Zhu Zhuqing

"..." Yang Yunhai's brow twitched, veins bulging as his right fist clenched instinctively. Soul power rippled around him. The vines surrounding his body suddenly surged forth.

Their barbs sliced and ground, shredding the seven bound Gale Devil Wolves to death in the blink of an eye.

Rip! Rip! Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere.

"..." At the sight of such brutality, the girl's body visibly stiffened, and she could not help thinking inwardly:

Did I say something wrong just now? But... what terrifying control. He can manipulate eight vines at once, and each one possesses such force.

There was no doubt that he was stronger than her.

As she pondered, the vines around Yang Yunhai's body shrank back inch by inch, finally turning into a small azure vine that vanished into his right palm. He then fully turned toward her, shook his head slightly, and spoke with firm conviction.

"I'm not a girl!"

"A man!" The girl's face instantly went pale, her body freezing in place as though struck by lightning.

The person who had pulled her from the pool, dried her body, treated her wounds, and dressed her...

Was actually a man!

Which meant that her body... She shuddered all over as tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.

"..." Sigh, she was a girl, after all. At an age where she had yet to experience such things, how could she possibly keep her emotions in check upon suddenly learning this...? Seeing that she looked ready to burst into tears at any moment, Yang Yunhai found it hard to keep a straight face as well.

After all, he was the one who had shocked her, and he was the one who had caused this mess.

Of course, he definitely could not say that outright. Otherwise, they might end up in a duel to determine both victory and death right there. He had to ease her into it. With that thought, he quietly let out a breath, scratched his head awkwardly, and tried to make his tone as gentle as possible. "I actually waited for a while back then. When you still hadn't woken up after so long and none of your companions came, I chose to intervene."

As he spoke, inspiration struck. He pointed at the Gale Devil Wolf corpses nearby and played the comparison card.

"Miss, you saw it too. There were seven Gale Devil Wolves attacking you. If I hadn't stepped in, I don't think the current situation would be one you'd want to see."

As he spoke, he prepared to explain what he knew from the original description of Gale Devil Wolves, so the girl would understand that he had truly been forced by circumstances to do some improper and discourteous things. But from another perspective, if he had simply left her alone, she would probably have been violated by Spirit Beasts by now.

And there had been seven wolves. That was downright terrifying.

Comparing the two possibilities, the former—being rescued by him—was clearly easier to accept. At the very least, he was human. Still, judging from her earlier reaction, she obviously knew about Gale Devil Wolves.

Come to think of it, he had only been able to identify this pack as Gale Devil Wolves because of the startled shout she had let out earlier.

But that did not stop him from saying it again!

I'm such a clever little guy. Muttering inwardly, he immediately said, "Well, do you know about Gale Devil Wolves? I heard that these Spirit Beasts are... rather like that by nature."

"It's said that they can do that sort of thing with nearly any creature around their own size. You know, that."

The girl was still young, so he felt it was better to put it tactfully. Unlike in his previous life, where a single look or a simple "You know what I mean!" was enough for someone to get the message.

"I know. You don't need to say any more." Before he could finish, the girl's face had already turned pale as she interrupted through gritted teeth.

"Ahem. All right." Seeing that it had worked and that she was finally speaking, Yang Yunhai secretly sighed in relief. He then patted his chest and said seriously, "Miss, don't worry. I, Yang Yunhai, guarantee on my honor that I only performed the necessary treatment. I absolutely did nothing else improper to you."

"Also, I've already healed the injuries on your body. There shouldn't be any scars left."

If no scars were left, then how did he remove the old scars that had fallen away...? The girl shuddered again.

Such a strong reaction... did she realize that I was the one who handled it? Yang Yunhai immediately guessed, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Still, he said nothing. He intended to let her calm down first. It would be best if she could say something on her own so that he would have something to respond to.

Yet after quite some time, the girl still said nothing. Not only did she remain silent, but her mental state seemed to be growing increasingly strange. Her eyes gradually turned vacant and lifeless, giving her the air of a walking corpse.

She isn't thinking of ending her life, is she? Yang Yunhai's heart lurched. He then hardened his resolve and blurted out, "Miss, well... I can take responsibility!"

"My name is Yang Yunhai. I'm ... years old, and I've just become a Soul Elder. In terms of strength, I don't think I'm any weaker than you!"

In short, following him would not be humiliating.

