Qian Renxue's Invitation

"Mm~"

A soft, delicate moan slipped from her lips as Qian Renxue slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

Before her were rough, damp rock walls. Not far ahead, a campfire crackled brightly, its orange-red flames dancing and spreading warmth through the cramped cave, driving away the cold dampness of the forest.

Qian Renxue braced herself against the ground and slowly sat up, her entire body still weak and sore from Soul Power exhaustion. She instinctively lifted her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.

The cave was empty, with only the flickering shadows cast by the campfire.

When she did not see that familiar figure, an inexplicable flicker of disappointment passed through Qian Renxue's heart.

"Well, you're awake!"

At that moment, the clear voice of a young man came from the cave entrance, carrying a casual hint of amusement.

Qian Renxue abruptly looked up and saw Lu Chen enter carrying several broad leaves. With a flick of his fingers, several plump, rosy wild fruits flew precisely toward her.

"Hungry? Have some wild fruit to tide you over. I picked them outside just now. They're not poisonous."

Qian Renxue instinctively reached out and caught them. The fruit skins still carried the cool dew of the forest, and they felt satisfyingly heavy in her hands.

She looked up at Lu Chen just as he waved several differently colored clumps of "wild grass" in his other hand, his brows and eyes full of pride. "You're in for a treat today."

These were all spices he had found outside.

Though the conditions here were rather crude, he possessed Liu Xing'ang's Culinary Skills and could turn even the humblest ingredients into something extraordinary.

He could still make delicious food here.

With that, Lu Chen began handling the Ten-Thousand-Year Cockscomb Phoenix Snake's corpse on his own.

Holding the wild fruit, Qian Renxue watched the young man busily working beside the fire. All the sharp hostility from before had vanished as she softly said, "Thank you."

Whether for saving her earlier or caring for her now, he deserved her thanks.

Without even raising his head, Lu Chen steadily carved off a piece of the most tender snake meat. "No need to be so polite. Just don't go back to hunting me once you've recovered."

"That was only because you..."

Qian Renxue instinctively wanted to retort, but when she looked up and met his shameless grin, she immediately understood that he had said it on purpose.

Qian Renxue's face turned cold. She turned her head aside and stopped paying attention to Lu Chen.

Yet the blush quietly creeping over the tips of her ears still betrayed the embarrassment and fluster in Qian Renxue's heart.

Watching the girl turn away in a huff while the crimson flush at her ears refused to fade, Lu Chen's knife paused slightly as a sense of alarm rose within him.

That joke seemed to have gone too far.

Though Qian Renxue currently had the immature body of a twelve-year-old, that was due to the accident that had reverted her body. Her mind, however, was truly sixteen.

Moreover, Douluo Continent was still in a feudal age, where women valued their reputation and chastity greatly.

Catching her bathing earlier had already become a thorn in her heart. His casual tease just now might have sounded like a joke, but it had really stepped right on the girl's sore spot.

Still, Lu Chen did not immediately put down his stone knife and go apologize.

Sometimes, an empty apology only made things more awkward.

He weighed the prepared snake meat in his hand and came up with an idea—rather than offer a pale explanation, he might as well fill her stomach first. Once she was full, most of her anger would naturally fade.

So, pretending not to notice the girl's frustration, he turned and crouched beside the campfire again, focusing wholeheartedly on the ingredients.

The cleaned snake meat was sliced into even thin pieces, threaded onto sharpened wooden skewers, and slowly roasted over the fire.

Fat gradually seeped from the meat's grain, dripping into the flames and scattering tiny sparks with soft sizzling sounds.

He casually sprinkled on the spices he had gathered earlier. Their fragrance mingled with the snake meat's natural tenderness and slowly spread throughout the cave.

At first, Qian Renxue still held in her anger, her back ramrod straight as she stared fixedly at the cave wall, determined not to look at him even once.

But as time passed, the rich aroma of meat grew stronger and stronger, carrying an enticing warmth that drifted straight into her nose.

She had already gone through several intense battles, exhausted her Soul Power, and been unconscious for a long time. Her stomach had long since become unbearably empty.

Now, lured by the scent, her stomach let out a faint growl.

Qian Renxue's cheeks heated up. She instinctively pressed her legs together, raised a hand to cover her lower abdomen, and felt both embarrassed and annoyed.

