MTLNOVEL Chapter 6: Chapter 6: I Am Not a Soul Master
Zhu Zhuqing became a part of Dan Heng's household.
She was diligent and, despite being a royal princess, knew how to handle chores.
Unlike his so-called wife, who was sulking again for some unknown reason.
At breakfast, although Dan Heng had prepared enough food for four people, Gu Yuena still managed to eat two and a half portions, visibly improving her mood. Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing only had half a portion.
"..."
As he walked down the road, Dan Heng was thinking that his salary might not be enough to support his household expenses.
A single gold soul coin was usually enough to feed a normal family of three for months.
But he wasn't just covering food costs; he also had to pay traveling merchants to bring him the books he wanted.
That meant money was running a little tight…
Where could he earn some extra income?
As Dan Heng pondered this, he ignored the "shadow" following behind him.
Yes, Zhu Zhuqing was following him to the library.
Gu Yuena had strongly encouraged it, and when Dan Heng was about to refuse, she said, "You're not Zhuqing's teacher, so you have no reason to order her around."
Dan Heng simply let it be, thinking she could do as she pleased.
At the library, Zhu Zhuqing's outstanding looks quickly attracted attention.
Seeing her bring tea and water to Dan Heng, and help with any task she could, made the other men watching turn green with envy.
The head librarian called Dan Heng into her office during a break. She looked him over and sighed, "Dan Heng, you just got married. Didn't I give you paid leave? Why are you back here already?"
"I like working," Dan Heng replied calmly.
"..." The librarian was momentarily speechless.
After a pause, she continued, "Fine, but why did you bring someone with you? And such a beautiful girl at that. Now, none of the readers here are actually reading anymore."
"Besides, you just got married. How could you… how could you be so fickle?"
Hearing the librarian's words, Dan Heng was stunned. "???"
Fickle? What did she think was going on?
The librarian sighed, "Dan Heng, I know you're popular, but you should be faithful in your marriage. Not that I'm saying you can't have multiple wives, but you're a good man, a good husband—"
The more Dan Heng listened, the more ridiculous it got. He suddenly realized—was this how everyone saw him?
Just Zhu Zhuqing standing beside him was enough to make people jump to these conclusions?
"Over the years, I can't even count how many girls have asked me to set up a meeting with you. You never looked at any of them, never had a single scandal. But now, after marrying Nana, you suddenly changed?"
The librarian spoke with heartfelt concern, trying to give him a serious talk.
"..." Dan Heng was getting a headache. He quickly explained the situation.
He told her that Zhu Zhuqing was just following him to learn, and there was nothing inappropriate about it.
Then he went outside and told Zhu Zhuqing to go home.
Without Gu Yuena "stirring the pot," Zhu Zhuqing was obedient. She left without protest.
At this moment, the librarian leaned over to him again and said, "Dan Heng, you know we live close to the Star Dou Forest. There are soul masters and traveling merchants passing through all the time. That little girl is too beautiful—do you really feel safe letting her walk back alone?"
"..."
And so, Dan Heng had no choice but to escort her home.
On the way, just as the librarian had warned, many men were casting greedy, sinister glances at Zhu Zhuqing.
Some of them were battle-hardened soul masters—people who wouldn't hesitate to take what they wanted.
Dan Heng sighed inwardly. Forget Zhu Zhuqing's royal identity—just her looks alone were enough to bring him trouble.
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip, her face full of guilt.
"I-I'm sorry, Teacher Dan Heng. This is all my fault… I've brought you trouble."
Dan Heng shook his head, not saying anything to blame her.
When they arrived home, Gu Yuena was outside the courtyard, engaged in a "friendly" conversation with a group of women.
The moment those women saw Dan Heng return, they all covered their faces and left, some of them even crying as they walked away.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuena stood tall, chest puffed out, looking as if she couldn't be prouder.
Three days passed like this.
Zhu Zhuqing was very obedient. Since Dan Heng didn't want her following him, she stayed home, cleaned, watered the vegetables, and even prepared the ingredients for dinner ahead of time so Dan Heng could cook when he got back.
She was the perfect disciple.
Gu Yuena constantly praised Zhu Zhuqing, urging Dan Heng to accept her as a student.
That evening, as the three of them ate dinner, Gu Yuena had the busiest pair of chopsticks at the table. Though she ate elegantly, her small mouth never seemed to stop moving.
By the time they finished, almost all the dishes had been wiped clean. Another "Clean Plate" operation successfully executed.
Dan Heng put down his chopsticks and suddenly said, "Zhu Zhuqing, you want to learn from me to improve your abilities as a soul master, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened in excitement. She shot to her feet so quickly that her chair toppled over. As she hastily nodded, she bent down to pick up the chair—only to knock her chopsticks onto the floor.
"S-sorry, Teacher…"
She was utterly flustered, her face turning as red as a cloth.
Gu Yuena chuckled, then quickly covered her mouth to maintain her cold and dignified "Master's Wife" image.
Dan Heng said, "First of all, I am not a soul master."
"Ah?" Zhu Zhuqing froze.
Gu Yuena nodded slightly—of course, her husband wasn't a soul master. He wasn't even human. He was a dragon from some unknown world!
That was exactly why she placed her hopes for the revival of soul beast glory on Dan Heng.
Dan Heng truly wasn't a soul master. When he first arrived in the Douluo Continent, he had been interested in soul masters, but after researching soul power for a few months, he dismissed it as too low-level.
So, he couldn't call himself a soul master.
Zhu Zhuqing blinked, staring blankly at Dan Heng.
Dan Heng continued, "Once you reach the Soul Emperor level, you'll have completed your training. At that point, you must leave."
"!!!" Zhu Zhuqing's breathing immediately became rapid.
Soul Emperor!
If she followed the normal path of cultivation, she wouldn't reach that level until she was at least thirty.
But if she could reach the Soul Emperor level, she would no longer have to fear that battle.
Her breath became erratic.
Even Gu Yuena was a little surprised—right now, her strength was at the Soul Emperor level. In the Douluo Continent, that was already considered a high-ranking soul master, capable of taking on a thousand soldiers alone!
Seeing their reactions, Dan Heng hesitated. Had he underestimated how rare Soul Emperors were?
Sure, a Soul Emperor was weak by his standards, but wasn't it fairly common?
Dan Heng frowned slightly. "Is that too easy?"
"N-no, not at all…" Zhu Zhuqing snapped out of her daze, realizing that her teacher really wasn't a soul master—he might not even understand the significance of a Soul Emperor.
Even if she pushed herself to the limit, there was no way she could reach Soul Emperor before thirty!
"Then it's decided. For now, go outside and run laps around the courtyard. Keep running until you can't move anymore. Then we'll start the next stage of training."
(End of Chapter)