Within the Blue Silver Grassland, fragrant grasses swayed.
Faintly visible figures in green robes shimmered among them.
In a clearing surrounded by numerous Blue Silver Grass citizens, Ye Qiu stood in the center, feeling the slightly damp night breeze, its warmth and gentleness enveloping him.
Surrounded by nature, Ye Qiu emptied his mind of all thoughts…
The Blue Silver Grass swayed in the wind, appearing from a distance like a vast blue ocean, rippling with waves.
The rustling of the leaves was like the surging tide
…
In the Lake of Life, Xiao Wu sat cross-legged, hugging her knees.
She looked towards the Blue Silver Grassland.
A long time had passed, at least half an hour.
Zhu Zhuqing had already finished her cultivation.
She sat beside Xiao Wu, quietly waiting for Ye Qiu's return.
"Zhuqing, why did Xiao Qiu play for so long?"
Xiao Wu rested her chin on her knees, pouting, not very happy.
"I don't know either," Zhu Zhuqing shook her head gently.
Her gaze, however, never left the direction of Ye Qiu.
"Roar!" Erming, who was helping Xiaowu scout Ye Qiu's whereabouts and was standing on tiptoe, roared softly.
"Sister Xiaowu, Sister Zhuqing, Erming said Ye Qiu and the others are back!" Daming understood and immediately translated for Zhu Zhuqing, who didn't understand.
"Great! They're finally back!"
Xiaowu cheered and jumped up happily.
Zhu Zhuqing, not to be outdone, immediately stood up straight. Her
excellent momentum caused her body to sway slightly.
Sure enough.
In the distance, bathed in soft fluorescent light, Ye Qiu was slowly walking towards them.
Ning Rongrong followed behind Ye Qiu.
The two were some distance apart.
This was somewhat contrary to Ning Rongrong's usual behavior.
Xiaowu and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but feel puzzled.
They jogged and quickly went to meet Ye Qiu.
As they got closer, they realized that
Ye Qiu's face was very pale, as if he had encountered something bad.
Ning Rongrong also kept her head down, clutching the hem of her clothes, as if she had committed a grave mistake.
She would occasionally look up at Ye Qiu, her eyes filled with worry, tears, and apology.
Xiao Wu ran over, and noticing the awkward atmosphere, she didn't immediately rush into Ye Qiu's arms.
Instead, she took his arm and softly asked,
"Xiao Qiu~ What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Seeing the two girls surrounding him, Ye Qiu's gloomy expression vanished.
But upon hearing Xiao Wu's question,
a hint of lingering fear returned to his face.
His lips twitched, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
How could he possibly be alright?!
Everything was going well, they were having a great time.
Who would have thought that at the last moment, an accident would occur, and he would almost be seriously injured?
Even now, Ye Qiu still felt lingering fear.
He dared not think about it again.
He simply shook his head and responded with a dry laugh.
"Nothing, I'm just suddenly a little tired!"
"Really?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, carefully examining Ye Qiu's face.
Seeing Ye Qiu nod affirmatively, she didn't press the matter.
Zhu Zhuqing, standing to the side, looked at Ning Rongrong with suspicion, wanting to know what had happened.
Unfortunately, Ning Rongrong just blushed and fidgeted with the hem of her clothes.
She really found it difficult to talk about this.
"Xiao Qiu, since you're a little tired, why don't you rest for a while?" Xiao Wu considerately helped Ye Qiu, slowly walking towards the shore of the Lake of Life.
"Rongrong, what happened between you two?"
Zhu Zhuqing, following behind, curiously approached Ning Rongrong and whispered in her ear.
She had never seen Ye Qiu with such an expression before.
Ning Rongrong's beautiful face turned bright red, even the tips of her ears were crimson.
She quickly shook her head.
"We...we didn't do anything."
"Really? Rongrong...why is your voice a little hoarse?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at her strangely, with disbelief.
"Really! It's because it was a bit cold at night, and I caught a chill, so my throat is sore." Ning Rongrong nodded firmly.
Her eyes were still misty, and she felt a little guilty.
If she hadn't hurt Ye Qiu, she probably wouldn't have had to be so secretive!
She looked up again at Ye Qiu's back, a little worried.
