Zhu Qing, I'll Teach You How to Shoot a Pistol

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the "pitch-black" lump of iron, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "What is this?"

"This is something I forged myself using an ancient weapon blueprint I happened to acquire. I call it a 'Pistol.' Don't underestimate it; its destructive power is tremendous."

Dai Mubai calmly made up an excuse.

"Come, I'll demonstrate it for you."

Dai Mubai turned around, aimed at a tree trunk as thick as a thigh five meters away, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! The explosive report startled birds from the forest!

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong both jumped. When they looked over, they saw a thumb-thick hole in the tree trunk.

"It's that powerful?" Zhu Zhuqing stared at the pierced trunk, her eyes full of shock.

Dai Mubai said evenly, "Yes. At this distance, even if the target is prepared, it can still effectively injure a Soul King-level Soul Master. Even a prepared Soul Emperor could be wounded. And it doesn't require Soul Power to activate. Ordinary people can use it too."

He took out two more brand-new Pistols and handed one each to Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong. "Tomorrow, we'll be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts. It's full of danger there. These two guns are for you to protect yourselves in the future."

"How... do you use this thing?" Ning Rongrong took the Pistol and curiously turned it over in her hands. Carelessly, she pointed the muzzle at Dai Mubai.

"Don't! Don't point the muzzle at people! If this thing goes off accidentally, even I won't be able to take it." Dai Mubai jumped aside in fright, lingering fear in his heart.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ning Rongrong laughed awkwardly.

Dai Mubai shook his head and walked behind Zhu Zhuqing. "Come, Zhu Qing. I'll teach you how to shoot a Pistol first. Rongrong, watch carefully and learn."

He gently wrapped his arms around Zhu Zhuqing from behind, placing his hands over her slightly cool, jade-like hands. His chest pressed against her back, his chin resting in the hollow of her shoulder as his strong masculine scent enveloped her.

Held in Dai Mubai's embrace in such an intimate posture, Zhu Zhuqing's body stiffened slightly. The tips of her ears swiftly turned crimson, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Dai Mubai's gentle voice sounded beside Zhu Zhuqing's ear:

"First, disengage the safety... yes, this mechanism. Then hold it steady with both hands, bend your arms slightly, don't tense up too much... aim, line up the three points..."

"Pull the trigger..."

Bang!

Under his guidance, Zhu Zhuqing fired her first shot. The recoil left her arm slightly numb, but the bullet precisely struck the tree trunk nearby.

Dai Mubai then taught Zhu Zhuqing to fire three more shots before releasing her.

"Try it yourself."

Zhu Zhuqing forcefully suppressed the shyness in her heart and followed the technique he had taught her, firing several more shots on her own. Although her aim was somewhat off, she had grasped the basic operation.

"Well? Do you know how now?" Dai Mubai asked.

"More or less." Zhu Zhuqing nodded, a flash of excitement crossing her eyes.

"Now it's my turn!" Ning Rongrong had been unable to wait any longer. She looked at Dai Mubai eagerly.

Dai Mubai laughed. "Didn't you watch everything when I was teaching Zhu Qing just now?"

"That's different! I want you to teach me hand in hand too!" Ning Rongrong puffed out her cheeks, her tone full of coquettishness.

"Fine."

Dai Mubai helplessly walked behind her and repeated the process, placing his hands over the backs of hers and guiding her in raising the Pistol.

Ning Rongrong's back was almost completely pressed against Dai Mubai's chest. Not only was she not nervous, she was secretly delighted, her face full of a triumphant smile.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several gunshots, Ning Rongrong had also grasped the basics and fired a few more shots by herself.

Dai Mubai helped the two reload their bullets, pressed the magazines into the guns, and chambered a round with a click. "Each gun currently has fifteen bullets. I'll prepare another magazine for each of you, for a total of thirty bullets. Keep them safe."

Ning Rongrong fondly played with the Pistol and said emotionally, "For support-system Soul Masters like us, who lack the ability to protect ourselves, this kind of weapon is simply a perfect match. Thank you, Brother Dai!"

Dai Mubai was speechless. How had he become "Brother Dai"?

Zhu Zhuqing also solemnly stored the Pistol in her Storage Soul Tool and said gently, "For agility-attack Soul Masters, this is also an excellent weapon for assassination. Conceal yourself, close in, strike unexpectedly, and kill with one shot! Thank you, Mubai."

Dai Mubai smiled and naturally took Zhu Zhuqing's right hand, his gaze burning. "What are you thanking me for? What's mine is yours."

Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face instantly flushed to the roots of her ears when Dai Mubai said something so intimate in front of Ning Rongrong.

Seeing this, Ning Rongrong immediately pouted. "Hey, hey, hey, what about me?"

"If you're willing... then of course, it can be yours too." Dai Mubai looked at Ning Rongrong and blurted it out.

Faced with Dai Mubai's blunt words, Rongrong's heart was thrown into turmoil.

Her pretty face instantly turned bright red, and her heart raced as though it were about to leap out of her chest.

But when she recalled Zhu Zhuqing's words from last night, the dazed look in her eyes quickly faded.

She gradually lowered her head and said softly, "I... I still don't know..."

Seeing Ning Rongrong's conflicted and pained expression, Dai Mubai felt a trace of pity.

He reached out and rubbed the top of Ning Rongrong's head, smiling. "It's okay. The Pistol is already yours..."

Ning Rongrong raised her head and nodded softly. "Mm."

"Let's go. We'll head to Suotuo City to reserve a carriage."

With that, Dai Mubai took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and led the way out of the woods. Ning Rongrong followed behind in disappointment.

The three of them left the small forest one after another and continued toward the outskirts of Suotuo City.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, when everyone assembled on the training grounds, Zhao Wuji was already waiting for them.

However, when everyone got a clear look at him, they were all stunned, wanting to laugh but not daring to actually do so.

This seventy-sixth-ranked Soul Sage looked truly... miserable at the moment.

His eye sockets were black and purple, swollen high with a pair of panda eyes. The bruises on his face had yet to fade. His battered, swollen appearance was truly hard not to laugh at.

Dai Mubai looked at Zhao Wuji's miserable state and laughed himself silly inside, but he immediately put on an indignant expression and said angrily, "Teacher Zhao! Who beat you up like this?! Tell me, and I'll definitely avenge you!"

Zhao Wuji's old face darkened, and he gave two awkward coughs. "Who would dare hit me! I merely sparred with an... an old friend I hadn't seen for many years. When experts exchange blows, a few bumps are inevitable. They're just minor injuries. What's there to make such a fuss about?"

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily flicked toward Tang San, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth. "Teacher Zhao, that old friend of yours was far too unkind! You must pay him back properly next time!"

"Enough, enough!" Zhao Wuji impatiently waved a large hand and snorted. "Less nonsense! Everyone, set off! Mubai, you're in charge of leading the team!"

"Yes, Teacher Zhao!" Dai Mubai answered crisply, then turned and headed toward the academy gates.