Erming's golden pupils dilated, glared at Daming, and then stopped roaring.
He turned his gaze strangely to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, the two girls Ye Qiu had brought. Under
the watchful eyes of the two brothers,
both girls felt somewhat uneasy.
Ning Rongrong crouched down, hiding behind Ye Qiu, peeking out a few times.
Zhu Zhuqing gripped Ye Qiu's hand tightly, her soft body pressed close to him, clearly not at peace either. Ye Qiu smiled slightly, tilted his head back, and waved to
Erming and his sister. "Daming, Erming, long time no see!" Erming growled, exhaling two puffs of white smoke from his nostrils, turning his head away unhappily. Daming nodded slightly in response. "Erming, Xiao Qiu is saying hello to you!" Xiao Wu, hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows, walked up to Erming, and kicked its toes. "Roar~" Sister Xiaowu spoke up, and Erming lowered his head again, growling at Ye Qiu. "Sister Xiaowu, who are these two humans?" Daming's muffled voice rang out. "Daming, they are my good sisters. This is Rongrong, and this is Zhuqing!" Xiaowu raised her hand, introducing them to Daming one by one. Just then, Ye Qiu chuckled strangely. "Ah!" Ning Rongrong, who had been hiding behind Ye Qiu, was suddenly dragged out by a hand, her face full of panic. Ye Qiu looked at her teasingly, put his arm around her waist, and held her to his side. He teased, "Rongrong, why are you so shy? Didn't you say before that Daming and the others would call you sister? Aren't you going to say hello?" "Ah, Ye Qiu! How could you say such nonsense?" Ning Rongrong's face turned pale, and she tried to cover Ye Qiu's mouth in a panic. Unfortunately, she was too weak. Ye Qiu looked at her with a smile, unmoved by her grievance. After her resistance failed, Ning Rongrong could only look like she was about to cry. She looked at Da Ming, waving her arms frantically. Her smile was strained and her voice trembled. "Da Ming, Er Ming, hello! I was just joking. Don't take it seriously! Just call me Rongrong from now on." Seeing Ning Rongrong shrink back like a quail after speaking, Xiao Wu covered her mouth, laughing uncontrollably. "Haha, Rongrong, don't be afraid, Da Ming and Er Ming are very easy to get along with!" She jumped to Zhu Zhuqing's side, hugging her slender waist, their faces pressed together, enjoying the silky smoothness. "Zhuqing, you should say hello to them too!" "Mmm," Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly, nervously gripping Ye Qiu's hand. She slowly raised her head, looking at the two enormous soul beasts before her, swallowing hard. She whispered, "I...I am Zhu Zhuqing, hello!" Er Ming nodded and roared twice. Da Ming glared at him, then fell silent, looking at his brother strangely. Da Ming didn't speak. The giant bull's eyes, suspended in mid-air, glanced at Ye Qiu and the others. His eyes revealed surprise and doubt, and his booming voice, steady and clear, carried a questioning tone. "Sister Xiao Wu, what are they and Ye Qiu...?" "Xiao Wu and they will all be my wives from now on!" Before Xiao Wu could speak, Ye Qiu interrupted, answering Da Ming's question. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ye Qiu happily, involuntarily pressing closer to him. Hearing this, Da Ming thought to himself, "Just as I thought." He quickly frowned. Although it didn't know much about the outside human world, it could still see this simple and clear relationship. Da Ming didn't say anything to make things difficult for Ye Qiu, no reprimands, only a serious admonition. Lowering its head, its giant eyes, wreathed in azure energy, stared intently at Ye Qiu. A slight pressure permeated the air. Its calm voice brooked no argument. "Ye Qiu! If you ever dare to treat Xiao Wu badly again, Er Ming and I won't let you get away with it!" "Roar!" Er Ming understood, baring his sharp fangs at Ye Qiu and reaching out to grab him. "Don't worry, I'll definitely treat Xiao Wu well!" Ye Qiu's face showed a warm smile, shining on Xiao Wu's pretty face. Xiao Wu smiled gently and leaned against him. She turned her head to look at Da Ming and Er Ming. Her voice was firm: "Yes! I believe in Xiao Qiu!" Da Ming was stunned for a moment, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He didn't say anything more. After a moment of silence, a very abrupt voice came from above. "Sister Rongrong, Sister Zhuqing, hello!" It was Da Ming's greeting. Not only were Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong stunned, but this also surprised Ye Qiu. He looked up in confusion. The huge eyes of the Azure Bull Python were full of warning. Two long streams of smoke shot from its nostrils as it addressed the still somewhat bewildered Titan Ape: "Er Ming, what are you standing there for? Listen to Sister Xiao Wu, hurry up and call for help!" Seeing this, Ye Qiu finally understood Da Ming's intentions. Weren't they telling him that Xiao Wu had powerful connections?! These two 100,000-year-old soul beasts were Xiao Wu's backers! Ye Qiu couldn't help but chuckle. Although Da Ming called Xiao Wu "sister," most of the time, Xiao Wu seemed to be the one needing its care. Er Ming, not being very bright, scratched its head. Under Da Ming's piercing gaze, it obediently growled at Ning Rongrong and the other woman. "Ah...you...hello!" Ning Rongrong looked at them strangely, raising her hand and waving it.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Xiao Wu, then at Ning Rongrong.
