492. Eating Together

“Gifts?”

Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Her teacher had mentioned before that he would bring her a gift when he came to visit.

“Exactly.”

Qian Renjue nodded slightly, motioning for the women to take their seats around the table.

“Everyone, take a seat, including you, Sister Ling Yuan.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Ling Yuan responded, following closely behind.

Qian Renxue glanced at Ning Rongrong beside her and asked casually,
“You should know my name, right?”

“Mm-hmm, Rongrong knows!” Ning Rongrong nodded obediently, speaking sweetly,
“Can I call you Sister Xue?”

“You can.”

Qian Renxue agreed without hesitation. She had no objections to such terms of address—they all sounded nice enough.

But if anyone dared to take what belonged to her, no title or term of endearment would make a difference.

“Your Highness Holy Son, what kind of gift is it?”

Xiao Wu leaned forward slightly, supporting herself on the table to get closer to Qian Renjue, her face blooming with a smile.

“Heh, your share has already been eaten by you,” Qian Renjue teased, gently tapping Xiao Wu’s forehead with his finger.

“Eek~”

Xiao Wu closed her eyes and lowered her chin, looking bashful.

Buzz!

A blue-and-white scorpion appeared on Qian Renjue’s shoulder, its pincers clicking together as if guarding itself against the little rabbit.

“Sister Bing’er…” Zhu Zhuqing murmured softly.

Watching this peculiar human-and-beast scene unfold, Qian Renxue cast a half-playful, half-annoyed glance at Qian Renjue.

Qian Renjue simply shrugged, allowing the Ice Emperor to crawl around.

Then, he retrieved a black spirit bone from his system space. It resembled a spine, segmented into four flat parts. Each segment had a pair of small protrusions, resembling a spider perched on it.

“Zhuqing, this is an external spirit bone for you,” Qian Renjue said with a smile, holding the spirit bone out to her.

“An… external spirit bone?!”

Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes widened, and she almost leapt to her feet in excitement.

Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and the others were equally shocked. Ling Yuan’s expression revealed a hint of regret.

She wished she could have witnessed Shengzi orchestrate the scene where Tang San dropped the spirit bone himself.

“Yes, it’s from a 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider.”

Qian Renjue gently took Zhu Zhuqing’s delicate hand, placing the Eight-Spider Bone into her palm. His tone softened:

“With this, your combat ability, mobility, adaptability to terrain, and even your offensive shortcomings will all be significantly improved. It’s perfect for you.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Zhu Zhuqing’s lips pressed together, her expression serious. Without hesitation or pretense, she covered Qian Renjue’s hand with her own, her beautiful eyes gazing into his.

If there weren’t so many people present, she would have offered him her first kiss right then and there.

“Haha, as a teacher, it’s my duty to nurture my disciples. Watching you become stronger is the best reward I could ask for.”

Qian Renjue chuckled, pulling his hand away after leaving the spirit bone. He patted Zhu Zhuqing’s hand gently.

“Put it away for now. After dinner, I’ll help you absorb it.”

“Mm! Zhuqing won’t let Teacher down!” Zhu Zhuqing promised earnestly.

She wouldn’t decline her teacher’s goodwill. If this spirit bone had to be given to someone, why shouldn’t it be her? Even disciples can surpass their teacher’s wives!

“I trust you,” Qian Renjue said, fully confident in her.

He understood her stubborn personality and didn’t want to place unnecessary pressure on her. She was already exceptional.

Qian Renxue’s lips curved into a smile. She was delighted that Qian Renjue had used something originally meant for Tang San to win over Zhu Zhuqing.

She gently reminded,
“Zhuqing, once you’ve absorbed it, use it as a trump card. External spirit bones are highly coveted; the fewer people who know about it, the better.”

“Don’t worry, Martial Aunt. Zhuqing will be cautious,” Zhu Zhuqing replied seriously with a firm nod.



Qian Renjue had, of course, taught Zhu Zhuqing about all kinds of spirit bones, including external spirit bones.

When not fully fused, external spirit bones could still be seized, though it required time to adapt to them.

Qian Renjue didn’t have much to warn her about. He was more curious to see who would dare make a move outside the Spirit Hall.

In this world, human soul masters capable of challenging him could probably be counted on one hand.

Zhu Zhuqing carefully stored away the Eight-Spider Spirit Bone.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, unable to contain her excitement, looked past Qian Renxue and eagerly asked her beloved,
“Brother Holy Son, what’s my gift?”

“This is for you,” Qian Renjue replied with a mysterious smile, retrieving two purple beads from his system space.

“What are these?”

Ning Rongrong was puzzled, poking at the beads with her delicate fingers.

“These can enhance the age of your first two spirit rings to over 2,000 years,” Qian Renjue said, a satisfied smirk on his face.

These beads were products of the [Millennium Spirit Ring Absorber] he had used.

“Enhancing spirit ring age?!”

Ning Rongrong’s eyes lit up with delight.

As a young lady of noble standing, maintaining appearances and prestige was important to her, and this gift exceeded her expectations.

“Yes, just crush them, and you can apply them to any spirit ring you like. It might even help you break through your current soul power level,” Qian Renjue explained. Seeing her satisfaction, he relaxed.

“Thank you, Brother Holy Son!”

Ning Rongrong happily grabbed the beads and leaned down to kiss Qian Renjue’s palm, making Qian Renxue frown.

Was that really necessary? She’s acting like that rabbit girl.

Qian Renjue awkwardly pulled his hand back and reminded her,
“Rongrong, time the absorption carefully. Don’t make it too obvious, or you’ll attract unwanted attention.”

“Especially from Tang San,” Qian Renxue added with a chuckle, her smile both mysterious and menacing.

Ning Rongrong blinked before quickly understanding. If Tang San, with his two white spirit rings, saw her spirit rings suddenly change color, he’d definitely cause trouble.

“Don’t worry, Sister Xue, Brother Holy Son. Rongrong will be careful!” Ning Rongrong assured them with a cheerful nod.

Little did she know that Tang San now had four white rings. His original two purple spirit rings had been transformed into the very beads she now held.

“Good, then let’s eat. The meal was personally prepared by the Pope,” Qian Renjue said with a slight nod.

With a wave of his hand, the table was instantly filled with steaming dishes.

“Wow!” Xiao Wu’s eyes sparkled as she cheered,
“Brother Holy Son, can I have more of the green grass cake your mother made?”

“Of course,” Qian Renjue replied, bringing out another plate.

The Ice Emperor on his shoulder chimed in,
“Qian Renjue, add another serving of snow silkworm sashimi!”

“No problem,” Qian Renjue agreed without hesitation.

Ning Rongrong, surprised, stared at the little scorpion, astonished that it could speak.

“Teacher, Martial Aunt, you should start eating,” Zhu Zhuqing said as she served Qian Renxue and Qian Renjue some dishes. Then, without hesitation, she picked up her bowl and began eating rapidly.

Her speed drew Ning Rongrong’s attention, who began studying Zhu Zhuqing’s meal.

Maybe if I eat like her, I can gain a bit more weight… and capture Brother Holy Son's attention more effectively!

Ling Yuan, watching the scene, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Still, the Pope’s cooking truly was extraordinary.

“Jue, hurry up and serve your sister some soup before you eat,” Qian Renxue reminded him.

“Got it. Sister Ling Yuan, would you like some too?”

“...”