"You! Shameless." Qian Renxue's eyes widened, and she immediately became anxious when she saw the mark on her arm.
She rubbed it vigorously with her fingers, rubbing her fair skin red, but the imprint hadn't faded in the slightest.
"Stop wasting your effort, no one but me can remove it."
"Could it be, you intend to break our agreement?" Xu Ran's brows arched as he looked at Qian Renxue.
"I, I didn't."
Qian Renxue pursed her lips, her large eyes filling with a touch of resentment and grievance. How could Xu Ran be so shameless, directly marking her body with such an ugly stamp, the writing looked horrendous.
Qian Renxue was filled with complaints as she looked at Xu Ran's handwriting. In truth, Xu Ran's writing was very beautiful, commanding and vigorous, casual yet unrestrained, it was just that Qian Renxue was too upset to admit it.
Qian Renxue felt very nervous. Now her body seemed to be branded with Xu Ran's label, did that mean she would really have to marry him someday? Just thinking about that scene made her skin crawl.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to accept it.
Even if she had to be with Xu Ran in the future, she would be the one on top, while Xu Ran lay below. She didn't want to marry at all - if anybody was going to marry, it would be Xu Ran marrying her. She was the Young Master of the Spirit Hall, the granddaughter of the Great Elder, the future Pope; nobody had the right to demand her to marry.
"It's good you don't," Xu Ran said, moving closer to Qian Renxue's ear, "or else I might have to find a little grove, or that grassy patch in front seemed pretty good..." His words made Qian Renxue's face go red with embarrassment, and she didn't dare to reply.
She knew Xu Ran's character – what he dared say, he certainly dared do.
If Xu Ran really acted foolishly, out here where no one would respond to her cries for help, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
With Xu Ran's strength, even if she revealed her identity, he would certainly not let her go.
Two Titled Douluo had been bested at the hands of Xu Ran. Though her talent was tremendous, her combat ability was at most on par with a Soul Sage; compared to Xu Ran, the monster, she was far behind.
Qian Renxue hung her head low, her hands caressing her bosom, her mind filled with flashing images of herself in the little grove she fantasized about. No one had ever spoken to her about such knowledge since she was young.
But she had some instinctual fantasies.
The more she thought about it, the redder and hotter her face became.
"Let's talk later, I need to deal with this man first," Xu Ran said, glancing at Serpent Spear Douluo.
"Lord Xu Ran, I was wrong, I truly was. I didn't mean to provoke you intentionally."
"I was swayed by Ci Xue's ridiculous tales, I wouldn't have raised my hand to you if I had believed in Lord Xu Ran's divine might. We at the Spirit Hall have always been keen to recruit the wise and talented, we wanted Lord Xu Ran to join the Spirit Hall, we never intended to harm you."
"..."
Serpent Spear Douluo knelt on both knees, pleading for Xu Ran's forgiveness despite his injuries.
Qian Renxue's face darkened as she watched this scene.
At the same time, looking at Xu Ran by her side, she didn't know what to feel. Xu Ran was very powerful; even a Titled Douluo from the Spirit Hall was brought to his knees, begging for mercy.
"Alright, I'm feeling generous today, so I'll spare your life, but don't let there be a next time," Xu Ran waved his hand dismissively, concerned that Serpent Spear Douluo might speak too much and expose Qian Renxue's true identity, which would spoil the fun.
If Qian Renxue knew he had been aware of her identity all along and had been playing along with her act, who knows how she would feel.
"Thank you, Lord Xu Ran, for your kindness."
"I will never forget the mercy Lord Xu Ran has shown by sparing my life."
The Serpent Spear Douluo was overjoyed and kowtowed to Xu Ran several times more. He didn't know that his actions had all been witnessed by Qian Renxue, nor did he realize that, due to his own incompetence, he had completely lost Qian Renxue to Xu Ran. Had he known that, his soul would have been scared witless, and he wouldn't dare to face Qian Renxue again.
Not long after Xu Ran left with Qian Renxue, Ci Tun Dou Luo arrived gradually.
"She Long, I've told you before that Lord Xu Ran is a master of high standing and advised you not to offend him, but you wouldn't believe me," Ci Tun Dou Luo said as he glanced at Xu Ran's retreating figure, then at the incomparably beautiful golden-haired Qian Renxue, and felt his heart skip a beat suddenly.
Previously, he hadn't paid much attention because Qian Renxue had always been disguised as Xue Qinghe, and wouldn't show herself as a woman in broad daylight. Therefore, he hadn't taken it to heart before.
Now, the more he looked, the more he felt that she must be their Young Master Qian Renxue?
Perhaps they hadn't seen Qian Renxue's feminine appearance in a long time since she had always presented herself in the guise of Xue Qinghe... But with such beauty, and that golden hair... if that wasn't the Young Master, who else could it be?
"Ci Xue, stop making pointless remarks and help me bandage up," the Serpent Spear Douluo said, not having the luxury to shoot the breeze with Ci Tun Dou Luo as his wounds hurt him enough to break out in cold sweat.
An injury to the muscles and bones heals in a hundred days, but his injuries won't heal for a year or two.
Even if they do heal, there will be lingering side effects.
Alas, why did he bother provoking Xu Ran for no good reason? Ci Xue had warned him, but he hadn't heeded the warning, insisting on causing trouble for himself.
"Ah, that She Long, don't you think that the golden-haired woman by Lord Xu Ran's side just now looks like the Young Master?" Ci Tun Dou Luo hesitated for a moment, then said to the Serpent Spear Douluo.
Hearing Ci Tun Dou Luo's words, the Serpent Spear Douluo's body stiffened up instantly as if he had been petrified.
"What Young Master? Don't scare me," the Serpent Spear Douluo's heart skipped a beat as he remembered Qian Renxue's sharp gaze, her golden hair, and her stunning face... He hadn't paid much attention before; after all, there were countless beauties around Xu Ran, and being old, he wasn't interested in them. Thinking it over, could that really have been the Young Master?
Had his cowardly moment just now been witnessed by the Young Master?
It was over, completely over; he could only imagine how low he had sunk in the Young Master's estimation by now.
But that wasn't the most important thing. The key issue was...
Hadn't Xu Ran just made a bet with the Young Master, and didn't he end up losing the Young Master?
This... he was surely doomed! Absolutely doomed!
"It's over, it's all over, Ci Xue, I'm done for," the Serpent Spear Douluo lamented internally, holding no hope for his future. He was incompetent, failed to show off and even managed to lose the Young Master.
"What happened?"
Then, the Serpent Spear Douluo explained everything that had happened to Ci Tun Dou Luo, who turned pale upon hearing it, and it took quite a while before he regained his composure.
"However, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. Maybe in the future, if the Young Master and Lord Xu Ran come together, Lord Xu Ran might even reward you, and the Young Master would be grateful to you," Ci Tun Dou Luo said as he patted the Serpent Spear Douluo's shoulder.
"For now, we can only hope that the Young Master really can be with Lord Xu Ran," the Serpent Spear Douluo nodded in agreement. If the two of them were together, there would be no issue.
If the Young Master and Xu Ran were to become enemies, however, he, who was more of a liability than an asset, would be in deep trouble...