Chapter 156: First Meeting with Liu Erlong
In the pond, the red spring water and the milky white spring water were clearly separated, looking just like a Mandarin Duck Hotpot.
To ordinary soul masters and soul beasts, this spring water was nothing short of a death sentence.
But in the eyes of the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress, the milky-white spring water that contained dense cold-ice energy was an opportunity bestowed upon them.
However, aside from the spring water itself, the fire poison and cold poison miasma permeating the area was enough to make even someone like Dugu Bo—a titled Douluo famed for his mastery of poison—unable to endure it.
Even after taking antidote pills, Dugu Bo could not remain here for long, which was more than enough to illustrate just how terrifying the poisonous miasma in this place was.
The Snow Empress was no different from the Ice Empress; neither of them could stay here for too long either.
The two women did not rush to investigate the spring water within the pool. Instead, they first circled the surrounding area of the Sunset Forest to conduct a thorough sweep, guarding against any possible human ambush.
"Sister Snow Emperor, there really doesn't seem to be anyone lying in ambush nearby? Could that guy really be so kind-hearted?" The Ice Empress was still somewhat doubtful.
"Perhaps he never intended to harm us in the first place? Otherwise, why would he teach us such a secret method?" the Snow Empress explained.
In truth, the Ice Empress had already realized this as well. She was simply unhappy that Qi Tian had controlled her body—and had even taken advantage of the Snow Empress while doing so.
"Alright, let's cultivate here for now. If anyone shows up, we'll retreat outside the forest to avoid them," the Snow Empress said.
The Ice Empress nodded. With the poisonous miasma spreading everywhere, they couldn't remain here for an extended period anyway.
Seeing that nothing unexpected had happened to the two of them, Qi Tian finally let out a sigh of relief.
If these two great fierce beasts were to cause trouble here, Qi Tian honestly had no idea how he would deal with the aftermath.
That said, he still left behind a strand of consciousness on the Ice Empress's side, just in case anything unexpected happened to the Ice Empress or the Snow Empress, or if they ended up clashing with humans.
Qi Tian then shared the Snow Empress's experience in condensing a soul core with Bibi Dong, allowing her to use it as a reference.
If Bibi Dong managed to successfully condense her soul core, her experience would also be of great help to Qi Tian when he attempted to condense his own in the future.
"Who else can condense a soul core right now?"
Qi Tian suddenly thought of Liu Erlong. She had already broken through to the Titled Douluo realm, so she should meet the requirements to condense a soul core as well.
The last time they met, he had promised Liu Erlong that he would come see her in his true body. Now was the perfect time to fulfill that promise.
...
Liu Erlong was still the same as ever, staying within the forest and playing her music.
However, the melody she played no longer carried the boundless sorrow it once did. Instead, it held only a faint trace of longing.
"Who's there?"
At that moment, Liu Erlong pressed down on the strings of her instrument and looked toward the source of the unusual disturbance.
She saw a flash of dazzling five-colored radiance, and a stranger appeared out of thin air.
The youth was tall and slender, with well-proportioned features. His handsome face could even be described as beautiful.
"Could he be Qi Tian?"
Looking at the smiling young man, Liu Erlong already had a few guesses forming in her mind.
"Erlong, it's me—Qi Tian," Qi Tian said with a smile.
"So it really is him?" Upon seeing Qi Tian for the first time, Liu Erlong inexplicably felt a hint of timidity in her heart.
Although she had never actually met Qi Tian before, that did nothing to diminish the place he held in her heart.
Back then, if not for Qi Tian's appearance, her mother might have left her forever.
That she was able to cultivate to the level of a Titled Douluo at such a young age also had much to do with Qi Tian.
As her cultivation talent gradually manifested and proved its worth, her value rose dramatically.
To win her over, Yu Luomian swallowed his pride and went out of his way to please her mother at every turn, allowing her to finally have a family that could be considered happy.
