Douluo : Capture the goddess starting from peerless tang sect

"Qian Ran's gone again," Ke Ke muttered, noticing his absence the moment she and Ju Zi's focus wavered. Though it wasn't the first time such a thing had happened, they still found it inexplicable.

"How does he disappear like a ghost, without a trace?" Ke Ke grumbled. There was something undeniably mysterious about him, as if he harbored countless untold secrets.

"He's definitely not in the lab anymore," Ju Zi concluded after thoroughly inspecting the room. Both of them were baffled as to how he could vanish so easily.

If they hadn't already grown somewhat familiar with Qian Ran, they might have started questioning whether he was human or something else entirely.

"Qian Ran is so mysterious. I'm not giving up. I'll keep following him until I uncover all his secrets," Ke Ke declared with determination. She wasn't even sure why, but her curiosity about him was insatiable.

"Or is it because you've got a crush on him?" Ju Zi teased. She didn't believe for a second that Ke Ke had no feelings for Qian Ran. A guy as outstanding as him was bound to attract attention. If Ju Zi weren't already bound by her circumstances, she might have wanted to compete for his favor too.

After all, exceptional men tend to draw admirers. If you didn't try, you might regret it later.

"Stop talking nonsense! I don't have feelings for him!" Ke Ke's face flushed red, and she turned bashful under Ju Zi's knowing gaze. Her heart thumped nervously, as if her innermost thoughts had been laid bare.

"All right, all right, let's just say I was joking. But if you want Qian Ran to notice you, you can't keep dressing like this," Ju Zi advised, smirking playfully. While Ke Ke was beautiful, catching the eye of someone like Qian Ran required more effort.

"Huh?" Ke Ke tilted her head, confused.

"Don't 'huh' me. Qian Ran isn't like those guys who chase after you. If you want his attention, you'll need to dress up a bit. The academy uniform isn't bad, but everyone here wears it—it's nothing special," Ju Zi explained with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

How is she more clueless than me when it comes to this stuff? Ju Zi thought, exasperated.

"Oh, I get it," Ke Ke finally understood Ju Zi's point.

With so many girls around Qian Ran, she couldn't just blend into the crowd. If she didn't make an impression, it wouldn't be long before he forgot about her entirely.

"Are all men this shallow?" Ke Ke pouted before eagerly brainstorming outfit ideas. Though she wasn't inexperienced, her habit of wearing her uniform daily at the academy had dulled her sense of fashion. Ju Zi's comment had been a wake-up call.

She recalled seeing Nana earlier, wearing a black coat paired with white stockings.

"Ju Zi, you're officially my advisor now. If Qian Ran ends up teaching me how to cultivate, I might even be able to help you out someday," Ke Ke giggled, playfully pinching Ju Zi's waist.

Hearing Ke Ke's words, Ju Zi's gaze flickered momentarily.

She was reminded of her visits to the Crown Prince's palace, where some had speculated that Shrek Academy's geniuses had connections to Qian Ran's hidden sect, Martial Soul Sect. This sect was rumored to have ties to the ancient Spirit Hall and might even possess methods to alter one's innate talent.

Ju Zi's martial soul was the Orange, and reaching the rank of Soul King had been a feat achieved through immense resource investment. Her martial soul's limitations made it nearly impossible for her to advance beyond that level, let alone reach Soul Emperor or Soul Sage. Unless her martial soul underwent a fundamental transformation, further progress was unlikely.

But perhaps… Qian Ran held the key.

Meanwhile, Qian Ran had returned to his spatial ring with a bundle of vegetable and fruit seeds.

Huo Yun'er immediately sensed his arrival and hurried over to greet him, bowing respectfully.

She wore a new maid outfit that was both stylish and suggestive. The neckline left her neck and upper chest exposed, revealing a tantalizing expanse of skin, while the tightly fitted bust emphasized her curves. The sleeves were designed with cut-outs that bared her shoulders, and the pink accents contrasted beautifully with her snow-white arms. The skirt was significantly shorter than a typical maid uniform, just barely covering half of her thighs, though her white garter stockings preserved a semblance of modesty.

Huo Yun'er and the other maids rotated their outfit styles frequently, fearing that Qian Ran might grow bored.

While Huo Yun'er's attire leaned formal, the other maids wore little more than lingerie—corsets and panties that left their graceful figures entirely exposed. Upon seeing Qian Ran, they quickly knelt, their heads bowed as they greeted him.

As the head maid, Huo Yun'er was exempt from kneeling directly before Qian Ran, but the others were not. Though Qian Ran wasn't strict about such formalities, he left the maids' management entirely to Huo Yun'er, opting not to interfere.

Huo Yun'er herself had only recently stopped kneeling constantly in his presence, and that had taken considerable effort on Qian Ran's part to insist. If even she showed such deference, it was only natural that the other maids would adopt an even more submissive posture.

"Master, what are these?" Huo Yun'er asked, looking curiously at the seeds Qian Ran handed her.

"These are seeds for fruits, vegetables, and spices. Each has an instruction manual. Find a spot nearby and plant them. The Icefire Yin Yang Well is perfect for plant growth," Qian Ran instructed.

"Understood. I'll take care of it right away," Huo Yun'er replied earnestly, her attitude as meticulous as ever when carrying out Qian Ran's orders.

"Gather some of the others and clear a large plot in the back," she directed a nearby maid.

"Yes," the maid replied without the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. Rising gracefully, she bowed and quickly left to summon the others.

It was clear that Huo Yun'er had whipped them into shape. Many of these women had been stubborn and unruly when Qian Ran first took them in from Dai Hao. Though they had temporarily submitted, they had harbored defiance in their hearts.

Now, under Huo Yun'er's management, they were shaping up to be proper maids.

"Master, when will we be bringing in a new batch of maids? We're short-staffed," Huo Yun'er said, her tone calm but carrying a note of concern.

As the Icefire Yin Yang Well's development progressed, the estate had expanded significantly, and the current group of six maidens—beautiful as they were—was struggling to keep up.

Especially now that they had been tasked with planting crops, their workload left no time for cultivation, which ran counter to Qian Ran's intent to nurture their potential.

"In that case, I'll have Zhu Ying arrange for another batch to be sent over," Qian Ran said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Compared to the Dai family, the Zhu family was renowned for producing beautiful women. Everyone knew that the Zhu family was a veritable cradle of beauties.

(End of Chapter)

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