Outside the Star Dou Great Forest, a bonfire blazed in a clearing surrounded by trees.
Zhu Zhuqing sat on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk. She no longer looked haggard; instead, she appeared cool, even indifferent.
Leaning against the tree, her eyes uncontrollably drifted towards Ye Qiu when he wasn't looking.
He was holding skewered beef, roasting it over the fire.
Glancing at Zhu Zhuqing beside him, he hadn't expected that the person he rescued would be one of the future Shrek Seven Devils, and even become the God of Speed, a second-rank deity, in the future.
Thinking of the Shrek Seven Devils, Ye Qiu couldn't help but recall that silly rabbit. Although it hadn't been long since they parted, the sudden quietness around him still made him a little unaccustomed.
Xiao Wu's charming face, baring her fangs and claws, seemed to appear in the flames, and a gentle smile also appeared on Ye Qiu's face.
The roasted meat emitted a pleasant aroma, and golden oil droplets sizzled as they fell into the fire.
"It's ready! You can eat it once it cools down a bit." Ye Qiu handed over the roasted meat. "By the way, I guess I don't need to feed you this time, right?"
"No need. After a day like this, moving my arms is no problem." Zhuqing took the roasted meat from Ye Qiu, her small lips slightly pouting as she blew on it to cool it.
"That's good!" Sticking the meat into the ground, Ye Qiu lay down on the grass. The Blue Silver Emperor, released by Ye Qiu, playfully touched his cheek.
One day had passed since Can Bao and his group died. During this time, Ye Qiu had begun searching for a Spirit Beast, but he still hadn't found one he was satisfied with.
The Star Dou Great Forest was simply too vast; it would take him a considerable amount of time to search it with his Sharingan.
A one or two-thousand-year-old Spirit Beast was nowhere near the limit of his current Sharingan. Ye Qiu estimated that his ability should be able to control a Spirit Beast over three thousand years old! It might be a bit tricky to make it willingly offer itself as a sacrifice, though.
Just like Sato before, when facing a threat of death, there is often a strong will to survive.
'It's a pity my offensive methods are really too few, and the gunpowder from before is all gone... Sigh!' Ye Qiu felt regretful about this.
A cool voice came.
"You... what were you just thinking about?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about what kind of Spirit Beast I should look for."
Zhu Zhuqing seemed a little nervous, twirling strands of beef into her mouth, her eyes cast down. "I mean, when you smiled just now, did you... think of someone?"
"Huh?" Ye Qiu was stunned, not understanding why she would ask such a question.
"I didn't mean anything else, I just feel like you rarely smile, so I was curious." Her peripheral vision glanced at him then immediately darted away.
Ye Qiu looked at her strangely, clasped his hands behind his head, and leisurely said, "Hmm, I guess so!"
"I guess so?" What kind of answer was that? Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes at him and then said nothing more.
The meat had cooled down enough, and Ye Qiu began to devour it with great relish.
"Can you help me become stronger?" After a period of silence, Zhu Zhuqing's voice once again turned cold.
"Hmm?" Ye Qiu quickly swallowed the beef in his mouth, looking at her in surprise, pointing to himself: "I'm just a commoner. As the second young miss of the Zhu family, don't you have far more resources than me? And you still need my help?"
"What I mean is for you to help me hunt for a Spirit! Your strength is such that even a Spirit Ancestor can't do anything to you. It shouldn't be difficult to help me hunt a hundred-year Spirit Beast, right? I can pay you a reward!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him seriously, waiting for his answer.
"Help you? And a reward?" Hearing her words, Ye Qiu's eyes lit up!
In Douluo Continent, the most common form of Spirit hunting was teamwork. With team cooperation, not only could the efficiency of Spirit hunting be improved, but it was also often possible for the weak to defeat the strong.
Although he didn't have gunpowder now, didn't he have a living teammate right beside him?
