Chapter 99...
Qian Renxue’s voice choked, tears streaming down her face.
She stepped forward and hugged Jiang Bai tightly, her slender fingers caressing his face, feeling the contours etched into his very bones.
"You bastard..." she sobbed and cursed, her fingers tugging hard at Jiang Bai’s face.
"Why did you take so long to come find me? I thought you were dead... I really thought..."
Jiang Bai held her back tightly, feeling her trembling body; he let her vent her emotions while gently stroking her back.
"I’m sorry... but wasn’t I afraid that staying there any longer would be unsafe? Bibi Dong wouldn’t have let me go, so I had no choice but to leave."
He paused, then added, "Besides, that night—dragging my injured body, slowly crawling along—I originally thought I was a goner. But then, by sheer chance, I stumbled upon a divine miracle. It didn’t just heal my wounds; it caused my Martial Soul to undergo a mutation... I possess the power to protect myself now, Sister Xue’er."
At the mention of Bibi Dong, a glint of bone-chilling hatred flashed through Qian Renxue’s eyes, though it was immediately supplanted by concern.
"Don’t speak of her! Sooner or later, I will kill her! But you mustn’t take any risks; right now, you..."
"Sister Xue’er." Jiang Bai grasped her hands, speaking with earnestness. "I do have combat capabilities. I can help you, too."
Only then did Qian Renxue belatedly realize the truth: just moments ago, Jiang Bai had gone head-to-head against that elderly Soul Douluo, holding his own without falling into a disadvantage—he had even managed to shatter the old man’s Domain.
A look of bewilderment surfaced in her eyes.
"Your Martial Soul... isn’t it the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? How could it..."
Jiang Bai released one of his hands, his thoughts stirring slightly.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda materialized behind him; nine-colored streams of light swirled around its structure, radiating mysterious spatial fluctuations.
Immediately thereafter, his first Spirit Ring lit up.
"T-t-t... A hundred-thousand-year... Spirit Ring?!"
Not only were the members of the Knight Squad watching from a distance left dumbfounded, but even Qian Renxue wore a look of utter bewilderment.
A crimson beam of light shot forth from the pagoda; upon landing, it transformed into a colossal figure—a Fire Dragon—which lowered its head and affectionately nuzzled Qian Renxue.
"Is this... a Spirit Beast? A Fire... Fire Dragon?"
Qian Renxue was stunned.
That oppressive aura, that massive physique, those intelligent, spirited eyes—was this... a being of the hundred-thousand-year tier?!
"Why is she... being so affectionate toward me?"
Qian Renxue reached out in a daze, gently stroking the Fire Dragon’s horns.
"Of course she’s affectionate toward you."
"After all, this is the very first Spirit Ring you ever gifted me. If you hadn’t brought her to me all those years ago, she wouldn’t have achieved what she has today."
Qian Renxue gazed at the Fire Dragon in disbelief, then turned her eyes toward Jiang Bai.
"How did she... go from being a mere hundred-year Spirit Beast to a hundred-thousand-year one? And your Martial Soul—what exactly is going on here?"
"It’s a long story. As for my Martial Soul... ahem..."
He proceeded to recount the events of the past two years in a concise yet detailed manner.
Naturally, he chose to omit a few minor details.
Qian Renxue listened in silence, her expression shifting between astonishment and concern.
"So that’s how it is..." Qian Renxue gently rested her head against Jiang Bai’s chest, her voice softening.
"Come back with me. Don’t go seeking danger anymore; I can protect you now."
Jiang Bai fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"Sister Xue’er, I’d love nothing more than to keep living off your generosity forever, but ultimately, this world is ruled by strength. Only by becoming strong can one command respect, protect the people one cares about, and..."
He paused, meeting Qian Renxue’s gaze. "...and settle one’s own scores with my own two hands."
Qian Renxue understood his meaning. She whispered, "Don’t go on dangerous missions all by yourself—I can go with you!"
She tightened her grip on Jiang Bai’s arm and pressed her face against his shoulder.
"You have to be careful; that woman is terrifying."
"I will."
"But enough about her, Sister Xue’er. How did you end up out here serving with the Holy Knights?"
"It’s all because of that wretched woman!" Qian Renxue fumed.
"She holds the position but neglects her duties. Over the years, the number of degenerates across the continent has skyrocketed. These vermin used to be largely confined to the vicinity of the City of Slaughter, but now they’re crawling around everywhere."
