Now I Have No Choice but to Live Off the Villain

Shi Yueyi might not yet have remembered that Tang Hao was the one who had attacked Spirit Hall, but she certainly knew about the Spirit Hall Young Master rumored to be lurking within the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

There was no helping it. This person's story was simply too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

In later generations, Spirit Hall was best known for its three beautiful airheads and one blind Titled Douluo.

The person before her, disguised as a man, was the second of those three airheads.

Shi Yueyi scoffed at that sort of assessment. History was written by the victors, and as the defeated side, Spirit Hall naturally would not receive much positive evaluation.

—Though judging from the story, she really did seem a little airheaded. Or perhaps just kind of strange.

Still, Shi Yueyi could not help being curious. According to the beginning of the story, Qian Renxue had likely replaced the fourteen-year-old Xue Qinghe when she had first infiltrated the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace at the age of nine, then had the Second Prince poisoned to death before drugging the Third Prince the following year.

Had she not been concerned about Xue Qinghe's age, and unwilling to turn the Heaven Dou Empire into a genuine mess, Xue Ye probably would not have lived so long either.

Thus, she could not help wondering: what could have made someone capable of doing such things at nine or ten years old become so airheaded?

Xue Qinghe had no idea what the girl before him was thinking, but he still nodded.

"Yes, I am the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire," Xue Qinghe said with a smile. "Come to think of it, little girl, your cultivation seems rather strange."

Having calmed down, Shi Yueyi raised her head and looked at Xue Qinghe before asking tentatively, "Your... Your Highness the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou, wasn't it you who helped awaken my Martial Soul?"

At those words, Xue Qinghe's smiling expression froze. "What do you mean?"

Shi Yueyi's mind raced for two seconds before she said, "You found me near the Spirit Hall Branch, right? Actually, I was planning to go awaken my Martial Soul at the time."

Xue Qinghe was inwardly surprised, though his expression remained calm. "You mean that when the Spirit Hall Branch was smashed, you had not awakened your Martial Soul yet? And that the fluctuations of Soul Power on the battlefield might have pulled at you and caused your Martial Soul to awaken on its own?"

Awakening a Martial Soul did not necessarily require an awakening formation. A Soul Master with sufficient cultivation could help directly, since the essence of it was a Soul Master with Soul Power using that power's pull to assist in the process.

The reason Shi Yueyi had been able to awaken automatically seemed somewhat similar.

Shi Yueyi nodded. "Mm. If you didn't touch me improperly after finding me, then that should be what happened."

After a brief consideration, she decided to tell the truth.

Her situation was very unusual.

Automatic Martial Soul awakenings also occurred ten thousand years later.

Though she did not know whether similar cases existed now.

But as long as something was unusual, it could draw attention and bring many benefits.

Besides, she had just been smashed by the legendary Big Hammer Tang. This little lunatic of hers had to have some fun with him.

Now she had no choice but to join the legendary villains.

Shi Yueyi held grudges.

Hearing Shi Yueyi's words, Xue Qinghe frowned. "Why would I touch you improperly? I am the Crown Prince, after all. I possess basic respect."

"Oh..." Shi Yueyi replied softly.

"However, I couldn't seem to tell what your Martial Soul was. Could you show me?" Xue Qinghe did not dwell on their earlier exchange and continued asking.

"My Martial Soul?" Shi Yueyi hesitated, then extended her right hand and tried to summon her Martial Soul.

It failed!

"Hmm?" Xue Qinghe was stunned. Then he said, "Where is your Martial Soul? Soul Power fluctuations have clearly appeared, so why hasn't your Martial Soul manifested?"

Shi Yueyi smiled awkwardly. "Because I discovered that my Martial Soul is a little special..."

"It is special enough that my Martial Soul is myself."

Xue Qinghe found that hard to believe. "Your Martial Soul is yourself? What does that mean?"

Shi Yueyi thought for a moment, then used a term from ten thousand years later.

"Perhaps it is a Body Martial Soul."

A Body Martial Soul? What was that?

Xue Qinghe was puzzled.

"Do you know about Spirit Hall's Angel Martial Soul?" Shi Yueyi thought for a moment and continued probing. "I heard from my family that Spirit Hall's Angel Martial Soul is very special. It seems it cannot be considered a purely Beast Martial Soul."

"How do you know so much about Spirit Hall?" Xue Qinghe could not help being surprised. "This should count as a secret, shouldn't it?"

It felt as though someone had seen right through his family's secrets.

No, the Angel Martial Soul was not a Body Martial Soul.

"I heard it from my family." Shi Yueyi lowered her head and spoke softly.

"They said the Angel Martial Soul was very special, and somewhat similar to my mother's Martial Soul. My mother's Martial Soul was her own torso. She said the Angel Martial Soul was a bit like wings."

How come I don't know any of this? Xue Qinghe thought. Still, this Body Martial Soul really is unusual. Could it be that some Spirit Hall staff have been neglecting their duties and failed to report certain special cases?

