So Miserable

The morning sun rose, bright and radiant. Brilliant dawn light spread across the land, draping all creation in a layer of golden gauze.

A new day had arrived.

The chirping of insects and birds filled the air, overflowing with life.

The four set off once more, and Ye Han briefly wrapped up the story he had only half-finished the previous night.

When she heard the words "the end," Ye Qingxin nearly crushed her silver teeth. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to strangle Ye Han to death.

After being tormented all night, was this all she had listened for?

"Tell me, what was that baby girl called?" Ye Qingxin asked through gritted teeth as she looked at Ye Han.

The feeling that the story was somehow related to her had grown even stronger, especially after seeing the look in Ye Han's eyes once he had finished telling it.

Killing intent surged from Ye Qingxin. She clenched her longsword, fury blazing in her eyes as sharp as blades while she stared straight at the youth.

If Ye Han could not give her a satisfactory answer, she would not mind fighting him again.

"Didn't I say what the baby girl was called?"

Ye Han looked puzzled. He glanced at Snow Empress and Ice Empress. After seeing them nod, he slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory. I forgot. Sorry, what was that baby girl called again? Oh, I remember. Her name was Qian... Ren... Xue."

Ye Han enunciated each word, his gaze fixed firmly on Ye Qingxin.

Yet the girl merely gave an "Oh" before turning and walking away, leaving Ye Han scratching his head.

Over the past month or so, he had constantly been guessing the girl's identity. It was not until yesterday, when he saw how sensitive she was about Spirit City, that a name had suddenly popped into his mind—a supporting character who only appeared in the later stages of Douluo Continent: Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue was an out-and-out supporting character. If fanfiction had not risen in popularity, few readers would probably remember that name. At least, Ye Han himself had not had much of an impression of the character.

But he had remembered her yesterday and suspected that Ye Qingxin might be Qian Renxue. It was precisely because of that suspicion that Ye Han had told such a story.

But what was this supposed to mean now?

Had he guessed wrong?

Ye Qingxin was too calm, so calm that Ye Han did not know what to do.

After quite a while, Ye Han gave a soft sigh.

Whether she was or not no longer mattered.

If she was, then she was already his woman. That was an unchangeable fact; there was no going back. If she was not, then all the better.

Having thought everything through, Ye Han stopped dwelling on it.

The four traveled at an unhurried pace, sightseeing along the way. Half a year later, they finally arrived at Spirit City.

"I'm back, but I'm no longer the person I used to be?" Ye Qingxin stared blankly at Spirit City's towering walls.

At that moment, she suddenly wanted to cry. She wanted to see that woman she had once never wanted to see even in her dreams, ask her the truth, and apologize to her. But when she looked at the people beside her, she no longer knew what to do.

At some point, she had gradually grown used to Ye Han taking advantage of her and getting handsy with her.

Perhaps she had already resigned herself to it. She no longer loathed or resented him as she once had. Other than being "lecherous," she realized that the youth had no major flaws.

She had begun to notice his good qualities.

He possessed extraordinary talent and striking looks. Though he sometimes acted crude, most of the time he carried himself like a refined young gentleman, elegant and exceptional in speech.

When someone's virtues became numerous enough to cover up their flaws, falling for them was not far away.

Ye Qingxin could clearly feel her attitude toward Ye Han changing, and that frightened her. She did not want this, but a voice in her heart told her that she had no other choice.

Because Ye Han's mark had already been completely branded onto her body. Even if Ye Han died immediately and was reduced to ashes, she would never be able to forget him for the rest of her life.

A certain lecher had once said that the simplest way to enter a woman's heart was...

"What are we doing here?"

Ye Qingxin looked at Ye Han, unable to hide her confusion.

"Looking up information," Ye Han said.

Whether he went to the Star Luo Empire or Heaven Dou City, Ye Han did so for information.

Over the years, he had consulted a vast number of books on herbs. He had verified the identities of the more than fifty Immortal Herbs in his possession one by one and used up two-thirds of them, but there were still some he could not identify at all.

Eating medicine recklessly could kill people. Ye Han knew clearly that among them was a highly toxic plant that could not be consumed.

During this journey, with nothing else to do, Ye Han had finished reading all the herb books Ice Empress and Snow Empress had "borrowed" from the Heaven Dou Empire. He had also found two more Immortal Herbs that could be consumed.

Too many Immortal Grade Herbs did more harm than good, but Ye Han only used them to nourish his body, strengthen his cells, and feed the Source Power bestowed upon him by the system.

