Han Ruoruo Sets Out for Sun Moon, Hair Under His Head, and Yu Tianjun the Perfect Gentleman

That night, Miss Angel dragged Mr. Qilin into the underground Soul Fighting Arena. They spent half the night researching and half experimenting, leaving both utterly exhausted.

That night, Zhang Lexuan lay quietly in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's infirmary, her vital signs steadily recovering.

Wu Ming woke up, sat up, and looked around in bewilderment. Upon learning she was in Sun Moon, she shouted, "Sun Moon and I will never coexist!"

Respecting the patient's wishes, the doctor knocked her unconscious with a punch and asked his superiors how to proceed.

In their report, they stated that this was the first time in all their years on the job that they had heard such a request.

That night in Shrek City, Han Ruoruo was invited out. Ling Luochеn showed her a withdrawal application and asked her to pass it on.

"Waaah... Why? Why are you leaving too? Lexuan and Ming'er are already gone, and now you're leaving too, Luo Chen..."

Struck by one bolt from the blue after another, Han Ruoruo sobbed in anguish. Tears dripped down as she covered her face with both hands, her hoarse voice steeped in exhaustion.

"What are you saying, Senior Sister? Something happened to Eldest Senior Sister?"

Ling Luochеn had come to Shrek City to bid her friends farewell. Unaware that Yu Tianjun had already rescued Zhang Lexuan, she paled at the news.

"Yes... In the Star Dou Great Forest, too..."

Han Ruoruo wept like pear blossoms drenched in rain, choking out the tragedy.

"I hate myself so much. Why didn't I go with Lexuan that night? Maybe we could have escaped with Ming'er, or maybe we could have died there together. Now I'm the only one left alive. I'm so tired. I'm really so tired..."

"If you'd entered the Core Circle too, the entire team might have been wiped out."

Ling Luochеn took out a silk handkerchief to wipe Han Ruoruo's tears, then said indignantly, "This is the academy's fault. Xuan... Didn't any of the academy's powerhouses go with them?"

The words reached her lips, but the furious little Ling swallowed the name "Xuan." She had some vague knowledge of that old geezer Xuan Zi's track record.

Her face flushed, her delicate oval features as sickly as Xi Shi's, Han Ruoruo shook her head hard. "No. Ever since Lexuan reached eight rings and started leading teams, the academy hasn't sent a Titled Douluo along."

"You know the academy's philosophy. It's disgraceful for Inner Court disciples to need a teacher's help when they go soul hunting."

"I used to think so too, but now I'm wavering. The Star Dou Great Forest still holds dangers we can't face."

"The academy stopped sending anyone because of Xuan Zi's mistakes. That's terribly irresponsible. Luo Chen, I'm really exhausted right now."

Ling Luochеn pressed her lips together, her cheeks turning pale. She and Yu Tianjun had departed at different times, so she still did not know that her dear little brother had already carried Zhang Lexuan back.

After a moment, she said quietly, "I'm heartbroken about what happened to Eldest Senior Sister, but I have reasons I must leave too."

"Why? Because of Ma Xiaotao and the academy's favoritism toward her?"

"That's part of it. The more important reason is Yan Shaozhe."

A deep hatred rose in Ling Luochеn's ice-blue eyes. Looking at Han Ruoruo, she said softly:

"I told you last time that I met someone very, very good while soul hunting in the Far North. He was witty and funny, joyful about life, responsible, and good at comforting people. He had outstanding talent and perfect looks. He saved me in the Far North, and we were as close as brother and sister.

Something happened to him while he was soul hunting in Death Canyon. The culprits weren't soul beasts. They were Yan Shaozhe and three Inner Court Graduates.

Yan Shaozhe hated that he couldn't be used by Shrek. Among the people accompanying him, one wanted to devour him, one trampled on his dignity, and one coveted his soul bone..."

"This city disgusts me. What you've told me has severed my last attachment to this rotten academy, apart from you and Xixi."