"..."
Jiang Bai stroked Qian Renxue’s soft, delicate hands and asked, "So, how long have you been out here? Do you often go without proper food or sleep while on missions? Look at you—you’ve lost so much weight!"
"Wh-what are you talking about? Besides, that sort of thing is unavoidable when you’re out in the field on a mission..." Qian Renxue allowed Jiang Bai to continue gently toying with her hands, a rare blush—one he hadn’t seen in a long time—rising to her cheeks.
"Enough about me. You... where do you plan to go next?"
"I want to travel through the southwest of the continent. I’m hoping to stumble upon some opportunity that will allow my Dragon Beast to evolve further... That way, I’ll have the strength to truly establish myself."
"With that little girl?"
Qian Renxue suddenly lifted her head, glancing into the distance where Jiang Li’er was idly kicking pebbles. She asked abruptly, "Don’t tell me... you want to get stronger just so you can beat me, and then go off and marry a whole bunch of beauties?"
She narrowed her eyes and gave Jiang Bai’s cheek a tug. "Tell me—is that it?! I refuse to believe you aren’t interested in that little girl; after all, you’ve never been entirely honest with me since we were kids!"
Jiang Bai looked at Qian Renxue and, under her astonished gaze, gave a serious nod.
"..."
Qian Renxue’s eyebrow twitched. You actually have the audacity to nod?!
Her hand quietly slid downward, unerringly finding the soft flesh at Jiang Bai’s waist; she pinched it tight and gave it a twist.
"Hiss~" Jiang Bai sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Sister Xue’er, it hurts... it hurts!"
"Tell me! How many women have you been flirting with lately?!"
"Uh... right now, I guess... maybe... probably... it’s just Li’er for the time being?" Jiang Bai answered guiltily.
"’Right now’? ’Maybe’?"
"You scoundrel, Jiang Bai! Why don’t you just go die?!" Qian Renxue fumed.
"But if I... really died, what would you do then? Sister Xue’er, I could never bear to leave you!"
"You..."
Qian Renxue gave a soft huff and let go of his waist. As she lightly pummeled Jiang Bai’s chest with her small fists, she continued to scold him:
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard..."
As she went on scolding him, tears—like little pearls—involuntarily began to fall from Qian Renxue’s eyes.
Finally, she buried her face in Jiang Bai’s embrace and wept.
She felt as though she simply couldn’t live without Jiang Bai.
It was only when she was by his side that she could reveal her true emotions; she felt that this was her authentic self.
But... he turned out to be a complete philanderer!
Perhaps she had foreseen this long ago; after all, she had previously noticed that Jiang Bai possessed—just a tad—of a lecherous streak.
Yet, seeing how utterly uninterested he was in Hu Liena, Qian Renxue had simply assumed that Jiang Bai’s lustful gaze was reserved solely for her.
But now, looking back, she felt that perhaps Jiang Bai had simply lacked the strength—the confidence—to show his true colors back then.
And yet, it was precisely that genuine, uninhibited behavior of Jiang Bai’s in the past that had put Qian Renxue at ease, relieving her of any worry that he might be approaching her with ulterior motives or under someone else’s orders.
Now, Qian Renxue had no desire to ever experience that crushing sense of loss again.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue lifted her head, gazing at Jiang Bai with eyes rimmed red from weeping.
Jiang Bai gently caressed her lovely face, wiping away her tears; but Qian Renxue seized his hand and sank her teeth deep into his arm.
"Hiss—!!!"
Jiang Bai winced in pain, yet he made no move to stop her.
A few moments later, Qian Renxue finally let go and buried her face in Jiang Bai’s embrace; he could do nothing but hold her silently.
The two of them nestled together in quiet intimacy, bathed in the moonlight that spilled down upon them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Tian Yue and the members of the Holy Knights Order were silently gathering the corpses of the Fallen, piling them into a small mound before setting them ablaze.
Eerie black smoke billowed upward, twisting and dissipating into the night sky.
Jiang Li’er kicked away the last pebble at her feet. Glancing at the two figures locked in an embrace, she curled her lip in a pout, then turned and walked further away to sit beneath a distant tree, where she hugged her knees and stared blankly into space.
In the valley below, the flames crackled and danced, casting their flickering light upon two young faces.
After a long and painful separation, the two of them—reunited at last—were once again locked in a tight embrace on this night of the blood moon.