Chapter 60: Soto City

Among all the information in the files, the most normal one seemed to be Oscar. A Food-system Spirit Master whose martial soul was a sausage, though he had dated a few girlfriends, his reputation was still acceptable.

"What do you think?" Li Xun rested his chin on his hand and turned his head to look at Zhu Zhuqing.

The two had been together for more than three years, and Li Xun had already begun to grow accustomed to Zhu Zhuqing's presence. Although this young lady did not talk much, she was as meticulous as an orchid, cold on the outside yet warm on the inside, and extremely diligent both in her cultivation and daily life.

Aunt Xue did not visit the academy often, so most of the trivial matters involving Li Xun and Ning Rongrong were usually handled by Zhu Zhuqing. Although there was a sense of repayment in this at first, as time passed, these duties had simply become a habit.

The reason this file appeared here was twofold: first, to serve as a pretext for their upcoming actions; and second, to prepare for resolving the marriage engagement binding Zhu Zhuqing. Allowing her to regain complete freedom could also be considered a way to entirely lift the burden from her heart.

However, the journey to Star Luo was far, and his current strength was not yet strong enough to suppress the Star Luo imperial family, so he planned to make a move against Dai Mubai first.

"Big Brother Li Xun, my mother taught me since I was a child not to care about a man's romantic escapades, as long as that person is not debauched or wasting his potential on trivialities—those are just minor issues." Zhu Zhuqing's brow relaxed as she smoothed the long hair behind her ear, her eyes looking softly at Li Xun. "As long as this man can shield me from the wind and rain at critical moments and stand tall like a true hero, that is enough."

Hiss~

"What do you mean?" Li Xun did not quite catch her drift; he was half-startled, half-confused, and his mind felt somewhat muddled.

Seeing Li Xun's bewildered expression, Zhu Zhuqing revealed a smile and raised the file in her hand. "Ever since you spoke to me about the deeper intentions behind my eldest sister's relentless pursuit, he and I have already severed all ties."

"The reason I felt uneasy before was merely at the thought that I was still bound by a marriage contract to such a fellow." Zhu Zhuqing put down the files in her hand and displayed a warm smile. "Big Brother Li Xun, if you hadn't saved me back then, I would probably still be embroiled in the struggles of the imperial family right now."

"Perhaps, just to survive, I would have had to compromise with a wretch who wastes his life on debauchery." Zhu Zhuqing felt a sense of fortune in her heart. Fortunately, she had crossed paths with Li Xun; fortunately, she had followed him to the Heaven Dou Empire.

When she first looked at the file, her heart had been startled.

Level thirty-seven spirit power at age fifteen? Dating three girlfriends in a single day? Extravagant spending? Surrounded by beauties at all times? A man who only knew how to indulge in wine and women day in and day out—what was that if not wasting one's potential on debauchery?

Could it be that, knowing he could not win, he simply decided to live a day at a time and enjoy himself while he could? Moreover, judging by the looks of it, Dai Mubai never seemed to have cared about her life or death back in Star Luo.

Zhu Zhuqing rolled the file into a ball, tossed it into the wastebasket by her feet, and flashed a bright smile at Li Xun. "Brother, you won't blame me for throwing the file away, will you?"

She and Dai Mubai had once merely been companions bound by fate; once that layer of relationship was shattered, the two of them no longer had any intersection.

Her mother had once taught her that if one could not marry a real man, it would be better never to marry at all.

In the past, Zhu Zhuqing had deeply believed this.

But after three years of struggling between life and death in Star Luo, followed by three years of peace and harmony in Heaven Dou, her perspective on her mother's words had changed.

Why spend a lifetime unmarried? Wouldn't it be better to find a good man and marry him? Did she really need to wrong herself for the rest of her life just for a worthless wretch who indulged in debauchery?

"A piece of paper is meant to be thrown away once it's used. I just didn't understand your words; would you mind expressing yourself a bit more clearly?" Li Xun smiled and leaned forward toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"The food in the cafeteria isn't good, so I'm going to buy some ingredients to cook." Zhu Zhuqing stood up abruptly, turned quickly, and walked out, though the earlobes exposed outside her hair were slightly flushed.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing fleeing in a hurry, Li Xun grinned, leaned back in his seat, and stretched lazily. Having obtained the answer he wanted, he now felt energized all over.

