Chapter 72: A Mouthful of Whale Rubber Swallowed—My Fate Is Ruled by the Tiger, Not by Heaven!
"Such a fuss."
"It's only two levels. What's so surprising about that?"
With a flash of a soul ring, Bai Lu appeared outside, giving the girl a look as if she had never seen the world before.
"Hehe! This Immortal Herb actually helped me level up twice!"
Zhu Zhuqing ignored his expression; her face was still full of excitement.
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot were excellent herbs, but their effects mainly focused on body tempering, improving aptitude, granting resistance to fire and ice, and immunity to poisons.
They contributed almost nothing to increasing soul power.
Because of that, she had assumed all Immortal Herbs worked the same way.
But the thing that made her happiest was something else entirely.
"I can obtain another soul ring now!"
Zhu Zhuqing spread her arms and excitedly hugged Bai Lu.
In less than two months, she had soared from rank 27 to rank 50.
Her current strength was already enough to fight a Soul Douluo.
"This feeling… It's like a dream."
The girl murmured softly.
"A dream?"
Bai Lu smiled playfully.
"Want me to help you feel something more real?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked up curiously.
"More real?"
"Mm. Something real."
Bai Lu held the girl's chin and lowered his head.
"Wait a—mm!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened in disbelief, her entire body freezing in place.
Their gazes met.
Seeing the teasing look in Bai Lu's eyes, a blush quickly spread across her fair, delicate face.
She instinctively tried to push him away, but he held her firmly in place.
For some reason, even though she could resist, she slowly closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the moment of warmth and closeness.
Until—
"Meow!"
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly opened her eyes and pushed Bai Lu away.
Her beautiful eyes widened as she pointed at him.
"How could you… You even… did that!"
"Love begins unknowingly and deepens all the same."
Bai Lu wrapped an arm around her and smiled.
"You should understand that, right?"
"No, no, no! I absolutely do not!"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head repeatedly.
Embarrassment, fear, excitement, tension, thrill, happiness… all kinds of emotions tangled together in her heart.
"Well, it's fine if you can't accept it right now."
Bai Lu smiled calmly and handed over a snack the little glutton loved most.
Ten-thousand-year whale rubber.
"Baby, time to eat your whale rubber."
"Th-this… this isn't good!"
Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed bright red.
"I just absorbed Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone. I still need to digest its medicinal power. If I eat whale rubber now, the energies might clash!"
"Relax. The effects of this Immortal Herb and whale rubber complement each other. There won't be any conflict."
"How about waiting until you finish perfecting the cultivation method first?"
"I already perfected it and sent it into your mind."
Bai Lu held the whale rubber in his hand and ignited a flame.
Under the high heat, the ten-thousand-year whale rubber gradually softened, releasing a rich and unusual fragrance.
"Th-this… this…"
The girl's mind was spinning so fast it felt like smoke might come out of her head, yet she still couldn't think of a reason to refuse.
Come on, brain, think of something!
"Stop hesitating."
"Time is tight; the task is heavy. Hurry up and study it, then eat the whale rubber."
The teasing in Bai Lu's expression grew stronger as he brought the whale rubber to her lips.
"Hurry up. If it cools down, it won't taste good anymore."
"Slurp…"
Smelling the unique fragrance of whale rubber, the little kitty swallowed unconsciously.
She knew what would happen after refining whale rubber.
She also knew how embarrassing the aftermath would be.
But… for the sake of becoming stronger, she gritted her teeth.
"Fine! Let's do it!"
A mouthful of whale rubber was swallowed into her belly.
My fate is ruled by the tiger, not by heaven!
A familiar surge of heat rushed into her body once more.
But this time, it was even more violent and intense.
Clearly, the quality of this whale rubber was extraordinary.
"Ugh…"
The girl groaned softly as sweat formed on her forehead.
"Quick, circulate the White Tiger Slaughter Art."
Bai Lu reminded her.
"Let your soul power and the heat spread through the extraordinary meridians!"
"...Alright!"
Zhu Zhuqing responded with difficulty.
Suppressing the burning heat and itching sensation, she forced herself into a cultivation state.
