Indeed, no one had expected Qian Ran's combat prowess to have already reached the level of a Titled Douluo!
In terms of raw combat strength, Qian Ran could now rank among the top fifty in the entire continent!
The top fifty—each of them was a renowned powerhouse who had made a name for themselves on the continent. Yet Qian Ran had reached their level in just a few short years.
Could "genius" even begin to describe him? No, "monster" would be more fitting!
Even individuals like Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier couldn't help but think of Qian Ran as a freak of nature.
While they had become Shrek Academy's leaders due to their exceptional talents, compared to Qian Ran, they seemed like mere mediocrities.
"Qian Ran, you're amazing. Later tonight, teacher will properly reward you," Xian Lin'er said with a smile, holding Qian Ran's hand.
To outsiders, Xian Lin'er was Qian Ran's teacher, and a teacher would naturally feel proud of such an outstanding student.
However, in the eyes of Qian Ran and Cai Meier, this wasn't so simple.
How could Qian Ran not understand the implications in Xian Lin'er's tone?
Flirting with him like this in front of Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo—was that really appropriate? Yet Qian Ran felt his heart flutter. Truth be told, he rather enjoyed it.
Noticing the delight on Qian Ran's face, Cai Meier grew annoyed and shot Xian Lin'er a glare.
How dare she...
How dare Xian Lin'er steal the spotlight in her house? This was supposed to be her home turf!
And "reward"?
Bah! What a shameless woman!
Although Cai Meier and Xian Lin'er had appeared to get along recently, the moment Qian Ran was involved, they turned into bitter rivals.
In most of their clashes, Xian Lin'er ended up at a disadvantage. Her straightforward personality was no match for Cai Meier's shrewdness. Most of the time, Xian Lin'er had to endure small defeats.
Even Qian Ran spent more time with Cai Meier. It wasn't that Xian Lin'er wasn't good enough—it was just that Cai Meier had an unmatched knack for attending to his needs. If Qian Ran gave her a light pat, she would immediately know what he wanted and cater to his whims effortlessly.
Right now, however, Xian Lin'er held the upper hand.
No matter how things played out, Qian Ran was officially her disciple. It was only natural for her to show him affection in public. To others, it appeared as nothing more than a teacher spoiling her student.
Even if Cai Meier didn't like it, there was nothing she could do about it.
If she tried to offer Qian Ran a "reward," people would surely start to speculate.
"Qian Ran really is incredible... Lin'er, you should reward him properly," Qian Duoduo said with a sheepish smile, full of envy.
How he wished he could trade places with Qian Ran! If only he were Xian Lin'er's disciple, wouldn't he also receive her rewards? In all his years of knowing her, Xian Lin'er had never once rewarded him.
In fact, even rewarding himself seemed impossible now. Thanks to Qian Ran, Xian Lin'er had become incredibly cautious, hiding away all her clothing—stockings, bras, even shoes—leaving Qian Duoduo with nothing but the same air she breathed.
In his memories, Xian Lin'er hadn't even let him hold her hand. Talk of loving caresses was out of the question.
From Qian Duoduo's perspective, Qian Ran was far happier than he ever could be.
"Duoduo, do you really think so?" Xian Lin'er asked, surprised. Did Qian Duoduo truly want her to reward Qian Ran?
"Uh..." Qian Duoduo felt flattered and a little stunned. Usually, he just agreed with whatever Xian Lin'er said, but she never paid him any attention. For her to respond to him now—had his bootlicking finally paid off?
It seemed Qian Ran really was his lucky star! Xian Lin'er had started noticing him ever since Qian Ran returned.
Clearly, his strategy was working! Only Qian Ran could help him win Xian Lin'er's heart.
"Of course! Qian Ran performed so well. Lin'er, as his teacher, you should absolutely reward him. Otherwise, it might hurt his enthusiasm for cultivation," Qian Duoduo said earnestly.
In Qian Duoduo's mind, Xian Lin'er's wishes were absolute. If she wanted to reward Qian Ran, who was he to object?
Besides, shouldn't Qian Ran be rewarded? Thanks to his return, Xian Lin'er was finally speaking to him again. Wasn't that cause for celebration?
"It seems Lin'er has been cold to me lately because she's been missing Qian Ran while he was away in Mingdu. That must've put her in a bad mood, which affected how she treated me," Qian Duoduo suddenly realized, as if everything made sense.
Though the logic seemed odd, the conclusion was clear. Qian Ran's return meant happiness was back.
As long as Qian Ran stayed, it wouldn't be long before Lin'er warmed up to him too.
"What a fool," Cai Meier muttered, rolling her eyes at Qian Duoduo. Now she understood why Xian Lin'er had no interest in him.
Who could possibly fancy such a clown?
Encouraging Xian Lin'er to reward Qian Ran—really? Even Cai Meier couldn't stand it and felt tempted to step in and demonstrate the true meaning of a "reward."
"Let's head inside. You two can start cooking," Cai Meier said.
"Right away," Yan Shaozhe sighed in relief and quickly headed into the house.
Although Xian Lin'er and Cai Meier weren't the type to shy away from chores, they only cooked for Qian Ran. There was no way they'd prepare a meal for Yan Shaozhe or Qian Duoduo.
As Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo busied themselves, Xian Lin'er used the pretext of "rewarding" Qian Ran to drag him into a small room.
Removing her black coat, Xian Lin'er revealed a snug, knitted short dress underneath.
"Dear Qian Ran, I missed you so much. I nearly died thinking about you these past few days," she said, throwing herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her long, shapely legs clamped around his waist.
Qian Ran hadn't even done anything yet, but Xian Lin'er's voice already trembled with excitement, a testament to just how much she had missed him.
Her love for Qian Ran was no less intense than that of any other woman. Given her current state of longing, she clung to him as if she never wanted to let go.
"My dear Lin'er, I missed you too," Qian Ran said, supporting her by her thighs. Hmm, nothing underneath.
"Don't lie to me. If you missed me, why didn't you come back to see me sooner? You've clearly forgotten all about me," Xian Lin'er pouted, biting his nose lightly before leaving a few small, visible marks on him.
Her actions seemed as if she wanted to devour him whole.
"Hey, take it easy. If you leave too many marks on the surface and I don't notice, someone might catch on," Qian Ran said helplessly.
(End of Chapter)