Envy flickered in her eyes, and her gaze dimmed.
Forcing a smile, she responded,
"Hello!"
Xiao Wu understood their pride and Da Ming's good intentions.
Tears welled in her crimson eyes, and she rubbed them with her small hands.
Her face was sincere, her voice genuine.
"Da Ming, Er Ming, thank you!"
"Sister Xiao Wu, Auntie told me to protect you before she left; it's what we should do!"
"Hoo hoo." Er Ming, who couldn't speak, chimed in.
Auntie?!
Ye Qiu paused, realizing this must be Xiao Wu's mother.
His eyes narrowed, and he silently noted it down.
He'd have to ask Da Ming about Xiao Wu's mother when he had the chance.
"Alright, Rongrong, Zhuqing, relax!"
Caught between the two women, Ye Qiu's body temperature began to rise, and he felt a little hot.
Breaking free from their grasp, Ning Rongrong stretched her body.
Standing uneasily, she glanced up at Erming, whose golden eyes shone with an alarming light, before quickly averting her gaze.
She looked around, slowly adjusting to the light and environment.
Her blue eyes gleamed, her face flushed with excitement.
She opened her arms, feeling the gentle breeze.
"Ye Qiu, it's so beautiful and clean here!"
"Yes! Indeed,"
Ye Qiu nodded with a smile.
Since arriving here, his breathing had become much easier.
The Lake of Life constantly radiated a soft light.
Whether it was night or day, the place was filled with that light.
The grass was lush, and the air was fragrant with flowers.
The sky was misty, as if clouds had fallen from the heavens, creating an evergreen atmosphere.
"Not only that, but here... I feel my soul power is circulating much faster!"
Zhu Zhuqing smiled faintly.
"Of course! Otherwise, Da Ming and Er Ming wouldn't have stayed here all this time! This is a treasure trove!"
Xiao Wu nodded proudly; she also loved the environment.
"Excuse me... may I... may I cultivate here?" Zhu Zhuqing cautiously looked at Da Ming, seeking its opinion.
"No problem, Sister Zhuqing!" Da Ming hesitated for a moment, then readily agreed.
Zhu Zhuqing was still quite unaccustomed to Da Ming's address.
She awkwardly thanked it
and then prepared to sit down cross-legged.
"Ah! Ye Qiu~"
Ye Qiu caught her slender waist as she was about to lower herself, pulling her into his arms. Their bodies pressed together, perfectly aligned.
Looking at her, Ye Qiu's eyes held a mixture of helplessness and heartache.
He pinched her waist, her soft flesh turning a rosy pink.
He gently stroked her delicate face, speaking softly,
"Zhu Qing, you don't need a little more time, do you? It's nice to enjoy the scenery around you. A good mood is good for cultivation!"
Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes! Cultivating every day is so boring. Sister Xiao Wu can take you around to see the world!"
"Okay, I know." Zhu Zhu Qing shyly protected herself, gently leaving Ye Qiu's embrace.
