Chapter 36: The Turning Point

Zhu Zhuqing walked to the bedside, her thoughts in turmoil.

At the same time, she was filled with self-reproach. How could she have thought so poorly of Brother Li Xun, who had saved her twice?

With trembling hands, Zhu Zhuqing untied her outer garment, revealing the fair skin of her shoulder. Only the three-inch-long wound marred its beauty.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing lie down and close her eyes, Li Xun stepped forward slowly. He made a conscious effort not to let his gaze linger on her chest and began to examine the injury.

"It's not too bad," Li Xun nodded. Although Zhu Zhuqing's injury was severe, it had not damaged the bone. He was fully capable of treating such an injury now; it would just take some time. As long as it healed properly, there would be no scarring.

When a warm palm covered her shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing felt a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. It made her legs press together instinctively, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Although the Star Luo Empire was not overly conservative, men and women still maintained a certain distance. Her clothing, while form-fitting, was never revealing. At this moment, lying on the bed in only her undergarments with a man sitting beside her and pressing his hand to her shoulder was something she had never dared to imagine before.

"That's enough for today. I need to recover some of my soul power," Li Xun said after an unknown amount of time, suddenly withdrawing his hand.

"Mm..." Zhu Zhuqing replied, her eyes still closed, her voice barely audible.

At this moment, she looked like a ripe peach, her exposed skin flushed with a delicate, rosy hue. Li Xun took one glance, smiled, and headed out of the room. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Zhu Zhuqing would become even more flustered.

Hearing the door close, Zhu Zhuqing carefully opened her eyes, glanced at the door, and then, whatever she was thinking, buried her head deep into the quilt.

Li Xun arrived in the main hall just as he bumped into Ning Rongrong, who was peeking through the gate like a thief.

"Feel free to take anything you like in this house; don't be a stranger," Li Xun teased.

"Hehe, I heard you were back, so I came to check," Ning Rongrong said with a twinkle in her eye. She opened the gate, skipped over to Li Xun, and wrapped her arms around his. "Brother, I heard you brought someone back. Where is she?"

"She's resting for now. I'll introduce you later." Feeling the touch on his arm, Li Xun glanced at Ning Rongrong, feeling as though he had developed an immunity to the girl. This realization made him sigh inwardly.

Once a person has experienced something better, it is difficult to return to the past; Ning Rongrong was still young and needed to work harder.

"Oh..." Ning Rongrong hummed, sounding somewhat distracted. Having been together for several years, how could Li Xun not know what she was thinking? He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Rongrong, you mustn't bully her..."

Immediately after, Li Xun told Ning Rongrong about Zhu Zhuqing’s experiences, intentionally exaggerating a few parts. Ning Rongrong listened with teary, wide eyes. "Brother, is Zhu Zhuqing safe now?"

Li Xun pondered for a moment. "Mostly, but we still need to keep a low profile."

"Hmph! When we grow up, we'll take Zhu Zhuqing back openly and see what that Star Luo royal family can do about it!" Ning Rongrong said indignantly.

"Fine, my Rongrong is the best..." Li Xun soothed her.

After sending Ning Rongrong away, Li Xun returned to his room and took out his books on medicine, arranging them in a row. This trip to the Star Luo Empire had been a tremendous harvest for him: Zhu Zhuqing, Yang Wudi, and the illustrated guide to immortal herbs—a triple win.

Li Xun chuckled and opened one of the books. The second volume written by Yang Wudi was, as he claimed, mostly about methods of poisoning. However, Li Xun still found what he was looking for. What surprised him even more was that the book also recorded two other types of immortal-grade herbs.

"It seems the task I set must continue. It's just a matter of spending some money; perhaps there will be unexpected gains." Li Xun closed the book. If the continent only had these few precious plants, it would be too barren; even for a fantasy world, that made no sense.

"Now, I just need the right opportunity." Li Xun stored the books into his soul storage device and began to meditate.

Although his relationship with Dugu Yan was already good, he didn't want to seem too eager. Their interactions were limited to the younger generation, and he was still some distance away from Dugu Bo. Even though he had discussed the way of medicine with Dugu Bo many times and their conversations were quite agreeable, Li Xun understood that the moment he mentioned the Sunset Forest or the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, Dugu Bo would become suspicious, questioning his motives for getting close to his granddaughter. Even if his motives were indeed impure... it would make it much harder to win Dugu Bo over later.

...

Spring passed and autumn came; another year went by.

During this year, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing became close friends, often accompanied by each other at the academy, and their relationship with Li Xun had improved significantly. Perhaps due to proximity, being around Ning Rongrong’s lively personality for so long made Zhu Zhuqing much more optimistic, and a smile could occasionally be seen on her face. This smile became even more radiant whenever she chased Li Xun out of the dormitory.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan also reached a cooperation agreement with the Breaking Clan. Yang’s medicinal products had slowly begun to spread across the continent, and both sides were very satisfied with the partnership.

But where there is satisfaction, there is dissatisfaction. Titan of the Strength Clan had already caused several scenes at Yang Wudi’s residence, and the two sides were on very poor terms. Even the Speed Clan had become much more distant. Only the Defense Clan remained silent, quietly approaching Yang Wudi to seek investment and cooperation in construction. Yang Wudi had been prepared for this; he told everyone that he only had a cooperative relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, which prevented the situation from escalating. Titan, however, did not buy it, insisting that the Breaking Clan had betrayed them and that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was taking advantage of the situation. If not for his lack of strength, he would have stormed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan himself.

On Pope Bibi Dong’s desk, two more files appeared, detailing the recent movements of the Breaking Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Bibi Dong only glanced at them once before tossing them aside, turning instead to head toward the Pope’s private chamber.

Xue Qinghe’s position as Crown Prince had become even more stable, and he occasionally visited the academy to see Li Xun and Ning Rongrong. However, this Crown Prince would always inadvertently steer the conversation toward the situation on the continent and his views on the Spirit Hall. Li Xun never answered him directly. He would talk around the subject, eventually expressing only one sentiment: he did not support the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Heaven Dou Empire becoming enemies with the Spirit Hall. Although these words had little substance, Xue Qinghe listened very carefully. This was the reason 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 Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.

In the team’s training ground, Zhu Zhuqing and Yang Qianjun were currently launching an attack on Li Xun. Behind them, Ning Rongrong held her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. "Seven Treasures glazed light: one is power, two is speed."

A colorful light shot out from the pagoda, splitting into four beams in mid-air, which merged into the bodies of Zhu Zhuqing and Yang Qianjun respectively. With the enhancements, their speed surged instantly.

"Well done." A smile hung on Li Xun’s face. He intertwined his fingers to form the Snake hand seal, and one yellow and one purple soul ring lit up beneath his feet. "Wood Style."