One piece… two pieces… three pieces…
Thanks to the extraordinary meridians being opened, her body, which had already built resistance to ten-thousand-year whale rubber, became active again and began absorbing the additional energy.
After half a basket of whale rubber, she felt as though her entire body was burning.
Her body was scorching hot, her mind hazy, as if countless ants were crawling through her bones.
But she still didn't retreat.
She continued refining it.
A dazzling dark-gold light suddenly burst from her left hand.
It was transforming.
"Hot… so hot…"
Her eyes became unfocused, and her fair skin turned a tempting shade of pink.
Unconsciously, she began tearing at her clothes and clung to Bai Lu like an octopus.
"Here we go again, huh?"
Bai Lu looked at her helplessly.
"H-help me…"
Her voice was soft and pleading.
"Sigh…"
Bai Lu sighed.
"Fine. I'll help you channel the pressure."
"After all, I'm the most professional gold miner there is."
He pulled the girl into his arms, helping her release the violent energy within her body.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Suddenly, the girl's body trembled, and she collapsed weakly in his arms.
Perhaps because she had experience refining whale rubber before.
This time, she didn't faint immediately.
She panted heavily and slowly opened her hazy eyes.
Looking down, she saw her clothes in disarray, her body drenched in sweat, and the bedding soaked.
When she looked up, she found Bai Lu staring at her with a half-smile.
An expression that clearly said, I knew this would happen.
"..."
The girl's face, which had just calmed down slightly, flushed red again.
She tried to stand up, but her legs felt weak, and her body was exhausted.
She couldn't muster any strength at all.
Come on, stupid right leg bone, move already!
"Don't move."
Bai Lu pressed down lightly on her thigh.
"You just finished refining it. Rest for a while."
"Your hand…"
The girl stared at him.
"Oh. Habit."
Bai Lu replied confidently.
"Helping you release that energy was exhausting. Afterwards, I deserve a little entertainment."
"You—!"
Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly turned crimson.
She buried her face in his chest, too embarrassed to lift her head.
Bai Lu gently stroked her smooth back without speaking.
After a long time, the girl's muffled voice sounded.
"I… did that again."
"Mm."
"You… you're laughing at me."
"I'm not."
"You must be laughing inside."
"When something happy happens, you should smile. You can't cry about it, right?"
Bai Lu's honesty left the girl speechless.
After a moment, he reminded her.
"Your Vigorous Vajra Palm has evolved again."
Zhu Zhuqing froze and raised her left hand.
With a thought, dark-gold light burst forth.
Solidified energy wrapped around her hand, making it look mysterious and powerful.
Besides the increase in strength, the heavy pressure effect had also been enhanced.
Once activated, for 30 seconds, all attacks from her left hand would have triple the power, while the gravity suppression effect increased dramatically.
"Maybe it's because of Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone… it became stronger."
Zhu Zhuqing sniffed softly and tried to get up again, but Bai Lu gently held her down.
"What's the hurry?"
He smiled teasingly.
"You weren't this shy when you were clinging to me earlier."
"I… that… that was…"
Zhu Zhuqing stammered helplessly.
"That was what?"
Bai Lu leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Enjoying mining the gold?"
"Shut up!"
The girl was so embarrassed that she could die.
But she still forced herself to say,
"Let go of me. I'm dirty. I need to wash."
"Dirty? Yeah, a little."
Bai Lu lowered his head and examined her seriously.
"I'll take you to wash up."
With that, he lifted her into his arms.
"Wait! I have hands and legs; I can walk myself!"
"Behave."
Smack.
Zhu Zhuqing: obedient. jpg.
Under the shower, water splashed everywhere.
After another round of noise and commotion, the night grew deeper, and the sounds gradually faded.
"Sleep now. Next, we need to prepare to obtain your fifth soul ring."
On the bed, Bai Lu gently pinched the girl's cheek.
"Mmm~"
Zhu Zhuqing smacked her lips, snuggled into his arms, and found a comfortable position before closing her eyes.
Before long, her breathing became steady.
Bai Lu looked down at her peaceful sleeping face, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
This little kitty…
Her mouth said no, but her body was very honest.
He raised a hand and gently brushed aside the loose strands of hair on her forehead.
Outside the window, the moonlight was perfect.
End of Chapter