It could be said that everything she possessed today bore Qi Tian's involvement.
"What? You don't recognize me anymore?" Qi Tian said softly.
There was a trace of nervousness in Qi Tian's heart, fearing that the hot-tempered Liu Erlong might mistake him for an enemy.
If she unleashed her complete Fire Dragon true form, his current body might not necessarily be able to withstand it. At that point, his only option would be to run.
Liu Erlong stared at Qi Tian without blinking, her voice trembling slightly. "You… I've finally met you, benefactor."
After confirming Qi Tian's identity and calling him benefactor, Liu Erlong could no longer hold herself back.
She stepped forward and threw herself into Qi Tian's embrace, afraid that this was nothing more than a dream.
At that moment, Liu Erlong was dressed in nothing more than a simple green cloth long dress. Her curvaceous, fiery figure filled Qi Tian's arms.
With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, Qi Tian said nothing, simply holding Liu Erlong quietly.
At that moment, Qi Tian sensed a faint dampness on his shoulder.
"Erlong, why are you crying?" Qi Tian noticed a thin trail of tears at the corner of Liu Erlong's eyes.
Liu Erlong casually wiped them away. "It's nothing. Seeing my benefactor for the first time—I'm just happy!"
She quickly composed herself, returning to her usual blend of gentleness and fiery temperament, and even began to tease Qi Tian.
Liu Erlong held Qi Tian's hand and quietly probed his bone age.
Somewhat surprised, she said, "I didn't expect you to be so young… It's just a pity that I—"
Although she already knew from Bibi Dong that when Qi Tian had possessed her back then, his soul had traveled from the future to the past, she still hadn't expected Qi Tian to be this young.
Before Liu Erlong could finish her sentence, Qi Tian interrupted her. "Erlong, you're still as beautiful as ever."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong finally let out a breath of relief.
She had been afraid that Qi Tian might dislike her for being older. Now that he praised her beauty, her heart felt sweet and content.
Qi Tian wasn't lying either. With Liu Erlong's cultivation level, she could maintain her youthful appearance for a very long time.
After breaking through to the Titled Douluo realm, as long as one wished it, their lifespan was already vastly different from that of ordinary people.
"You're very handsome too," Liu Erlong said.
She might not be obsessed with looks, but that didn't mean she didn't like good-looking men.
"Come on, let's go sit in my room," Liu Erlong said.
She pulled Qi Tian along into the wooden cabin by the small lake. The interior was extremely simple, hardly resembling a woman's living space at all.
In the bedroom, there was only a bed and a table.
Liu Erlong seemed to notice Qi Tian's gaze and said, "There's nowhere else to sit, so just sit on my bed."
Her room was so plain for two reasons: first, she had retained the habits of her youth—she was used to living simply. Second, as a soul master, many of her belongings—such as clothes and books—were stored inside her soul tool.
Liu Erlong pulled Qi Tian over and sat down with him on the bed.
A simple, thick quilt was spread over a wooden plank bed. Though crude, it was still a bed.
As the two of them sat there together, an ambiguous atmosphere quietly spread through the room.
Liu Erlong secretly felt delighted. She hadn't expected her lifestyle habits to bring about such an unexpected benefit—allowing her benefactor to sit on the same bed with her.
Qi Tian didn't forget why he had come. He said, "Erlong, I recently obtained a new cultivation method that I want to teach you."
"A cultivation method?"
Liu Erlong shook her head. Her current strength was already sufficient, and she didn't have an urgent need for new techniques.
"Benefactor, teach me the method another time. Let's just talk properly for now. I have so much I want to say to you," Liu Erlong said.
Qi Tian looked at Liu Erlong. In her eyes, there seemed to be nothing but his reflection.
At this moment, her entire world seemed to contain only him, filled with emotion and affection, and Qi Tian couldn't help but feel his heart stir.
"Alright. You talk—I'm listening."
—
End of Chapter