Even her gaze towards Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing was apologetic.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned.
Uncertainly, she leaned towards Ning Rongrong, sniffed, and
immediately felt a faint, strange scent.
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned, her thoughts drifting.
This scent seemed somewhat familiar?!
She felt like she had smelled it somewhere before?
"Zhuqing, what are you doing?" Ning Rongrong noticed and took a few small steps back.
Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed, her eyes filled with shock and understanding as she looked at Ning Rongrong.
She was too embarrassed to say anything more.
She seemed to understand why Ye Qiu and Ning Rongrong had been playing for so long!
Now that she thought about it, it seemed to be about the same amount of time as her last time.
Thinking of this ,
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing quickened, her face flushed, and she lowered her head as she chased after Xiao Wu and Ye Qiu.
Ning Rongrong followed closely behind, feeling guilty.
Reaching the shore of the Lake of Life, Xiao Wu pulled Ye Qiu to lie down,
using her knees as a pillow for him to rest.
Her small hands gently massaged his temples, slowly making circular motions.
Ye Qiu's tense face relaxed.
He turned his head to press close to Xiao Wu, inhaling her fragrance, feeling completely at ease.
Her warm breath made Xiao Wu's body heat up, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
She held Xiao Qiu's head and ruffled his blue hair.
Zhu Zhuqing also came over, sitting cross-legged beside Ye Qiu's legs, placing them on her own and gently massaging them.
Her eyes looked at Xiao Wu, hesitant to speak.
Only Ning Rongrong sat to the side, unmoved.
She simply looked at Ye Qiu with worry, thinking about her and her sisters' future happiness.
"Rongrong? Why is there something dirty on your clothes?" Xiao Wu, who had been taking care of Ye Qiu, finally turned her attention to Ning Rongrong.
"Ah? Where?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed, looking at her clothes. There was indeed something on her left shoulder.
Ning Rongrong's face flushed with panic and embarrassment.
"It probably got on me when I was walking on the grass!"
she explained, reaching out to brush it off.
"Is that so?" Xiao Wu nodded slightly, not noticing anything amiss.
This was the largest gathering place for soul beasts on land, the Star Dou Great Forest; even Da Ming and the others didn't have the time to clean it up.
"Rongrong, you still have..."
"Oh, thank you!"
Ning Rongrong thanked her, took out a silk handkerchief, blushed, and carefully examined her hair.
"Ye Qiu, what's wrong?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ning Rongrong, feeling embarrassed.
She sensed that Ye Qiu's muscles were a little tense, and there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Ye Qiu had been hiding in Xiao Wu's arms, not daring to make a sound, while Xiao Wu had asked him.
Now, with Zhu Zhuqing's question,
Xiao Wu also noticed his abnormality and looked at him strangely.
He then awkwardly showed his face, smiling sheepishly.
"Haha... I'm just a little sleepy! You guys chat. I'm going to study the soul bone I just obtained!"
Under the three women's worried, strange, and teasing gazes,
Ye Qiu left the soft lap pillow, refusing the perfectly timed massage.
"Xiao Qiu~" Xiao Wu called softly.
Ye Qiu dared not linger.
He felt very uncomfortable staying here with this topic!
He took out the soul bone that the agate turtle had dropped from his Divine Might Space.
He quickly left the three women's encirclement
and sat down a short distance away.
He had already stored the soul bone in his Divine Might Space before Er Ming had even finished eating it.
Ye Qiu shook his head, dismissing the minor inconvenience from earlier.
He focused his attention on the soul bone in his hand.
It was a 15,000-year-old left arm bone.
Its texture was like agate, smooth and delicate.
Its integrity was quite good.
However, Ye Qiu had no intention of letting Ning Rongrong absorb it.
Its age was still a bit too young.
Its ability was only to allow a soul master to store 30% more soul power.
While Ye Qiu was studying this soul bone,
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing on the other side had already begun to interrogate Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong~ What's wrong with Xiao Qiu?" Xiao Wu looked at her seriously, full of curiosity.
"I...I'm sorry!" Ning Rongrong lowered her head, her voice filled with guilt.
Her appearance baffled Xiao Wu.
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing, who had already grasped the situation, was there.
