After observing for a while, Meng Hongchen realized that her Brother Wang Chen and Ye Guyi didn't have any intimate contact.
But even so, seeing another woman standing so close to her Brother Wang Chen still made her feel extremely annoyed.
Meng Hongchen's big blue eyes stared at Ye Guyi and Wang Chen as they sparred.
When she saw Ye Guyi's longsword almost graze Wang Chen's chest, her heart nearly leapt to her throat.
She thought to herself, "Why is this Ye Guyi so reckless? What if she actually hurts Brother Wang Chen?"
Just as Meng Hongchen was worrying—
In Ye Guyi's courtyard, the spar between Wang Chen and Ye Guyi was coming to an end.
With the sound of spear and sword clashing one last time, both of them stopped. The duel ended in a draw—neither could overpower the other.
Ye Guyi looked at Wang Chen and thought, "I didn't expect Wang Chen's combat strength to be this formidable. Even though his raw power isn't as high as mine, he can still fight me evenly. That level of spear mastery must have taken immense effort. I misjudged him before, judging by appearances."
"However, I didn't use my full strength or any soul skills. Even if Wang Chen's cultivation catches up in the future, he still won't be my match."
Ye Guyi was extremely proud of her Angel Martial Spirit. She had always believed that among soul masters of the same level, none could defeat her.
Wang Chen looked at Ye Guyi and thought, "As expected of the owner of the top-tier Angel Spirit. Even without using any soul skills, relying purely on soul tools, her combat power isn't inferior to Wang Teng's."
"Right now, I haven't absorbed my third soul ring, and in every aspect I'm still weaker than her. If Ye Guyi were to use her soul skills, to defeat her I'd probably have to use the Ring Tempering Secret Art—or maybe even that wouldn't be enough. I might have to use Ring Explosion to win."
If Ye Guyi had known what he was thinking, she would have surely gone all out to show Wang Chen the true power of an Angel.
After the duel ended, both of them were tired and had consumed a lot of soul power. Though they weren't drenched in sweat, their breathing was slightly uneven.
To quickly earn Ye Guyi's favor so she would help him purify the Gold of Life, Wang Chen immediately praised her:
"Guyi, you're amazing. Even without using any soul skills, you're this strong. If you did use them, who among Soul Elders could be your match?"
Being complimented, Ye Guyi lifted her small head even higher. Her delicate little nose looked even more elegant under the sunlight.
However, remembering her public persona as a third-rank Soul Engineer with an unremarkable martial soul, she quickly replied modestly,
"No, no, my soul skills aren't that powerful. My strength mainly comes from my soul tools."
Wang Chen didn't continue to flatter her. Smiling, he suggested,
"Since we're done sparring, why don't we share some insights?"
Thinking of Wang Chen's incredible combat technique, Ye Guyi nodded eagerly—clearly wanting to learn from him to improve her own skill.
The two sat down together on the stone benches in the courtyard, chatting and drinking water as they discussed the gains and losses of their recent fight.
Meanwhile, outside, Meng Hongchen—who had been secretly watching for a while—saw them laughing and chatting together. Jealousy instantly overwhelmed her, and she couldn't stand it any longer.
She burst out from her hiding spot and, with a leap, rushed straight into Ye Guyi's house.
The Soul Sage-ranked guard secretly assigned to protect Meng Hongchen—Number Three—remembered the family head Jing Hongchen's recent orders: protect the young lady's safety, but as for her interactions with Wang Chen, as long as it wasn't in public, she didn't need to interfere.
After confirming that no one else was watching, Number Three simply continued to guard quietly nearby.
Ye Guyi's delicate face turned cold as soon as she saw a stranger barge into her home. She immediately drew her soul tool longsword and aimed it at the intruder.
"Who are you? Why did you break into my house?"
When Wang Chen saw Meng Hongchen, he exclaimed in surprise,
"Meng'er, what are you doing here?"
Ye Guyi, seeing that this unfamiliar girl knew Wang Chen, relaxed slightly and turned to him,
"Wang Chen, you know her?"