She was embarrassed that she could be so undignified. As the young mistress of Spirit Hall, and after posing as Xue Qinghe within the Heaven Dou Imperial Family for so many years, she had actually lost her composure over a bite of food.

She was annoyed because that fellow had clearly angered her, yet showed no intention of apologizing. Instead, he leisurely roasted meat nearby, utterly unconcerned with her feelings.

"Bastard..."

Qian Renxue muttered softly, her fingers tightly clutching the corner of her clothes, yet her gaze still drifted uncontrollably toward the campfire.

The firelight danced across the young man's focused profile. The skewers in Lu Chen's hands had been roasted golden and glistening, their surfaces slightly charred and crisp with an enticing sheen.

Each time he turned them, a rich aroma rose with the heat, making saliva gather on one's tongue.

Qian Renxue secretly swallowed, then swiftly looked away again. She forced her little face into a stern expression and tried hard to maintain her aloof demeanor.

Just as she could not resist stealing a fifth glance, soft footsteps sounded.

Lu Chen walked over with two freshly roasted skewers of snake meat. He naturally sat down beside her and offered one to her.

The skewer was still steaming, its fragrance washing over her.

"Here. Fresh off the fire. I specifically picked the most tender meat from the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake."

Lu Chen spoke naturally, without deliberately trying to please her or wearing his earlier mischievous grin.

Yet Qian Renxue still pursed her lips and looked straight at Lu Chen, as though waiting for him to say something.

Lu Chen gave a light cough and said seriously, "I apologize for what I said and did just now."

His voice was sincere and his gaze clear, without the slightest trace of teasing.

Upon hearing Lu Chen apologize, the pent-up frustration in Qian Renxue's heart seemed to silently dissipate by more than half along with his apology and the scent of meat lingering at the tip of her nose.

Qian Renxue was silent for several seconds before slowly extending her hand to take the skewer. Her fingertips accidentally brushed Lu Chen's fingers, and she quickly pulled back as if burned.

"...I understand."

Qian Renxue answered quietly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, while the blush at her ears deepened even further.

Lu Chen leaned back against the rock wall behind him, holding a skewer of roasted meat as well, but he did not rush to eat. Instead, he casually watched the girl before him.

The campfire's orange flames flickered and fell over Qian Renxue's fair profile, casting it in a soft, downy glow.

Qian Renxue ate quietly, taking small bites of the roasted meat with movements that were noble and restrained. Though she was eating game in a crude cave, she still carried an innate air of elegance.

Perhaps she truly was hungry. She did not eat slowly, yet she looked nothing like a mess. She did not even notice the tiny specks of oil at the corner of her mouth, which instead added a touch of youthful innocence.

The longer Lu Chen watched, the more lost in thought he became.

A few hours earlier, this girl had been chasing him across the mountains with the Angel Sword in hand, her eyes full of chilling killing intent as though she wanted to execute him on the spot;

Yet now, she sat quietly across from him, eating the snake meat he had roasted, with all her thorns drawn in like a little beast that had let down its guard.

That contrast made him feel that this was what Qian Renxue should have been like at this age.

But to Qian Renxue, the gaze fixed on her face was far too scorching.

At first, she could still pretend to be calm and focus on the meat in her hands. But that gaze neither avoided nor concealed itself, simply resting directly on her face. Her cheeks grew hotter and hotter, her chewing gradually slowed, and even her fingertips tensed slightly.

Finally, Qian Renxue could endure no more. She looked up and glared fiercely at Lu Chen, her purple eyes glistening with embarrassed irritation. "Why do you keep staring at me?!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Qian Renxue realized that her voice had wavered slightly. It had none of its usual cold authority and instead sounded almost like she was acting coquettishly. Her ears immediately reddened further, and she hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to focus on eating the meat.

Only then did Lu Chen come back to his senses. With an amused smile, he looked away, bit into his skewer, and mumbled, "Nothing. Nothing."

Qian Renxue slowly chewed the meat in her mouth. Its fragrance spread across her tongue, while its warmth traveled down her throat and into her stomach, dispelling much of the exhaustion from her days of travel.

She secretly glanced at the young man across from her. He was lowering his head as he turned the skewer in his hand, his profile sharply defined in the firelight, his expression relaxed yet assured.

