"No, no, I want a drink." Na'er planted her hands on her hips, her little head swaying stubbornly. None of the human world's drinks could compare to that.
"Fine." Bi Ji sighed helplessly. Those things aren't even healthy.
Still, she obeyed the order.
She lifted her skirt and headed toward the human city, her figure light and graceful as a butterfly.
Bi Ji had barely taken two steps when Arthur called out to stop her. "There's no need to trouble yourself, senior."
He reached into his storage soul tool and pulled out an assortment of drinks, handing them to Na'er. "Here, pick one."
Tea and the like, Arthur admittedly had none of. But when it came to drinks, he had plenty.
He was fond of a sip or two of additives in his free time.
At the same time, Arthur muttered under his breath, "Behave yourself a little. Do you really think this is your own home?"
Pretending not to notice what you two really are is exhausting enough on its own, thank you very much.
Na'er, who had just taken the drink, froze at his words.
Her fingers tightened around the bottle without her realizing it, the cap warping slightly under the pressure.
She stole a glance at Arthur, and seeing his expression was as ordinary as ever, not like someone who'd truly figured anything out, she quietly let out a breath of relief.
Even so, she instinctively reined in the faint aura of pampered arrogance that had been leaking out of her, her little head drooping as she mumbled, "I... I just think it's nice here, that's all."
Even as she said it, she no longer dared to plant her hands on her hips and issue commands the way she had a moment ago. Instead, she obediently twisted open the bottle cap and took small, careful sips.
Her eyes kept flicking toward Arthur now and then, as if she were watching for his reaction.
Watching her act so obviously guilty, Arthur couldn't help finding it funny, but he didn't call her out on it. He simply reached over and ruffled her hair.
Suddenly, Arthur felt a familiar stirring from the Holy Lance within his body.
He knew immediately what it meant: another soul ring was forming on its own again.
The hand ruffling Na'er's hair paused, then withdrew smoothly. "Well, since we're done playing around, let's pack up and head back to Eastsea City."
Arthur turned to Bi Ji and Xiong Jun, who were standing off to the side trying hard to look composed, and bowed his head in a natural, unforced gesture. "Thank you for looking after us, seniors. We'll be taking our leave now."
Bi Ji smiled and nodded, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. "Safe travels. You're welcome to visit again anytime."
Xiong Jun also looked visibly relieved. He scratched his head and said in his simple, honest way, "If Miss Na'er wants drinks again, I'll prepare more for next time."
Arthur then turned to Gu Yue. "Coming with us? Or are you staying here?"
Something flickered in Gu Yue's eyes, and she nodded softly. "I'll go with you." She had sensed the change in Arthur.
She didn't know exactly what it was, but she could feel the earth element stirring with excitement, spontaneously responding in kind to Arthur.
Seeing that Gu Yue meant to leave, Di Tian had no choice but to show himself.
He appeared abruptly and bowed low in farewell. "Safe travels, young mistress."
Gu Yue gave a slight nod.
Once the group had left, fresh beasts began pouring into the valley, and the place quickly grew rowdy again.
"Hey, Xiong Jun, how'd it feel getting ordered around by Lady Na'er?"
Xiong Jun wore a thoroughly foolish grin. "Felt great."
"Lucky you."
One of the beasts spoke up. "I saw Di Tian running like the wind just now. Scared out of his wits, that one."
Off to the side, Di Tian's face turned ugly. He was in genuine distress. Na'er's single word, "grandpa," had nearly made his whole life flash before his eyes.
Bi Ji covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, walked over to Di Tian, and offered a few words of comfort, but in the end she couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing anyway.
Di Tian's expression turned even uglier.
"Hahaha!" Xiong Jun was on a roll now. "Di Tian, I saw your legs shaking!"
"Lady Na'er must've really put you in your place. Hmph, you're doomed sooner or later!"
