Ye Lingling

By the time Tang San returned to the clearing, the moon had already drifted westward, bathing the entire woodland clearing in a cold, silvery light. From a distance, he saw several figures in the clearing and flames dancing. Someone had lit a fire.

Tang San slowed his steps, his gaze sweeping warily over the scene ahead.

Four people were in the clearing.

An old man with graying hair and a graying beard, dressed in a gray robe and bearing a composed air, was crouched beside Yu Xiaogang, checking his pulse.

Behind the old man stood two burly, sharp-eyed middle-aged men. One look was enough to tell they were Soul Masters who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade.

Beside the old man stood a girl of about ten, wearing a light green dress, her long hair falling over her shoulders. Even from a distance, her face looked exceptionally delicate.

Yu Xiaogang lay on the ground, his face as pale as paper. The right leg of his trousers had been torn open, revealing two blackish-purple fang marks on his calf. The skin around the wound was swollen and purple, but most of the blackness had faded. Clearly, the venom had been brought under control. His eyes were shut tight, and his breathing was weak but steady. He was still unconscious.

Tang San hurried over.

"May I ask who you are...?" Tang San spoke first, his voice carrying just the right amount of urgency and concern.

The old man looked up and glanced over Tang San.

"I am Ye Renxin, head of the Ye Family in Heaven Dou City," the old man said gently. "This is my granddaughter, Ye Lingling. We have been traveling through the Heaven Dou Empire, practicing medicine and saving lives. Lingling happened to make a breakthrough, so we decided to come to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain her Second Soul Ring. As we passed by, we found this man had been bitten by a venomous snake. I have mostly brought the venom under control now."

Tang San hastily bowed. "Thank you for saving his life, Senior Ye. I am Tang San, and this is my teacher, Yu Xiaogang."

"Yu Xiaogang?" Ye Renxin stroked his beard, raising his brows slightly. He seemed to have heard the name before. "You mean that... Grandmaster?"

Tang San nodded without saying anything more.

Ye Renxin asked no further questions. He lowered his head and continued examining Yu Xiaogang's injury.

Tang San stood to one side and waited quietly, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward Ye Lingling.

Tang San was very familiar with the name Ye Lingling. She possessed the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul and was a healing-type Soul Master of extraordinary talent.

Seeing her in person now, she was even more striking than the written descriptions.

Her features were as delicate as a painting, and her skin was so fair it was almost translucent. Her large, beautiful eyes were the same color as the long blue hair cascading down her back. They were clear enough to see to the bottom, without the slightest impurity. Her long lashes curved upward slightly, and when she blinked, it was as if they could speak, lending her an ethereal clarity.

Ye Lingling's personality was generally aloof and introverted. She was quiet, disliked interacting with others, and was always immersed in her own world.

The formation of that personality was connected to her unique Martial Soul inheritance. Only two Nine Heart Begonia Martial Souls could exist in the world at a time. Because of that, Ye Lingling had borne a heavy responsibility since childhood and had experienced loneliness and partings unknown to others.

Ye Lingling stood quietly behind Ye Renxin, cool and self-possessed.

Tang San looked at her a couple more times, and a quiet, gentle admiration arose in his heart.

Ye Renxin stood and turned to Tang San, a somewhat complicated expression on his face. After a moment's thought, he said, "Young friend Tang San, I have helped your teacher neutralize the snake venom. Although the Mandala Snake's venom is potent, I have practiced medicine for decades and have some experience dealing with it."

Tang San bowed. "Thank you, Senior Ye."

"But..." Ye Renxin changed tack. "The Grandmaster was poisoned too deeply. The venom remained in his body for too long and has damaged his foundation. In that regard... I'm afraid he can no longer function."

Tang San tilted his head, an expression of innocent confusion on his face. "What regard do you mean?"

The question brought a look of embarrassment to Ye Renxin's aged face. He cleared his throat, seemingly considering how to explain the matter to a six-year-old child.

"I mean... in the matter of fathering children." Ye Renxin ultimately chose a more refined way to put it. "You're still young. You'll understand these things when you grow up. When your teacher wakes up, I'll tell him myself."

Tang San wanted to say, I'm not small. You're the small one, but he nodded obediently instead, his thoughts racing.

In the original work, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong later had children. Mu En, the Sea God Pavilion Master in Douluo II, and Bei Bei were Yu Xiaogang's descendants. But with the way things were going now, Mu En and Bei Bei might never exist.

Tang San shook his head, casting those messy thoughts aside. He wondered what expression Yu Xiaogang would make when he heard the news. It would surely be quite a sight.

Everyone sat around the campfire, and Tang San's gaze followed Ye Lingling without his noticing. She sat beside the fire with her arms around her knees and her chin resting on them, her long blue hair shining softly in the firelight.

Ye Lingling seemed to sense something. She turned her head and met Tang San's gaze.

At the moment, Tang San was a head shorter than Ye Lingling and looked like an ordinary little boy. Naturally, Ye Lingling did not think of anything improper. The corners of her mouth merely moved a little, which passed for a smile.

Tang San did not look away. He stood, walked over to Ye Lingling, and sat down half a step away from her. "Thank you and your grandfather for saving my teacher."

Up close, Ye Lingling's skin was even finer, her pores almost invisible. Her eyes were a deep blue, reflecting the flickering campfire with an indescribable beauty.

Ye Lingling shook her head and said softly, "You're welcome. My family has practiced medicine for generations. We just happened to come across him."

After obtaining the Evergreen Vine's Soul Ring, Tang San's perception of life force had become exceptionally keen. He could sense a rich life force radiating from Ye Lingling, vitality flowing outward from her in an endless stream. That presence resonated with his body in some way. The Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul within him stirred faintly, as though responding to something.

Ye Lingling was looking at him too, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. She had sensed the same thing: her own Martial Soul had reacted, something she had never encountered before.

The Nine Heart Begonia and the not-yet-fully-awakened Blue Silver Emperor, two top-tier life-type plant Martial Souls, had produced a subtle resonance.

"Do you have a Plant-type Martial Soul too?" Ye Lingling finally asked, a trace of curiosity in her voice.

"Yes. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass," Tang San answered truthfully.

Ye Lingling said softly, "I can feel that our Martial Souls seem to have a faint connection."

"I feel it too," Tang San said with a nod.

Ye Lingling's eyes lit up. But then she seemed to remember something, and the light in them faded.

Tang San sensed the change in Ye Lingling's mood and guessed that she had probably thought of the Nine Heart Begonia's inheritance problem. The problem had been with her ever since her Martial Soul awakened, and it had gradually made her aloof and introverted. It made her afraid to approach others and afraid to let others approach her.

"Sister Lingling, I've heard about the problem with your Martial Soul," Tang San suddenly said in a low voice.

Ye Lingling raised her head, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.

Looking into her eyes, Tang San comforted her. "Don't lose heart. Maybe there's some heavenly treasure in this world that can resolve your Martial Soul's defect. The continent is so vast, and all kinds of wonders exist. It might be somewhere you haven't searched yet."

Ye Lingling was startled by Tang San's words. A six-year-old child actually knew so much. But then she gave a bitter smile and said softly, "Thank you for trying to comfort me, little brother. Our family has spent hundreds of years without finding a solution. I..."

"Sister Lingling." Tang San moved a little closer and looked up at her. "You're so beautiful and so kind. I believe heaven will definitely help you."

Ye Lingling fell silent for a few seconds. Then she reached out and gently patted Tang San's head. "Thank you, little brother!"