436. Curious Cat

"Haha, it’s strange, isn’t it?"

Qian Renjue looked at Zhu Zhuqing’s bewildered expression and couldn’t resist pinching her cheek as he smiled.

"Ask Ah Yin later; she’ll explain it to you."

"Mm-hmm."

Blushing, Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She wanted to lift her small hands to hug Qian Renjue, but her face showed a hint of pain.

"Qian Renjue, what did she throw out just now?"

The Ice Emperor curiously stepped forward to ask.

"Some junk called a hidden weapon," Qian Renxue replied disdainfully while standing beside Qian Renjue.

Zhu Zhuqing blinked in confusion, her innocent eyes filled with puzzlement.

Boom!

"Ah, teacher!"

A sudden loud explosion from behind made Zhu Zhuqing instinctively dive into Qian Renjue’s embrace.

With just a thought, Qian Renxue caused the wooden stake to explode into fragments. Splinters flew and burned into ash, while the hidden weapons danced in the air under her control, like swimming dragons.

"Uh…"

The Ice Emperor looked at the murderous aura emanating from Qian Renxue, confused.

"Teacher~"

Zhu Zhuqing gazed at the hidden weapons with awe and a hint of grievance in her eyes.

"Heh, don’t worry. Sister isn’t targeting you," Qian Renjue said, stroking Zhu Zhuqing’s hair. He glanced at Qian Renxue’s side profile, wondering:
Does Sister know something?

The Angel God Trial… or something else?

Shaking off his thoughts, Qian Renjue used his mental power to retrieve the hidden weapons and return them to Zhu Zhuqing’s soul tool.

When Qian Renxue felt Qian Renjue’s mental power touch hers, she froze for a moment, then quickly regained her composure, masking her flustered expression.

She turned and smiled at him.

"Jue~ I heard from Ling Yuan that Tang Hao’s son also uses these things?"

"That’s correct," Qian Renjue replied, nodding with a strange expression.


Did I misunderstand something?

"How did you manage to get your hands on this, Jue? I can’t figure it out."

With curiosity, Qian Renxue poked Qian Renjue’s now slightly guilty face.

"Just a matter of luck," he said with a smile, avoiding further discussion on the topic.

The siblings’ secrets had never hindered their bond.

"Alright then," Qian Renxue said, letting it go. She smiled, linking her arm with Qian Renjue’s.

"I’ve trusted you all these years, so I don’t mind being a fool a couple more times."

"Mm, thank you, Sister~" Qian Renjue smiled warmly.

He vividly remembered a question he’d asked when he gifted her the Eye of Insight during their childhood.

"Haha."

Qian Renxue loved how Qian Renjue trusted her unconditionally, just as he had back then—like when she and their mother secretly read his letters to Ye Lingling.

Standing on tiptoes, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, then ruffled Zhu Zhuqing’s hair as if to comfort her.

Qian Renjue pouted slightly, feeling the lingering dampness on his face as the breeze tickled him.

"Ah Yin, come out," he called.

"Yes, Master," Ah Yin replied, transforming into a streak of bloodlight that flew out and landed on the ground. She took a moment to stabilize herself, her delicate form brimming with vitality.

She respectfully greeted Qian Renxue:
"Ah Yin greets Miss Xue."

"Hmm."

Qian Renxue nodded, her narrowed eyes scrutinizing the elegant woman before her.

Although Ah Yin felt a bit guilty, she remained composed. After all, she was merely using what Ling Yuan had left behind, albeit with less time and less satisfying results.

In any case, Ling Yuan should be the one punished, not me!

"Huh?"

Qian Renxue’s gaze lingered on Ah Yin’s curvaceous figure.



Although the Ice Emperor was somewhat surprised by Ah Yin's curve, what truly astonished her was Ah Yin’s cultivation.

Unable to resist, she asked:

"Qian Renjue, didn’t you say she was a 100,000-year soul beast? How can she switch to human form so freely?"

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing also raised her confused gaze toward Qian Renjue.

She thought she understood her teacher well, but it seemed there was much she didn’t know.

"Ask Ah Yin about this later," Qian Renjue replied, too lazy to explain. It was noon, and he hadn’t eaten yet.

Turning to Ah Yin, he instructed,
"Ah Yin, help Zhuqing treat her arm first."

"Yes, Master~"

Ah Yin, relieved, quickly approached Zhu Zhuqing and knelt beside her, emitting a gentle glow.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head in frustration and said apologetically,
"I’m sorry, Teacher. I’m so useless."

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly let out a yelp of pain. Trying to hold her head, she realized she couldn’t move, shutting her eyes tightly and curling up. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Qian Renjue withdrew his finger from her forehead after the playful flick, scolding her lightly,
"Didn’t I just tell you? For your current cultivation level, performing One Thousand and One Nights this well is already impressive. That’s the fourth-ranked hidden weapon technique."

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes, looking up at him with a hopeful expression before nodding earnestly.
"Yes, I understand, Teacher."

"Until you break through to the Soul King level, don’t use this move in battle unless you’re absolutely certain."

"I’ll listen to you, Teacher!"

"Good. Once your arm is healed, come join us for lunch."

As he spoke, Qian Renjue led Qian Renxue to a nearby patch of grass and sat down, taking out dishes from his system space and arranging them neatly.

Zhu Zhuqing, excited, was about to pounce like a hungry kitten to start eating when she overheard the Ice Emperor and Ah Yin talking behind her.

"Hello, I am the Ice Emperor, an Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion of nearly 400,000 years from the Extreme North."

"I know of you," Ah Yin replied softly.

"Eh?!"

Zhu Zhuqing paused, clutching her growling stomach with a conflicted expression.

"Take this magic soul yam to tide you over for now; there’s plenty of food to go around," Qian Renjue said with a chuckle, tossing her a yam.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Zhu Zhuqing happily caught it, sat down on the grass, and began nibbling on it while watching the Ice Emperor and Ah Yin with wide, curious eyes.

Teacher’s soul ring… Is that Ice Sister really a 400,000-year soul beast?!

"I was originally the Blue Silver Emperor with 100,000 years of cultivation, but after Master nurtured me, I underwent some mutations," Ah Yin explained gently, holding the Ice Emperor’s smooth, cold jade-like hand.

"Master named me Qian Yin'er."

"Mutation? That explains it!"

The Ice Emperor nodded in realization, finally understanding how Ah Yin could switch forms so effortlessly. However, she couldn’t help but wonder:

How exactly did Qian Renjue ‘nurture’ her? If I were nurtured, would I mutate too?

"Hello, Sister Bing’er!"

Noticing that the conversation between the two had ended, Zhu Zhuqing eagerly greeted the Ice Emperor, raising her hand to ask,

"Sister Bing’er, can you tell me how you became Teacher’s eighth soul ring?"

"Uh, I sacrificed myself to Qian Renjue," the Ice Emperor replied bluntly.

"..."

"Heh~"

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing acting like a curious little kitten, Qian Renjue couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.

Leaning against Qian Renjue’s shoulder, Qian Renxue softly asked,

"Jue~ are you planning to take this disciple back to Spirit City for training?"

"Not yet," Qian Renjue replied with a slight shake of his head, his eyes filled with anticipation.

It won’t be long before Zhuqing’s talents are put to good use. After dealing with Dai Weisi, everything will fall into place.