Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

His voice was like thunder, each word landing with immense weight. Zhao Dong stood his ground like an immovable war god.

"Scram!"

"You... you just wait!"

Xiang Chengfeng was already scared witless. The moment Zhao Dong gave the word, he wouldn't have dared to linger for a second longer. Spitting one last threat, he helped the bloodied Xue Tu to his feet, and they staggered away.

"And you? You're not leaving?" Zhao Dong's sharp, tiger-like gaze pierced Qing Yu.

Qing Yu clenched her jaw and sighed, preparing to leave. But just then, her eyes suddenly darted toward the basement.

"Is this... the scent of a Spirit Pill?"

Looking at Zhao Dong with astonishment, she said, her voice filled with disbelief, "You... you actually refined a Spirit Pill?"

"None of your business," Zhao Dong replied coolly.

A wave of profound shock washed over Qing Yu's stunned features.

"How is this possible? Even a three-star Alchemist can't refine a Spirit Pill. How could you?"

A three-star Alchemist? Zhao Dong had no idea what that meant.

He replied with an air of nonchalance, "It's just a minor Spirit Pill. I can refine one with a mere wave of my hand."

Hearing this, the shock in her eyes instantly morphed into a mixture of admiration and profound disbelief.

This is a Spirit Pill! Even my own master struggles to refine one! Qing Yu stared at Zhao Dong, utterly astounded. To possess such skill in alchemy at his age... he's truly a dragon among men!

Her heart raced. After a moment's hesitation, she steeled her resolve, walked up to Zhao Dong, and cupped her fists in respect. "I was blind before," she said sincerely. "I failed to recognize that not only is Your Excellency a warrior of exceptional skill, but also an Alchemy Master ranked higher than three stars."

"Please accept my apology for my earlier audacity!"

Her apology was sincere.

Zhao Dong considered this for a moment as an understanding dawned on him. He gave a slight nod. "No harm done. It's good that you can recognize a mistake. We got off on the wrong foot, but let's put it behind us."

This Qing Yu is a member of the Blood Sect. To save Xu Yafei, I can't avoid them. Plus, her master is an elder, likely holding a status similar to that of Ouyang Hong. If I can get on good terms with her, the benefits could be enormous!

Seeing that Zhao Dong had forgiven her, Qing Yu was overjoyed. "Thank you for your forgiveness, Senior," she said excitedly.

A blush crept onto her cheeks as she added, "To show my sincerity, I'd like to treat you to a meal. Is that okay?"

"A meal is fine, but you don't need to treat me. Let's consider our meeting a matter of fate. Please, after you." Zhao Dong nodded in agreement.

He then turned to the Su family. "Would any of you like to join us?"

Su Tian quickly shook his head. "No, I should stay and guard the family estate, just in case that Xiang Chengfeng comes back to cause trouble."

"Don't worry, Uncle," Qing Yu volunteered. "Since you are all on such good terms with Senior Zhao, I will make sure Xiang Chengfeng doesn't dare to act recklessly."

The members of the Su family were overjoyed to hear her promise. Only Su Yurou watched Qing Yu with a complicated expression.

"Zhao Dong... when will you come back to see me?" Su Yurou asked, looking aggrieved.

Zhao Dong pulled Su Yurou aside. "I'm just having dinner with Qing Yu to get some information about the Blood Sect," he explained quietly. "Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry!" Su Yurou pouted coquettishly.

Zhao Dong gave her a discreet pat on the rear, making her face flush red and a tingle run through her body.

"My Yurou is the best. I'll come find you later tonight."

"Hmph! You're terrible!"

...

After leaving the Su family's estate, Zhao Dong and Qing Yu found a well-decorated restaurant nearby.

As they entered, Zhao Dong habitually scanned the room, his gaze stopping on a table by the window.

Leng Yue?

By the window, Leng Yue was sitting across from a burly, bear-shouldered man with rugged features. The two of them were chatting pleasantly.

