In the distance, the coachman stared wide-eyed as he watched their carriage company's little horse gradually approach.
How could such a little horse carry two peerless beauties?
Especially when both beauties were being held in Chen Ci's arms. The coachman wished he could take Chen Ci's place.
But it was only an idle thought. After all, this young master had close ties to a direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Once Chen Ci and the others approached, the coachman could only dutifully hitch the horse back to the carriage.
Chen Ci dismounted first and entered the carriage with the speed of thunder that left no time to cover one's ears. He sat on the cushioned seat, leaning slightly forward to conceal a certain protruding part.
Before long, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing climbed into the carriage one after the other.
Ning Rongrong walked over to Chen Ci as a matter of course, linked her arm through his, and sat down.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Ning Rongrong enviously, then cast an unobtrusive look at the empty seat on Chen Ci's other side.
In the end, she chose to sit opposite them.
She actually very much wanted to sit beside Chen Ci, but she could also tell that this direct disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had a close relationship with the young man.
Still, Zhu Zhuqing would not give up because of that. Born into one of the Star Luo Empire's foremost noble families, she knew that powerful men would certainly have more than one woman by their side.
But what troubled her was not just Ning Rongrong's presence. There was also her family's influence.
Just then, Ning Rongrong noticed that some of Zhu Zhuqing's lingering injuries had yet to heal. She took a pill brimming with the breath of life from her Storage Soul Tool and held it out to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Girl in black, this is a healing pill my father refined. Taking it can help you recover from your injuries."
Zhu Zhuqing did not decline and accepted the healing pill, but even as a daughter of Star Luo nobility, she had never seen anything so miraculous.
She looked up at Ning Rongrong and asked:
"Miss Ning, this pill must be quite valuable, right?"
Ning Rongrong waved a hand generously and said:
"Girl in black, just take it. I'm not short of that little bit of money.
"Oh, right, Brother Chen Ci and I don't seem to know your name yet.
"My name is Ning Rongrong, and he's my Brother Chen Ci."
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at their intimate gestures, feeling a little unhappy:
"My name is Zhu Zhuqing. Thank you, Rongrong, for the...
"Um, healing pill."
Just then, Chen Ci silently recited the Clear Heart Technique several times. Only after the heat within him dissipated did he dare sit upright.
He looked at Zhu Zhuqing and said exaggeratedly:
"Zhu Zhuqing, what a lovely name."
Zhu Zhuqing politely returned a smile and traded compliments:
"Your name and Miss Ning's are lovely too."
Chen Ci raised an eyebrow at that. If he remembered correctly, Zhu Zhuqing had seemed like a very cold and aloof girl in the original story.
Meeting her today, she did not seem quite so aloof.
Then Chen Ci asked a question whose answer he already knew:
"Miss Zhu, where are you headed?
"Rongrong and I are going to Suotuo City. If you're headed the same way, you can come with us.
"If not, we can take you to the nearest city, where you can rest and recover."
When Zhu Zhuqing heard that Chen Ci and Ning Rongrong were also headed to Suotuo City, her eyes immediately lit up.
(Chen Ci used a thousand-year Soul Skill in the fight against the mounted bandits just now. He's a Soul Elder above rank thirty, and Miss Ning is also a Soul Elder above rank thirty.)
(Then they must be going to the legendary Shrek Academy.)
(That means we have the same destination, and I can spend more time with them.)
(And if we're all going to Shrek, we might become classmates and teammates.)
(Then I'll have a chance to win Chen Ci over.)
(Even if we don't end up together, having had him once would still be better than never having had him at all.)
Having worked everything out, Zhu Zhuqing replied:
"Chen Ci, Miss Ning, I'm going to Suotuo City too.
"Could you be going to that Shrek Academy that claims to accept only monsters?"
Zhu Zhuqing had thought she had seen through everything, but in the end, only Ning Rongrong nodded, while Chen Ci shook his head.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt a little nervous and pressed:
"Chen Ci, if you're going to Suotuo City but not to Shrek Academy, what are you going there for?"
Chen Ci explained:
"Of course, it's because Rongrong wanted to come.
"I couldn't rest easy letting her come alone, so I had no choice but to come along.
"But if Shrek Academy isn't as mysterious and unfathomable as the rumors say, I'll take Rongrong away.
"To Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire."
Ning Rongrong was delighted to hear that. Completely disregarding Zhu Zhuqing's presence, she turned toward Chen Ci and lightly pressed her red lips to his cheek:
"I knew you treated me best, Brother Chen Ci."
Zhu Zhuqing paid no attention to Ning Rongrong's actions at that moment. Instead, she was wondering where she should go if Shrek Academy really failed to live up to its reputation, as Chen Ci had suggested.
Chen Ci saw through Zhu Zhuqing's concerns and asked:
"If you're worried about where to go afterward, Miss Zhu, you can come with us to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"I've already asked around. The quality of teaching there is very good."
Zhu Zhuqing did not agree outright, but neither did she refuse outright:
"Let's see when the time comes."
Chen Ci smiled faintly and said nothing more.
He knew Zhu Zhuqing might be worried about her family in the Star Luo Empire, because according to her family's practices, her fate was already tied to that wastrel Dai Mubai.
If possible, he would not mind helping this pitiful girl change her fate.
The seed had been planted. All that remained was to wait for it to sprout.
Chen Ci said to Ning Rongrong:
"Rongrong, I'm going to cultivate."
"Oh."
Ning Rongrong gave a pitiful little "oh" and reluctantly let go of Chen Ci's arm.
With Ning Rongrong no longer clinging to him, Chen Ci put the Seven Kill Meditation Method into practice and began cultivating his Soul Power.
Ning Rongrong then looked out the window, admiring the magnificent scenery.
Zhu Zhuqing watched the young man cultivating with his eyes closed, and the delight in her heart grew a little stronger.
(I never expected him to be so dedicated to cultivation.)
(Miss Ning calls him brother, so Chen Ci should also be from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, yet he's completely different from the disciples of noble families and clans I've met before.)
Several days later, a carriage made of golden-thread nanmu wood entered Suotuo City.
Two peerless beauties and a handsome young man stepped down from the carriage.
The girl dressed in blue-green glazed-tile hues gazed at the city with its somewhat exotic atmosphere and exclaimed in admiration:
"So this is Suotuo City?
"It looks so different from the cities in our Heaven Dou Empire."
Chen Ci explained:
"Naturally. Suotuo City sits on the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. It's a place under neither side's control, so it's easy for a distinctive cityscape to develop.
"Let's find somewhere to stay first."
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong both nodded and followed Chen Ci forward.
Suddenly, a fat boy with fiery red hair approached the three with a somewhat sleazy air, his eyes roaming back and forth over Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
Chen Ci frowned when he saw him.
The red-haired fat boy declared arrogantly:
"Hey, brat, this great master is a twelve-year-old Soul Grandmaster, just one step away from becoming a Soul Elder.
"If you know what's good for you, obediently offer those two girls beside you to me.
"Little beauties, as long as you become my women, I guarantee you'll feast on fine food and drink in Suotuo City."
Chen Ci's eyes turned cold, and he said icily:
"You're courting death!"