Chapter 28: Xiao Wu, You Don't Want People to Know Either...
After leaving Nuoding Academy, Qi Tian went to Shi San's Blacksmith Shop to pay the remaining balance and pick up the weapon he had commissioned—a finely forged, refined-iron short sword.
That single blade had cost him three gold soul coins, roughly equivalent to an entire month's worth of part-time wages.
"The blacksmith trade sure is lucrative," Qi Tian couldn't help but sigh.
This very shop, Shi San's Blacksmith Shop, was the same one where Tang San worked every afternoon. And the refined iron used to make this short sword was actually forged by Tang San himself.
Yet despite that, Tang San's monthly pay was only five silver soul coins. With the refined iron he produced every month, the shop could easily craft several such short swords.
In other words, Tang San alone brought in over ten gold soul coins of profit for the shop each month.
Of course, that wasn't Qi Tian's concern. Even at three gold coins, he'd consider this refined-iron short sword a good bargain.
And now that he was setting out to hunt for a soul ring, he needed a reliable weapon more than anything.
Packing his few belongings, Qi Tian departed from Nuoding City without looking back.
---
Meanwhile…
In Fanos Province, deep within an unremarkable small soul beast forest, an enraged roar echoed through the mountains.
"Get lost! I already told you I'm not interested in researching any stupid 'Martial Soul Fusion Skill'! Stop following me, or I'll roast you both into grilled pork and roast pigeon!"
The "grilled pork" and "roast pigeon" in question exchanged helpless glances, shoulders shrinking under the verbal assault.
"Xiao Gang, looks like Er Long's in a bad mood today. Let's try again tomorrow," said Flender, his owl-like eyes blinking nervously.
The two men were none other than Flender and Yu Xiaogang.
Relying on Flender's Owl Martial Soul for flight and tracking, and Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao for scent detection, the duo had been relentlessly tailing Liu Erlong for days.
They'd already been beaten up by her several times, but because Erlong was kind-hearted, she had only ever given them superficial bruises.
That, ironically, made things worse. Knowing she wouldn't truly hurt them, the two men had become even bolder.
One was obsessed with developing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and the other was hopelessly in love with Liu Erlong. Neither of them was willing to give up.
"Flender, you're wrong," Yu Xiaogang said with calm conviction. "Erlong is easier to talk to when she's angry."
Flender gave him an approving grin. "Didn't expect you to have this kind of insight, Xiao Gang. I like that fiery temper of hers, too!"
Over time, they'd noticed Liu Erlong's mood swings—sometimes sarcastic and cold, sometimes explosively violent.
But overall, her fiery temper was the easier one to handle. When she turned icy and mocking, her words could stab right through their hearts.
"Flender, don't twist my words! I'm not some kind of masochist—and for the record, Erlong and I are siblings!" Yu Xiaogang snapped.
Still, a wistful look crossed his face. He couldn't help but recall Bibi Dong from two years ago—the gentle, kind girl who had once smiled at him with warmth.
But she had changed, too.
'They all look down on me,' Yu Xiaogang thought bitterly. 'Fine. I'll prove to them that I was right all along.'
He had already published his treatise, The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, which had earned him widespread acclaim in the soul master world.
Now, what he sought was power. And training in Martial Soul Fusion Techniques with Liu Erlong and Flender was the perfect path toward it.
"Exactly because you two are siblings," Flender said with a grin, "I'm being honest here. Tell me, when do we finally start training this Fusion Skill?"
According to Yu Xiaogang, two soul masters practicing a Fusion Skill together would gradually synchronize, forming a deep mental and emotional resonance.
But since Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong were siblings, that resonance could only ever go so far—which meant Flender had the better shot.
He was convinced that, in time, Liu Erlong would inevitably fall for him.
"Don't rush things," Yu Xiaogang sighed, shaking his head. Truthfully, he was troubled by the same question.
'If nothing else works… maybe I'll just have to use a little outside help,' he thought grimly.
If Liu Erlong found herself facing a situation she couldn't resolve alone, she might come to him for help—and through that, he could finally convince her to train the Fusion Skill with him.
'Should I… have someone capture her mother?'
He immediately shook the thought away. 'No. It can't come from me. If Erlong ever found out, it'd ruin everything.'
Yu Xiaogang suddenly thought of his second uncle—asking him to handle this matter would be perfect.
Half a year ago, he had returned to the clan once and mentioned Liu Erlong's situation to Yu Luomian.
Upon learning of Liu Erlong's exceptional cultivation talent, Yu Luomian immediately sent people to bring her back to the clan.
However, Liu Erlong refused. She believed Yu Luomian to be cold and heartless for abandoning her mother, so she refused to return and chose instead to travel and train on her own.
'Perfect! Second Uncle doesn't like Erlong's mother anyway. If I have him arrange for someone to capture her, Erlong will definitely go to rescue her!'
'If we can master the Martial Soul Fusion Technique during that time and save her mother, everything will be perfect.'
'And even if it fails, Second Uncle can still come forward to rescue her—that'll improve their father-daughter relationship. I'm sure he'll agree to it!'
'New Year is coming soon. Erlong will definitely return to Heaven Dou City to spend time with her mother. That's when we make our move!'
The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed. In his heart, he even convinced himself that this was for Liu Erlong's own good—a "kind lie."
"Xiaogang, did you think of something?" Flender asked curiously.
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "No, let's just take it one step at a time."
He wasn't foolish enough to reveal his plan; otherwise, both Flender and Liu Erlong would turn against him.
---
The next morning, Qi Tian awakened from within Liu Erlong's body.
"Benefactor, you're here?" Liu Erlong's eyes lit up in delight.
For the past two days, she had been endlessly pestered by those two shameless men. Only when Qi Tian appeared could she finally let down her guard and reveal her softer side.
"Hmmm. Where are we now?" Qi Tian asked.
"We're in Fanos Province, training," Liu Erlong replied. "There's a dangerous soul beast in this area that's been causing chaos. I've been tracking it for the past two days."
That soul beast had killed many people—even a nobleman's son. The enraged noble had offered a bounty of five thousand gold soul coins for its head.
Liu Erlong accepted the mission—both to rid the people of a menace and to earn a generous reward.
"I see. Are Yu Xiaogang and Flender still following you?" Qi Tian asked.
"Ugh, yes! I'm sick of them. They're like flies that won't go away—absolutely shameless!" she said irritably.
Her gentle side was reserved only for her mother, Qi Tian, and a few younger children she took a liking to. Toward Yu Xiaogang and Flender, she had nothing but exasperation.
Qi Tian had originally wanted to suggest letting Yu Xiaogang use Luo Sanpao to track the beast, but seeing Liu Erlong's clear distaste, he dropped the idea.
"I'll go out today and help you look for its traces," Qi Tian said.
"Really? Thank you, Benefactor!" Liu Erlong smiled sweetly.
Qi Tian washed up briefly and left the small inn. Following Liu Erlong's directions, he entered a small, unnamed soul beast forest nearby to continue the search.
"Hmmm? The vegetation here is unusually lush... and a lot of them have evolved into soul beasts?" Qi Tian murmured in surprise.
Among them, many were Blue Silver Grass soul beasts, some even resembling small shrubs—possessing decades or even over a century of cultivation.
"Could it be… there's a higher-ranked Blue Silver Grass soul beast here?" Qi Tian's eyes gleamed with excitement.
If that were true, Liu Erlong might be about to make a great achievement!
—
End of Chapter