Should I tell the young master, or secretly warn Lan Si to stay away from any woman except the young master? That idea still seems unwise. Lan Si is clearly the kind of person who reacts negatively to force. The more he's pushed, the more likely he'll do the opposite, which could make things worse.
Whether to say anything or not became the biggest dilemma for Snake Spear Douluo.
"Snake Spear, what are you staring at? The young master is waiting for you to report back!" A rough voice suddenly interrupted Snake Spear Douluo's thoughts. A heavy hand then landed on his shoulder.
"Damn it, Porcupinefish! Why do you walk so silently? Trying to scare me to death?" Snake Spear Douluo cursed under his breath, clearly startled.
"You were just too careless. You're a Titled Douluo, and you didn't even notice me behind you," Porcupinefish Douluo retorted with a shrug. He then looked towards where Snake Spear Douluo had been staring and said nonchalantly, "Huh, I thought you were watching something important. It's just that Nine-Hearted Begonia girl and some couple. What's so interesting about that?"
"Do you know who that blue-haired boy hugging the girl is?" Snake Spear Douluo rolled his eyes and asked.
"Who is it?" Porcupinefish Douluo's pupils suddenly shrank as if he realized something. "Don't tell me that's the young master's love interest, Lan Si?"
"Who else could it be?" Snake Spear Douluo responded, rolling his eyes again.
"So, what do we do? With the young master's temper, Lan Si's in for a world of trouble. And the Grand Priest already knows about this situation. He's very fond of that boy, with his twin spirits, external spirit bones, and third spirit ring exceeding the age limit. If something happens to Lan Si, we won't be able to explain ourselves," Porcupinefish Douluo said, visibly troubled.
"You're asking me? I was about to ask you the same thing!" Snake Spear Douluo snapped back, irritated.
"How about we take matters into our own hands and secretly get rid of the girl in Lan Si's arms? Solve the problem once and for all?" Porcupinefish Douluo's eyes gleamed with a sinister intent.
Snake Spear Douluo looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Are you sure this won't come back to bite us? One wrong move and we might turn this boy against the Spirit Hall for good. Then the young master might offer us up as scapegoats to placate him. In the end, we'd be the ones paying the price."
Hearing this, Porcupinefish Douluo's earlier ruthlessness disappeared, replaced by fear. Knowing their young master's cold, calculating nature, it wasn't hard to imagine her doing exactly that to protect her interests.
"So, what do we do?"
"That girl jumped into Lan Si's arms of her own will. Let's just hope it's all a misunderstanding and tell it like it is. When the time comes, make sure you don't say anything you shouldn't," Snake Spear Douluo sighed.
Porcupinefish Douluo nodded heavily. Both of them vanished from the scene, heading towards the Crown Prince's residence, discussing their next steps along the way.
Meanwhile, Lan Si stroked Zhu Zhuqing's head, trying to change the topic. "By the way, Lingling, Zhuqing, what are you two doing here?"
"What else? We were looking for you! Do you have any idea how long you've been gone?" Ye Lingling puffed up her cheeks. Only when she was with Lan Si would she show such an expression fitting for a girl her age.
"Have I been gone that long?" Lan Si scratched his chin.
"Eight days! If tonight passes, it'll be nine days!" Zhu Zhuqing looked up, the redness in her cheeks fading slightly, replaced by a look of mild reproach.
"Hmm, I guess it has been longer than usual," Lan Si admitted, feeling a bit awkward.
"Well, at least you're safe," Ye Lingling said, glancing around. The stunning looks of the trio had drawn quite a crowd of onlookers. She looked back at Lan Si and said, "There are too many people here. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
Lan Si and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Soon, the three of them found a decent restaurant and sat down after ordering a few dishes.
As they chatted, Lan Si learned from the two women about how Shrek Academy had been expelled from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy by Dugu Bo, just as it had happened in the original timeline. The only difference was that Zhu Zhuqing had been kept behind by Ye Lingling, which made Lan Si secretly give his cousin a thumbs-up in his heart.
"Don't worry, Zhuqing. As for Xue Beng, Xue Xing, and that old poisoner, I'll make sure they pay for what they've done to you one day," Lan Si said, gripping Zhu Zhuqing's hand under the table.
Hearing his words, Zhu Zhuqing felt touched but quickly shook her head. "No, Ah Si, don't. They're not people to mess with, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Lan Si replied with a reassuring smile.
Ye Lingling, knowing Lan Si's temperament, didn't say much. She trusted that he wouldn't act rashly. Since he'd made such a promise to Zhu Zhuqing, he was serious about it. Instead of arguing, she smiled and changed the topic, asking, "Ah Si, how did your appearance change so drastically all of a sudden?"
"I had a bit of an adventure in the Sunset Forest. My martial spirit underwent a second awakening—well, more like an evolution. As a result, my appearance changed too," Lan Si explained with a light smile.
The two women suddenly understood. No wonder Lan Si's Blue Lotus martial spirit looked so different from before. They were both happy for him but also felt a bit envious. Lan Si was already strong, and now with his martial spirit evolving, his strength would only grow. They quietly vowed not to let themselves fall behind.
Seeing the determination in their eyes, Lan Si chuckled and said, "Later, I have something to give you both."
The two women blinked in surprise and were about to ask what it was when a sweet, bell-like voice suddenly called out, "Zhuqing... Zhuqing! It really is you!"
Lan Si and the two women turned toward the voice and saw a young girl with long brown hair walking toward them.
The girl looked to be about the same age as Zhu Zhuqing, dressed in a simple tea-green gown that gave her a very clean and fresh appearance. She was close to 1.7 meters tall, slightly shorter than Zhu Zhuqing, with a very delicate face. Her skin was flawless, as white and smooth as peeled lychee.
Behind her was a boy who looked around fourteen or fifteen. He wore simple gray clothes, had neatly cropped hair, large almond-shaped eyes, and a mischievous smile. With his goggles and deep-set eyes, he looked like a roguish noble. Though handsome in his own right, he paled a bit in comparison to Lan Si.
They were none other than Oscar and Ning Rongrong, out for a stroll.
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