Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

On the way back, Shen You still felt it was amazing.

A woman as extraordinary as Miss Lin used to be someone I could talk to about anything.

However, now that I've transmigrated into this body, my feelings for Miss Lin seem to have faded somewhat.

"That won't do," Shen You thought to herself. "If I get the chance, I must raise Miss Lin's affinity score as well!"

We were about to turn onto the main street leading to Renxintang, and this section of the street was particularly remote.

Suddenly, a lithe and graceful figure blocked the way not far ahead.

Shen You felt a chilling killing intent and stopped in her tracks.

Looking up, I was surprised to see Hong Xiugu.

Shen You's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, slowly calmed down. She walked over and smiled, saying, "Junior Sister Hong, were you waiting for me?"

Hong Xiugu, however, was not in a good state. She stared fiercely at Shen You, her chest heaving, her breathing rapid, and suddenly roared, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Kill me?" Shen You blinked. "Why would you kill me?"

Because of her high affinity with him, Shen You wasn't flustered at all.

It seems that Hong Xiugu's spoiled princess temper has flared up again, and she's come over to cause trouble once more. All I need to do is cooperate.

"What... exactly is your strength?" Hong Xiugu asked slowly, gritting her teeth.

"Second rank, didn't I already say that?" Shen You shrugged.

"I don't believe it!" Hong Xiugu said coldly, enunciating each word clearly.

"Unless you defeat me..."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't believe you're that strong!"

As she spoke, she drew a soft whip from her waist and struck a pose as the "Azure Phoenix Whip."

"Are you out of your mind?" Shen You couldn't help but say. "Didn't you see for yourself whether I'm strong or not? I killed five Rank 3 demonic snakes. Do you think that's fake?"

"I don't care!" Hong Xiugu said angrily, "If you want me to truly submit to you, you'll have to defeat me!"

"Why should I make you submit willingly..." Shen You was speechless.

Just then, he heard a system notification sound—

【Ding! 】

[Discover Romance Quest: Defeat Hong Xiugu]

Ok……

Shen You finally understood.

It turns out it was just a little whim of the young lady.

Shen You shook his head and sighed, "Although I fought a fierce battle all day, killing five Rank 3 demonic snakes, and was just poisoned, which exhausted a lot of my strength, my condition is not good..."

Hong Xiugu frowned and shouted angrily, "Do you want to run away?"

Shen You changed the subject: "But dealing with you is still no problem!"

As he spoke, he had already accepted the task.

Hong Xiugu was even angrier: "Then let's see who's stronger in action!"

She swung her soft whip, which traced a graceful arc in the air before lashing out at Shen You's forearm. As she struck, a phantom image of a blue phoenix shone from her body; she had mastered her family's "Blue Phoenix Whip."

Although he hasn't yet mastered the "Azure Phoenix Force," the power of this whip is still not to be underestimated.

Shen You dared not be careless. He used the "Gecko Swimming Step" and unleashed the "Golden Snake Hand" to parry the attack.

Hong Xiugu also unleashed her movement technique, using the "Azure Phoenix Whip" at full power. The soft whip carried a majestic and imposing aura, attacking Shen You from all directions. Coupled with the azure phantom on her body, she resembled a noble and extraordinary phoenix, using wing sweeps, tail whips, and claw strikes to attack Shen You from various angles.

Shen You, like a slippery little gecko, seemed to have no resistance under her feet, constantly finding gaps to slide and dodge Hong Xiugu's attacks.

After fighting for a while, Hong Xiugu became even angrier, and her moves became even more ferocious: "Why did you dodge? Aren't you a second-rank official? Where did your second-rank prestige go?"

Shen You initially thought Hong Xiugu was a beautiful woman and that they were quite familiar with each other, so he didn't want to harm her. However, seeing how fierce she was now, and how he himself had accidentally taken a few lashes, he was also furious.

"I let you have a few moves, and you actually think you're something else?"

