Zhu Zhuqing walked to the bedside, her thoughts in disarray.
At the same time, she kept reproaching herself.
How could she have thought so poorly of Brother Li Xun, who had saved her twice?
With trembling hands, Zhu Zhuqing undid her outer garment, revealing the fair skin of her shoulder, marred only by a three-inch-long wound that disrupted its overall beauty.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing lying down with her eyes closed, Li Xun stepped forward slowly, doing his best to keep his gaze from lingering on her chest, and began to examine the wound.
"It's not too bad," Li Xun nodded.
Although Zhu Zhuqing's injury was severe, it hadn't damaged her bones. He was fully capable of treating such an injury, though it would take some time.
But once healed, it would leave no scar.
When a warm hand covered her shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing felt a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. This feeling made her instinctively press her legs together and shiver uncontrollably.
Although Star Luo wasn't a feudal society, there was still a certain distance maintained between the opposite sexes.
Even in her clothing, while it accentuated her figure, it never exposed too much.
Now, lying on the bed in only her undergarments with a man sitting by her bedside, pressing on her shoulder, was something she had never dared to imagine before.
"That's enough for today. I need to recover some Soul Power," Li Xun suddenly withdrew his hand after an unknown amount of time.
"Mmm," Zhu Zhuqing murmured, her voice barely audible, her eyes still closed.
At this moment, she was like a ripe peach, her exposed skin fair and tinged with pink.
Li Xun glanced at her, then smiled and left the room.
He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Zhu Zhuqing would be completely overwhelmed.
Hearing the door close, Zhu Zhuqing cautiously opened her eyes, glanced at the door, and then buried her head deeply in the blanket, lost in thought.
Li Xun made his way to the hall.
Coincidentally, he ran into Ning Rongrong, who was peeking around the door like a thief.
"Feel free to take anything from the house, don't be shy," Li Xun teased.
"Hehe, I heard you were back, so I came to see," Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled as she opened the door, skipped over to Li Xun, and grabbed his arm. "Brother, I heard you brought someone back. Where are they?"
"They're resting now. I'll introduce you later," Li Xun felt the touch on his arm and glanced at Ning Rongrong. He felt like he had become immune to this girl's antics.
This feeling made him reflect.
Once someone experiences something better, it's hard to go back. Ning Rongrong was still young and needed to work harder.
"Oh," Ning Rongrong hummed absentmindedly.
Having been together for several years, Li Xun knew her little tricks well. He smiled and ruffled her head. "Rongrong, you mustn't bully her."
Then, Li Xun recounted Zhu Zhuqing's story to Ning Rongrong, exaggerating some parts for effect.
Ning Rongrong listened with teary eyes, stunned. "Brother, is Zhu Zhuqing safe now?"
Li Xun pondered for a moment. "Pretty much, but we still need to keep a low profile."
"Hmph! When we grow up, we'll take Zhu Zhuqing back openly. Let's see what the Star Luo royal family can do about it," Ning Rongrong said indignantly.
"Alright, my Rongrong is amazing," Li Xun patted her head soothingly.
After sending Ning Rongrong away, Li Xun returned to his room and took out medical books and texts from his Soul Guiding Device, arranging them in order.
This trip to Star Luo had been immensely fruitful for him.
Zhu Zhuqing, Yang Wudi, and the Immortal Herb illustrations—three wins in one go.
Li Xun chuckled to himself as he flipped through the book.
The second volume authored by Yang Wudi, as he had claimed, was mostly about poison-making techniques.
However, Li Xun still managed to find what he was looking for within its pages.
What surprised him even more was that the book also documented two other Immortal Herbs.
"It seems the tasks I've issued need to continue. Spending a bit more money might yield some unexpected gains," Li Xun mused as he closed the book.
If a continent had only this many precious plants, it would be far too barren. Even in the realm of fantasy, that would be unreasonable.
"Now, I just need to wait for the right opportunity."
Li Xun carefully stored the books one by one into his Soul Guiding Device and then began his cultivation.
Although he had developed a good relationship with Dugu Yan, he knew better than to push too hard.
Their interactions were limited to the younger generation, and he still hadn't quite bridged the gap with Dugu Bo.
Despite having numerous discussions about pharmacology with Dugu Bo, which had gone quite well, Li Xun was well aware of the situation.
The moment he even slightly mentioned the herbs in the Sunset Forest or the Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo would immediately become wary, suspecting his motives for getting close to his granddaughter.
And while it was true that his intentions weren't entirely pure…
But at that point, winning over Dugu Bo would become much more difficult.
Spring turned to autumn, and another year passed.
During this year, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had become close friends, often seen together at the academy, and their relationship with Li Xun had also improved significantly.
Perhaps it was the influence of Ning Rongrong's lively personality, but even Zhu Zhuqing had become more optimistic, occasionally allowing a smile to cross her face.
And that smile became even more radiant when she kicked Li Xun out of the dormitory.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had also reached a cooperation agreement with the Breaking Clan.
Yang's medicinal products had gradually begun to spread across the continent, and both sides were satisfied with the collaboration.
But where there were those who were satisfied, there were also those who were not.
Titan of the Strength Clan had repeatedly caused trouble at Yang Wudi's residence, leading to significant tension between the two.
Even the Agility Clan had distanced themselves as a result.
Only the Defense Clan remained silent, quietly approaching Yang Wudi to seek investment for construction projects.
Yang Wudi had long been prepared for this. No matter who he spoke to, he insisted that his relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was purely cooperative, which helped prevent the situation from escalating.
However, Titan was not convinced, firmly believing that the Breaking Clan had betrayed them and that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had taken advantage of their vulnerability.
If it weren't for his lack of strength, he would have even considered causing a scene at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Meanwhile, on Pope Bibi Dong's desk, two new reports had appeared, detailing the recent movements of the Breaking Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Bibi Dong merely glanced at them before tossing them aside and heading to her private chamber.
Xue Qinghe's position as the Crown Prince had become even more secure, and she occasionally visited the academy to see Li Xun and Ning Rongrong.
However, during these visits, the Crown Prince would often subtly bring up the continent's political situation and her views on the Spirit Hall.
Li Xun never gave direct answers to these inquiries.
He would skirt around the topic, eventually expressing only one sentiment: he did not support the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Heavenly Dou Empire being enemies of the Spirit Hall.
Although these words were somewhat empty, Xue Qinghe listened intently. This was also one of the reasons she occasionally visited the academy.
Yang Wudi's grandson, Yang Qianjun, had also arrived at the academy.
Including Zhu Zhuqing, Li Xun's team now had enough members to participate in the next Soul Master Competition.
At the team's training ground.
Zhu Zhuqing and Yang Qianjun were launching an attack on Li Xun.
Behind them, Ning Rongrong held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda: "Seven Treasures shine with glazed light, the first is strength, the second is speed."
A multicolored light instantly shot out from the pagoda, splitting into four strands in the air, each entering the bodies of Zhu Zhuqing and Yang Qianjun.
With the amplification, their speed increased dramatically.
"Good timing."
Li Xun smiled, his fingers interlocking in the serpent seal, with a yellow and a purple Spirit Ring glowing at his feet: "Wood Release."
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