Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 31 It’s time to return it to me.

Nightfall descended.

Qin Qing sat down, began to concentrate, and quietly cultivated.

The day’s time had all been spent shuttling through the jungle.

Although Qin Qing was capable of cultivating the Emperor Dragon Secret Technique and absorbing Spiritual Energy while walking,

he couldn’t completely relax after all.

On one hand, the jungle was filled with danger, and an attack from a Ferocious Beast could come at any moment.

On the other hand, Ning Qingqing and the others really treated Qin Qing as a servant.

They had him make fire, fetch water, and even in dangerous parts of the path, had Qin Qing scout ahead alone.

As a result, although there were several hours during the day, Qin Qing’s physical recovery was not ideal.

And now, nightfall descended.

In Tianjue Forest, where dense jungles prevailed even on the outskirts, gargantuan trees reached for the sky.

The large trees blocked out the sunlight, keeping most of the moonlight from penetrating the lush canopy above, with only the occasional faint moonbeam seeping through.

Such a night, nearly as dark as if one could not see one’s own hand, was not conducive to traveling.

Therefore, Liu Rujing, Brother Liu, gave the order to encamp right there.

Qin Qing started a fire, cooked the meat, and after completing these tasks, he was scolded by Ning Ziyuan to keep watch on the side.

Qin Qing finally found some peace and simply sat aside to begin cultivating quietly.

"Hu hu..."

Spiritual Energy continuously circulated within Qin Qing’s body.

A faint blue glow, similar to a flame, enveloped Qin Qing.

One hour...

Two hours.

After two hours, Qin Qing’s brow twitched slightly, and he stopped.

By that time, he felt much better.

At least not having the nearly exhausted feeling inside his body like during the day, and even for a short while, he was able to circulate Spiritual Energy freely.

"Qingqing..."

Ning Nianci came over, sitting beside Qin Qing.

"Can’t sleep?"

Qin Qing looked at Ning Nianci, whose tired eyes expressed curiosity, fear, and confusion.

"Mm..."

Ning Nianci nodded, "Qingqing, this is my first time traveling so far, I miss my mother!"

Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel moved, thinking of his own sister.

Perhaps his sister, Xiaoshuang, was also missing him just as Nianci missed their mother.

"Qingqing, look over there..."

Ning Nianci suddenly pointed into the distance.

Qin Qing followed the direction Nianci was pointing to, which was Tianjue City under the night sky.

By then, the night was deep.

But Tianjue City was ablaze with bright lights.

The entire city, with thousands of lamps, shone brightly, as bright as day.

In fact, this was also the first time Qin Qing had left Tianjue City alone in many years.

Now, gazing from afar at Tianjue City, where he had lived for over a decade, observing the brilliant nightscape, his heart was filled with unspoken melancholy.

Suddenly, several Feixing lanterns rose from within Tianjue City.

The Feixing lantern is a type of decorative lantern, which is lit from below using the fat of demonic beasts. The hot air allows the Feixing lantern to float upwards, reaching into the depths of the night sky, resembling a shooting star from a distance, hence its name, the Feixing lantern.

Qin Qing remembered when he was younger, releasing Feixing lanterns in the Qin Residence’s backyard with his father and Xiao Shuang.

Unfortunately, those memories are beyond reach now...

"Big brother Qing, are you missing your family?" Xiao Ci asked.

"Mhm!" Qin Qing forced a smile and nodded, "I have a younger sister, a bit younger than you. But she’s a lot like you..."

"Really? If I could, I’d like to meet her too!" Xiao Ci said with wide eyes, looking at Qin Qing, "Big brother Qing, why are you crying?"

"I’m not!" Qin Qing quickly wiped the moisture from the corner of his eye, "No, it’s just some sand that blew into my eyes..."

"Haha, big brother Qing. If you pass the exam this time and become a student at the Martial Institute of the imperial city, you can then bring your sister to live in the imperial city," Xiao Ci added.

Qin Qing chuckled, teasing, "But my talent isn’t that great, going to the imperial city this time is just to try my luck..."

"There is nothing impossible. As long as you work hard, you can certainly do it, big brother Qing!" Xiao Ci encouraged.

But just then, a grating voice came from the side, "Heh, Xiao Ci, you’re giving him too much credit. With his capabilities, would the Martial Institute of the imperial city even spare him a glance?"

Then, she turned her glaring eyes toward Qin Qing, "What’s the matter with you? I asked you to make a fire to warm me up, look, the fire’s about to go out. What are you still doing here? Go get some firewood!"

The chill in the forest was heavy, especially at night when it indeed became very cold.

Therefore, earlier Liu Rujing had Qin Qing light a roaring fire.

However, two hours had passed, and the fire was nearly spent.

Qin Qing’s eyebrows furrowed as he coldly glared at Ning Qingqing, "Ning Qingqing, you really think of me as your servant, don’t you?"

"Becoming a servant of this young lady is something countless people beg for and cannot obtain. What? You, a bumpkin from the countryside, aren’t willing anymore?" Ning Qingqing said haughtily.

"Get lost!" Qin Qing spoke coldly.

"What?"

Ning Qingqing thought she had misheard.

Did this country bumpkin just tell her to get lost?

Qin Qing sneered coldly. During the day, he had complied with their requests because he couldn’t freely control his spiritual energy.

But now, although his strength had not recovered to even a third of its full capacity, facing the likes of Liu Rujing and Ning Ziyuan, Qin Qing was still confident.

"I told you to get lost. Can’t you hear?" Qin Qing stood up.

"Rebel. You dog of a servant!"

Ning Qingqing’s face turned hostile as she slapped out, aiming for Qin Qing’s face.

"Hmph! Truly arrogant and willful!"

Qin Qing snorted and, not bothering with more words, retaliated with his own slap.

"Smack!"

His palm made direct contact with Ning Qingqing’s face.

Ning Qingqing, who had intended to slap Qin Qing, was instead sent flying by his slap.

"Ouch!"

Ning Qingqing flew backward, crashing into a large tree, then collapsed onto the ground, groaning in pain.

"What happened?"

Ning Ziyuan and Liu Rujing approached, looking down at Ning Qingqing on the ground, they asked.

"Fourth brother, Brother Liu, he hit me!" Ning Qingqing rubbed her pert backside, struggling to stand up as she pointed at Qin Qing, "It was this dog of a servant. He dared to raise his hand against me, fourth brother, you must teach him a lesson for me!"

"You dared to strike Qingqing?" Ning Ziyuan seemed incredulous, but soon a cold smile played on his lips, "Kneel down yourself! That hand you used to strike Qingqing, can you cripple it yourself? I don’t want to dirty my hands."

Ning Ziyuan eyed Qin Qing as if striking him would be beneath his dignity.

Meanwhile, Liu Rujing also sneered and shook his head, "Truly ignorant of your own good. Taking you to the imperial city was already a great boon to you. It’s one thing not to be grateful, but to seek your own death is another!"

Qin Qing glanced at the two of them, too lazy to waste words, and directly addressed Ning Ziyuan, "Ning Ziyuan. My stuff, hand it over. It’s time you returned it to me!"