39: Chapter 39 Qingci, you're finally back!

Finally, Mu Qingci spotted a right arm bone, its quality exceeding that of the previous two Spirit Bones.

"A ninety-thousand-year Ice Saber-Toothed Tiger right arm bone. In terms of quality, it doesn't lose out to some hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones. It's quite good and fits you well."

Mu Qingci didn't speak; he simply tucked it into his spirit tool.

Having picked out enough, there was nothing else that caught Mu Qingci's eye, so he left the cave.

"Next, it's time to head back. I wonder how Sister Meng and the others are doing."

He had been out for quite a while now; it was time to return.

The harvest from this training trip was undoubtedly immense.

A four-hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and a three-hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone.

Mu Qingci's Soul Power had long since exceeded level fifty, but because he hadn't yet obtained his spirit ring, he remained stuck at the level fifty bottleneck.

He believed that once he obtained a suitable fifth spirit ring, he would definitely be able to leap across a major rank.

He released Ye Guyi from the Undead Semi-Plane. She had been staying inside for all these days; she must have been bored to death.

"What have you been doing these past few days? You didn't encounter any danger, did you?"

As soon as Ye Guyi came out, she didn't complain, but instead asked after Mu Qingci with concern in a soft voice.

"I'm fine. Look, I'm perfectly alright."

Seeing her concern for him, a wave of warmth washed over Mu Qingci's heart, and naturally, he responded with warmth in return.

Now that he possessed the Ice Empress's Spirit Bone, Mu Qingci no longer needed to fear the bitter cold of the Far North.

However, Ye Guyi could not yet withstand it, so Mu Qingci naturally took hold of her delicate hand.

"Qingci... I'm so hungry, I can't walk anymore..."

When she said this, Ye Guyi was clearly a bit embarrassed.

Only then did Mu Qingci suddenly remember that he had forgotten to leave dry rations for Ye Guyi all these days. If it hadn't been for her cultivation as a Spirit Ancestor, she probably would have starved to death long ago.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to!"

Mu Qingci hurriedly took out dry rations from his spirit tool and handed them to Ye Guyi.

Although Ye Guyi was very hungry at this moment, she still ate the rations very delicately, taking small bite after small bite.

"How about I carry you on my back?"

Perhaps out of guilt, Mu Qingci inexplicably proposed this suggestion.

Ye Guyi, who was eating, paused abruptly. Then, a faint blush quickly spread across her cheeks, and she nodded slightly.

Mu Qingci squatted down and carried Ye Guyi on his back.

Ye Guyi was very light, and Mu Qingci felt almost no burden. Instead, he felt the warmth coming from behind, the soft scent of her body, and the crumbs of dry rations that would occasionally fall onto his neck, only to be hurriedly brushed away by Ye Guyi.

After Ye Guyi finished her food, she simply rested her head on Mu Qingci's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Perhaps because Mu Qingci's shoulder brought her a sense of security, before long, Mu Qingci felt the rhythmic sound of her breathing by his ear.

Mu Qingci did not disturb Ye Guyi, simply continuing to walk in the direction of the Sun Moon Empire.

...

In the cafeteria of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.

As usual, Meng Hongchen got a serving of food without any meat and walked to an empty corner to eat.

Her movements were elegant yet carried a mechanical quality, even the way she chewed, as if she were a walking corpse that had lost its soul.

Meng Hongchen had been in this state for a long time; it had been this way since the second day after Mu Qingci left.

"Little sister, eating alone? I wonder if I might have the honor of joining you for lunch?"

Just then, a pleasant voice rang out beside Meng Hongchen's ear.

"Get lost."

Meng Hongchen gave a mechanical one-word reply and then prepared to continue eating.

After eating a few mouthfuls, she suddenly felt that the voice from just a moment ago sounded familiar.

After a brief moment of mental shutdown, she slammed down her chopsticks, stood up, turned around, and hugged the owner of that voice.

"Qingci, you've finally returned! Do you know... do you know how much I missed you!"

Tears welled up and burst forth, quickly soaking the clothes on Mu Qingci's chest.

He rubbed Meng Hongchen's head: "Alright, I'm back now, aren't I? Don't cry anymore. If you cry until you look like a little kitten, you won't be pretty anymore."

Mu Qingci gently lifted Meng Hongchen's face, using his slender fingers to wipe the tears from her cheeks, comforting her softly.

"You... you aren't allowed... you aren't allowed to leave me again..."

Meng Hongchen was still sobbing at this moment, her speech intermittent, but the happiness in her eyes could not be hidden.

"Alright, I promise you, I will never leave Sister Meng behind again."

Meng Hongchen couldn't even be bothered to eat her meal; she hurriedly pulled Mu Qingci away, as many students had turned their gazes toward them.

"Look at you, you've gotten thin."

Looking at Meng Hongchen's visibly thinner face, a wave of heartache washed over Mu Qingci.

"Isn't it because I missed you? I haven't been able to eat or drink properly every single day..."

Tears still remained at the corners of Meng Hongchen's eyes, and her eye sockets were red.

"Alright, it's my treat today. I'll take you to eat something delicious, okay?"

"Okay!"

The two of them walked out of the academy together and went to the busiest street in Mingdu.

With Mu Qingci's company, smiles reappeared on Meng Hongchen's face.

"Qingci, I want to eat that!"

Meng Hongchen pointed to a peach blossom pastry shop on the side of the road and said.

"No problem, buy it!"

"Qingci, I want that too!"

"No problem, buy it!"

"Qingci!"

"Buy it!"

After strolling around for the day, the sky gradually darkened.

The two returned to the academy, and Mu Qingci pulled Meng Hongchen into a small grove, acting all mysterious.

"Sister Meng, I have a gift for you upon my return this time."

Meng Hongchen was bewildered by him, standing blankly in the small grove.

Her gaze fell upon the box in Mu Qingci's hand.

"What kind of surprise is it? Qingci, tell me quickly."

Mu Qingci didn't answer, instead handing the box over: "Open it and you'll know."

Meng Hongchen took the box.

It was a box made of jade, looking very high-grade.

Meng Hongchen impatiently opened the box.

Instantly, a wave of coldness surged out from the box, which Mu Qingci promptly suppressed, preventing it from harming Meng Hongchen.

Lying inside the box was, surprisingly, the seventy-thousand-year Ice Fox left arm Spirit Bone that Mu Qingci had gotten for free from the Ice Empress.

"This Spirit Bone came from a seventy-thousand-year Ice Fox. It is very suitable for you, Sister Meng. I obtained it by chance during my trip."

A ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone was already a treasure of astronomical price, and one over fifty thousand years was even more priceless; even if one wanted to buy it, it would be hard to find. Yet, Mu Qingci had given her a precious seventy-thousand-year Spirit Bone, and its attributes happened to be perfectly suited for her.

A girl's intuition told Meng Hongchen that this was by no means a coincidence.

But she respected Mu Qingci; if he didn't say anything, she wouldn't ask.

However, coming from a great family, she knew all too well what a seventy-thousand-year Spirit Bone meant.

Such a precious item, yet Mu Qingci had actually given it to her. Even if the attributes didn't suit him, he could have traded it, but he didn't; he had given it to her.

Tears welled up in Meng Hongchen's eyes once again.

This time, they were tears of joy, tears of happiness.