Ning Rongrong didn’t even look up.
She simply scooped up another spoonful of porridge.
Zhu Zhuqing paused for a moment.
She picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of roast suckling pig.
Her movements weren’t particularly fast, but the frequency was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
With each rise and fall of her chopsticks, the entire roast suckling pig visibly shrank.
Her table manners weren’t exactly crude, but the hunger she had suppressed for so long was impossible to hide.
Ning Rongrong glanced at her from the corner of her eye and secretly clicked her tongue.
This woman looks so cold and aloof, but she certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to eating.
Before long, the lavish feast covering the table had been completely devoured.
Zhu Zhuqing put down her chopsticks.
The bones in front of her had been stacked neatly into a pile.
Ning Rongrong had also just fed Ning Que the last spoonful of porridge.
She set down the bowl, picked up a handkerchief, and wiped Ning Que’s mouth.
Only then did she leisurely raise her head and look at the black-clad girl across from her.
Her eyes swept over the mountain of bones in front of Zhu Zhuqing before moving down to her stomach.
She had eaten that much, yet her waist and abdomen remained perfectly flat, her curves still taut and graceful.
As expected, all that nutrition had gone exactly where it was supposed to.
A hint of envy rose in Ning Rongrong’s heart.
“Go on.
Tell me about your deal.” Ning Rongrong forcibly withdrew her gaze and suppressed the sour feeling in her heart.
It was time to get down to business.
Zhu Zhuqing sat upright, her back perfectly straight.
She looked at Ning Rongrong, then glanced at the young man in her arms, who had already slipped into a half-asleep state.
She took a deep breath.
There was no preamble and no beating around the bush.
“He and I can perform a martial soul fusion skill.” Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong froze.
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
And then— “Huh?!” Ning Rongrong shot to her feet, eyes wide.
She looked at Zhu Zhuqing, then lowered her head to look at Ning Que before raising her head again to stare at Zhu Zhuqing.
Her expression was as though she were looking at some unbelievable creature.
“N-No way!
A martial soul fusion skill?
You and him?
You’re a cat!” She still remembered Zhu Zhuqing’s martial soul, the Hell Spirit Cat!
How could that possibly— No, wait.
Her own pagoda could fuse with Ning Que’s…
If something that outrageous was possible, then perhaps other combinations weren’t impossible either?!
But Zhu Zhuqing’s expression was so serious.
Far too serious.
Under that intense gaze, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt flustered.
She turned toward Ning Que and grabbed him, shaking him vigorously.
“Ning Que!
Ning Que!
Say something!” It was precisely because martial soul fusion skills existed that her father and the two grandfathers, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, had believed she and Ning Que were a match made in heaven.
They had thought she was the only one.
But now…
Now…
After eating his fill and finally having nothing left to worry about, Ning Que was sleeping like a log.
His entire body was slumped in the chair, his golden hair hanging messily over his face, his breathing steady and rhythmic.
Ning Rongrong shook him for quite a while, yet he didn’t even move an eyelid.
He merely let out a vague hum, rubbed his face against her palm, and went still again.
Ning Rongrong stared at his sleeping face, then looked up at Zhu Zhuqing, who was sitting rigidly across from her.
Her mind was a complete mess.
“Ning Que!
Say something!” She shook him again.
No response.
Ning Rongrong bit her lower lip.
She knew this had nothing to do with Ning Que.
Something like a martial soul fusion skill wasn’t something either of them could simply decide to have.
It was the same with her and Ning Que.
Their martial soul fusion skill hadn’t appeared simply because they wanted it to.
“Forget it.” She pulled Ning Que closer to herself, then looked up at Zhu Zhuqing.
There was now a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
“Just because you say you have one doesn’t mean you do.
Where’s your proof?” Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment.
“My martial soul has been growing hot ever since I got close to him.” “That could just be one-sided!” Ning Rongrong immediately retorted.
“He gets hot when he touches me, and he gets hot when he touches you, too.
What if it’s just because his lousy martial soul is too eye-catching?
His light naturally makes everyone who sees it—everyone…” She trailed off halfway through her sentence, suddenly losing some of her confidence.
“Come on.
Let’s test it.” Ning Rongrong suddenly stood up.
With one hand, she grabbed Ning Que’s arm while extending the other toward Zhu Zhuqing.
“You.
Hold him from that side.” Zhu Zhuqing froze.
“You said this was a deal, didn’t you?” Ning Rongrong raised her chin.
“Then we have to inspect the merchandise first.” …
The hotel room had a very large bed.
Ning Que was placed right in the middle, completely unconscious as he slept, both arms stretched out to either side.
Ning Rongrong sat down on his left.
She took his hand and interlocked her fingers with his.
Then she looked up at Zhu Zhuqing on the right side of the bed.
“What are you waiting for?
Hold him.” Zhu Zhuqing looked at the arm lying in front of her and pressed her lips together.
Her Hell Spirit Cat martial soul was already burning hot, as if a cat locked inside a cage had finally caught the scent of fish.
She took a deep breath and reached out, gently wrapping her five fingers around Ning Que’s wrist.
Radiance blossomed from the hands clasped between Ning Rongrong and Ning Que.
It was silver and gentle, like moonlight.
At the point where Zhu Zhuqing’s hand clasped Ning Que’s, light also emerged.
But it wasn’t silver.
It was a deeper, faintly violet darkness, like a shadow beneath the moonlight.
The two clusters of light converged within Ning Que’s body.
There was no rejection.
No conflict.
They simply burned quietly, each in its own way.
“It…
It really works…” Ning Rongrong stared at the dark radiance, her voice unconsciously lowering.
It was somewhat smaller and fainter than the light produced by her and Ning Que, but it was unmistakably the fluctuation of a martial soul fusion skill.
There was no mistaking it.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously.
“I won’t give him to you!” She suddenly raised her head and glared at Zhu Zhuqing like a little cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Her eyes had even turned red.
Zhu Zhuqing was slightly stunned by the shout.
She looked at Ning Rongrong’s defensive reaction and remained silent for a long time.
Then she slowly withdrew her hand.
“I don’t need you to give him to me.” Zhu Zhuqing’s voice remained calm, but there was an added seriousness to it.
“I just want to survive.” Ning Rongrong stared at her without saying a word.
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes.
The room fell silent for several breaths before her voice sounded again.
“I’m Dai Mubai’s fiancée.
The Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire has been marrying into the Dai Family for generations.
Our family’s Hell Spirit Cat martial soul and the Dai Family’s White Tiger martial soul can form the martial soul fusion skill, Hell White Tiger.” “So every daughter of the Zhu Family is born with her fate already decided.
She’s destined to marry a prince of the Dai Family, assist him, and become part of his strength.” “Dai Mubai is one of the princes of this generation, but he ran away.
He came to Suo Tuo City to indulge himself in pleasure.” “If he doesn’t return to compete for the throne, it won’t just be his life that’s forfeit.
Mine will be, too.
That’s the Zhu Family’s rule.
If a prince of the Dai Family fails, the daughter of the Zhu Family tied to him must die with him.” “I don’t care what he’s like now, but I don’t want to die!” Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes.
“So I’m not looking for him anymore.
I’m looking for you two.
You’re the only ones who have the ability to help me!” Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, but no words came out.
The person standing before her was resolute and stubborn.
It seemed that she really was fighting for the chance to stay alive.
Zhu Zhuqing continued, “All I need is protection.
The protection of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
That’s enough to make the Star Luo Empire think twice.” “In exchange, I’ll give you everything I have.” “My martial soul fusion skill is included.”