"Shut it!" Di Tian's face went livid, his slitted pupils sweeping over the assembled beasts as the space around him rippled faintly. The nearby beasts immediately swallowed their laughter in fright, though they still couldn't quite suppress the urge to snicker in secret.
Bi Ji watched the lively scene unfold, shook her head helplessly, and smoothed things over with a smile. "All right, all right. Lady Na'er is still young and spirited. She just says whatever comes to mind, that's all."
Back in Eastsea City, before Arthur even had a chance to look into the change in the Holy Lance, Agravaine appeared before him.
His face was pale, as if he'd been badly frightened by something.
"What's wrong with you?" Arthur couldn't help but ask.
Agravaine's eyes were complicated. After a long silence, he sighed. "That family of Gu Yue's, they're no ordinary people."
"I was following behind you earlier."
"And I found out that valley is hiding who knows how many powerhouses."
"At the very least, every single one of them is a Titled Douluo."
"I never imagined, never in a thousand years, that there was a force this powerful hiding in the shadows of the Douluo Continent."
"These reclusive families really shouldn't be underestimated."
Thinking back to when he'd been hiding in the shadows earlier, he kept shifting positions, only to find someone already crouched there every single time.
Those were the same spots the other beasts had been using to hide, and since the valley only had so many places to conceal oneself, it was inevitable that Agravaine would keep running into them.
On top of that, while he'd been observing in secret, Di Tian had glanced his way once, and that terrifying pressure alone had been enough.
Talk about being pushed to the absolute limit.
"That elder of Gu Yue's family has to be a Limit Douluo at the very least!" Agravaine declared with conviction.
Looking at his uncle with something like pity, Arthur sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, okay, it's fine now. Don't be scared."
"You little brat." Agravaine's face went from pale to thunderous in an instant. "The nerve, talking down to your elders!"
Arthur's shoulders shook as he fought back laughter, patting Agravaine's shoulder with an air of exaggerated seriousness. "Uncle, it's fine, really. Think about it. Gu Yue's on our side now, so however powerful her family is behind her, doesn't that just mean we've got more backup?"
"Backup, my foot!" Agravaine was so worked up he was practically fuming, raising a hand to smack Arthur upside the head, only to have Arthur dodge nimbly out of reach. "That's someone else's power, not ours! You reckless brat, do you think a Limit Douluo is some kind of cabbage you can just pick up? What if they turn on us one day? We wouldn't even know how we died!"
"Unless." Agravaine suddenly lit up with an idea, breaking into a sly grin. "Arthur, listen. Why don't you go and win that Gu Yue girl over properly? That'd make the relationship rock solid."
"Tch." Arthur looked at him with open disdain. "Have you got no shame at all?"
"Me, no shame?" Agravaine let out a laugh of pure exasperation, jabbing a finger at Arthur's forehead in a fit of tough love. "You little punk, you don't understand a thing!"
"How do I not understand?" Arthur shook his head. "It's just that, well, I don't really need to anymore."
"What do you mean by that?" Agravaine froze.
"There aren't many people left on the Douluo Continent who could actually threaten me." Arthur raised a hand and clenched it into a fist. "And honestly, the fact that the Holy Spirit Cult hasn't come after me these past few years has been their biggest mistake. From now on, they won't get another chance."
Watching Arthur's confident expression, Agravaine gradually calmed down, though he still frowned. "I know this trip gave you a huge boost, but no matter what, you're still only a Soul King."
"Soul King is more than enough. I have no trouble protecting myself right now."
"And besides."
Arthur raised his hand and made a loose grasping motion.
A beam of sacred light coiled and stretched, taking shape as the Holy Lance, Rongomiantia. "Actually, I just had a thought."
The soul rings that had formed on their own around the Holy Lance surfaced into view.
Green, red, blue, yellow, silver.
Five colors in all.
Five soul rings, never before seen, enough to shake the entire Douluo Continent to its core.
They represented, respectively, the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth, and the fifth and final soul ring granted him mastery over space itself.