental fortitude, seeing you instantly kill companions at their own level may make them hesitate in fear.

Then the situation could shift from one against many to one against one."

Hearing Qian Mo's detailed lesson, Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly and even pulled out a small notebook from her storage soul tool to take notes.

As for where Xiao Qi had gotten a soul tool?

That was something to ask the wealthy big sister in their party.

The red-haired woman beside them was completely dumbfounded. One moment ago, she had been running for her life. What was this absurd situation now?

After a while, the red-haired woman finally came to her senses and figured it out.

So this group had seemed strange from the beginning because they were powerful enough that they had no reason to fear those bandits!

Though she inwardly complained that they should have said so earlier instead of making her so nervous, the red-haired woman still bowed to the three of them in gratitude.

"My name is Liu Erlong. Thank you, the three of you, for saving my life."

Qian Mo, who had been watching Xiao Qi take notes with a pleased expression, suddenly raised his brow and looked at Liu Erlong in surprise.

"Liu Erlong?

Shouldn't she have already gotten together with Yu Xiaogang and the others by this point?"

As for whether the Liu Erlong before him was not the one from the Golden Iron Triangle, Qian Mo was certain that she was.

After all, before a true theoretical master like Qian Mo, how could he fail to recognize her Martial Soul while she was in her possessed state?

It was a pure fire-attribute dragon Martial Soul.

It might not have been particularly rare ten thousand years later, but in this era, it was extremely distinctive and tied only to a few sects.

And she even happened to have such a tasteless name as Liu Erlong. What were the odds of a coincidence like that?

However, Qian Mo quickly stopped dwelling on why Liu Erlong had appeared here.

After all, in the original story, she was merely a tool used by Third Young Master for his twisted love-triangle amusement.

At that moment, Ye Lulu also snapped out of her sulking.

After professionally inspecting the three bandits' corpses, she asked Liu Erlong.

"I checked them just now. These three should have companions. Where did you run into them? Take me there.

I'm going to kill every last one of them!"

As she spoke, Ye Lulu deliberately shot Qian Mo a fierce glare, seemingly hoping to recover some of her dignity.

Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing~

Liu Erlong readily agreed to Ye Lulu's request. After all, being chased earlier had truly frightened her badly.

And as someone who, in the original story, had slaughtered an entire Soul Beast forest in rage after Yu Xiaogang fled their marriage, Liu Erlong was hardly mild-tempered herself. Naturally, she intended to use this opportunity to settle some scores.

Thus, the bandits' hideout soon welcomed its harshest judges.

Seal the exits.

Leave no one alive!

Qian Mo, meanwhile, followed behind them with a perfectly clear conscience, occasionally picking up some loot.

Well, Qian Mo got a little blood on his hands too.

Because he discovered that these bandits actually knew how to live well. They seemed to have occupied this mountain for quite some time, and they had even raised a flock of chickens.

So he slaughtered all the chickens and turned them into a delicious full-chicken feast, stuffing Ye Lulu's belly until it bulged.

Well, Liu Erlong, who had grown closer to Ye Lulu, did not hold back either. Her own belly was stuffed full as well.

The two of them lay on the grassy slope with satisfied expressions, gazing at the stars filling the sky. As the evening breeze drifted past, the mountaintop, which had been filled with bloody slaughter during the day, gained a touch of warmth and peace.

At that moment, Liu Erlong could still hear Qian Mo's indulgent complaints to Xiao Qi, saying that girls should not eat so boldly, nor should boys, and that they needed to mind their manners.

For a moment, Liu Erlong's gaze became distant.

Because once upon a time, she too had wished for a father like that, someone who would remain by her side and guide her.

But unfortunately, although Liu Erlong possessed a top-tier fire dragon Martial Soul, her mother had been a courtesan. Yu Luomian, concerned with power and profit, naturally could not bring such a stain back to the sect.

So Liu Erlong had longed for such a warm atmosphere since childhood.

Then Liu Erlong turned to look at Ye Lulu beside her, who was so comfortable that she was nearly asleep. A thought suddenly arose in her heart, and she blurted out instinctively.

"Boss Lady, can I follow you?"

Ye Lulu was stunned for a moment, her drowsy mind unable to process it right away.

But after a while, once she had cleared her head, Ye Lulu instinctively wanted to refuse.

Although Liu Erlong's combat power during the day had been enough to rival that of a Soul King, she was still far from impressive before a Quasi-Soul Saint like Ye Lulu.

But as the words reached her lips, Ye Lulu paused.

Because Liu Erlong's talent was plain to see. At just over twenty years old, she was already close to breaking through to Soul King. Such talent might not compare to Innate Full Soul Power, but she was still one of the most outstanding geniuses on Douluo Continent, with a chance of becoming a Title Douluo in the future.

And Ye Lulu knew that she would not be able to remain at Qian Mo's side at all times in the future.

If Qian Mo had such a powerful person beside him in the future, his safety would undoubtedly be better protected.

However, Ye Lulu did not make the decision herself. Instead, she looked at Qian Mo beside her.

"Qian Mo, you're the leader. You decide."