"Zhu Zhuqing, what are you saying?! You and my brother are master and disciple! How could you do that?!"
Xiao Wu grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's shoulders and shook her wildly.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head guiltily, not daring to make a sound.
Ning Rongrong was completely dumbfounded as well. Her earlier fear had long since flown beyond the ninth heaven.
She blinked her large eyes, staring at the silent, downcast Zhu Zhuqing, and asked in utter confusion:
"Zhu Zhuqing, you and Chen Yang aren't a couple? Then why were you hugging him and being so intimate with him?"
Zhu Zhuqing did not hide anything, explaining what had happened with Dai Mubai.
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened when she heard it.
"That lecherous tiger is actually that spineless? Does he have even a shred of manhood left? You did the right thing, Zhu Zhuqing. I'm on your side!"
Her eyes shifted thoughtfully. If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't lied to her...
Judging by the events she had described, she must have become his disciple quite recently. That meant Chen Yang's motives for taking her in weren't pure.
Zhu Zhuqing had an average martial soul and average talent, with a whole heap of trouble trailing behind her. All she really had going for her were her face and figure.
Looked at that way, it was obvious. He was after her body.
Ning Rongrong inwardly scorned him, but then realized something was wrong.
Why did Chen Yang show me this world?
There are only two reasons he'd show an outsider something like this without any reservations.
Either he wants to kill me to silence me, or he wants to screw me.
She looked suspiciously at Chen Yang and found him teasing Xiao Wu with a Pokéblock, his eyes constantly darting her way.
Well, it's the second one...
Hiss... What am I supposed to do if he forces himself on me?
I can't beat him in a fight, and I can't escape.
From what those little illustrated books say, the first time is supposed to hurt a lot, right?!
"Rongrong, Rongrong?!"
Ning Rongrong, who had been biting her finger with a conflicted expression, snapped out of her thoughts at Zhu Zhuqing's call. Her eyes were somewhat blank.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I was asking what you're going to do afterward. You can't really stay at Shrek, can you?
"You've seen what Dai Mubai is like. How decent could anyone who hangs around with him possibly be?"
Ning Rongrong's face filled with disgust. Those words reminded her of that middle-aged man whose martial soul was a sausage.
He was already so old, yet he had still looked at her with those lecherous eyes. It had made her want to puke.
If she really had to stay at Shrek, she might actually die of disgust.
"Forget it. When you leave, I'll go back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too. I don't want to stay with them."
Then she changed tack.
"How about I take you as my master too, Chen Yang? Then I can leave with you, and you'll gain a powerful backer like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Ning Rongrong looked at Chen Yang hopefully, waiting for his answer.
Chen Yang pulled back his saliva-covered finger and wiped it on the sofa in mild disgust.
Then he looked Ning Rongrong up and down, pretending to consider it.
In secret, however, he had opened an encrypted conversation with Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu.
Chen Yang: (Zhu Zhuqing, what do you think of Ning Rongrong?)
Zhu Zhuqing: (I think she's all right. Besides, Master, haven't you wanted to take her in for a while now?)
Xiao Wu: (Brother, you're just lusting after her body, you big lecher. Zhu Zhuqing, let me tell you, when you and Ning Rongrong teamed up to fight that bear, he kept staring at both of you without even blinking.)
Chen Yang: (You're talking too much! That was a look of appreciation.)
Ning Rongrong sat awkwardly on the sofa. Feeling the sudden silence around her, she nervously clutched the hem of her skirt.
"Um... It's fine if you can't. Just don't stay silent."
"Ahem. I can, but take a look at this."
Chen Yang rubbed his fingers together, giving her a meaningful look.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had vast wealth and holdings. It would be a shame not to squeeze a little out of them.
As for romance, that could wait. He would win Zhu Zhuqing over first. He had been craving a taste of her for ages.
With remarkable generosity, Ning Rongrong swept her hand over her bracelet. A flood of Gold Soul Coins instantly poured out, covering the entire table.
"Is this enough? If not, I'll ask my family for more. This is all I brought with me."
Xiao Wu's eyes went wide. She picked up a Gold Soul Coin and bit down on it.
"It's actually real! Rongrong, you're way too rich! I've never seen so much money in my life!"
"Hehe~ This is only a small part of my pocket money. If my Soul Tool hadn't run out of space, I could've brought even more."
Ning Rongrong planted her hands proudly on her hips.
Little did she know, her lavish generosity put tremendous pressure on Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. A barely perceptible trace of loneliness passed through her cool gaze.
Xiao Wu had the emotional foundation of years spent by Master's side. Since meeting him, she had accompanied him every step of the way, their hearts in tune.
Ning Rongrong had the enormous backing of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She could readily provide connections and resources that would genuinely help Chen Yang.
I'm the only one who has nothing...
Meanwhile, Chen Yang had taken out a Master Ball and thrown it at Ning Rongrong's head.
Thunk-
Whoosh-
[Da-da-da-daa~ Successfully caught the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!]
He hurriedly picked up the Pokédex to inspect it.
[Species: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda/Human??? Type: Normal, Fairy Level: 26 (956/1157) Talent: Above average Skills: Strength boost, speed boost. Ability: Prankster (All status moves used by a Pokémon with this Ability gain +1 priority, including status Z-Moves, allowing it to act first to apply buffs or disrupt opponents.) Nature 1: Mischievous (Speed increased by 10%, physical defense reduced by 5%.) Nature 2: Careful (Special defense increased by 5%, special attack reduced by 5%.) Evolution path: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda → Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda → Nine-Color Jade Spirit. Evolution method: Absorb rare items to undergo evolutionary refinement and shed the mortal shell. Current progress: 0/100] "Ding. Successfully intercepted Ning Rongrong, weakening the Child of Destiny's strongest support and plundering a large amount of destiny. Reward: Secret Technique Disc · Light Energy Barrier (When used by a Pokémon, it grants protection to all teammates, greatly increasing physical defense and special defense.) Reward: Dark Ball ×10 (Originally capable of forcibly capturing Pokémon. After modification, it can forcibly plunder other people's martial souls.)"
Chen Yang's eyelid twitched. What was going on?
How had Ning Rongrong gotten him Dark Balls?
Freaking awesome!
Click~
Chen Yang released Ning Rongrong.
She blinked, looking utterly bewildered.
"Welcome, Rongrong. From now on, we're family."
"Huh? Just like that?"
"It's not 'just like that'~ Anyone caught by my Master Ball can never escape. Even if you run to the other side of the world, I can bring you straight back.
"Strictly speaking, all of you belongs to me now. I can do whatever I want~ Hehehe~"
Chen Yang let out a villainous laugh, holding his hands out in front of him and making sinister gestures.
Ning Rongrong shrank back, forcing a smile uglier than tears as the hairs on her back stood on end.
I only wanted to build a connection, not sell myself!
"I... Can I take it back?"
"Hehe~ Nope."
Utterly hopeless, Ning Rongrong collapsed onto the sofa like a statue drained of all its color.
Seeing that her eyes had reddened, Chen Yang dropped his teasing expression.
"I'll stop teasing you. Don't you want to break past level 80 and achieve Martial Soul Evolution?"
Before you continue