"I don't need to say goodbye to Eldest Senior Sister anymore. Someday, when I enter Star Dou, I'll set out white candles and an incense table and bow three times to honor her."

"Don't tell me to graduate from the academy. I no longer want to do anything for Shrek."

Han Ruoruo froze. What did she mean, the Bright Phoenix Super Douluo had led the murder of a genius, and the person they killed was the Heavenly Dragon young master, a rising star of the Douluo Continent?

Was this even the language of the Douluo Continent anymore? Could the powerhouses of the Sun Moon Continent do something like that?

When had Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix fallen into a Dark Phoenix?

Pah! That's an insult to the Dark Phoenix. It should be an Evil Phoenix!

Putting herself in Ling Luochеn's shoes, Han Ruoruo understood her pain. She caught her ill-fated junior sister's hand and said gently:

"Have you thought this through? The academy will never admit they did something like that. If you withdraw now, all those years of hard work will go to waste, and there'll be a very ugly mark on your record."

"Unless you become a Titled Douluo someday, the academy's influence will let them keep you blacklisted in the soul master world forever."

"Why not wait another year? Leave after winning next year's tournament. You might even get a soul bone."

"Senior Sister, none of the three soul bones awarded to the champions ever go to me."

That single sentence from Ling Luochеn left Han Ruoruo stunned.

"Well..."

"You know our team's situation. Ma Xiaotao's evil fire hasn't been eliminated. She might be unable to compete, or she might beg Yan Shaozhe to let her participate. If she goes, one of the soul bones will definitely be hers."

Ling Luochеn listed them as readily as treasures in her own home. "The White Tiger Soul Emperor, Dai Yueheng, is our current captain and most likely the future White Tiger Duke. He'll certainly get a soul bone."

"Gongyang Mo has an extremely rare martial soul. Yao Haoxuan comes from an influential family. The academy might even allocate soul bones to the Reserve Team."

"Although I'm the main controller, I offended Yan Shaozhe long ago. Would the academy give me a soul bone?"

"Definitely not." Han Ruoruo wiped away her sweat, her eyes filling with sympathy.

"So there's no point flattering myself. Shrek won't miss one insignificant Soul King like me."

A cold curve formed at the corners of Ling Luochеn's lips. She mocked herself. "Now, when I remember shouting those damned slogans about glory during the tournament four years ago, I feel so stupid."

"Anyone who threatens Shrek's standing either gets beaten to death or crippled in the arena, or gets dealt with secretly by the academy's higher-ups. What need is there for a little soul master like me to get above herself?"

"Shh!"

Han Ruoruo broke into a cold sweat at those words. She looked around and lowered her voice. "Keep it down."

"I'm sorry, Senior Sister. I lost control of my emotions."

Ling Luochеn drew a deep breath. "That's how things stand. I can't stay here anymore. I've completed all my Inspection Corps Missions. I don't owe Shrek a single bit of its resources. Let everything end here."

Looking into her beautiful eyes, seething with hatred, Han Ruoruo suddenly had a flash of realization. "You're not planning to go..."

She pointed west.

Meeting her gaze, Ling Luochеn nodded gently. "Yes."

"Well..."

Han Ruoruo took a deep breath and asked, "Have you really thought this through?"

"Senior Sister, I have very few attachments here. Two days ago, the academy's irresponsibility took away another one."

Ling Luochеn raised her eyes and said calmly, "I can't remain indifferent after my little brother was murdered. I can't take revenge on the big shots, but I'll fight his students."

"Only by going there can I avoid being killed after the tournament."

"If I don't vent this anger, it'll become an inner demon that stays with me for the rest of my life."

Han Ruoruo gazed at the cool, black-haired, blue-eyed girl for a while. Her expression softened, and she picked up Ling Luochеn's withdrawal application with a smile.

"All right. I won't try to persuade you anymore. I'll call Xixi out and ask her to pass this on. Then I'll go west with you and have a look."

Ling Luochеn was shocked. "Senior Sister, you?"