Zhao Dong only glanced once before looking away. After all, his connection to Leng Yue wasn't very deep, and their relationship was full of misunderstandings. Even though he saw her, he didn't feel it was his place to go over and say hello.

He and Qing Yu found an empty table and sat down.

Once the food was served, Qing Yu took the initiative to ask, "Senior, how did you end up having a feud with our Blood Sect?"

In response, Zhao Dong told her about what had happened at the auction and the bar, though he was careful not to mention Xu Yafei.

"I'm truly sorry," Qing Yu said awkwardly. "The core tenet of the Blood Sect is that strength is everything. That's why its members often act so rashly..."

"It doesn't matter. You're different from them," Zhao Dong said with a wave of his hand, his tone casual.

Different?

Just those two words made her face flush crimson. But I tried to take his Spirit Pill, too. I even attacked him. So why would he say I'm different? Could it be that... Qing Yu already held great admiration for Zhao Dong, and his simple statement now sent ripples through her young heart.

The more she thought, the more dazed she became, absently chewing her food until the corners of her rosy mouth were greasy without her even noticing.

Zhao Dong didn't notice her reaction. After a few bites of food, he spoke up. "Qing Yu, to be honest, I'm not very familiar with the Blood Sect. May I ask a few questions?"

"Yes! Of course!" Qing Yu hastily wiped her mouth. She looked up at Zhao Dong, her face flushed and her gaze shyly averted.

Zhao Dong didn't understand her reaction but decided to press on. "How many elders does your sect have?"

"There are three in the Outer Sect and five in the Inner Sect," Qing Yu answered truthfully.

Five?

Zhao Dong asked again, "And are all of these elders at the Great Grandmaster level?"

"Yes," Qing Yu nodded. "The Inner Sect elders are all at the peak of the Great Grandmaster realm. The Outer Sect ones are slightly weaker, around the eighth stage of the Great Grandmaster realm."

Five peak Great Grandmasters? Zhao Dong's heart sank. A direct assault on the Blood Sect is completely out of the question.

"If the elders are that powerful, the Sect Leader must be even more terrifying, right?" Zhao Dong asked.

"The Sect Leader is a recluse; I haven't seen him in a very long time," Qing Yu said softly. "And he's never been seen in action, but..." She glanced around cautiously before leaning in and lowering her voice. "It's rumored that he has already broken past the peak of the Great Grandmaster realm and has touched the Transcendent Realm!"

The Transcendent Realm?! A tremor went through Zhao Dong's heart. So, Great Grandmaster isn't the end of the martial path after all?

After taking a moment to digest this, Zhao Dong frowned.

"By the way, I heard Xiang Chengfeng mention an Elder Ouyang in your sect. Is he very powerful?"

"Oh, him!" Qing Yu pouted. "Elder Ouyang is a loner. He keeps to himself and doesn't interact much with the other elders. I heard he recently took on a new female disciple and is quite doting on her."

A female disciple? Zhao Dong breathed a sigh of relief. It seems what Li Long said was true. For now, Ouyang Hong doesn't harbor any ill will toward Xu Yafei. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made her his disciple.

"Any more questions?"

At that moment, Qing Yu blinked her bright, expressive eyes at him. Her girl-next-door charm was enough to make even the normally unflappable Zhao Dong blush.

Zhao Dong forced an awkward smile. "Just one more."

"What is it?" Qing Yu asked, a giggle in her voice.

"You've told me so much. Aren't you afraid your sect will punish you for leaking its secrets?"

"Hehe, if you don't tell and I don't tell, who's going to know?" she replied, playfully sticking out her tongue.

Her attitude made Zhao Dong's favorable impression of her grow even stronger. He truly felt that this girl was different from the other members of the Blood Sect.

And so, a bold idea formed in his mind.

He asked tentatively, "Qing Yu, what would you say if I were to tag along with you and visit your sect for a bit?"