"Ye Qiu, why are you taking advantage of Zhu Qing again? I've noticed you're getting more and more restless!" Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes at him, but then pressed herself against him again.
Ye Qiu rubbed his nose; this was hard to resist.
If he had to admit it, it was all thanks to the girls; they were the ones who taught her so well!
"Rongrong, just behave yourself!" Ye Qiu irritably pushed away Ning Rongrong, who kept rubbing against him.
A reddish-purple glint flashed in his eyes, and a golden light flickered in his hand.
A strange herb appeared in Ye Qiu's hand.
"Here, Rongrong, this is the immortal herb I'm giving you, called the Qiluo Tulip!"
"After consuming it, you can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, the radiance of the sun and moon, complementing your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which is a treasure-type martial soul!"
Ye Qiu handed over the immortal herb.
Upon seeing this, Ning Rongrong's annoyance immediately vanished, leaving only intense joy.
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Ye Qiu!" Ning Rongrong knew how many levels Xiao Wu and Zhu Qing had gained thanks to the immortal herb.
She was about to break through to Soul Master!
She quickly took the Qiluo Tulip, held it in her palm, and gently kissed Ye Qiu's red lips.
"It's actually an immortal herb?!" Da Ming's surprised voice rang out.
Xiao Wu looked at it curiously: "Huh? Daming, you know about the Immortal Herb too?"
Daming nodded and said, "Sister Xiao Wu, I've only heard of it."
"Oh, I see."
Xiao Wu didn't ask any more questions and, along with Zhu Zhuqing, had already gathered around Ning Rongrong.
"It smells so good." Zhu Zhuqing leaned over and gently sniffed.
"It looks quite strange too!" Xiao Wu reached out and poked it, but the Qiluo Tulip suddenly moved away from her.
"Ah! Rongrong, why are you so stingy!"
Ning Rongrong held the Immortal Herb with a look of tenderness.
"I was just afraid of damaging it!"
Just as Xiao Wu and the other girl said, the Qiluo Tulip grew in a very strange way.
The roots and leaves below were like a dense, finely combed vine canopy.
The top, however, was a golden tulip, and the rich tulip scent gave people a magnificent and luxurious feeling.
"I didn't even use much force!" Xiao Wu pouted and glared at Ning Rongrong.
Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips, her eyes filled with laughter.
"Hehe, just to be on the safe side!" Ning Rongrong smiled shyly and turned to look at Ye Qiu.
"Ye Qiu, how do you eat this flower?"
"Alright, Xiao Wu~" Ye Qiu rubbed Xiao Wu's head, gently comforting her.
Only then did he answer Ning Rongrong's question.
"You don't need to swallow this flower. Just gently absorb the essence from the flower's stamen, ingest it, and then slowly circulate your soul power to let the medicinal effects flow through your limbs and bones, nourishing your eight extraordinary meridians!"
"Hurry up and take it!" Ye Qiu urged, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"Okay!"
Ning Rongrong nodded heavily.
Then she sat down cross-legged and, as Ye Qiu had instructed, brought the golden stamen to her lips and slowly began to suck. With
the essence gone, the Qiluo Tulip withered and decayed at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, turning into dust and scattering away.
Ning Rongrong slowly circulated her soul power, her body radiating a magnificent light.
A stream of light shot out from her body, transforming into a seven-jeweled glazed pagoda with a shimmering, seven-colored halo, spinning rapidly before her.
Suddenly, golden light emanated from Ning Rongrong's small body, its radiance flowing like a fairy descending to earth.
The golden light flickered rhythmically with her breath, each burst of light making Ning Rongrong's seven-jeweled glazed pagoda appear even more dazzling and radiant.
The golden light also carried a strong fragrance of tulips, which Xiao Wu couldn't help but greedily inhale.
"I wonder how much Rongrong will improve," Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously, looking at Ning Rongrong sitting cross-legged.
"At least level seven!" Ye Qiu replied, stroking his chin.
His guess was based on something. According to the original trajectory, Rongrong would consume the Qiluo Tulip at level thirty-one and then improve by six levels.