Han Ruoruo shrugged. A gentle light shone in her lacquer-black eyes, and her pretty face regained a trace of its former confident smile as she said softly:

"I've already lost Eldest Senior Sister and Ming'er. Now I'm going to lose you too. Don't you think that's too cruel to me?"

"Consider it seeing you off on the last leg of your journey. I'll go to Mingdu with you and have a look. That'll put my mind at ease too."

"But won't the academy..."

Moved by her senior sister's care, Ling Luochеn transformed into worried little Ling.

This is dangerous! Don't overestimate how low the academy is willing to stoop!

Worried little Ling: ＞︿＜

"It's fine. The academy doesn't even care about Lexuan. Would they care about me? I doubt anyone would ask if I disappeared for a few months."

Han Ruoruo seemed utterly unconcerned. "The academy's always saying that people from the Sun Moon Continent are pill-popping monsters and useless soul engineers. I might as well go to Mingdu and see for myself."

"For Shrek students like us, unless it's our turn to compete in the Soul Fighting Tournament in Mingdu, we'll never set foot there in our entire lives."

"All right. I'll take you."

Ling Luochеn's eyes brimmed with tears of excitement, though she immediately thought that her senior sister's enthusiasm was a little too much to handle.

I can't let Senior Sister find out about Tianjun and the little angel. What a headache.

Touched little Ling: (ˇˍˇ)

At noon the next day, Yu Tianjun, who had slept in the basement until he woke naturally, received a call from the academy. Jing Hongchen had called specifically to ask his opinion.

"Wu Ming tried to escape even though she barely had any soul power left, shouting that she wouldn't accept the slightest favor from the Sun Moon Empire even if she died of sickness, pain, or hunger?"

"Zhang Lexuan's internal organs are out of danger, but her martial soul is injured, so she needs me to treat her? Has the healing-type Soul Douluo you invited gone on vacation?"

Yu Tianjun was astonished by the two bombshells delivered one after another.

Jing Hongchen's somewhat helpless voice came from the other end. "Don't worry about Wu Ming. I've already ordered them to restrain her. We'll keep her confined for a few days and nights and wait until she calms down."

"Zhang Lexuan's body is fine, and she'll wake up in a couple of days. But her martial soul was torn apart by a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw. We're uncertain how to treat it and need a specialist's help.

As you know, our expertise in martial soul research really isn't that great."

Yu Tianjun sounded skeptical. "Doesn't the imperial family have a Titled Douluo with a Moon Martial Soul?"

"They do, but..."

Jing Hongchen sounded as though his teeth hurt. "He said he wasn't available."

"We could wait for Zhang Lexuan to wake up and heal herself, but that important figure believes it wouldn't help us recruit her.

If we want to win her loyalty, the best approach is for her to wake up and discover that her body is recovering, but that she's no longer at Shrek Academy.

You're someone who can perform martial soul fusion with her. It would be best for you to participate in her treatment."

Naturally, Kong Deming had made these arrangements. Jing Hongchen very much wanted to avoid excessive contact between Yu Tianjun and Zhang Lexuan, but he could not defy that old geezer Elder Kong.

A bewildered question mark seemed to appear on Yu Tianjun's forehead. I'm supposed to save Zhang Lexuan?

"Fine, I can go. But the usual rules apply. Only people I know may observe, and the entire treatment must remain confidential."

Jing Hongchen laughed. "No problem. Tianjun, Little Meng has been missing you these past few days. How about coming over to our place after the treatment?"

"Well..."

"Tianjun, you're lying on my hair."

As they were speaking, Ye Guyi's voice reached Yu Tianjun's ears. He looked up and saw Miss Angel in the distance, a beauty fresh from the bath. Following her gaze downward, he found a strand of hair beneath his pillow.

"When did I yank out her hair during last night's fight?"

Yu Tianjun picked up the hair and pondered. They had researched their Martial Soul Fusion Skill while sparring last night. Neither had used anything as crude as hair-pulling.

Could he have cut it off when their swords clashed after he formed his Dark Qilin Sword?

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

The soul communicator disconnected. Who knew what Jing Hongchen had heard?

