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"Boss is the boss—no one can beat him!"
Ma Hongjun rubbed his slightly sore face. Though his injuries were minor, it was still a slap to the face—literally.
This boss of theirs really loved hitting people in the face.
Still, he was much better off than Dai Mubai and Tang San, who were so badly beaten they were almost unrecognizable.
Thank you, Boss, for going easy on me.
Ning Rongrong glanced at the sleazy fatty and thought, Too bad he didn't get turned into a pig-head too!
Xu Yunhan had beaten Dai Mubai and Tang San to a pulp, but Ning Rongrong didn't see anything wrong with it. They were just superficial wounds, and besides, they were boys.
Xu Yunhan was much gentler with girls—look at how he was still patiently sparring with Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. He was such a good person! Ning Rongrong's fondness for him grew a little more.
She even wondered if she should compete fairly with Zhu Zhuqing for him. Xu Yunhan was exceptionally talented, incredibly strong, and would at the very least become a Soul Douluo in the future, if not a Title Douluo.
That perfectly matched Ning Rongrong's standards as the future master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!
As a support-type soul master, she needed a powerful battle soul master to protect her—otherwise, she'd just be at others' mercy.
No matter how talented an auxiliary soul master like Oscar was, he could never protect Ning Rongrong.
Sure, in the original story, Oscar eventually gained decent combat abilities.
But right now, he didn't have any offensive soul skills—and probably never would.
Even though Oscar was currently Xu Yunhan's loyal follower, that didn't mean he wouldn't grow distant or even hostile over Ning Rongrong in the future.
Right now, Oscar trusted Xu Yunhan completely, but for the sake of a woman, that trust and loyalty could quickly vanish.
So whether Oscar would ever gain combat abilities and grow stronger depended entirely on Xu Yunhan.
Those who submit shall prosper, those who resist shall perish!
Especially those who dared to befriend Tang San!
Dai Mubai and Tang San had been beaten badly, but they refused to admit defeat. As long as they could still stand, they kept fighting.
Xu Yunhan was more than happy to take this legitimate opportunity to thrash them both.
In this situation, even Tang Hao—who was fiercely protective of his son—wouldn't have the face to come after Xu Yunhan, a mere child.
If Tang Hao were secretly watching, he might even find it inspiring—a way to toughen Tang San up.
Go ahead, Xu Yunhan, beat my son as hard as you can! No pain, no gain!
Yu Xiaogang, who was observing the fight, thought the same. Though Tang San and Dai Mubai were in bad shape, their perseverance was admirable.
He considered Xu Yunhan an excellent whetstone—one they should use often to temper Tang San's arrogance and push him to grow.
No matter how talented Xu Yunhan was, he could never compare to Tang San, who possessed twin martial souls!
One day, when Tang San equipped his Clear Sky Hammer with soul rings of fifty thousand years or more, he would become the strongest in the Douluo Continent! Yu Xiaogang eagerly awaited that day.
This time, Yu Xiaogang only called a stop when Tang San collapsed, unable to move.
"Yunhan, how could you beat Xiao San up like this?"
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San's swollen, unrecognizable face and pouted in complaint.
Xu Yunhan shrugged. "I told him to surrender, but he wouldn't listen. I was just tempering him. Don't worry, it's just superficial injuries."
Xiao Wu wasn't truly angry—perhaps because of that kiss earlier, her feelings toward Xu Yunhan were now a little complicated.
"I've prepared some recovery sausages. Feed them to Tang San to help heal his injuries and restore his stamina."
Oscar handed over a few sausages.
Xiao Wu, almost unconsciously, said, "You feed them to him."
Whether she was disgusted by the sausages or just a little repulsed by Tang San now was unclear.
Ma Hongjun, meanwhile, was busy feeding sausages to Dai Mubai—who was also lying on the ground, beaten beyond recognition—since no one else wanted the job.
"Zhuqing, you're pushing yourself too hard!"
Ning Rongrong fed Zhu Zhuqing some healing pills.
Zhu Zhuqing had plenty of injuries, though thankfully none on her face—most were on her arms and legs.
She had fought seriously, and Xu Yunhan had matched her intensity, so it was only natural she'd suffer some bruises.
Zhu Zhuqing smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I learned a lot."
Ning Rongrong teased, a hint of jealousy in her voice, "Of course you did—Yunhan focused entirely on helping you improve."
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed slightly, unsure how to respond.
"Rest well. Starting tomorrow, for the next two or three months, we'll train in the mornings, run long distances in the afternoons, and occasionally spar..."
Yu Xiaogang outlined the upcoming schedule.
Then, he had Oscar carry Tang San back while Ma Hongjun supported Dai Mubai.
Ning Rongrong helped Xiao Wu walk.
Zhu Zhuqing, however, was completely exhausted and couldn't move on her own.
"I'll take you back."
Xu Yunhan walked over.
Zhu Zhuqing blushed and glanced at him but said nothing.
Silence meant consent.
Xu Yunhan scooped her up in his arms.
"You—"
Zhu Zhuqing's heart raced in panic. She had thought he would just support her—maybe carry her on his back at most.
"You're a little heavy."
Xu Yunhan's remark made Zhu Zhuqing fall silent. She turned her head away, letting him carry her without another word.
This was the first time since childhood that she had been held like this—and by a boy she was growing fond of. Her heart pounded wildly.
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu watched, both feeling sour.
"Shameless," Xiao Wu muttered under her breath.
"Yeah, shameless," Ning Rongrong echoed instinctively.
The two exchanged glances, then wordlessly continued supporting each other as they left.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai—being helped by Ma Hongjun—happened to glance back and see the scene. His face twisted in displeasure, though with how swollen and bruised he was, it was hard to tell.
"Give up, Dai Lao'er. You're no match for the Boss," Ma Hongjun said, twisting the knife.
Dai Mubai wanted nothing more than to kick Ma Hongjun away, but he had no strength left—he still needed the fatty's support.
All he could do was endure.
Dai Mubai, swallowing his pride for revenge!
In Xu Yunhan's arms, Zhu Zhuqing's delicate face was burning red.
Xu Yunhan, meanwhile, shamelessly admired the girl's stunning figure—it was a sight for sore eyes.
The more he looked, the more embarrassed Zhu Zhuqing became, refusing to meet his gaze.
The two remained silent the entire way back to the dormitory shared by Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu.
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu had already returned.
"Had enough holding her? Put our Zhuqing down already."
Ning Rongrong stepped forward, urging Xu Yunhan to release her.
Zhu Zhuqing reluctantly let Ning Rongrong take her.
"Rest well. Let me know if you need anything."
Xu Yunhan didn't linger—he knew the importance of playing hard to get.
The moment he left, the three girls started talking.
"Zhuqing, tell us—how does it feel to be carried by a boy?" Ning Rongrong teased.
Zhu Zhuqing stammered, "N-Nothing much."
Xiao Wu huffed, "That Xu Yunhan seems like a real pervert!"
First, he had kissed her, and now he was carrying Zhu Zhuqing—wasn't that proof enough?
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing didn't agree.
"It's not a big deal. He was just carrying Zhuqing—it was a special circumstance," Ning Rongrong defended him. "If it were me, I wouldn't mind either. Right, Zhuqing?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Yunhan isn't a bad person."
Xiao Wu was speechless. She couldn't explain further—how could she admit that she had used her charm soul skill on Xu Yunhan, and he might have kissed her on purpose?
If she did, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing might think Xu Yunhan had truly been affected—or worse, that Xiao Wu had done it intentionally.
It was too messy.
Besides, deep down, Xiao Wu didn't actually dislike Xu Yunhan—she just felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy.
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