The sunset's afterglow bathed the sky in a sea of evening clouds.
In Dai Chengfeng's room at the Spirit Hall…
"Dai Chengfeng, why are you so much later than usual today?"
Seeing Dai Chengfeng walk into the room, Hu Liena blinked her alluring, narrow fox-like eyes and sized him up, her voice brimming with curiosity.
"Did something unexpected happen?"
Beside her, Zhu Zhuqing seemed distracted.
Even though she had just been bickering with Hu Liena before Dai Chengfeng entered, she instinctively pursed her lips and turned her head away, her gaze drifting elsewhere. A faint blush crept onto her small ears, nearly imperceptible.
Clearly, the events of last night had left her extremely embarrassed, unable to face Dai Chengfeng.
Dai Chengfeng took note of Zhu Zhuqing's shyness with an amused smile, a smug grin tugging at his lips.
After all… that had been Zhu Zhuqing's first kiss!
But Dai Chengfeng didn't tease her. Instead, he cleared his throat and smiled at Hu Liena:
"Mm, there was indeed a minor unexpected incident along the way, which delayed me a bit."
"Really? What kind of incident?"
Hu Liena's gossipy curiosity was immediately piqued, and she pressed Dai Chengfeng for answers.
However, Dai Chengfeng simply shook his head, not intending to explain.
After all, it was best not to mention anything about Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang, or especially what had transpired between Liu Erlong and himself.
Thus, Dai Chengfeng quickly changed the subject: "It's nothing serious."
"Alright, you two must be getting impatient. Let's head to the Great Spirit Arena. If we're late, the arena might close."
Upon hearing Dai Chengfeng speak seriously, Hu Liena—though still curious about the incident—felt her desire for strength take precedence.
And Zhu Zhuqing, relieved that Dai Chengfeng hadn't mentioned her stolen first kiss in front of Hu Liena, quietly calmed her nerves, suppressing her embarrassment deep within. She gave a soft nod.
"Let's go!" *2
"Don't copy me!" *2
Both women spoke in unison, then glanced at each other, turning their heads away with a light huff.
"Hmph!" *2
Watching this scene, Dai Chengfeng chuckled and shook his head. Leading the two rivals—who were still as sharp as ever yet oddly synchronized—he headed toward the Great Spirit Arena.
Today's battle format remained unchanged from the previous day.
Dai Chengfeng acted only as support and backup, leaving as much space as possible for Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena to handle the main attacks and coordination.
He would only intervene forcefully if the two encountered dangers they couldn't handle on their own.
Perhaps due to a few days of reflection and Dai Chengfeng's earlier guidance, the pair's cooperation, though still marked by friction and mutual stubbornness, had visibly improved.
The swiftness and cunning of Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, the charm and control of Hu Liena's Fox martial soul, combined with the dominance of the White Tiger martial soul…
After several battles, aside from one exception, victory remained the overarching theme.
If there was anything different about today's fights…
It was that throughout the entire process, Dai Chengfeng keenly sensed something unusual.
He felt that his White Tiger martial soul seemed to resonate faintly with Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul in a strange, almost imperceptible way.
This wasn't a resonance on the level of soul power but rather an extremely subtle attraction and stirring originating from the essence of their martial souls.
"Is it because of yesterday's kiss, which made Zhu Zhuqing open up to me? Or is it because she carried some of my aura? Or perhaps…"
Dai Chengfeng pondered, unsure of the reason behind the change in his martial soul.
"It seems I'll have to 'experiment' with Zhu Zhuqing again when I get the chance!"
Dai Chengfeng watched Zhu Zhuqing in battle, radiant and exceptionally charming, his heart burning with intrigue.
---
After the battle ended, the bright moon hung high in the sky.
Bathed in the silvery moonlight, the three began their journey home.
"Hmph, losing one match today was unacceptable. Even though the opposing team had seven members, and their soul power was several levels higher than ours, I feel that if a certain clumsy cat hadn't been half a step slower, we could have continued fighting!"
On the way back, the conversation centered around reviewing the day's battles.
At this point, Hu Liena glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, twirling a slightly curled strand of hair, her tone carrying its usual provocation.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed instantly, and she shot a cold glare at Hu Liena, countering without hesitation: "Hmph! At least I'm better than someone whose charm skill got nullified by the opponent."
"What did you say?!"
"Just stating the facts."
"That's only because the opponent's soul power was more than 20 levels higher than mine! Otherwise, how could they possibly resist my charm?"
"But it was still resisted!"
"Zhu Zhuqing! Keep talking! Where do you think you're better?
"You rushed recklessly into the attack. If Dai Chengfeng hadn't helped you, you'd have been knocked off the stage by that Agility Attack soul master in no time."
"Hu Liena, do you understand? I trusted Chengfeng, which is why I launched my attack proactively—it wasn't reckless!"
"Hmph! Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Hmph! Does it matter whether you believe me or not?"
"..."
Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing continued their familiar banter, while Dai Chengfeng simply smiled, walking leisurely beside the two women.
He was already accustomed to their unique form of "friendly communication," so he didn't plan to intervene.
However—
Sometimes, even if you don't seek trouble, trouble finds you.
From the time they left the battle arena until they neared the Spirit Hall, the two women kept arguing over who was more at fault for the single loss.
Unfortunately, neither could convince the other.
In the end, both turned their attention to Dai Chengfeng.
"Dai Chengfeng, tell us—was it more her fault?" *2
Instantly, the two pointed at each other, looking at Dai Chengfeng with deadly seriousness, awaiting his answer.
"Uh..."
Dai Chengfeng saw the argument suddenly shift to him. He hesitated for a moment, then smoothly stepped in to mediate:
"Alright, alright, both of you performed admirably today."
"The slight mistakes were mainly due to your sudden surge in soul power, which you're still adapting to. This has made your control over your newfound strength less refined."
"In about half a month, once your soul power stabilizes completely, everything will improve."
"At that point, I'll take you to acquire suitable soul rings."
"Believe me, by then, your strength will make a qualitative leap, and you'll definitely win against that team next time!"
Upon hearing Dai Chengfeng's explanation—and especially the mention of soul rings and a potential leap in strength—both Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes lit up. Temporarily forgetting their squabbling, they couldn't help but wear expressions of anticipation.
Still, they knew well that without the divine herbs Dai Chengfeng had gifted them, their soul power wouldn't have skyrocketed so rapidly, nor would their physical capabilities far surpass those of other soul masters at their level.
"Thank you." *2
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was soft and sincere as she looked at Dai Chengfeng.
Hu Liena's tone softened as well, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Dai Chengfeng smiled and naturally reached out, gently ruffling Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena's heads: "We're all family. Why be so formal with me?"
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