Douluo Continent: The Ice Dragon King Martial Soul, Ma Xiaotao is Addicted

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Orange herself was startled, and her face quickly flushed crimson.

"Cough cough..."

She suddenly lowered her head, pretending to be choked by the chili peppers, coughed a few times, then picked up her teacup and gulped down several mouthfuls, trying to suppress the heat rising on her face again.

"Ptooey, ptooey... Orange, what are you thinking about..."

Orange mentally berated herself, "We've only known each other for two days, and I'm already thinking about that kind of thing... Aren't I ashamed...?"

Orange felt her cheeks were burning hot enough to fry an egg, so she quickly shook her head, trying to shake off the strange images in her mind.

"Senior, eat slowly."

Ye Chen thought that Ju Zi had been burned by the spiciness, so he quickly handed her a napkin with concern.

"Ah, no...it's nothing!"

Orange quickly took the tissue and hastily wiped her mouth to hide her embarrassment. "I just accidentally got a burn from the spiciness. I have to say, this place's chili peppers are really strong..."

Orange said somewhat awkwardly.

Ye Chen looked at her bright red ears but didn't notice anything unusual, assuming that Ju Zi was really suffering from the spiciness.

The atmosphere became subtly quiet for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the sizzling of the meat skewers shrinking under the high temperature.

……

To break the awkward silence, Ju Zi cleared her throat and changed the subject, saying, "By the way, junior, I see you're quite skilled with soul tools. What level soul master are you?"

Orange blinked her beautiful eyes and stared straight at Ye Chen, her pretty almond-shaped eyes filled with curiosity.

Generally speaking, those who can enter Mingde Hall are at least Level 5 Soul Masters, but they may also be Level 6 Soul Masters.

But Ye Chen looked so young, it was hard for her to believe that someone so young could be a level six Soul Master.

"Well..."

Ye Chen paused deliberately, looking at Ju Zi's eyes, which were slightly widened with anticipation, and said mysteriously, "This needs to be kept a secret for now. Senior will find out later~"

Ye Chen's tone was slightly teasing, clearly keeping everyone in suspense.

Ye Chen generally doesn't like to lie. He can already make level eight soul tools, and with a little more effort, he can even make level nine soul tools. It's pointless to say something lower, and it's even more pointless to tell the truth.

Ye Chen decided to stop talking and let Ju Zi guess for herself.

"what?"

Orange was clearly not expected to get such a reply. She was stunned for a moment, then pouted in dissatisfaction, like a cat whose dried fish had been stolen.

"Hmph! Fine, I won't tell you then. All this secrecy...you stingy little thing!"

As she spoke, Orange picked up a grilled fish, took a big bite as if venting her anger, and mumbled something indistinctly.

But she felt a ticklish sensation in her heart, like being gently scratched by a kitten's paw, which only intensified her curiosity.

However, Ye Chen had promised to stay in the lab, so with a few more days of observation, she would be able to determine Ye Chen's strengths and weaknesses and what level he was at.

However, this suspense still made her a little uncomfortable...

……

……

An hour later.

The two had eaten and drunk their fill.

Orange rubbed her slightly bulging belly, her face flushed with happiness.

Stepping out of the smoky barbecue restaurant, a gentle breeze carries the fresh scent of plants and trees from the direction of the college.

Ah...I'm so full...

Orange let out a long sigh of relief, stretched, and felt that most of the fatigue from staying up all night had been dispelled by the delicious food.

She turned her head to look at Ye Chen, who was quietly keeping her company. The sunlight fell on him, outlining his tall and clean features, which made her feel even better, and her happiness was doubled.

"It's still early, how about we take a walk around Xingyue Lake in the academy to digest our food?"

Orange suggested it, her voice languid and sweet.

"Okay."

Ye Chen readily agreed.

The two then walked side by side toward Star Moon Lake, the most beautiful spot in the academy.

Ye Chen stopped using the flying pedals and simply walked slowly, enjoying the rare leisure of the afternoon.

The two walked along a stone-paved path, around several laboratory buildings, and suddenly their view opened up.

A vast and tranquil lake came into view.

The lake water is clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and neatly trimmed weeping willows on the shore.

A gentle breeze rippled across the lake, creating shimmering waves that resembled countless scattered stars. A smooth stone path ran along the lakeside, where groups of students sat on benches reading or huddled together whispering, creating a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere.

"Wow, the air here is so fresh. That stuffy place in the lab made my head feel all foggy."

Orange took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with moisture and the fresh scent of grass and trees, and felt completely refreshed.

"Yeah, it's not good to stay cooped up in the lab all the time. You need to get out and relax." Ye Chen nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother Ye Chen... you don't seem to be a native of the Sun Moon Empire, do you?"

Orange turned her head and asked curiously.

Because Ye Chen's accent is slightly different from that of the Sun Moon Empire.

Somewhat like a foreigner.

Ye Chen nodded, neither denying it nor denying it, and said with a smile, "I come from the Heavenly Soul Empire, a relatively remote town. My family is a family of doctors... They only immigrated here with me in recent years."

He was concise and to the point, offering no further description or casual perfunctory response.

After all, only Jing Hongchen knew his information.

Foreign immigrants were also quite common in the Sun and Moon Empire.

Xuan Ziwen was originally from the Heavenly Soul Empire, but later immigrated to the Sun Moon Empire with his parents.

Wars happened thousands of years ago. Although some conflicts still exist, they don't have a significant impact on most ordinary people.

If you have money, you'll definitely want to find a country you consider to be better to live in.

The advanced soul-guided technology of the Sun Moon Empire held immense appeal for many who originally belonged to the Douluo Continent.

"A family with a long history in medicine, that's impressive too!"

Orange exclaimed sincerely.

"how about you?"

Ye Chen asked a question subconsciously.

However, he regretted asking the question as soon as he did, because he knew that Orange was an orphan, and it was really impolite of him to ask such a question.

However, Ju Zi certainly didn't know that Ye Chen knew she was an orphan.

So when Ye Chen asked that question, Ju Zi just gave him a resentful look, then lowered her voice and whispered, "I'm an orphan..."

As Ju Zi said this, her expression turned dejected, but a deep killing intent and hatred flashed in the depths of her eyes.

However, she had her head down at the moment, so Ye Chen couldn't see her.

"Excuse me……"

Ye Chen quickly apologized.

"fine……"

Orange shook her head and continued to explain, "My parents died in the war when I was young, but I was lucky enough to survive. If I have the chance, I will avenge them myself."

Ju Zi spoke in a calm tone, but Ye Chen could still detect a hint of hatred in her voice.

And Ju Zi wasn't afraid to tell Ye Chen about her revenge.

Because her target of revenge was the Star Luo Empire and the White Tiger Duke.

The reason she asked about Ye Chen's background was to avoid implicating him in the future.

But since Ye Chen is from the Heavenly Soul Empire, she felt relieved.

At least if they really become enemies in the future, she can let Ye Chen go without any psychological burden.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen fell silent and did not respond.

After all, that's not a very good response...

Once the two of them become closer, they can have in-depth discussions on this topic.

The two remained silent and walked along the lakeside for a while longer.

"Senior Orange, it's getting late. I have some things to do this afternoon, so I won't be going back."

Ye Chen was the first to take his leave.

"Well, I've finished my experiment. I don't have much to do this afternoon. I need to go back to my dorm today. Can you pick me up tomorrow morning? That way I can sleep in a little longer~"

"Ju Zi said with a smile."

"Good~"

Ye Chen nodded in agreement.

Then, stepping on the flight pedals, it quickly departed.

(End of this chapter)