Meng Hongchen shot Ye Guyi a glance, scanning her from head to toe. Seeing her graceful figure and stunning looks, she said to Wang Chen, her tone dripping with jealousy,
"Brother Wang Chen, aren't you going to introduce this beautiful lady to me?"
Seeing her jealousy, Wang Chen felt a headache coming on. He had only known Ye Guyi for a few days—how did Meng Hongchen even find out?
It couldn't be… that someone had told her, right?
Then it hit him—he hadn't seen that brat Sun Yu harassing Ye Guyi for several days. He had thought he'd scared Sun Yu off, but clearly that wasn't the case. The brat must have gone to the Hongchen family to snitch!
Looking at Meng Hongchen's expression—like someone catching a cheating lover—Wang Chen could only feel helpless.
His conscience was clear. His relationship with Ye Guyi was perfectly innocent—he hadn't even touched her hand!
He only wanted to use her Angel Spirit's holy power to purify the Soul-Devouring Dagger. Beyond that, there wasn't a single impure thought in his mind.
Besides, with his tight schedule and looming family crisis, he hardly had time to think about romance.
If he really wanted to fall in love, with his looks, background, and talent, he could easily have countless admirers just by crooking a finger.
But now that things had come to this—Meng Hongchen showing up unannounced—he had to handle the situation carefully.
Wang Chen said to her,
"Meng'er, this is Ye Guyi, a friend I just met."
Then he turned to Ye Guyi and added sincerely,
"And this is Meng Hongchen, my childhood friend—and also the one I like the most."
Wang Chen was open and straightforward, stating his relationship with Meng Hongchen clearly, without the slightest hesitation, right in front of Ye Guyi.
Hearing this, Meng Hongchen's face flushed red. Her fair, tender cheeks bloomed like a peach blossom, her shyness only making her look more beautiful.
All her earlier bitterness vanished under Wang Chen's earnest declaration. If Ye Guyi weren't standing nearby, she probably would've wrapped her arms around him like an octopus right then.
She thought proudly, "Brother Wang Chen said I'm the one he likes most—and right in front of Ye Guyi too. Ye Guyi, did you hear that? Whatever feelings you might have for Brother Wang Chen, you'd better get rid of them! Brother Wang Chen will never like you, humph!"
Ye Guyi, hearing the name Meng Hongchen, suddenly understood everything.
So this is Wang Chen's girlfriend, Meng Hongchen. No wonder she rushed in so aggressively—it's a misunderstanding.
Ye Guyi took a good look at Meng Hongchen. Seeing that her beauty was no less than her own, she couldn't help but marvel. So Wang Chen's girlfriend is this pretty. Not bad at all.
Meng Hongchen noticed Ye Guyi's gaze and snorted, folding her arms as she said sharply,
"So you're Ye Guyi? You seem quite close with Brother Wang Chen. How exactly did you two meet?"
Ye Guyi immediately noticed her jealousy. Smiling, she stood up and extended her hand generously.
"Hello, I'm Ye Guyi. I've heard Wang Chen mention you before. Seeing you today, you really are a lovely, adorable girl. Don't be hostile toward me—I only see Wang Chen as an ordinary friend, nothing more."
Her tone was sincere, her gaze honest. As the wielder of the Angel Spirit, Ye Guyi was kind-hearted and righteous—she would never do something as shameless as stealing someone's boyfriend.
No matter how handsome, talented, or skilled Wang Chen was, she wouldn't go against her principles.
But Meng Hongchen remained doubtful, thinking, Who knows if you're telling the truth? Even if you have no feelings for Brother Wang Chen now, that could change later.
Ignoring Ye Guyi's offered hand, she walked over to Wang Chen, clinging tightly to his arm.
"Brother Wang Chen, come with me. I have something to tell you."
Wang Chen looked helplessly at Meng Hongchen, then turned to Ye Guyi.
"Guyi, I'm sorry. Meng'er barged into your house—that's my fault. I should've told her beforehand.
To make it up to you, I'll organize some of my combat techniques and share them with you later. I think they might help you."