Several years had passed. The originally faint Source Power had grown into a thread as thick as a golden needle. Though its growth was slow, Ye Han had the feeling that if this sliver of power were unleashed, no one could stop it.

Of course, Ye Han did not have the ability to use it to attack enemies. It was merely a feeling.

Body, spirit, and Soul Power were one. The strength of the first two had also driven Ye Han's Soul Power cultivation upward like a rocket. In just over half a year, he had risen three levels in succession and reached the rank of Soul Emperor.

The moment Ye Qingxin learned that Ye Han had become a Soul Emperor, she was utterly dumbfounded.

She was also an undisputed genius, yet after cultivating diligently for half a year, she had risen by only one level. Though it was a level within the Soul Emperor realm, compared to Ye Han, she felt that she was truly nothing.

When the four reached the city gate and lined up to enter, Ye Han suddenly spotted a dried corpse hanging from the towering city wall.

Judging from the corpse's appearance, it should not have even come of age.

Curious, Ye Han stopped a middle-aged woman standing in line beside him and asked, "Big sister, do you know what happened there?"

The middle-aged woman had originally been displeased at being called big sister.

But when she saw that Ye Han looked only eighteen or nineteen, along with his handsome face, all her displeasure vanished in an instant.

"You don't know, little brother."

The middle-aged woman quietly leaned closer. The two drooping lumps of flesh on her chest brushed against Ye Han's arm as she said, "That little bastard had outrageous gall. Relying on his outstanding talent, he actually dared to publicly hug Pope's jade-like leg on the very day Pope accepted him as her disciple. So there you have it—his five limbs were broken on the spot, and he was hung from the city wall."

Ye Han was rather stunned.

The scene the middle-aged woman described sounded a little like those brainless novels he had read.

But the protagonists in those novels had idiocy-reduction auras. Any woman around them would let them do whatever they wanted. This fellow was different—he had been directly dismembered. He really was miserable!

"Little brother, you're still young. You might have the chance to meet Pope someday, so let big sister give you a piece of advice: don't go within ten steps of Pope." The middle-aged woman was not tall, and she was practically hanging off Ye Han. Though she was transmitting her words spiritually, her mouth kept moving closer to Ye Han's face.

"Thank you for your advice, big sister. I'll certainly remember it, but look—my wife is getting jealous," Ye Han said.

He directly pulled out Ye Qingxin, who had been watching the show.

Hearing Ye Han's words, Ye Qingxin's pretty face could not help flushing. She rolled her eyes at him, then turned away and could not be bothered with him.

"See? My wife is angry now."

As he spoke, Ye Han directly yanked the middle-aged woman who had been taking advantage of him away. Like an iron-blooded soldier unmoved by wind or rain, he stood ramrod straight, ignored the middle-aged woman, and stared ahead without letting his gaze wander.

"Pah! Scumbag. When you need someone, you call her big sister. When you don't, you're so heartless."

The middle-aged woman muttered, surprise flashing through her eyes.

She was a Soul Emperor, yet the youth beside her had moved her aside as easily as if he were grabbing a chick. She no longer dared to try anything.

"Damn it! When boys are out on their own, they have to protect themselves."

Ye Han muttered softly as he finally entered Spirit City.

Spirit City truly deserved to be called the holy land of Soul Masters!

Seeing the endless stream of Soul Masters coming and going, Ye Han sighed from the bottom of his heart.

In just this short time, he had already spotted three Soul Saints and more than a dozen Soul Emperors. There were simply too many powerful people here.

But having many powerful people had its advantages.

For example, the harassment they had encountered in the past was completely absent here.

Because no one knew exactly what kind of person they might provoke.

Someone who appeared to have no Soul Power at all might be a Soul Douluo pretending to be weak. Such things had happened before. Over time, people who casually picked fights in Spirit City had become rare.

All three women wore veils, but those veils could not conceal their extraordinary bearing or graceful figures. In any other city, someone would likely have blocked their path by now.

But here, everyone merely glanced at them before looking away.

Snow Empress and Ice Empress could not help liking this place. Over the years, they had traveled through far too many places and met all kinds of people. Only here did they not feel repulsed.

"Let's buy a house and stay here for a while," Ye Han said with a knowing smile when he saw the expressions on the two women's faces.

PS: Thank you, big brother, for the recommendation and monthly vote. Thank you!

Also, to all the brothers on QQ Reading, if you like this book, I hope you can give it a five-star review so it can get more exposure. Results are an author's greatest motivation to write. Please, brothers.