310. Easily Satisfied

On a bustling street.

Qian Renjue and Ling Yuan stood beside Zhu Zhuqing, holding hands as they walked toward the city gate.

The sights of Star Luo Empire still held some novelty for Qian Renjue, offering a unique charm.

Ling Yuan’s face glowed with joy, listening to vendors occasionally call out "Lord" and "Lady."

Qian Renjue didn’t bother to correct them, a smile spread across his face, restoring the confidence she had briefly lost in front of Zhu Zhuqing.

However, Zhu Zhuqing, mistaken as Qian Renjue’s daughter, seemed a bit unwilling at first.

But as she held a candied fruit, her displeasure faded as she licked it, tasting sweetness that went straight to her heart.

The two women kept pace with him.

"Zhuqing, this hairpin is nice; what do you think? Would you like to try it?"

"Also, Sister Ling Yuan, why don’t you get one too?"

Qian Renjue stopped in front of a jewelry stall, looking back at the two women.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded eagerly, while Ling Yuan’s face turned shy and charming, leaning gently toward him like a bashful wife.

She let Qian Renjue place a red flower ornament in her hair, near her ear.

Ling Yuan touched the fiery-red rose.

Though cheap and simple, it felt heavy with significance to her.

"Haha… it actually suits you. Take a look, Sister Ling Yuan."

Qian Renjue observed Ling Yuan in front of him, giving her a thorough glance before handing her a mirror.

He then bent down to adorn Zhu Zhuqing as well.

Zhu Zhuqing examined herself with the mirror, eyes shining as she removed her white fox mask and admired the hairpin.

"Thank you, teacher."

"You’re welcome; it’s just a little trinket."

Qian Renjue chuckled, playfully pinching her cheek, and stood up to pay.

He did enjoy buying trinkets from street stalls when shopping, purely for fun.

Just as Qian Renjue straightened up, Ling Yuan, with a premeditated expression, blushed as she moved closer.


She gripped his robe, stood on her toes, and planted a kiss on his handsome cheek.

"Thank you for the gift, Your Highness."

Ling Yuan’s head was lowered as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice soft and filled with shy tenderness.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully spreading great love! (Target: Ling Yuan Douluo)]

[Reward: 300 points!]

"…"

Qian Renjue touched his slightly damp cheek, nodding slightly. "Glad you like it, Sister Ling Yuan."

Zhu Zhuqing looked up, watching Ling Yuan’s actions. She raised her hands, wanting to copy, but her height wasn’t enough.

So, she settled for holding Qian Renjue’s hand and nuzzling against it.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully spreading great love! (Target: Zhu Zhuqing)]

[Reward: 600 points!]

Qian Renjue glanced down at Zhu Zhuqing, surprised by the unexpected rewards from this little shopping trip. She really was easily satisfied.

—

After paying, Qian Renjue didn’t plan to linger. He led the two women, spending over half an hour to leave the city gates.

Following Zhu Zhuqing’s directions, they arrived outside the Soul Hunting Forest near Star Luo City.

Without a word to the guards, Qian Renjue activated his Evil God’s Heart and entered the forest with the two women.

Unlike the Heaven Dou Empire’s Soul Hunting Forest, the Star Empire valued martial prowess more.

Soul beasts here were of a higher quality, and some were even ten-thousand-year-old beasts, although the oldest didn’t exceed 20,000 years.


These were reserved exclusively for the Star Luo Empire’s royal family and the Zhu family, perfect for White Tiger and Nether Spirit Cat soul powers.

Inside the Soul Hunting Forest, Qian Renjue deactivated his Evil God’s Heart and asked, “Zhuqing, what soul beasts do you need for your first and second soul abilities?”

"Teacher, I need a Cloud-Piercing Leopard and a Nether Wolf," Zhu Zhuqing replied softly.

"Alright, let’s go deeper."

He nodded slightly. He hadn’t planned any specific soul abilities for Zhu Zhuqing; the Zhu family’s first three soul skills were considered the best combinations, perfected by the family’s ancestors.

No need to interfere.

Whoosh!

Ling Yuan shot a fiery projectile, instantly burning an approaching venomous snake perched on a branch.


Qian Renjue looked to the side and instructed, “Ling Yuan, let me handle any soul beasts we encounter.”

“Okay.”

Ling Yuan nodded, her blush faded, but her heart grew warmer by the minute.

"Let’s go."

Qian Renjue smiled, leading Zhu Zhuqing forward. “Zhuqing, how about I help you find a century-old soul beast for training after the hunt?”

“Mm, I’ll do whatever you say, Master.”

Zhu Zhuqing was eager to test her training progress.

Roar—!

As they ventured deeper, the forest echoed with the constant sounds of soul beasts battling, a fight for survival that never ceased. When beasts approached, Qian Renjue’s Evil God’s Heart sent gusts that blew them away, whether they were century- or millennia-old beasts.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him with admiration.

Her teacher was stronger than she’d imagined, strolling through the forest with ease without even activating his soul powers.

That was precisely why he told Ling Yuan not to interfere, taking this as an opportunity to hone skills developed from his Evil God’s Heart.

“Found it!”

After a while, Qian Renjue’s eyes gleamed as he spotted a millennia-old Cloud-Piercing Leopard about a hundred meters away.

With sleek white fur and a streamlined body, it was small but capable of explosive speed.

"Sister Ling Yuan, protect Zhuqing."

Without waiting for her response, Qian Renjue’s body sparked with arcs of electricity, his purple-black energy flaring between his brows as he instantly shifted, closing the distance by three meters, then charging like black lightning.

"Teacher is so fast!”

Zhu Zhuqing’s eyes, tinged with a purple haze, couldn’t keep up with his movement.

Ling Yuan silently stood guard beside her.

Truthfully, ever since His Highness had broken through to the Soul Sage, she hadn’t been a match for him.


So, in this setting, she had no worries about Qian Renjue’s safety.

"Roar—!"

Noticing Qian Renjue within twenty meters, the Cloud-Piercing Leopard, busy eating an Iron-Hoofed Horse, issued a low growl as a warning.

Qian Renjue raised his hand, a ball of dark lightning crackling in his palm, overpowering the leopard’s roar.

While the beast lacked high intelligence, it sensed the danger and started to speed away. It ran so swiftly, almost gliding across the ground.

“Wind's Shackles.”

With a low whisper, Qian Renjue summoned a violet-black wind beneath the leopard’s feet, holding it captive instantly.

Crack!

He launched the lightning in his hand, and the Cloud-Piercing Leopard let out a wail. The air filled with the scent of charred fur and roasting meat.