Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Lu Ren didn't explain further and turned to walk towards Ye Guyi's room.

Ji Juechen hesitated for a moment, but still followed, keeping a greater distance than usual.

Lu Ren pushed open the door and entered the room.

Ye Guyi remained in the same position he had put her down, lying on her side on the bed, her golden hair scattered on the plain white pillow, her sleeping face serene.

Her thick eyelashes shimmered with a faint golden glow in the sunlight, trembling gently with her even breathing.

Lu Ren stood by her bedside, the snake-eye runes reappearing at the corners of his mouth, and fangs gleaming on his tongue. He opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing in the room:

"Wake up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the curse mark disappeared.

On the bed, Ye Guyi's eyelashes trembled violently a few times before she slowly opened them.

Having just awakened from her deep sleep, a thin layer of mist still lingered in her eyes, making her gaze somewhat hazy.

She blinked, her focus gradually sharpening.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

The beams were grayish-white, and the ceiling was plain and undecorated.

It wasn't the room in the Ordinary Alliance stronghold that she was familiar with, nor any place she had ever lived in before.

Then she felt the soft touch of the bedding beneath her.

The bed wasn't large, but the bedding was clean and tidy, exuding a faint scent of soapberry.

The pillow was the perfect height, putting her neck in a very comfortable position.

It took Ye Guyi's brain about three seconds to switch from a dormant state to a waking state.

At the third second, she suddenly sat up in bed. Her first reaction was not to observe her surroundings, but to look down at her clothes.

The clothes on her body were still there, the ties showed no signs of being untied, and the collar still tightly covered her collarbone.

She quickly touched her waist, cuffs, and collar to make sure all her clothes were intact and on her body, neither changed nor taken off.

She breathed a long sigh of relief.

"What are you trying to do?"

A voice, clearly laced with sarcasm, came from the side.

Ye Guyi turned her head sharply and realized that Lu Ren was standing by the bed, looking at her with an extremely subtle gaze.

Do I look like someone who's trying to take advantage of you?

Ye Guyi glanced at him and said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Why not? I'm so beautiful, you won't find anyone prettier than me in the entire Ordinary Alliance. So wouldn't every guy want to take advantage of me?"

As she spoke, her chin was slightly raised, her long golden hair swayed over her shoulders with the movement, and her beautiful eyes were full of self-assurance.

This confidence was natural, without any deliberate effort. She wasn't showing off; on the contrary, she genuinely believed that she was that beautiful. Of course, given her beauty, she certainly had the right to be confident.

But her words made Lu Ren laugh in anger.

"Think whatever you want. I captured two evil soul masters, and they're even Soul Saint level. If you purify them, your own cultivation should improve significantly, right?"

Ye Guyi's expression changed instantly.

The arrogant girl who had just declared "every man wants to take advantage of me" disappeared, replaced by a pair of beautiful eyes that instantly ignited with flames of anger.

She jumped out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.

"Where? Where is the evil spirit master?"

Her voice carried an uncontrollable killing intent, a pure and intense intent without a trace of impurity.

This is the look in someone who has a blood feud with evil spirit masters.

Lu Ren leaned against the door frame and pointed to the yard.

"He's tied up right there in the yard. He can't escape."

Ye Guyi grabbed the longsword leaning against the bed and was about to rush out.

The sword was drawn three inches from its sheath, and golden light began to flow along its blade.

But she stopped herself after taking just one step.

Barefoot on the threshold, her blond hair, propelled by the sudden stop, floated forward and landed back on her shoulder.

She remained frozen in that position for several breaths, then slowly turned around, her gaze fixed directly on Lu Ren:

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Tell me, what price do you want me to pay?"

Her tone calmed down, but beneath that calmness lay an even stronger sense of vigilance.

She didn't believe anyone would help her for no reason, and she certainly didn't believe anyone would deliver two evil soul masters at the Soul Saint level to her for her to kill.

The first lesson this world taught her was that all kindness has a price already set.

Before Lu Ren could speak, Ye Guyi suddenly seemed to remember something, and she quickly covered her body with her hands, took a step back, and bumped her back against the door frame.

She stared at Lu Ren, her eyes filled with wariness and a hint of barely concealed panic:

"You want my body? No way! Even if you get my body, you won't get my heart!"

Lu Ren: "..."

He turned his head and met Ji Juechen's gaze as he stood in the courtyard.

Ji Juechen stared at him expressionlessly for three seconds, then silently looked away and took two steps to the side.

"I'm not good at dealing with women, so don't look at me."

Lu Ren took a deep breath and turned to look at Ye Guyi.

The blonde girl maintained her posture of arms protecting her chest, her eyes fixed on him like a cat with its fur standing on end, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Calm down."

Lu Ren was completely convinced. If he could, he really wouldn't want to deal with this woman, because she was just too troublesome.

"I only want to work with you."

"that's all?"

Ye Guyi's brows furrowed tightly, and her arms, which were protecting her chest, did not relax at all.

"that's all."

"No, something's not right. Nine out of ten things are not right."

Ye Guyi's eyes became even more wary, scanning Lu Ren's face, trying to find a flaw in the subtle changes in his expression.

"You went to all that trouble to capture me, and even brought two evil soul masters at the Soul Saint level to me, and this is all the simple condition you offer? There's definitely a trap here!"

Lu Ren raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples vigorously.

He felt like he wasn't communicating with someone his own age, but rather trying to build trust with a stray cat that had been hurt by humans too many times.

Every step had to be taken with utmost care, every word was carefully considered, and the slightest disturbance would set her off.

"Are you missing a screw in your head? Or what kind of life did you lead before joining the Ordinary Alliance?"

The original novel only mentions Ye Guyi's background in a casual way.

As for where she came from, what she experienced, and why she developed such an extremely insecure personality, none of that is explained.

Therefore, Lu Ren truly had no idea what Ye Guyi had gone through to be so wary of everyone.

However, upon closer reflection, her reaction wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

A Soul Master with a Sacred Angel Martial Soul is a natural enemy of Evil Soul Masters.

In a place like Mingdu, where the Holy Spirit Cult's influence is deeply entrenched, she has probably lived in the shadow of persecution since the day she awakened her martial spirit.

She has probably experienced being betrayed, used, and stabbed in the back more than once.

Over time, distrusting everyone became her survival instinct.

Even in the original story, she was still wary of Huo Yuhao, and it took her a long time to overcome that wariness.

It seems that it will take him some time to convince her that he has no ill intentions.

Lu Ren remained silent for a moment, then a name suddenly flashed through his mind.

For Shangguan Weier to be able to gain the trust and reliance of this extremely insecure blonde girl, the leader of the Ordinary Alliance must hold a very important place in her heart.

"It seems you trust Shangguan Wei'er, the leader of the Ordinary Alliance, quite a bit."

Lu Ren put down his hand that was rubbing his temples, and his tone became serious.

"How about this, you come with me to the Ordinary Alliance, and I'll discuss the cooperation with your sister Shanggong in person."

Ye Guyi tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion. The way she looked at Lu Ren was like looking at a fool who was willingly jumping into a fire pit.

"Sister Shanggong is an eight-ring Soul Douluo, and she's backed by the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire. Do you really dare to take me back to the Ordinary Alliance?"

She paused, a hint of reminder slipping into her voice that she herself didn't even realize:

"Are you deliberately going to your death?"