That was Wang Chen's cleverness. He wasn't sure if Ye Guyi would be angry about what had just happened, but by saying this, he could both smooth things over and give himself a reason to visit her again later.
As for combat techniques, they could indeed improve one's strength but weren't particularly rare—true mastery required experience and practice, far more valuable than any written notes. It was nothing compared to his Ring Tempering Secret Art.
Hearing his words, Ye Guyi's eyes brightened. Having personally experienced Wang Chen's combat prowess, she knew how extraordinary it was—strong enough to let him fight above his level.
If she could learn even a bit of it, her own power would surely improve greatly. Saying she wasn't tempted would be a lie.
Being honest by nature, she nodded sincerely.
"Thank you, Wang Chen. You're too kind. We're friends—you're welcome anytime. Bring Meng Hongchen with you next time too."
Hearing that, Wang Chen smiled faintly. To him, combat skills weren't that precious—but this "gift" would more than make up for Meng Hongchen's sudden intrusion.
And once Ye Guyi owed him a favor, it would be much easier later to bring up the Soul-Devouring Dagger and ask for her help purifying it.
In fact, purifying the dagger might even benefit Ye Guyi. After all, the dagger contained the dark resentment of a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master. Cleansing it might very well enhance her cultivation.
As long as he didn't probe too deeply into her martial soul and carefully steered the topic, everything would go smoothly.
Moreover, the Gold of Life was something unknown to anyone on the Douluo Continent. Only beings like the half-god Electrolux, the Silver Dragon King, and Di Tian knew of it. As long as Wang Chen kept quiet, Ye Guyi would never realize how precious the dagger truly was.
But Meng Hongchen, seeing her Brother Wang Chen apologizing to Ye Guyi, grew even more displeased.
Ye Guyi, noticing her expression, found it amusing but didn't want to make things awkward. She smiled and said,
"Wang Chen, you should go with Meng Hongchen."
Wang Chen nodded.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble today, Guyi. Let's talk again next time."
Then he followed Meng Hongchen out.
Once they reached a quiet corner, Meng Hongchen let go of his arm and said angrily,
"Brother Wang Chen, have you fallen for that Ye Guyi? Otherwise, why would you give her such a precious gift? You're making me so mad!"
Wang Chen couldn't help but laugh.
"Meng'er, what are you talking about? I'm just friends with Guyi. We were only discussing combat techniques."
Meng Hongchen looked up at him, pouting.
"Really? Then why were you laughing so happily with her? Are battle discussions that much fun?"
Wang Chen gently flicked her nose and said sweetly—the kind of thing he was best at when comforting girls—
"Silly girl, what are you jealous for? You're the one I like the most."
Meng Hongchen lowered her head slightly.
"But when I see you with her, I just feel… uncomfortable."
Wang Chen pulled her into his arms.
"Meng'er, don't overthink it. You're the most important person to me."
Meng Hongchen nodded lightly against his chest.
"Then you have to keep your word. If you lie, you're a little dog."
Wang Chen chuckled.
"All right, I promise. By the way, didn't your grandfather forbid you from seeing me?"
Meng Hongchen lifted her head happily.
"A few days ago, I argued with Grandpa, and he finally loosened up. He said I can see you privately now. From now on, no other girl can steal you away."
Wang Chen laughed.
"Don't worry, no one's stealing me."
Holding Meng Hongchen's soft, warm body, he gently soothed her mood until she was smiling again.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, her beautiful blue eyes filled with his reflection.
"Brother Wang Chen, I haven't seen you for months. I missed you so much."
Then, blushing, she leaned forward and pressed her soft lips against his cheek with a quick smooch.
Her face turned crimson, even her slender white neck flushing pink.
Overcome with embarrassment, she spun around and ran off like a startled rabbit.
Feeling the lingering softness on his cheek, Wang Chen's pupils flickered.
He watched her retreating figure, then shook his head with a faint smile.
When I become the Wang family patriarch and reach the level of a ninth-rank Soul Engineer, I'll bring a betrothal gift and drive a soul tool car straight to the Hongchen family to formally propose—so I can openly make Meng Hongchen my woman.