She leaned in and whispered her findings and guesses to Xiao Wu.
"Ah?!" Xiao Wu was stunned, her head turning red and hot.
She glanced strangely at Ye Qiu, who was sitting upright not far away, intently studying soul bones.
Then she looked at Ning Rongrong with a puzzled expression.
This kind of stress-relieving activity...
shouldn't Ye Qiu feel incredibly relieved afterward?
Why did he look so uncomfortable?
Zhu Zhuqing was also very curious about this.
"Rongrong, what happened?"
"I...I just didn't pay attention to the force..."
Ning Rongrong was stared at by the two women.
She had no choice but to confess her actions.
Although she had a somewhat mischievous personality and could be a bit fierce at times,
it was all just talk.
Therefore, this time,
she had intended to have a serious talk with Ye Qiu and finish what she hadn't accomplished during the previous night raid.
Unexpectedly, her inexperience
caught her off guard, and the sudden turn of events surprised her, causing her to accidentally injure Ye Qiu.
"Ah?!" Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu stared blankly at Ning Rongrong, then looked on with resentment.
Ning Rongrong was almost in tears.
"I really didn't mean to, I just wanted to thank him,"
the three women said calmly, looking at Ye Qiu with deep concern in their eyes.
"Zhuqing~" Ning Rongrong quietly moved closer to Zhu Zhuqing, leaning in to whisper something.
Xiao Wu quickly squeezed in as well, listening to the two women's conversation.
The three women's faces slowly flushed.
"Zhuqing, please!" Ning Rongrong pleaded, clutching her hand.
Even Xiao Wu looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"..."
Da Ming and Er Ming exchanged glances.
With their cultivation levels, they naturally heard everything the group was saying.
But they couldn't understand the meaning.
They only knew that it seemed that when Ye Qiu and Sister Rongrong were playing in the grass, Sister Rongrong accidentally injured him.
But they were 100,000-year-old soul beasts?
...
Not long after.
Just as he finished studying the soul bone, a pair of beautiful legs came into Ye Qiu's view.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the leather jacket and pants.
Long, beautiful legs, a well-proportioned waist, an enviable figure...
Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face was shy and timid as she stood prettily in front of Ye Qiu, a little awkward.
"Zhuqing, what's wrong?" Ye Qiu looked at her curiously.
"Uh, what's wrong? Ouch!"
Ye Qiu gasped, feeling a weight in his arms.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer, her face red, and sat directly on his lap.
"Daming, Erming, behave yourselves, don't look around!"
Not far away, Xiaowu was supervising the two brothers, Daming and Erming.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, was intently watching Ye Qiu and Zhu Zhuqing's intimate moments.
Meanwhile,
Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Qiu were already embracing.
"Ye Qiu~"
Zhu Zhuqing gazed tenderly into his deep blue eyes.
Ye Qiu stared at her, stunned.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared around her, followed by a loud meow.
Zhu Zhuqing had actually entered Martial Soul Possession.
A pair of pink cat ears stood up on her head.
Her tail stood erect, like a question mark, waving in the air. Her
heterochromatic eyes, filled with tender affection, seemed to melt Ye Qiu's heart.
"Gurgle~"
So beautiful and alluring.
Ye Qiu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he unconsciously fell over.
Zhu Zhuqing lay on top of Ye Qiu, silent,
shyly shifting her body.
He didn't know what she was going to do.
Ye Qiu carefully reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.
Their lips parted slightly, their red mouths and white teeth meeting.
They kissed passionately.
Aside from the kiss, there were no other actions.
Not long after,
feeling that he had completed his mission
and achieved the desired effect for himself and his friends,
Zhu Zhuqing tried to get up.
But she seemed to have no strength left, and quietly held Ye Qiu, leaning on his shoulder.
"Uh, Zhuqing? Are you alright?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head slightly, her pink dress draped over her shoulders.
Ye Qiu looked at her strangely. She had seduced him all this just to kiss him?!
Turning his head, he noticed Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu's furtive glances.
He wanted to get up and ask them, but realized it wasn't advisable for him to move.
He could only hold Zhu Zhuqing and sit up cross-legged again,
tidying her hair behind her ear.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned against Ye Qiu, seemingly remembering something.
