Chapter 3: Vitality
Clapping his hands, Zhao Ming looked at his handiwork with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
"You little brat, what do you think you're doing? Let me go!" Feeling herself tightly bound, Hu Liena was startled.
"What do I want to do? What do you think I want to do?"
"Let go of me, you little rascal!" Hu Liena cursed angrily.
"Rascal? A girl like you, with no chest and no rear, isn't my type." Zhao Ming squinted and smiled.
"But now that you've said it, if I don't do something to you, it wouldn't seem right."
"You dare?!" Hu Liena was furious. "I'll have you know, I am the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall. You better behave."
"Hah, who are you trying to scare? You're the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall? I'm the Pope of the Spirit Hall!"
Zhao Ming approached Hu Liena with a grin.
"Ah… you scoundrel! Stop it!"
Hu Liena screamed, never expecting to be humiliated in broad daylight.
"Scream all you want! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you..."
"You!" Hu Liena was both embarrassed and angry.
She regretted choosing to bathe in the Star Dou Forest. She could have waited until she returned.
Her companions were too respectful to disturb her while bathing, so they probably hadn't realized she was missing.
Tears streamed down her face.
Seeing Hu Liena cry, Zhao Ming wondered if he had gone too far. After all, he was in the wrong for seeing her body and then treating her this way.
"Hey, this ring looks nice. I'll take it." Just as he was about to release Hu Liena and leave, Zhao Ming noticed the ring on her finger, which seemed to be a legendary storage soul guide.
"What are you doing? That's my ring." Hu Liena opened her eyes to see Zhao Ming taking her ring.
"This is a storage soul guide, isn't it?"
Zhao Ming's eyes shone. He had only read about such things in novels. He never expected to own one.
The ring was large for Zhao Ming, but as soon as he put it on, it shrank to fit his finger perfectly.
Though pink, the ring was practical, which was what mattered to Zhao Ming.
I need to get out of here.
Hu Liena probably wasn't alone in hunting soul rings. If they found her tied up by him, it wouldn't end well for him.
"Bye, Nanna," Zhao Ming said, taking a few steps before returning.
He kissed Hu Liena's soft lips directly.
"So fragrant," Zhao Ming thought dreamily. Hu Liena's lips were soft with a hint of freshness.
"Shameless!" Hu Liena gritted her teeth, her face flushed. She never imagined losing her first kiss this way.
"How can you talk to your husband like that, Nanna? It makes me sad. When I'm sad, I do worse things!"
"You dare!" Hu Liena shouted, eyes wide. Worse things? That can't happen.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Ming scoffed.
"What do you want?" Hu Liena felt hopeless. Meeting someone like him was bad luck.
"Call me 'good husband' nicely. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I won't trouble you," Zhao Ming said with a smile.
"What? No way!" Hu Liena was furious, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Fine, I'll show you what cruelty means today!"
"No, I'll say it." Hu Liena gritted her teeth, "Good! Husband!"
"That won't do, no sincerity," Zhao Ming shook his head. "Sound gentle, smile, and look affectionate."
You!
Hu Liena felt like exploding with anger. But if she didn't comply, things might get worse.
"Good husband~" Hu Liena said in a soft, sweet voice.
"Good wife, you're so obedient. I'll leave now. The ring is a token of our love. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for today. Wait ten years, and when your hair reaches your waist, I'll come for you on a rainbow cloud," Zhao Ming laughed, then ran off.
"You scoundrel! Don't let me see you again, or I'll kill you!" Hu Liena shouted angrily.
About five or six minutes later, Hu Liena regained some soul power and broke free from the vines binding her.
After tidying herself, she returned to the Spirit Academy's hunting team base.
"Nanna, why were you gone so long? I was about to look for you!" A tall man in fine clothes said. He was relieved to see her but noticed something was off.
"Brother, I'm fine," Hu Liena said, looking at the sky with a sigh.
"Alright, let's move on and find a suitable soul ring for Xie Yue today..." said a titled Douluo from the Spirit Hall.
...
A day later.
At the edge of the Star Dou Forest, Zhao Ming lay on the ground, staring hopelessly at the sky.
Beside him was a delicate woman.
The woman wore a purple dress that accentuated her perfect figure, with a slim waist and long legs, making one think, "What a fairy."
Zhao Ming, though only in the forest for a day, felt an immense shadow over him. A regular soul master of level ten surviving the forest—who could understand the danger?
Without the system's guidance, he might have died.
"Ding, mainline mission issued."
"Ding, join Nuoding Academy and gain Xiao Wu's favor."
"Mission reward: a random martial soul."
Xiao Wu?
Zhao Ming's eyes lit up with a meaningful smile.
Xiao Wu was very pretty.
Especially as she grew, with her long, beautiful legs.
If he could win her over, how wonderful would that be?
He could lie on her legs, telling jokes and making her happy every day. How blissful would that be?
Reading the original story, Zhao Ming pitied Xiao Wu's tragic fate. She was so beautiful and innocent yet captured by the cunning Tang San. It was heartbreaking.
Now that he was here, he wouldn't let Xiao Wu face that future.
"Open the system panel," Zhao Ming said.
Host: Zhao Ming
Soul Power: Level 11
Martial Soul: Puppet
Soul Bone: None
Puppet: Flame Spirit Ji (Vitality: 1)
Sign-In: No location available
Mission: Join Nuoding Academy, gain Xiao Wu's favor.
Seeing his panel, Zhao Ming frowned.
"System, what does vitality next to Flame Spirit Ji mean?"
"The system's puppets start as lifeless objects. But once vitality is full, they awaken and become completely loyal to the host."
"What? Puppets can awaken?" Zhao Ming asked excitedly.
After acquiring the Flame Spirit Ji puppet, Zhao Ming felt a bit down. She was beautiful but lifeless. Imagine if she could awaken!
She's his puppet now and would listen to him.
Wouldn't that mean...?
Zhao Ming looked at the Flame Spirit Ji beside him.
The beautiful Flame Spirit Ji, with her stunning long legs, was a joy to behold.
Perhaps she might even become his wife one day.
But then again, is it right to throw your wife into battle? Wouldn't that be like Gan Jiang? Is that really okay?
•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗕𝗼𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗝𝗰1202' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 35+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