While Wang Chen attended the banquet, Juzi lay on her bed, eyes closed, lips slightly parted.
In her dream, scenes of lingering tenderness between man and woman made her delicate body tremble. A slight chill caused Juzi to slowly awaken from that beautiful dream.
"Hu… hu…" As she woke, Juzi's charming face carried a languid allure; her rosy cheeks were tinged with red, and her brows and eyes overflowed with seductive warmth. Her moist, glimmering eyes seemed as if they could drip nectar — breathtakingly beautiful.
Her breath was soft and fragrant. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her originally tender, dewy lips were now somewhat dry.
Looking at the empty space beside her on the large bed, Juzi suddenly felt a hollow ache in her chest. But when she noticed the blanket covering her body, a faint warmth bloomed within her heart.
Recalling the events of last night, Juzi felt as if she had been a helpless blade of grass caught in a violent storm — small, pitiful, and powerless. And yet, despite the intensity, there had been a gentleness to it; she hadn't been hurt.
Her first kiss, her first time revealing her true self to another…
That bone-deep sensation made Juzi close her eyes once more, reliving it for a moment before finally returning to herself.
She lifted a slender finger to touch her dry lips, remembering how her inexperienced kiss had been led and guided by his practiced one — how she had gradually become more skilled.
Juzi rubbed her lips again, now parched from dehydration, and then used her soul power to conjure a few plump, juicy oranges, eating them one by one.
As a Food-type Soul Master, her combat ability wasn't strong, but she could materialize her soul power into tangible food. A powerful Food-type Soul Master could even supply an entire army alone.
Juzi, a Soul Sect-level Food-type Soul Master, had advanced through the use of soul pills, but her soul power was genuine nonetheless.
After eating several sweet, delicious oranges, she felt much more awake, and her lips regained their natural softness.
Then, Juzi suddenly noticed that there was a letter and a storage-type soul tool bracelet lying on the bed, half-covered by the corner of the blanket.
She immediately picked up the envelope and began to read it.
[Juzi, I'm attending a celebration banquet. Get some rest. The soul tools in the storage bracelet are for your protection — wear them on you.]
Reading the note Wang Chen had left behind, a gentle smile spread across Juzi's pretty face.
That feeling of being cared for and protected made the orphaned Juzi — who had lost her parents long ago — feel as though she finally had someone to rely on.
There's a saying: The fastest way to a woman's heart…
Well, that saying might not be entirely accurate, but sharing such intimacy and witnessing each other's truest selves really could draw two people closer very quickly.
Juzi slipped the soul tool bracelet onto her pale, slender wrist. However, she didn't open it right away — instead, she set it aside.
After all, the things inside wouldn't run away; she could open them anytime.
It was a good thing Wang Chen wasn't there — if he had seen her now, she would've died of embarrassment.
Juzi quickly tidied up the bed. When her eyes swept over the sheets, she paused briefly on the faint trace that marked her transformation from a girl into a woman.
After a moment of hesitation, Juzi carefully cut out that small section of the sheet and stored it within her soul tool bracelet, then replaced the bed with fresh, clean linens.
When she was done, Juzi lowered her gaze to her bare body. Her once fair and delicate skin now bore faint traces of color — as if painted into a beautiful artwork.
And of course, the artist of that painting was Wang Chen. As for the "medium" used in its creation… that was better left unsaid.
Juzi retrieved a new set of clothes from her soul tool, for the garments she had worn yesterday had been torn to shreds during the "battle."
Once her beautiful figure was covered again, Juzi finally began examining the bracelet Wang Chen had given her.
She channeled her soul power into the storage bracelet and drew out its contents.
Inside, she found two soul tools — a blue ring and a beautiful red necklace inlaid with one hundred and eight crimson gems.
Juzi then picked up the accompanying instruction booklet and carefully read through it.
[Blue Crystal Ring] – A seventh-level offensive soul tool, energy-storage type.
Absorbs the moon's radiance to store power. When fully charged, it can release three attacks equivalent to that of a Soul Sage-level powerhouse.
[Red Necklace] – An absolute defense soul tool, also known as Reverse Absolute Defense.
Upon activation, the tool becomes a cage that traps the enemy within it.
For a quarter of an hour, the trapped target will face the defense equivalent of an eighth-level defensive Contra Soul Master.
Note: single-use item.
Juzi's pink lips parted in shock as she stared at the two soul tools.
Both were seventh-level soul tools — one for attack, one for defense.
As a Soul Engineer herself, how could she not know how valuable they were?
Among seventh-level soul tools, these two types — energy-storage and one-time absolute defense — were among the most difficult to create and the most expensive.
To produce just one of these would normally require the skill of an eighth-level Soul Engineer.
The fact that Wang Chen had given her both — one offensive and one defensive — was astonishing.
Juzi's heart softened further. Originally, she had thought that to Wang Chen, she was nothing more than a plaything, a tool.
But seeing that he had given her such rare and precious items for self-defense, she couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
Even if Wang Chen really did see her as a tool or a toy… she would still accept it.
After all, what was so bad about being a "tool," if it was for him?
In truth, these two soul tools had been gifts others gave to Wang Chen in recent days.
Ever since his fame had risen, many people had come to curry favor with him.
The Blue Crystal Ring had been a gift from the Second Prince, Xu Tianyu, while the Red Necklace was given by an eighth-level Soul Engineer.
Though they were well-made and powerful, to Wang Chen — who already possessed top-tier soul tools — they were of little practical use.
So he decided to give them to Juzi for protection.
After all, as a Food-type Soul Master, her combat power was extremely limited, even with soul tools.
Smiling happily, Juzi carefully placed the two items back into the storage bracelet.
Then she climbed off the bed — only to suddenly feel her legs weaken beneath her, causing her to fall right onto the carpet with a soft thud.