But that time was still far off. Long before entering Shrek Academy, she was already level twenty-seven, and after cultivating the Xuan Tian Gong a few days ago, she broke through to level twenty-eight. Even as
a Soul Venerable, he could break through to level six, and now he's only a Great Soul Master. There's no reason for him not to break through a little more.
"Level seven?" Zhu Zhuqing was happy for Ning Rongrong, but she couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
Ye Qiu looked up at the sky.
Although the sky was covered by a layer of thick white fog, with the power of his Sharingan, the setting sun, which was already halfway down, was still visible.
"Ahem."
Seeing that the time was right, Ye Qiu couldn't help but cough a few times.
He turned his gaze to Erming and tentatively asked, "Erming, have you had dinner?"
"Roar?"
Erming looked at Ye Qiu in confusion.
Although it wasn't very smart, it still had some sense. To avoid disturbing Ning Rongrong's cultivation, it kept its voice very soft.
Under Ye Qiu's gaze, it shook its head.
"Xiao Qiu~ Why are you suddenly concerned about whether Erming has had dinner?" Xiao Wu hugged his arm curiously, wrinkling her delicate nose slightly, her eyes full of curiosity.
"I just wanted Erming to help Rongrong hunt souls!" Ye Qiu scratched his head.
After he said that, the soft little Wu in his arms seemed to stiffen a little.
"Hunter of Souls!?"
Da Ming gave Ye Qiu a complicated look.
It certainly knew what "hunting souls" meant to humans—it simply meant hunting soul beasts to obtain soul rings.
Erming glared at Ye Qiu.
"Uh, Daming, Erming, I just wanted Erming to catch the prey and give the soul ring to Rongrong! And...don't kill too many!"
Noticing Daming's gaze, Ye Qiu quickly explained.
He had come to ask Erming for help, of course, taking into account their soul beast status.
"Ah! Xiao Qiu~ Thank you!" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, hugging Ye Qiu's back and wriggling vigorously, causing Ye Qiu to roll his eyes repeatedly.
Zhu Zhuqing understood.
No wonder Ye Qiu had taken them to a restaurant so early; it was to make it in time for Erming's meal.
"Is that so?" Daming's eyes showed understanding.
It seemed it had misunderstood Ye Qiu; he was indeed somewhat different from other human soul masters.
He hadn't let Xiao Wu down.
He turned to look at his good younger brother.
"Er Ming, then please help Sister Rongrong. But, Ye Qiu…"
Er Ming scratched his head, puzzled by his brother's change in attitude, but didn't dwell on it.
Knowing Da Ming's intelligence, he obediently nodded.
Da Ming paused, then
looked at Ye Qiu again.
His gaze had softened considerably.
He made his request.
"Ye Qiu, if you have any more immortal herbs, I hope you can give Sister Xiao Wu one too!"
Ye Qiu was taken aback, a slight smile appearing on
his face. Before he could say anything, Xiao Wu was much faster.
"Pfft, thank you, Da Ming! But I've already taken an immortal herb; Sister Xiao Wu is the first!"
Xiao Wu happily hugged Ye Qiu's neck, bouncing lightly.
"Already taken one?!" Da Ming seemed surprised, looking at Ye Qiu with satisfaction.
"Yes, Xiao Wu has already taken one. Taking more of this stuff is harmful," Ye Qiu explained with a smile, supporting Xiao Wu's shapely bottom as she clung to him.
"Hmm!" Da Ming nodded calmly.
It knew a bit about immortal herbs and knew Ye Qiu's words were true.
"If you need any soul beasts later, just tell Er Ming."
"Hmm, it needs to be around 15,000 years old and have some talent in soul power! Er Ming, I'll have to trouble you then!"
Ye Qiu nodded and, without any hesitation, directly stated Ning Rongrong's requirements for her third soul ring.
"Roar!"
Er Ming shook its huge head, scratching its ears and cheeks.
It was thinking about where Ye Qiu needed a soul beast, and which soul beast had the best meat!
Ye Qiu's smile never stopped.
This soul beast wasn't just for Ning Rongrong; he also planned to use this sacrifice to level up himself.
Otherwise, his own cultivation speed was too slow!
Just as Ye Qiu was pondering, Da Ming's surprised voice rang in Ye Qiu's ears.
"Around 15,000 years!?"