Fortune Across the World

Chapter 146: A Surprising Turn of Events During the Flaming Whip Test

This time, it was Le Zhuyi's face that flushed bright red. Looking down, she saw that Ding Qiyu's "wolfish" hand had unerringly landed on her chest, with no sign of withdrawing. With a push, she shoved the dazed Ding Qiyu away, protecting her chest, her captivating eyes now filled with rare embarrassment and anger. "Rogue!" she scolded.

Ding Qiyu stumbled back, grabbing the table behind her for support, speechless. She was the one who had attacked first, so how did she end up being called a rogue? Yet the lingering sensation in her palm prevented her from defending herself—although it had been Le Zhuyi who initiated the contact, she couldn't deny that she had unexpectedly benefited from the situation.

Le Zhuyi glared at the innocent-looking "rogue," her chest heaving as she calmed down, the heat in her face gradually subsiding. "What are you staring at? Put it on!" she barked, still flustered by the strange feeling. Though the rogue was a woman, the experience had felt oddly different. Le Zhuyi resolved to let out her frustration once Ding Qiyu had donned the Taotie Armor.

Still forced to wear it... Ding Qiyu felt like crying. Ignoring the earlier incident, she made a final attempt to reason, "Yi Girl, we could just use a wooden post for the test. It doesn't have to be worn by a person."

"How could a wooden post provide an accurate test?" Le Zhuyi retorted, unfastening the strap on the Xuanyuan Flaming Whip, letting the long whip fall. With a furrowed brow, she authoritatively commanded, "Put it on. Why so much fuss?" In that moment, Ding Qiyu was reminded of her hot-tempered master.

During her initial tests of the Taotie Armor, Ding Qiyu had indeed used a wooden post. Surely it could work? But Le Zhuyi's stance left no room for argument. Ding Qiyu, resigned, consoled herself that the beautiful girl wouldn't be too harsh, picked up the Taotie Armor, sighed deeply, glanced at Le Zhuyi, and reluctantly put it on.

Watching Ding Qiyu reluctantly don the armor, her clothes still beneath, making her appear comically bulky, Le Zhuyi's earlier irritation eased slightly. Casually twirling the Xuanyuan Flaming Whip, she left a curt "Come out" as she exited the bamboo house.

For Ding Qiyu, each step toward the door felt like a march to doom. A "beating" awaited her outside. She looked around for something to use as a makeshift helmet, patted her chest, and with a resigned sigh, headed out.

Le Zhuyi found Ding Qiyu's "resigned to fate" demeanor amusing, suppressing a smile. She pointed with her whip handle to an open area, feigning seriousness, "Stand there."

Obediently, Ding Qiyu took a few steps, then hesitated. "Shouldn't I explain how to use the Xuanyuan Flaming Whip?" she asked.

Without a word, Le Zhuyi expertly manipulated the whip's mechanism, deftly retracting and extending the hidden barbs. She had intuitively mastered the whip's "soft-hard transformation" feature, a detail Ding Qiyu and Le Menghan had painstakingly discussed.

Ding Qiyu's modifications had transformed the Flaming Whip into a mechanized weapon. Unlike the original, which relied on the wielder's skill to control the barbs, the Xuanyuan Flaming Whip's barbs were mechanically controlled, enhancing adaptability. The mechanism allowed adjustment of barb angles, easily countering the Taotie Armor's hold. After discussions with Le Menghan, Ding Qiyu had added metal wires within the whip, allowing tension adjustments to change its flexibility, increasing precision and power, compensating for the wielder's typically lesser strength.

Ding Qiyu was pleasantly surprised by Le Zhuyi's quick mastery of the whip's functions without any guidance. If she weren't worried about the upcoming test, she might have exclaimed, "Yi Girl, you're a natural! Come learn mechanism arts with me!"