Bathhouse Chat!

The bathhouse!

Ma Hongjun glanced at Yang Que, who had his eyes closed in a nearby tub, and whispered to Tang San, "How is that monster Yang Que so strong? He's got one head, two hands, and two legs, just like the rest of us!"

Dai Mubai leaned over too. "Yeah, I don't get it either. He's only twelve and a half, and he's stronger than me!"

Tang San glanced at Yang Que, who seemed to be dozing off. "Honestly, I don't really understand it either. Brother Que has been frighteningly clever and talented since he was little! As for why he's this strong, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with his background."

"Hm? What background? Could he be a prince from some empire?" Dai Mubai guessed.

"No way. But now that Boss Dai mentions it, I can kind of see it. Aside from Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao San, does he ever give anyone a friendly look?" Ma Hongjun said.

Tang San laughed. "Stop making wild guesses. Brother Que grew up with me! How could he be a prince? He doesn't give you a friendly look because you're such a pest. You're asking for a beating!"

Ma Hongjun: "..."

"You never know! Maybe some empire sent him out to gain experience," Dai Mubai speculated.

"That can't be right, can it?" Tang San had heard Grandpa Jack say Brother Que's past was rather tragic, but Jack had never said who his parents were. Could Brother Que really be a prince from some empire?

"Oh, stop guessing! Watch out, or that monster will wake up and beat you!" Oscar said quietly.

A shiver ran through everyone.

"Hey, do you think the girls are soaking in baths like us right now?" Oscar asked, waggling his eyebrows with a lecherous grin.

"Just like us? As in, completely naked?" Ma Hongjun perked up too, chuckling.

Two fists suddenly shot out, one at each of them!

"Ow!" Both men cried out in pain.

They looked at Tang San and Dai Mubai in confusion. Oscar caught on quicker. After glancing at Tang San, he said, "Oh, right, Xiao Wu's over there! Fatty, what were you thinking?"

"Me? It was your idea!" Ma Hongjun pointed at himself and protested indignantly.

"Hah! I was testing you, understand? But Boss Dai, you don't have a sweetheart over there. Why did you get involved?" Oscar asked Dai Mubai.

"Exactly, Boss Dai! Why'd you butt in? When we go out, you always pick the prettiest girl, and we let that slide. Now you're competing with us again? Zhu Zhuqing's taken by that monster Yang Que, and Xiao Wu's Tang San's. That leaves only two. Can't you leave your brothers a sip of the soup?" Ma Hongjun grumbled.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Xiao Wu isn't mine! She's my sister!" Tang San's face reddened.

"Oh, come on. Your sister?" Ma Hongjun curled his lip.

"She's your dear little sister now, and later she'll be your very dear sister, right?" Oscar wore a filthy grin.

Tang San: "..."

Dai Mubai said, "Dan Moyou is mine! Keep your hands off her! And don't let anything slip about what happened before."

"Ugh, shameless!" Oscar and Ma Hongjun said together.

"What did you two say?" Dai Mubai asked, rubbing his fists threateningly.

"..."

Yang Que slowly opened his eyes. "If you're here to bathe, then bathe. What's with all the yapping?"

"Hey, Yang Que, you wouldn't believe it. These guys are plotting to climb over the wall and watch the girls bathe," Lin Song said with a wicked grin.

"Oh? Are they?" The corner of Yang Que's mouth lifted.

Everyone: "?????" Good grief. That bald head makes him look so honest, but his heart is pitch-black! Talk about fighting dirty!

Before anyone could explain, bam, bam, bam, bam! A flurry of blows rained down. Everyone clutched their heads, their faces full of misery...

Yang Que had known what they were saying all along. He had just wanted to beat them up to relieve his boredom!

"You guys have fun. I'm off to train," Yang Que told the others behind him.

Everyone: "!!!!"

"That monster finally left. That bald jerk framed us and got my handsome face beaten up! Brothers, get him!" Oscar said, touching his face indignantly.

"????" Why does that sound like he only wants revenge for his face? Never mind. They would beat the guy up first!

"Ah! Not the face!" Lin Song cried, covering it with his hands.

... Suddenly, wails rang out through the bathhouse, mingled with the lecherous laughter of the other boys.

Yang Que glanced back, shook his head, and smiled. Then he headed toward Zhu Zhuqing's room.

At the same time, in the girls' bathhouse...

The girls were teasing and splashing one another too!

After a while...

Dan Moyou asked, "Zhu Zhuqing, you and Yang Que are the only ones among us who've made it official. Tell us, how did you two meet?"

"Yeah, I'm curious too!" Xiao Wu said. "Brother Que spent those five years training in the Star Dou Great Forest, so you shouldn't have had a chance to meet him. How did it happen?"

"Five years? Training in the Star Dou Great Forest? You mean he went there when he was seven?" Ning Rongrong covered her mouth in astonishment.

"Yeah! You didn't know?" Xiao Wu asked.

The others shook their heads.

"Oh no, I just let Brother Que's secret slip! Is he going to beat me up? Ah, never mind that! Zhu Zhuqing, tell us how you met him!" Xiao Wu hurried to change the subject, sounding a little frightened.

"Come on, Xiao Wu! You can't tell us half the story and stop. You're leaving us hanging! Tell us the rest!" Ning Rongrong pressed, her curiosity piqued.

"Exactly! I want to know how a seven-year-old dared to train in the Star Dou Great Forest, a place everyone fears like a tiger, for five whole years," Dan Moyou said.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but you can't tell Brother Que I did. Otherwise, he'll beat me up," Xiao Wu said.

