Unknowingly, a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Fu Qin's fingertips brushed over three Magical Artifacts emanating a soft glow, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He knew all too well how terrifying the Protagonist Halo was.
Even if he didn't intervene, Tang San would have relied on his luck to survive the crisis of the Soul Devouring Demon Spider. By then, he would have absorbed an over-limit spirit ring, reaping a harvest of both Spirit Abilities and Spirit Bones, and his strength would have surely advanced by leaps and bounds.
But now? He had used the hundred-year solitary bamboo to swap away the opportunity of the Soul Devouring Demon Spider. Not only had the Spirit Ability turned into the comical Pole Vault, but a hidden danger of Spirit Bone shackles was also buried within his body.
If he wanted to defy the heavens again in the future as he did in his past life, it wouldn't be impossible, but it could only be described as harder than reaching the sky.
"It looks like I'm saving your life, but in reality, I'm cutting off your future path. My dear Third Brother, don't blame me for being heartless," Fu Qin whispered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
This World was one where the strong preyed on the weak; he wouldn't just stand by and watch Tang San climb to the top by stepping on everyone else's opportunities.
Furthermore, he had already long since regarded Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing as his own possessions; in the future, he absolutely could not let them return to Tang San's group.
Over the past month, under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries, he had devoted himself to refining Magical Artifacts.
The thousand-year Spirit Bones he had obtained through his god-level luck had now been transformed into three mid-grade auxiliary Magical Artifacts of excellent quality.
Each Magical Artifact had been meticulously tempered by the Alchemy Gloves, perfectly matching the Spirit characteristics of the three girls.
Although they weren't like the demon spider flying sword, which could grow stronger as his strength increased, they were by no means weak.
Fu Qin put away the three Magical Artifacts and stood up to walk to the door, just in time to meet Xiao Wu, who had come to check on his physical condition.
"Hee-hee, Brother Fu Qin, Sister Xiao Wu bought many new clothes that you like. Do you want Sister to wear them for you to see later?"
Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Fu Qin felt a surge of heat rising within him again. However, he needed to give the Magical Artifacts to the three of them now, so he couldn't do those things for the time being.
"Sister Xiao Wu, bring Rongrong and Zhuqing up for a moment. I have something to give you all."
Hearing Fu Qin's words, Xiao Wu's eyes instantly lit up.
However, when she heard Fu Qin say he also had things to give to Rongrong and Zhuqing, she still felt a bit jealous in her heart.
But she didn't hesitate for long and quickly ran toward Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's rooms.
Before long.
The three of them walked quickly toward Fu Qin's room, completely unaware that at a corner not far away, a pair of venomous eyes was staring fixedly at their backs.
Oscar hid behind a pillar, watching the three girls—Xiao Wu and the others—enter Fu Qin's room. His fists were clenched tight, his fingernails nearly digging into his flesh.
Over this month, he had watched helplessly as Ning Rongrong became increasingly dependent on Fu Qin, and saw Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing also looking upon him with favor. To say he wasn't jealous would be a lie.
He knew he was no match for Fu Qin; he had seen the other's prowess with his own eyes. A direct confrontation would be no different from striking a stone with an egg.
"Dai Mubai! Ma Hongjun! Something's happened!"
Oscar lowered his voice and rushed like a madman into the room where Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were recuperating.
At this time, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were still lying in bed recovering. Although the wound on the left side of Dai Mubai's abdomen had healed, the circulation of his spirit power was still somewhat sluggish.
Ma Hongjun was even worse off; that injury had left him with a limp to this day, and the look he gave Oscar was filled with bone-deep hatred.
If they didn't still need his recovery Sausage to speed up the healing process, the two of them would have kicked him out long ago.
"What's all the noise for!" Dai Mubai frowned, his tone cold. "One more word of nonsense and I'll throw you out!"
Ma Hongjun also snorted coldly: "Oscar, if you dare to talk nonsense again, even if I have to risk worsening my injuries, I'll give you a beating!"
Oscar was sweating profusely with anxiety and couldn't care less about their hostility, hurriedly saying: "It's not nonsense! It's Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing! The three of them went into Fu Qin's room together! They haven't come out yet!"
"What?!" Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's eyes widened at the same time, the hatred on their faces instantly replaced by shock.
Although they hated Oscar, what Oscar said concerned Dai Mubai's fiancée; Dai Mubai couldn't help but be anxious.
"No way! I have to go see!" Dai Mubai struggled to get out of bed, a sharp pain coming from the wound in his abdomen, making him grimace.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and Tang San walked in carrying a food box, a gentle smile on his face.
"Mubai, Hongjun, Oscar, I brought you some food. Eat it while it's hot."
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun struggling to get out of bed with faces full of anxiety, while Oscar was pacing around nearby in a panic, leaving him momentarily confused.
"What's wrong with you guys? Your wounds haven't healed yet; how can you just get out of bed?"
"Little San! You're finally here!" Oscar said hurriedly, as if grasping a life-saving straw. "That fellow Fu Qin called Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing into his room! They haven't come out yet! We suspect he's up to no good!"
Dai Mubai also chimed in: "Little San, come with us to take a look! Xiao Wu is your wife; we can't let that fellow Fu Qin have his way!"
Ma Hongjun also nodded: "Yeah, Little San! Fu Qin is going too far! We must go stop him!"
Tang San was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then he laughed: "You're overthinking it. Fu Qin is my life-and-death brother; he is an upright person, how could he possibly do such a thing?"
Under the influence of the Intelligence Reduction Halo, his trust in Fu Qin had already reached a point of blind devotion.
In his view, Fu Qin calling the three girls into the room certainly meant there was some important matter, such as sharing cultivation insights or something else related to cultivation; it could never be as sordid as they imagined.
"But Little San, the three of them and one man alone in a room together is bound to cause misunderstandings!" Oscar said anxiously, not expecting Tang San to trust Fu Qin so much.
"Misunderstanding?" Tang San shook his head slightly, his tone firm.
"Fu Qin is not that kind of person. Besides, Xiao Wu is my wife from my past life, and Rongrong and Zhuqing are both people of good character. They are just pure friends; nothing will happen."
He paused, looking at the trio's anxious expressions, and added: "But since you're so worried, let's go over and take a look, just to set your minds at ease."
After speaking, Tang San supported Dai Mubai and signaled Oscar to help support Ma Hongjun. The four of them walked toward Fu Qin's room.
Arriving at the door, Dai Mubai signaled everyone to be quiet, then gently leaned toward the crack in the door to look inside.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun also hurriedly leaned in, while Tang San stood behind them with a helpless smile on his face, feeling that everyone was being far too paranoid.
Peering through the crack in the door, the four of them saw the scene inside the room and were instantly stunned.
There was no sordid scene in the room like they had imagined.