Ye Qiu tore off a piece of beef, chewing it with relish, his eyes beginning to scan Zhu Zhuqing up and down.
"What are your eyes looking at! Although I promised you a reward, that doesn't mean you can have such dirty thoughts." Zhu Zhuqing guarded her chest, looking at him warily.
"Cough cough... Where are your thoughts going?" Ye Qiu almost choked on the meat. He casually discarded the roasted meat in his hand, came in front of her, and squatted down.
Looking at her seriously, "You... what are you doing?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes darted away.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, "I need you!"
"Ah, n-need me!?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at him blankly, a little flustered, not knowing what he meant. Hadn't she been the one to ask for his help first?
"I need your help, or rather, we help each other!"
"Help each other? What can I help you with when I'm injured now?" She pushed Ye Qiu's hands away.
"I'll help you get your second thousand-year ring! You help me hunt a Spirit Beast over three thousand years old, how about it?" Ye Qiu directly stated his request.
"Are you out of your mind? First of all, I don't know if I can help, and I've never heard of..."
"Never heard of a thousand-year second ring, right?" In her strange gaze, Ye Qiu finished her sentence.
Sometimes, actions speak louder than words!
Ye Qiu directly activated his Spirit, and a purple light rose from beneath Ye Qiu's feet.
"This... how can this be... how is this possible!" Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth, somewhat incoherent, looking at him in shock... her eyes filled with that touch of purple.
Ye Qiu leaned close to her, pinching her chin, his voice seemingly imbued with magic, full of temptation, "Don't you want to become stronger? As long as you obtain a purple second ring, your spirit power will definitely advance by leaps and bounds. That would save so much arduous cultivation time~"
He expected her to agree without hesitation, but she just froze there, staring intently at the blood-red color in Ye Qiu's eyes... her lips slightly parted.
'She's going to agree!' Seeing her reaction, Ye Qiu's heart swelled with joy.
However, the voice he anticipated didn't sound; Zhu Zhuqing's face kept growing larger in his vision.
Pop! Ye Qiu's body trembled, his eyes losing focus.
A coolness spread across his lips, a slippery sensation in his mouth, her hands cupping his face, her eyes misted over.
'This is...!' Ye Qiu froze in place, the spirit power in his body ceasing to circulate, the Sharingan in his eyes slowly dissipating.
...
A moment later, Zhu Zhuqing's body temperature slowly returned, clarity reappeared in her eyes, her pupils dilated, and the two stared at each other with wide eyes.
A blush appeared on her face, and with a glare from her almond-shaped eyes, she pushed Ye Qiu away.
Ye Qiu lay on the ground, savoring the lingering, unusual taste, lost in thought for a long time.
Zhu Zhuqing covered her mouth, her small chest heaving up and down, her earlobes almost dripping blood! She actually...
She glared at Ye Qiu with hatred, wishing she could cut off her own tongue.
It suddenly became quiet, with only the rustling of wind through the leaves.
A withered leaf fell from a tree, landing on Ye Qiu's brow, and he shivered, finally coming back to his senses.
"I-I'm so sorry—" He quickly got up and apologized to Zhu Zhuqing in a panic, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.
"I agree!"
"Huh?"
Looking at him coldly, Zhu Zhuqing said again, "I said, I agree to help each other!" Her voice also carried a chill.
"That's great!" Ye Qiu first shook his fist, then explained to her: "Just now... just now I..."
"Enough! That was just an accident, and I don't want to bring it up again..." Her small hand was clenching so tightly that it turned white. "If you dare to speak of what happened between us, I will kill you! Definitely!"
She glared at Ye Qiu fiercely, her words resolute. Even though her heart felt a slight tremor, her identity compelled her to cut off such unrealistic thoughts!
Ye Qiu also calmed down. He wasn't entirely clear about her thoughts, but he understood that she truly didn't want to mention it again.
"Alright! Don't worry, I'll keep these things to myself."
"Mm!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded, a hint of dimness in her eyes.