Qian Renxue hesitated for a moment before softly speaking to break the silence. "What... is your name?"

Before this, she had only been intent on hunting him down and had never thought to ask his name.

Now that they had gone through life and death together, it felt almost absurd that she did not even know what he was called.

"Lu Chen."

Lu Chen glanced at her and answered readily. "Lu as in land, Chen as in morning light."

Qian Renxue quietly repeated the name once, then looked up at him again. After a moment of hesitation, she continued, "Then, Lu Chen... what are you planning to do next?"

Lu Chen casually set the roasted skewer on a clean leaf, dusted the crumbs from his hands, and answered in a casual yet certain tone, "No long-term plans. Once we get out, I'll keep making money and cultivating."

Lu Chen smiled and added, "There is plenty of time. I'll just take it one step at a time."

He had no great ambitions and no desire to fight for fame or profit. He said the simple words "make money and cultivate" with calm indifference.

"Then would you join our Spirit Hall?!"

Upon hearing that, Qian Renxue eagerly invited Lu Chen.

Her grandfather had said that she was the most talented Spirit Master he had ever seen.

And Lu Chen's talent was not inferior to hers in the slightest.

Whether for public or personal reasons, she wanted someone like him to remain in Spirit Hall.

"Our Spirit Hall has the most Titled Douro on the entire continent. If you are willing to join Spirit Hall, Soul Rings, soul bones, and every top-tier resource will be directed toward you."

Perhaps worried that Lu Chen would refuse, Qian Renxue immediately laid out those promises.

But after hearing her, Lu Chen merely shook his head casually. He poked at the firewood with his fingers, his tone calm but leaving no room for negotiation. "No. Thank you for the offer."

"I've grown used to being free. I can't stand being bound by rules, and I don't want to get involved in the disputes between different factions."

Lu Chen said it lightly, but his refusal could not have been clearer.

Qian Renxue was slightly stunned when Lu Chen refused.

This was the first time in her life that she had taken the initiative to extend an olive branch to someone. With the terms she had just offered, any Spirit Master would likely have agreed in wild delight, yet Lu Chen refused outright without even a trace of hesitation.

Lu Chen's rejection inexplicably brought a hint of disappointment to Qian Renxue's heart.

Qian Renxue pursed her lips and looked at the half-eaten skewer in her hand, her voice lowering slightly. "Spirit Hall is the number one power on the continent. Doesn't that tempt you at all?"

"It does tempt me." Lu Chen smiled, speaking frankly. "But if I truly joined Spirit Hall, there would be far more things beyond my control."

Lu Chen believed that with his talent, if he joined Spirit Hall, he would no longer need to work so hard to earn Gold Soul Coins.

But likewise, if he accepted Spirit Hall's things, he would have to pay an equal price for Spirit Hall in the future.

That was the real reason Lu Chen was unwilling to join Spirit Hall.

For a time, the cave fell silent. Only the campfire crackled, and the atmosphere became faintly awkward.

After a long silence, Qian Renxue suddenly remembered something. She abruptly raised her eyes, a sharp light flashing through her purple pupils. "Then aren't you curious why our bodies reverted to twelve years old?"

Lu Chen looked at Qian Renxue with some curiosity.

"Not long ago, we were still a Spirit Ancestor and a Spirit King. No matter how we collided, it should have been impossible for space to collapse, let alone time to reverse."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue's pace quickened slightly. Clearly, this question had troubled her for a long time. "As far as I know, even Titled Douro do not possess the ability to reverse time. Only the legendary gods possess such divine power."

"My grandfather, Qian Daoliu, is a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo. Once we leave here, come back to Spirit Hall with me. Perhaps my grandfather knows some of the secrets behind this."

Qian Renxue invited Lu Chen once more, but this time she did not mention recruiting him. She only said that they should investigate the reason their bodies had reverted.

After hearing this, Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly said, looking into Qian Renxue's somewhat expectant eyes, "All right."

When Lu Chen agreed, the weight hanging over Qian Renxue's heart finally lifted.

Qian Renxue gave a slight nod. Her voice regained some of its usual coolness, though it hid a trace of barely noticeable lightness. "Then it's settled. We'll rest a little, then set off first thing tomorrow morning."