These surface-level details will be spread around during the Soul Master Competition anyway, so I might as well say them... he thought to himself.

As for more detailed information...

Sorry, they had only just met. They really were not familiar enough for that. At the very least, they needed to know each other inside and out first!

So young, yet already a Soul Elder!? The girl was visibly stunned, disbelief surfacing in her eyes as she recalled what she had observed earlier.

There was a bundle lying beside him, so he probably did not have a Storage Soul Tool. Judging from the fabric and style of his clothes, he indeed did not look like a noble. Therefore, he was very likely a commoner Soul Master.

He had just become a Soul Elder—had he only recently obtained his Spirit Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest? And he had done it alone!?

One look at the light around them was enough to tell that it was daytime. In other words, this man called Yang Yunhai had guarded her for at least an entire night. If he had companions traveling with him, they would have come out long ago to help fend off the enemy. The same age as her, a commoner Soul Master?

A Soul Elder! How was that possible!?

With this cultivation speed and this strength, even Soul Masters from sects with Innate Full Soul Power could not accomplish such a thing, could they?

At least, she had never heard of one.

Seeing a trace of life return to the girl's eyes, Yang Yunhai nodded slightly and continued, "In any case, it all depends on your attitude. I'll respect your choice. Also, you can rest assured that I'm not the sort of person to abandon someone after taking advantage of them, or to fly apart when disaster strikes. I, Yang Yunhai, still have some shame."

He had always firmly despised Dai Mubai, who in the original story had abandoned his fiancée and run off alone.

And Yu Xiaogang too. He knew she was his cousin, yet instead of making a clean break on the spot, he chose to run away, letting someone cling to false hope and wait for decades.

Was that something a man could do?

"Anyway..." His tone suddenly shifted. "If you want me to die to atone for this, or cut myself to become a eunuch or something, that is absolutely impossible!"

"..." At Yang Yunhai's bluntness, the girl could not help clenching her fists, lightly biting down on her teeth.

Unbidden, she thought of that man—the man who had abandoned her and fled alone when she was not yet nine years old, and had been gone for more than three years.

Then she recalled Yang Yunhai's words about everyone fleeing for themselves when disaster struck, and for some reason, her heart was filled with bitterness.

Compared to him, she had to admit that Yang Yunhai was indeed better than that man. Strength was secondary; at the very least, he dared to take responsibility and had principles.

Otherwise, she would have long since lost her virginity.

And that man—the playboy in everyone's eyes—could he really restrain himself in such a situation? Right now, he was probably indulging himself among women somewhere.

She fell silent, then thought of her current circumstances.

By now, although Yang Yunhai had not done that sort of thing to her, they had already shared physical intimacy—and it was no ordinary physical intimacy. In her eyes, those were things only a husband could do. As for that person, the only connection between them was a written engagement their families had arranged before she was old enough to understand.

Which was real and which was empty was obvious at a glance.

What should I do!?

She thought of her background, of her family, of the fate she had been taught to bear since childhood. Then she looked at the person before her, who was no more than a stranger she had met for the first time.

For a moment, her thoughts became hopelessly tangled.

The girl must be a complete mess inside right now, Yang Yunhai thought as he saw her expression.

The next moment, he glanced at the sky from the corner of his eye, then swept his gaze over the blood-soaked, chaotic ground around them.

We should leave the Star Dou Great Forest first. Once we're out, whether she stays or leaves will be up to her. With that thought, he spoke again. "The smell of blood here is strong. This isn't a place to stay for long; we'd better leave as soon as possible."

After speaking, he added, "You don't have any companions with you right now. If you travel alone and run into a pack-dwelling soul beast like the Gale Devil Wolf, I imagine it won't be easy to deal with. How about we go together? We can look out for each other. Whatever it is, we can talk after we leave the Star Dou Great Forest. What do you think?"

"Also, miss, if you don't mind me asking."

"What's your name? No matter what, we should at least have something to call each other."

His words were straightforward enough.

"..." The girl remained silent.

Yang Yunhai's expression did not change as he waited quietly.

A few seconds later, the girl finally spoke. Whether it was simply her nature or intentional, her voice was somewhat cold.

"Zhu Zhuqing. My name is Zhu Zhuqing."

PS: I spent eleven hours on the train and didn't get home until noon, so I'm a little out of it. Writing in Word again feels pretty unfamiliar. I'll go to bed early tonight and post more tomorrow.