Chapter 146: Cooperation

"Tell me, what will it take for you to agree? Cooperation benefits us both, and you know it. Don't tell me you aren't interested in that thing in the Trial Forest!"

Although Binluo possessed extraordinary talent, his status within the family did not compare to Karl's. There were things he had to fight for himself, while Karl could afford to be indifferent. For Binluo, the higher the talent he displayed, the better the treatment he received from the family.

"Who is the owner of the Thunder Domain Token? You mentioned it once when the new students entered the inner courtyard, but then the Qilu space incident distracted everyone, and no one pressed you for details. You didn't say anything when asked later. Can you tell me now?"

Putting down his cup, Karl gazed intently at Binluo. With a breakthrough to the seventh rank imminent, if he could subsequently enter the Thunder Domain to have his soul and body purified, his strength would undoubtedly take another leap forward. His path to future advancement would certainly be much smoother than others'.

"I knew you were up to this trick. Why don't you try guessing who it is first?"

Binluo had partially anticipated Karl's request. In the end, everyone would learn about this anyway—it was impossible to keep it hidden—so telling Karl now didn't really matter.

"It's likely someone between Wang Luo and Damon, though I lean more toward Damon, since he was your student in the outer courtyard!"

"Why wouldn't it be Wang Luo? Perhaps I only hinted that the person was from the West Courtyard back then to divert your attention?"

Looking at Karl, a sly smile appeared on the corner of Binluo's mouth. He found it quite satisfying to get the better of Karl; after all, such opportunities were rare.

"Wang Luo? Unlikely. If he had a Thunder Domain Token, Hanluo and Chelsea would surely have known by now. Looking at their reactions at the time, they were clearly unaware. Besides, you haven't been paying much attention to Wang Luo lately, so it definitely wouldn't be him!"

Shaking his head, Karl flatly dismissed Wang Luo. However, seeing Binluo's expression, Karl began to doubt himself. Had he missed something?

"Haha, Karl, I knew you'd guess wrong. No one knows how many Thunder Domain Tokens exist; why couldn't there be two?"

"Two?!"

"Wang Luo and Damon each have one!"

***

"Do you know that a medicinal herb is about to ripen in the Trial Forest?"

Summoning all his courage, Gus finally knocked on Qi'er's door. But when he saw Qi'er standing before him in white, Gus couldn't help but freeze. Swallowing hard, he quickly averted his gaze and stated his purpose.

"Are you planning to go with me?"

With a faint smile, watching the little one before him blush so adorably, Qi'er found her mood brightening considerably, and she replied cheerfully.

"Yes, I don't know if you're willing to go together. We are both at the peak of the sixth rank; only by working together can we achieve the best results!"

Having had his intentions exposed, Gus's face turned red again. He lowered his head, looking like a shy young girl—quite cute.

"Why choose me?"

Smiling happily again, Qi'er looked at the person before her with interest. For some reason, seeing him in such a goofy, bashful state made her inexplicably happy.

"Because the Tiger Clan and the Fox Clan are one family!"

His heart thumping uncontrollably, Gus recited the reason he had memorized by heart. Fortunately, he managed to say it fluently without the stuttering he had feared.

"Why didn't you go find Wang Luo?"

"Wang Luo? He already left for the Trial Forest a few days ago!"

Stealing a glance at the calm-faced Qi'er, Gus breathed a secret sigh of relief. Yet, his mind couldn't help but drift back to that one wild night. He still missed it every night, and could only find release through his magic crystal cannon.

"Are your hands sore from missing Wang Luo so much? Hehe, come find me tomorrow, and we'll head to the Trial Forest together!"

Seeing Gus suddenly arch his back slightly, Qi'er covered her mouth and laughed, her youthful charm fully on display before the stunned eyes of Gus.

*Gulp...*

Swallowing hard, Gus looked down at the "tent" forming at his crotch, turned, and walked away, though his gait was somewhat faltering.

"Hands sore from missing him?"

Pondering what Qi'er said as she left, Gus was deeply confused. How could missing Wang Luo make one's hands sore? Suddenly, he looked down at his "tent," his face turned blood-red, and he realized the truth in an instant...

***

"Anwei'er!"

Early in the morning, when the first shameless rays of sunlight pierced into the room, the man among the two naked figures on the bed slowly opened his eyes. Unaccustomed to the light, he shielded his eyes with his hand, then looked at the person beside him, his gaze filled with pity and love.

"Mmm... Chelsea!"

Lazily rolling over, she hugged the person beside her, burying her head into his chest as if shy, rubbing against him slightly, silently recounting the madness of last night.

"Hmm, Chelsea, what is that on you? It's so hard!"

Chuckling, he lowered his head to kiss the person who was teasing him so early in the morning. A warmth spread through Chelsea's heart; perhaps this was the life he truly desired—no hiding, no dodging, being able to hold each other tightly after intimacy instead of just leaving.

"Mm, Chelsea, I didn't mean it that way, but you really do have something hard here!"

Feeling the growing arousal of the person beside her, Anwei'er, who was still exhausted and a bit groggy, was suddenly startled. Her eyes drifted toward a certain hard spot, and she felt a bit flustered.

"(⊙o⊙) Oh, (⊙_⊙) Hmm!"

Withdrawing his restless hand—which had even begun to enter a certain place—he laughed awkwardly. He glanced down at the spot his confused companion was pointing at, his expression freezing as certain memories uncontrollably flooded his mind.

"Chelsea!"

Sensing the change in the person beside her, the groggy Anwei'er suddenly became much clearer. Looking at the scar she had pointed to, she instantly remembered its origin. Seeing the downcast expression on Chelsea's face, she didn't say anything, just held him tighter.

"Chelsea, do you remember that there is a treasure in the Trial Forest? It will be ripe in the next two days. Hanluo, Karl, Binluo, and the Finch squad have probably already set out for the Trial Forest. Let's head out today as well!"

Having regained her wits, Anwei'er's shrewdness returned. She easily changed the subject, drawing the attention of the man she was holding back to her.

"Don't worry. Right now, in the entire academy, only Hanluo and I have broken through to the seventh rank. We will certainly each get a portion, and with your strength, you should be able to get a share as well. We should leave now; if we go too late, no matter how high our strength is, it will be useless!"

He sat up, and his companion's arm slid down his firm chest, finally coming to a stop against his taut abdomen. A strange sensation immediately washed over him. As expected of a battle-energy cultivator; after several rounds last night, he was still so vigorous this morning.