A flash of light appeared on her body, and she dispelled her martial spirit possession.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong seemed to have received some signal.
They quickly ran over and
helped Zhu Zhuqing up, much to Ye Qiu's puzzled look.
Ning Rongrong anxiously asked, "Zhuqing, how is Ye Qiu?"
Before Zhu Zhuqing could answer, Xiao Wu's shy voice came out.
She was quite perceptive herself.
"Rongrong, Xiao Qiu should be fine."
Xiao Wu blushed and pointed to Ye Qiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Ning Rongrong also looked over, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately settled.
Ye Qiu's face was fair and rosy, and he looked healthy.
It seemed that Ye Qiu's body was as robust as ever.
He patted his chest and said to himself, "It's alright, it's alright!"
"I say... what are you two doing so mysteriously?" Ye Qiu shifted his body, trying to avoid their blatant gazes.
"It's... it's Rongrong who was worried that something might happen to your body, so she asked me to check you out."
Zhu Zhuqing's watery eyes blinked uncontrollably.
Her face flushed with embarrassment, and her eyes seemed to well up with tears.
"Uh..." Ye Qiu's face turned red and then dark.
Although he was a little embarrassed by the situation, he found it mostly amusing.
It really was a case of concern making him lose his composure.
He glared at them, annoyed.
"You underestimate me! My mental fortitude isn't something that can be easily frightened. Besides, I'm a Soul Master, and I have Xiao Lan's Soul Skill. Even a minor injury is nothing!" "
Rongrong, don't take it too seriously! You'll get used to it!"
"Okay, I know! Huh?" Ning Rongrong lowered her head and nodded slightly.
Hearing the second half of Ye Qiu's sentence, she looked at him in surprise.
Then she lowered her head shyly.
"Okay, I'll be careful in the future!"
"Xiao Qiu! You're getting more and more indecent!" Xiao Wu rolled her eyes at him , annoyed.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement, crossing her arms.
She quietly straightened her clothes that had been messed up.
"Haha, I... I was just joking!" Ye Qiu laughed awkwardly at the two girls' strange looks. He
quickly let the matter drop.
"Alright, this is over."
"It's getting late. Should we go back to the academy to rest, or rest here?"
Ye Qiu looked up at the sky.
Xiao Wu looked slightly annoyed, though she hadn't meant to blame him.
However, she didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer.
"Let's rest here! Xiao Qiu will take us back tomorrow morning!"
"Okay, then!" Ye Qiu nodded.
Ning Rongrong, having recovered after learning Ye Qiu was alright, cautiously raised her hand.
"Ye Qiu...why don't we rest over there?"
She pointed towards the blue-silver meadow they had previously grazed.
"Alright!" Ye Qiu agreed, conveniently weaving a tent there using the Blue Silver Emperor.
Xiao Wu blushed slightly, clearly remembering something.
"Then let's go!"
"Da Ming, Er Ming, goodnight!"
Ye Qiu said goodnight to the two brothers and led the three women towards the meadow.
...
A night passed.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
In the blue-silver meadow, inside a simply woven tent, Ye Qiu pulled himself out of his reverie and peeked out.
Without waking the women, he tiptoed to the shore of the Lake of Life.
Erming was lying on the ground, fast asleep.
Ye Qiu called softly towards the bottom of the lake, "Daming!" A blue shadow grew
larger
and larger on the surface of the lake.
The water surged, splashing everywhere.
Daming's bull head emerged from the water.
"Ye Qiu, what's wrong?"
After a moment's hesitation, Ye Qiu slowly said, "I want to know about Xiaowu's mother's whereabouts!"
"Auntie?!" Daming was stunned.
He remained silent for a long while.
Considering the relationship between Xiaowu and Ye Qiu, he decided to tell him.
Daming's voice was filled with longing.
"We don't know where Auntie went, or whether she's dead or alive! That day..."
Ye Qiu frowned, remaining silent, waiting for him to continue.
"That day, Auntie left voluntarily with a purple-robed woman who had entered the Lake of Life. She never returned. Before leaving, she only asked Erming and me to protect Sister Xiaowu."
"And she also said..."
(End of Chapter)