If anyone else claimed they could help her become a Titled Douluo, Zhu Zhuqing would assume they were bragging.
But a twelve-year-old Spirit Emperor at rank sixty-six stood before her and said he could help her reach Titled Douluo—Zhu Zhuqing believed every word.
What should she do?
Should she agree?
Thoughts flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's mind; after a third of a second's hesitation she made her decision.
"I'm willing."
Since Dai Mubai couldn't be relied on, she would find her own way to defy fate.
"Correct and wise choice." Yu Yan gave Zhu Zhuqing a thumbs-up. "I'll give you two plans. One: I simply help you Cultivate to Titled Douluo. Two: you swear allegiance to me, use your Spirit to make an unbreakable Divine Oath, and I'll back you with everything I've got."
After praising her, Yu Yan laid out both options and let her decide.
The first plan relied on the resources of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well plus purple qi and moonlight; with Zhu Zhuqing's already good talent, reaching Titled Douluo wouldn't be a problem.
Given her personality, when trouble came she would most likely stand on Yu Yan's side.
The second plan: if she swore a Divine Oath like Ye Lingling had, Yu Yan would supply Immortal Herbs, moonlight-purple qi, whale glue, and spirit power-compression arts to accelerate her growth.
Only by swearing the Divine Oath—convincing Yu Yan to trust her completely—would she receive his full support.
She could refuse the oath; after a few years at his side he would see her heart and help all the same.
"I…."
Confronted with the two choices, Zhu Zhuqing didn't know which to pick.
"No rush. Think it over; decide after we reach Exotic Beast Academy. Consider this a down-payment—try it first."
Yu Yan wasn't hurried. He set a small vial of Medicinal Pills on the table and slid it toward her.
The pills were refined from high-year herbs harvested in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; they worked wonders for spirit power Cultivation. One vial was enough to carry her smoothly into the Spirit Elder realm.
Leaving the Medicinal Pills behind, Yu Yan led Xiao Wu out of the private room so Zhu Zhuqing could think in peace.
Once she'd stored the pills, Zhu Qing left as well; she meant to verify part of the file with her own eyes—some things had to be seen to be believed.
A dozen minutes later the Waiter entered with the ordered dishes and found the room empty.
"Where'd the guests go?"
"They paid but didn't eat?"
"Yu Yan, we lost out back there—we didn't even try the house specials."
After leaving the inn where Zhu Zhuqing was staying, Xiao Wu suddenly recalled the paid-for but untouched feast.
"We just needed a quiet place to talk, not a meal. If you really want to try it, we can come back."
Hearing her muttering, Yu Yan offered a remedy.
"No need, I was only mentioning it. What do we do next?"
Xiao Wu waved it off; she wasn't hungry after all their travels and countless good meals.
"Let's hunt Bu Le, Tian Ya, and E Kao. Their trail's been found; right now they should be in Chang Le House."
With Zhu Zhuqing's answer secured, the only remaining goal in Suotuo City was to eliminate those three. After that he would return to Ice Soul City and Exotic Beast Academy to Cultivate in seclusion.
As for Tang San—the so-called destined protagonist—Yu Yan had no interest in checking on him. A twelve-year-old Spirit Emperor at sixty-six ranks squabbling with a twelve-year-old Spirit Grandmaster at twenty-nine? Too undignified.
In this era the only young talents who could rival Yu Yan were the sixty-five-rank Spirit Emperor Xiao Wu and the Innate twentieth-rank Qian Renxue; everyone else existed merely to highlight how extraordinary the three of them were.
"Fine, let's finish quickly." Xiao Wu nodded, then added, "Bringing home a twelve-year-old Genius at rank twenty-seven should stop Vice Dean Jiang Jing from nagging."
"Absolutely—she might even give us two more ice soul flower seeds for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
The mention reminded Yu Yan of Exotic Beast Academy's greatest treasure: the ice soul flower.
With the ten-fold-growth Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well now serving as a natural garden, collecting rare herb seeds to enrich it had become a hobby of his.
"Sounds good—I'm all in."
The fruit trees planted back then were already bearing delicious fruit every year; Xiao Wu's storage soul tool carried plenty of them.
Watching from the window as Yu Yan and Xiao Wu walked away, Zhu Zhuqing stepped out with the file on Dai Mubai.
Following its leads, she located the nearest of Dai Mubai's ex-girlfriends and talked with her.
The conversation convinced her that every word in Yu Yan's file was true.
Five ex-girlfriends in three years and currently entangled with twins—Dai Mubai, impressive.
Zhu Zhuqing's face darkened as she strode toward the Rose Grand Hotel for final confirmation.
In the teahouse beside the hotel she sat at the window table Yu Yan and Xiao Wu had used, ordered tea and snacks, ignored the storyteller on stage, and stared at the street while memories of the past years flashed through her mind.
Time slipped by until the sunset colored the horizon. Just as she thought the afternoon would be wasted, a flamboyant blond in white appeared, arms around twins, all three heading for the love-themed Rose Grand Hotel.
As Dai Mubai's nominal fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing recognized him at once despite three years apart.
Seeing his bright smile as he chatted with the twins, Zhu Zhuqing didn't confront him; she simply severed the last shred of hope she'd held for him.
Since Dai Mubai had chosen his path—hiding here to indulge himself—she would make her own choice and fight this wretched fate.
Back at the inn she swallowed one of Yu Yan's pills and began her nightly Cultivation.