The anticipated battle of fire and brimstone did not occur.
After Qian Renxue's declaration of "fiancee," the entire arena fell into an eerie silence.
However, Gu Yuena's reaction greatly disappointed all the onlookers who were ready for a show.
She merely nodded coolly, her face betraying no emotion.
"Since you are Xiao Bai's fiancee and have just come out of seclusion, you must have something to discuss with him. I won't disturb you."
After speaking, she looked at Hu Bai, who was acting like a wooden dummy, and said naturally, "When you're free, let's exchange some insights on elemental Spirit Abilities and the application of mental force."
As her words fell, Gu Yuena turned and left decisively, her silver long hair tracing a graceful arc in the air, leaving behind only a cool and aloof figure.
She needed to find a place to sort out her messy feelings.
"Eh, she's just leaving?"
"How boring. Let's go, let's go. I thought there would be a fight."
"I thought Your Highness, the Holy Maiden, and Your Highness Gu Yuena would fight over the Saint. My pants are off... *cough cough*, my melon seeds are ready, and that's it?"
"But don't you think Your Highness, the Holy Maiden, has become even more beautiful after coming out of seclusion this time? That temperament, tsk tsk, I wonder what her current strength is like."
"Then why don't you go up and challenge her?" someone next to him suggested with a wink.
"Do I look like an idiot? No matter how beautiful Your Highness, the Holy Maiden, is, she's still a rose with thorns. Wouldn't I just be asking for a beating if I went up there?"
Soon, the students, who had gathered in three layers inside and three layers outside, dispersed in twos and threes, their faces filled with disappointment.
Only Hu Bai and Qian Renxue remained in the arena.
Hu Bai looked at Gu Yuena's departing back and felt a slight sense of relief.
It's a good thing they didn't fight.
He had told Gu Yuena before, "Just friends, at best"!
He had to admit, Gu Yuena was very beautiful, with an extraordinary temperament, the kind of existence that could make any man fall for her.
But at the same time, she was also very troublesome.
Whether it was the unfathomable Spirit Beast background behind her or her proud personality.
Let alone Qian Renxue, even Gu Yuena herself would absolutely not be able to accept sharing a husband with another woman, right?
Hu Bai believed that his charm was not great enough to make these two proud women coexist peacefully.
The former was the future heir of Spirit Hall, the granddaughter of the super Douluo Qian Daoliu.
The latter was half of the Dragon God, the Silver Dragon King, co-lord of the Spirit Beasts.
Even if Hu Bai's charm was higher and his talent stronger, wanting these two arrogant women to humble themselves to the same man was something he could only dream about.
The arena was crowded and bustling, and the commotion just now was too great, clearly not a good place for a reunion.
"Snow Jiejie, let's go somewhere else to chat."
Hu Bai took Qian Renxue's hand, and the latter did not resist, following him obediently.
The two came to a secluded grove in the back mountains of Spirit Hall Academy.
Here, green grass carpeted the ground, ancient trees reached to the sky, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, making it exceptionally peaceful.
The two sat side by side on the soft lawn, looking up at the clear blue sky.
Hu Bai was about to say something when he noticed that Qian Renxue, beside him, said nothing, but just tilted her head, her beautiful golden eyes staring at his face without blinking.
Hu Bai found it a little amusing and also turned his head, meeting her gaze and looking at her.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes passed.
Neither of them spoke, and the air was filled with a strange atmosphere, warm yet with a hint of playful competition.
In the end, it was Qian Renxue who gave in first.
Two captivating blushes appeared on her fair cheeks, and she shyly turned her head away, not daring to look at Hu Bai again, but muttered in a low voice, "You always bully me."
Her voice was soft and sweet, without a hint of blame, but more like she was acting spoiled.
Hu Bai's smile deepened: "How am I bullying you? You were the one staring at me."
Qian Renxue sighed softly and said wistfully, "It's only been a little over a year since we last met, and Xiao Bai, you've grown even more handsome. Look at all the female students in the academy on our way here; their eyes were practically glued to you."
"And..."
At this point, a hint of undetectable sourness entered Qian Renxue's voice: "You and that Gu Yuena..."
Here it comes!
Hu Bai's internal alarm bells rang, knowing that the main topic had arrived.
He immediately put away the smile on his face and looked at Qian Renxue, feigning sadness: "It seems Snow Jiejie doesn't trust me. I just told you how much I missed you, and you immediately doubt me."
"No, it's not!"
Seeing his expression, Qian Renxue became anxious and quickly explained, "I don't not trust you, I just... I just..."
She "justed" for a long time but couldn't articulate anything.
Looking at her cute, anxious, and embarrassed expression, Hu Bai finally couldn't help but laugh.
He reached out and gently flicked Qian Renxue's nose, saying softly, "Don't worry, I promise you, Gu Yuena and I are truly just friends."
"As for her background, it's quite special, and I'm not at liberty to tell you about it right now. But you just need to know that I definitely don't have any romantic feelings for her."
"Background?"
Qian Renxue was slightly stunned.
She thought about it; she had heard her grandfather and mother mention before that this Gu Yuena was supposedly a human orphan adopted by the Vicious Beast Bi Ji of the Star Dou Great Forest.
What kind of special background could an orphan have?
But Qian Renxue was incredibly intelligent; she instantly grasped the crucial point of the matter and did not ask further questions.
Since Xiao Bai said so, he must have discovered some inside information that she didn't know.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. How could an ordinary human orphan be adopted by a Vicious Beast? And one of Bi Ji's caliber, no less.
Perhaps the adoption by a Vicious Beast itself was just a facade.
But if Spirit Hall wanted to investigate, they would have to delve deep into the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
To have Gu Yuena lead them in? What if it was a trap?
In the current Spirit Hall, perhaps only her grandfather Qian Daoliu and her mother Bibi Dong had the strength to deal with the several Vicious Beasts in the core area.
As for her second grandfather, Gold Crocodile Douluo, he might be able to cope for a while, but defeating those Old freaks who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years was almost impossible.
Having understood this, the last trace of resentment in Qian Renxue's heart also disappeared.
"Since you've said so, then I definitely believe you."
She gave Hu Bai a sweet smile, no longer dwelling on the matter, but cleverly changed the subject.
"Oh, right, how's your strength now? How's the divine examination progressing? A lot has happened in the past year, hasn't it? Tell me all about it!" (End of chapter)