Xiao Wu went on to tell them how she had met Yang Que and Tang San at Nuoding City Academy, how a conflict had broken out with another class, and how Yang Que had knocked their leader flat with one slap. Afterward, he had easily defeated Tang San when Tang San challenged him.

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

Xiao Wu then told them that, before he was even a Soul Elder, Yang Que had challenged one while preparing to train in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Everyone broke into a cold sweat for him.

Then Xiao Wu told them how Yang Que had defeated that Soul Elder with the power of a single Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

The girls could only marvel at the strength of Yang Que's talent.

As for Yang Que's days training in the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu didn't know much about them.

At that point, Ning Rongrong asked curiously, "Why did Yang Que go train in the Star Dou Great Forest when he was only seven? Everyone fears that place like a tiger."

Hm? Ning Rongrong had plainly struck upon the heart of the matter. The other girls turned curious eyes on Xiao Wu too.

"I'm not too sure. From what Grandpa Jack said, it sounds like Brother Que's parents ran into a powerful enemy. They left him with Grandpa Jack to raise when he was very, very young. I guess he wants revenge?"

"You absolutely can't tell Brother San or Brother Que I said that. They'd beat me up so badly, so badly, so badly!" Xiao Wu said fearfully.

"Huh? Yang Que grew up without his parents? They faced a powerful enemy, so he pushed himself to become stronger, hoping to find them and take revenge? No wonder..." Ning Rongrong suddenly felt sorry for that fierce-looking guy.

In truth, Xiao Wu didn't know that Yang Que had originally wanted only to roam unhindered across the entire Douluo Continent. Learning that news had made him work even harder. It had pushed him to drive himself more fiercely.

Hearing that Yang Que had grown up without his parents' love, Zhu Zhuqing felt a pang in her heart. No wonder he's so strong, so relentless. A single herb or piece of clothing costs him so much that he frets over it for ages.

So all of it was to find his parents! Compared with him, what do I have to be dissatisfied with? I grew up in a great family, with all the resources I needed and parents who loved me, even if the family itself hasn't treated me well.

As Zhu Zhuqing thought about it, her eyes reddened.

The other girls noticed something was wrong. Dan Moyou came to Zhu Zhuqing's side first. "What's the matter, Zhu Zhuqing?"

"It's nothing. I just suddenly realized how hard Yang Que has worked, and how lonely he must be." Zhu Zhuqing gathered herself.

"Yeah. He always looks so fierce, but I guess he's just used to being hard on himself. Wait, Zhu Zhuqing, didn't he tell you?" Ning Rongrong felt sorry for him too, but she was curious.

"No. He's never told me," Zhu Zhuqing said, pouting.

"Zhu Zhuqing, don't overthink it. I wouldn't tell anyone either," Dan Moyou said gently, afraid Zhu Zhuqing might take it the wrong way.

"Not even the person closest to you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

"Well... Zhu Zhuqing, think about it. Have you really found your way into his heart yet? Even Tang San and Xiao Wu, who grew up with him, didn't know. They only heard it from their grandfather. Otherwise, I suspect Yang Que might not have told them for a very long time, or perhaps not at all. It's his burden and his secret. He wouldn't tell anyone who wasn't truly close to him."

"So being the person closest to him means finding your way into his heart. Do you think you've done that yet?" Dan Moyou seemed to understand these things well, and she talked Zhu Zhuqing through it.

Zhu Zhuqing fell into thought. Had she really found her way into Yang Que's heart? She didn't know. After what had happened between them in the Star Dou Great Forest, she had run away. They had only met again and become lovers now. Had she truly reached his heart? Honestly, she hadn't. And she was still bound by an engagement. He might not mind, but why should he share the most important secret in his heart with her?

Thinking of it that way lifted Zhu Zhuqing's mood considerably, though a small knot remained in her heart.

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing felt better, Dan Moyou quickly changed the subject. "You still haven't told us how you two fell in love."

Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly turned red. "Do I have to tell you?"

"Oh, come on! We're all close friends. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Ning Rongrong was back to making mischief. After touching a sore spot earlier, she hadn't dared speak, but now that Zhu Zhuqing seemed better, she jumped right back in.

"Actually... it wasn't anything much! We met by chance, then something unexpected happened, and that's how we ended up together," Zhu Zhuqing said, blushing.

"Oh? You met by chance? Something unexpected happened?" Ning Rongrong's curiosity flared, and she immediately pressed for details.

"Come on, Rongrong, don't ask anymore! Give Zhu Zhuqing a moment. We can talk about it another time," Dan Moyou said, ever considerate.

"All right," Ning Rongrong said with a pout.

By the time the girls finished bathing, it was late at night. They said goodnight to one another and headed to their rooms.

Zhu Zhuqing walked with her head down, lost in thought. She had no idea a man stood directly in her path.

Then, with a thump, she walked straight into his arms! He caught her and held her close. "What are you thinking about so deeply?" he asked softly.

Yang Que had waited outside Zhu Zhuqing's room for a long time. When she still hadn't returned, he had grown bored and wandered along the path. Then he had spotted Zhu Zhuqing walking as though her soul had wandered off, so he had stepped in front of her.

Zhu Zhuqing came to her senses and immediately struggled. Once she realized it was Yang Que, she stilled. She rested against him without a word.

Sensing that something was wrong, Yang Que put an arm around Zhu Zhuqing and led her toward Back Mountain...