"I've taken the hair out. Next time, don't say things that are so easily misunderstood."

Yu Tianjun placed the strand in Miss Angel's fair, smooth palm, his expression darkening slightly.

Barring any surprises, his reputation had already suffered a certain blow.

Although he did not particularly care what others thought of him, being saddled with an undeserved accusation for no reason was hardly fun.

"Sorry. This is your hair. I'll return it too. For a beginner, your swordsmanship is pretty good."

Ye Guyi took her strand of hair and turned her wrist. A strand as black as ink, flowing with a trace of dark aura, appeared before Yu Tianjun's eyes.

"I've sparred with Sword Addict plenty of times. Even an idiot would have learned by now."

Yu Tianjun took his hair back, one eyebrow lifting slightly. Helplessness flickered in his bright, clear eyes. His good roommate had some misconceptions about his talent.

"Mm-hmm. They say a Martial Soul Fusion Skill drains a soul master's essence, energy, and spirit. It was your first time. Have you rested enough?"

Ye Guyi sat down gracefully. Her loose bathrobe could not conceal the exquisite beauty enhanced by her Angel Martial Soul. A soft smile appeared on her cheeks, like fragrant branches heaped with snow. Fresh from the bath, her red lips were lusciously vivid, her neck long and slender, her skin whiter than snow, and her figure supple as a willow, making her all the more graceful.

She gently raised one calf and rested it on her left thigh, her delicate foot swaying and carrying the fresh fragrance of her bath.

Her eyes shimmered like water, reflecting Mr. Qilin's handsome, clean-cut face, rosy with a hint of fairness.

"You make it sound like it wasn't your first time too. Thanks for your concern."

Yu Tianjun curled his lips, then glanced aside. The neighboring Soul Fighting Arena, with a radius of a hundred meters, was now in ruins, as though a ten-thousand-year soul beast had brutally trampled through it.

Although their compatibility was low, their powerful martial soul attributes made the fusion terrifyingly potent.

They had lacked restraint during their first fusion, and Mr. Qilin had expended more energy than Miss Angel.

"Well, I wasn't the one in control, so I used less energy. Our Holy Angel really has declined. If it were still the Six-Winged Angel, you'd be the one worrying about me now."

Ye Guyi stroked her brow like Daiyu and sighed mournfully. Last night had brought both good news and bad.

The good news was that, through persistent attempts, they had discovered a way to use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill under special conditions:

Yu Tianjun spread his Evil God Wings and adjusted the proportions of evil soul power and dark soul power to correspond respectively to the angel's holiness and light, completing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

The bad news was that the Holy Angel had failed to elbow past the Dark Qilin in martial soul quality. Miss Angel had no control over the Martial Soul Fusion Skill and could only submit to his direction during the fusion, reduced to a subordinate existence like the Hell Spirit Cat.

This was not what she had imagined. Ancestor Qian Renxue, your incompetence has ruined my grand plans!

"Look on the bright side. If it were still the Six-Winged Angel, there probably wouldn't be a Martial Soul Fusion Skill at all."

"That's true."

Miss Angel shook off her mood in a single second, as though she had merely been waiting for Mr. Qilin to comfort her. With a charming smile, she asked:

"What does the academy want you for? They have so many people. Can't they heal that older lady?"

Yu Tianjun's mouth twitched. "She isn't that old. If that gets out, someone might beat you up."

"If you're interested, you can come along and look at the physical data of the Shrek Inner Court's top disciple."

How is a woman pushing thirty not old?

Ye Guyi grumbled inwardly but agreed aloud. "Studying a medical case is part of enjoying the show too. I'll go."

"OK. Then, miss, sorry for the trouble, but please step out for a moment. I need a bath too."

"Go on, go on. Nobody's eager to look at you, you perfect... gentleman."

Miss Angel stretched the last words through a whole series of lilting turns, a lingering smile blooming on her snowy cheeks.

A skilled hunter would patiently wait for her prey to lower his guard and willingly walk into her net.