Shen You snorted coldly, slipped a step, and suddenly leaned in front of Hong Xiugu, his golden snake hand moving towards Hong Xiugu's lower abdomen.

Hong Xiugu was startled, but she let out a sharp cry and slammed the handle of her soft whip down like a phoenix's beak, aiming it at Shen You's hand.

Just as the golden snake hand was about to strike Shen You, Shen You's hand twisted as if it had no bones, passed through Hong Xiugu's block, and struck Hong Xiugu's lower abdomen.

Bang!

The blow wasn't heavy; it only knocked Hong Xiugu back.

"Are you convinced now?" Shen You asked smugly.

"I refuse to accept this!" Hong Xiugu gritted her teeth, but without saying another word, she swung her whip and attacked again.

She exuded a calm and peaceful aura that Shen You was very familiar with. A green aura enveloped her entire body, restoring her injuries and strength. It was the most well-known technique of "Renxintang" - "Qingnang Jing".

The "Qing Nang Jing" can heal injuries, cultivate one's character, make oneself more beautiful and handsome, and when cultivated to its extreme, it can also sharpen hearing and vision, which is of great benefit to the second-grade "Chong Qiao" (opening the acupoints).

Shen You was actually quite envious of this technique, but he had been too busy practicing the Five Poisons Technique to have time to learn this one.

At this moment, Hong Xiugu used the "Qingnang Scripture," and the power of her "Qinghuang Whip" increased by another three points.

She acted as if she were possessed, continuing her relentless assault on Shen You.

The originally gentle "Qing Nang Jing" was used by her with a hint of violence.

"That's enough!" Shen You said irritably. "How long are you going to fight me?!"

Shen You used the "Gecko Swimming Step" to move close to Hong Xiugu, while using the "Golden Snake Hand" in his hands. Both are techniques suitable for close combat, and soon he struck Hong Xiugu twice with his palms.

Even if Hong Xiugu used the "Qing Nang Jing", she could only hold out for a little longer; she was no match for Shen You at all.

Even in this situation, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fight until... I die!"

"Is it really necessary?" Shen You smiled wryly.

This romance quest isn't particularly difficult, but it's not exactly easy either.

How exactly do we define "defeating Hong Xiugu"? We can't just kill her, can we?

With another palm strike, Shen You took advantage of Hong Xiugu's unpreparedness, flipped over, and kicked out from behind and above, hitting Hong Xiugu squarely on the forehead.

With a soft thud, Hong Xiugu was kicked away and landed on the ground, dazed.

However, Shen You used his trump card, "Scorpion Tail Swing," a move truly used to turn defeat into victory and achieve a comeback from a desperate situation. He wouldn't have used it casually if he hadn't encountered this situation.

"Are you convinced now?"

Seeing Hong Xiugu swaying and getting up from the ground again, Shen You asked impatiently.

Hong Xiugu clenched her fists, her face covered in dust, but her eyes remained defiant and stubborn, as if spitting fire.

"Why...don't you draw your sword?"

"Huh?" Shen You was taken aback.

Hong Xiugu shouted angrily, "Why aren't you drawing your sword?!"

Hong Xiugu knew all too well that Shen You's swordsmanship was his strongest weapon. Yet, throughout their battle, he had never drawn his sword.

This unintentional disrespect is what hurt her the most.

"You want to see my knife?" Shen You's expression also calmed down.

"That's right." Hong Xiugu stared intently at Shen You and said, "Draw your sword!"

"good!"

Shen You nodded.

"You asked for this!"

Shen You took a deep breath, reached for his waist, and slowly drew out the unremarkable large knife.

It was just a large knife that he had casually picked up from Renxintang, but when he held it in his hand, it immediately exuded a fierce and murderous aura.

His swordsmanship is always imbued with killing intent, and every move is combined with "sword momentum." Once he grasps the sword, even he finds it difficult to control his offensive.

"Watch out, catch it!"

Shen You held his sword horizontally in front of him and slowly spoke.

A crimson light slowly condensed on his blade.