"Brother, I didn't quite understand either."

Ning Rongrong looked at Li Xun in puzzlement. "Is Zhuqing still worried about the marriage contract? Didn't you say that once the guy named Dai Mubai dies, everything will be fine?"

When Zhu Zhuqing first arrived in Heaven Dou, Li Xun had mentioned this matter to her. As time passed, she had almost forgotten about it.

"Previously, yes." Li Xun wore a smile. "Now, whether Dai Mubai lives or dies doesn't really matter; it mainly depends on how he chooses."

"If he makes the wrong choice, I'll be unhappy and he dies. If he makes the right choice... well... depends on my mood." Li Xun paused slightly at this point.

"Brother, what choice does he have to make?" Ning Rongrong was so annoyed she scratched her head. "Can't you guys just speak plainly?"

Li Xun stood up, patted Ning Rongrong's little head, and looked her up and down. "You're still young and have room to grow. You'll understand when you're older."

"..."

"Brother, the three of us are all twelve years old, how am I small? Make yourself clear." Seeing Li Xun open the door to leave, Ning Rongrong abruptly stood up and shouted angrily.

"Zhuqing went out to buy groceries and hasn't returned yet. I'm going to go meet her. Do you want me to bring back a bottle of milk and some papaya for you?"

....

"Get lost!"

Looking at the closed door, Ning Rongrong lowered her head and looked at herself. "Am I small?"

......

Soto City was located in the center of the Farma Plain within the Barak Kingdom, boasting an exceptionally advantageous geographical location.

To the north, the main highway led directly to Heaven Dou City; to the southeast, just past the border, lay the Star Dou Great Forest; and Shrek Academy was situated in the southwest of Soto City.

Li Xun walked slowly alone through the streets of Soto City.

Considering that he would have to set off for Holy Soul Village immediately after Tang San appeared, he had agreed on a timeline with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, instructing them to return to the sect to summon reinforcements while he went on ahead.

The reason for this arrangement was that the two girls kept inquiring, intentionally or not, about what he was going to do at Shrek. Driven into a corner, he had to tell a lie, claiming he was going there to handle a matter and incidentally acquire a spirit ring.

He certainly couldn't tell them he was going out to pick up a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone...

As a result, Ning Rongrong looked skeptical and made a fuss, insisting on watching Li Xun acquire his fourth spirit ring.

Even Zhu Zhuqing was full of disbelief.

Li Xun's current level was thirty-eight. Considering the spirit power boost provided by the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, his level would inevitably reach forty once he absorbed it.

Therefore, he wasn't afraid and simply agreed.

After all, he had no choice; having spent several years together, there was hardly anything Li Xun did that Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were not aware of.

Coincidentally, Li Xun also wanted to take this opportunity to sort out the lingering issues surrounding Zhu Zhuqing.

Soto City was a trading hub, and the shops lining the streets were dazzling. Li Xun scanned the surrounding stores along the way.

Before long, a shop appeared in his field of vision.

The storefront was not large, but the signboard was exceptionally eye-catching to spirit masters.

An ordinary person would certainly not recognize the meaning hidden within the symbols carved on the signboard: a sword, a hammer, and a Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon. The significance of these three symbols combined was clear.

Yet anyone who had ever been a spirit master knew that this carving was identical to the special tokens issued by the Spirit Hall.

Li Xun slowly pushed open the shop door.

Compared to the brightly lit street, the interior appeared somewhat dim. A robust man in his fifties was lying on a chair with his eyes closed.

The shop had three walls that looked old and worn; to Li Xun's discerning eye, the items displayed were mere junk.

This must be Flander... Li Xun thought to himself.

Without disturbing the profiteer, Li Xun scanned the surroundings once, finally fixing his gaze on a spot closest to the door.

That was a crystal about the size of a human head. The crystal itself was transparent, with some yellow impurities visible inside.

"Boss, how much for this crystal?"

"Not expensive, one hundred gold soul coins." Flander opened his eyes slightly and said lazily.

With that, he closed his eyes again and rocked the recliner back and forth, producing a creaking sound.

"Boss, can we negotiate the price?"