exclusive shout-out to Charles and Rohan Tayal! Thank you for joining the patron!!

***

The sun had already descended, and the market near the Holy Orchid Institute had reached its peak. Vendors were haggling to gain even the slightest bit of margin. Looking at them, Nik couldn't help but scoff.

Amateurs!

The correct method of selling stuff is to demean the customers and make them desperate for your goods. How else can you loot your customers?

Tug

Nik tilted his head and matched Lanrou's pink pupils. Her face still portrayed a slightly hesitant expression while her eyes tainted with indignance.

"Did you really wanted me to tag along?"

Lanrou questioned while nudging her body against Nik's.

"Of course," Nik wrapped his arm around Lanrou's supple waist and pulled her closer. Even when she hadn't taken a bath after her training, she still exuded a faint fragrance that seemed to be hereditary. Her father did not look like the kind of existence to expel fragrance out of his pores, so, "Say, Lanrou, you never said anything about your mother?"

Lanrou let out a ponderous 'hum' and leaned her head against Nik's arm. She felt slightly uncomfortable with tight clothes around her body while she was somewhat sweaty after the training, but Nik's natural scent made it easier for her to calm down, "My mother passed away in my early years. I still remember her, of course."

In the busy market, Lanrou's voice was barely audible, but Nik's enhanced senses made it easier for him to hear whatever she was saying.

"Long pink hair and deep brown eyes. That is the most striking feature of my mother. Of course, she slapped me on multiple occasions whenever I did something wrong. That is why I never grew to be a bad girl," Nik did not know if she was pointing out irony or genuinely believed herself to be sincere, "She even slapped dad many times. But she did it behind the doors as dad screamed weirdly. Maybe she was saving his face."

'And smacking that deviant's ass!'

Nik added internally. Once again, unable to believe that Lanrou did not know what her parents were up to.

Lanrou suddenly stopped and frowned, "Now that I say it out loud..."

She tilted her head up to look at Nik's suggestive smile, and her eyes widened. Steam rose from the top of her head as she hugged Nik's arm tightly and buried her head into Nik's accomodating bicep.

"Shut up, don't say anything!"

She hissed softly as Nik smiled. The duo continued in each other's embrace until the Huyan Estate was within their vision. Her hold around Nik grew tighter as they grew close to the estate before Nik stopped and waited for Lanrou to look up.

"Why did you stop here?"

Lanrou asked with her eyelids fluttering, and her heartbeats growing louder and intense. Lanrou, who prided in the size of her bosom, failed to overlap Nik's forearm as the warmth in between her breasts made Nik feel comfortable during the entire journey.

"Do you want to kiss me?"

Nik inquired gently. He had already freed Lanrou's waist so that she could face his side while letting the back of his hand caress her cheeks tenderly. He had already taken her lips without her intentions far too many times, and even if all things turned out well, he wanted to hear the words from Lanrou, also.

Her throat went dry.

Lanrou gulped as she matched Nik's gaze. It was a strange feeling. She never felt so passive. Her arms faltered as her shoulders sank into a defensive posture. Lanrou turned her face sideways, rejecting Nik's delicate touch.

"I want to... kiss, too."

She finally spoke in reluctant candor that brought a satisfied smile to Nik's face, and he took her chin in between his index and thumb. It was easy enough job to make her face him, and finally, he enclosed her lips with his. There was not a moment's hesitation in Lanrou's body while committing the deed. Her arms finally hugged Nik's neck in ardently and let her fingers pass through his dark hair. Nik went as far as to coil his arms around her waist and pull her up.

Their tongues intertwined with Nik ravaging her mouth and Lanrou submitting meekly.

Only for a few days, that Lanrou vowed for she would learn everything Nik had to offer and then take the initiative. She wanted Nik to blush just like she did and feel all woozy and fuzzy, just like how her body is feeling now.

***

Nik finally dropped Lanrou with an expression full of satisfaction. He ignored the weird gaze from his father-in-law. In reality, Huyan Xiong couldn't help but let his belly burn in rage, and even if his gaze identified that very emotion, Nik could never take the anger of a kindred spirit with weird tastes in sex to his heart. If Lanrou's mother would have been alive, then Nik might have even thought of twisting Huyan Xiong's kinks in sex further by making him a spectator of his wife's defilement.

"Now that I think of it... Lanrou, Ning'er, Korra, and even Xiu...

All of their mothers have passed away. The heck is wrong with this world. Does the spirit of this plane hate mothers and well-endowed women for some reason?"

Nik humored his own thoughts as he followed the cobblestoned street and finally reached the market street once again. Presently, he had two ongoing quests. With his main quest having a time-limit of two years, Nik did not feel the need to rush into his side quest. He would have enough time to humble the family heads of all the aristocracies and maybe leer at their wives if they were to his taste.

'Keke.'

Nik laughed internally. He was already feeling quite a lot of distaste for the current head of the Sacred Family for no apparent reason. God, he truly wished for Shen Hong's wife to be alive. While the public records on the family head of the three high nobles made Nik realize that a ten-thousand years spirit ring was something Nik shouldn't underestimate. Fortunately, he already had the tools in need.

And he wasn't talking about his raw sexuality.

Finally, Nik's thoughts lingered on the other hosts. He still hasn't encountered any of them. Their whereabouts were still not known, and aside from the emergence of a dual-spirit talent— Ray— and the martial talent— Nik— no other news were reported.

He crossed the market street while thinking about the members of the guild. As they said, they were here for recruiting. Maybe they all left? No matter how unlikely the thought was, it was a possibility.

Then, finally, his thoughts lingered on Xiu. She was adorable. That was the only word Nik could describe the fierce teacher with.

As he looked at the slightly illuminated gate of the Holy Orchid Institute, he sighed. Going in alone felt too gloomy. With a deep exhalation, Nik stopped in his tracks and looked back at the brightly lit market and multi-colored restaurants. He then looked back at the slightly gloomy Institute in comparison and thought and thought what he would be doing for the next few hours.

Training.

As tasteless as his training was, it was effective. His progress has been steady, and today, he was also going to start with the cultivation of his own spirit ring.

As a living being, Nik, just like his spirits, was entitled to cultivate his own spirit ring. The cultivation technique was considered taboo by this world that shackled human beings from cultivating their spirits, or else they would have slaughtered each other to enhance their cultivation.

With a soft sigh, Nik turned towards the brightly lit market. It was night, he was young, and the restaurants looked flooded. Who knows, he might be able to hook-up with someone.

Well... hooking up with someone was virtual reality. That was Nik's intention in the first place.

With a slight skip in his gait, Nik moved towards the market street once again.