He needed to straighten things out properly.

"But I feel that my Martial Soul isn't merely my torso. It is myself—my entire body. That is why I could sense it when Your Highness injected Soul Power into my arm earlier," Shi Yueyi continued.

"Mm, that makes sense. Just as Soul Bones are divided into arm bones and torso bones," Xue Qinghe said, coming back to himself and nodding. "The so-called body should refer to your entire physical body."

He continued, "But the Angel Martial Soul should not count as a Body Martial Soul... I do recall a senior whose situation may be somewhat similar to yours. In a sense, he awakened his Martial Soul automatically as well. If there is an opportunity, I can take you to meet him."

Xue Qinghe had thought of Ghost Douluo. Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul was his own soul, and after dying once, his soul had reattached itself to his body, thereby awakening.

"Your bodyguard?" Shi Yueyi could not help asking.

"No, he should be considered a senior in the Soul Master world." Xue Qinghe shook his head. He would not reveal his true identity before a little girl.

"Wait." Xue Qinghe seemed to recall something. He took a blue crystal from his Soul Tool and handed it to Shi Yueyi. "This is a crystal that can test Soul Power Level. Give it a try."

Shi Yueyi nodded and placed her right hand on it.

In an instant, the blue crystal began glittering brightly, and then—

It exploded!

"Hiss—" Shi Yueyi frowned. At that moment, her External Attached Palm Bone nearly emerged on its own, but she held it back and let out a cry of pain.

Xue Qinghe looked as though he had witnessed something unbelievable. "This... A crystal ball capable of handling Innate Full Soul Power actually exploded. Could it be..."

Shi Yueyi was shocked as well, but she quickly came to a realization.

This was her Body Martial Soul. Upon awakening, it had directly reached the level of a Second Awakening!

A Second Awakening?

Why had she undergone a Second Awakening?

She could not figure it out all at once either.

"Could it be that you possess the nearly nonexistent talent of surpassing Innate Full Soul Power?" Xue Qinghe truly had no choice but to take this little girl seriously now.

"I am that amazing?!" Shi Yueyi was stunned by her own performance, and she did not look like she was acting at all.

"Speaking of which, where is your family?" Xue Qinghe suddenly became interested. This little girl's family might be some hidden great clan.

Shi Yueyi, who had been rather happy moments before, fell silent. "They... left during the war."

That was the truth. In her previous life, her parents had died amid the conflict between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire. She had then been picked up from the battlefield, after which she became an assassin trained in secret.

Why did this feel a little like back then?

Not long ago, she could feel that she had truly been close to death.

Awakening a Martial Soul, along with those things used to block the attack, was not enough to withstand the aftermath of a Titled Douluo.

Her Body Martial Soul had already awakened at the time, so she could sense the state within her body. It had been like a chaotic stew of everything imaginable.

Yet her injuries were now almost fully healed. Presumably, while she was unconscious, the person before her had saved her with the Angel's healing ability.

She had nearly died in a war that had nothing to do with her as well.

"I am sorry for bringing up something painful." Xue Qinghe hurriedly said, "Then in that case, why not follow me?"

"Hmm? Follow you?"

Knowing that the person before her had saved her, Shi Yueyi tilted her head.

"Yes, I am the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. In Heaven Dou City, there is a Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I can recommend you directly into it. Your talent is very high; it would be such a pity for it to be buried like this," Xue Qinghe said confidently.

He believed no one could refuse this invitation.

"Is it because you pity me, or because of my talent?" Shi Yueyi stared into Xue Qinghe's eyes.

Under Shi Yueyi's gaze, Xue Qinghe felt a little uncomfortable. He always felt as though she could see through his disguise.

The Head Soul Bone of the Angel Godly Garment possessed the ability to disguise him, and not even a Titled Douluo could see through that disguise.

Sigh, even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts undergoing reconstruction would be jealous enough to cry.

"Both," Xue Qinghe said frankly. "This world is ultimately one where the strong devour the weak. Without talent or ability to attract others, it does not matter how much they pity you. I think you should understand that."

"What do I need to do?" Shi Yueyi asked.

"What can you do?" Xue Qinghe asked. "You were able to find Spirit Hall by yourself to awaken your Martial Soul. You surely aren't just an ordinary little girl."

Shi Yueyi considered it, then said, "I can kill people. I can kill people for you. To survive, I learned some very effective killing techniques."

Hearing that, Xue Qinghe's heart twitched slightly.

It turned out that what this girl took the most pride in was not the beauty she was beginning to reveal, but certain dark and dirty skills.

But that was likely what she considered her most valuable possession, so she was willing to use it in exchange with him.

What exactly had she experienced before this?

Perhaps, like his true self, she had not had a happy childhood either?

At least he had his grandfather, while she might have survived only by relying on herself—like a flower no one cared for, growing wild and alone.

Every little girl's first dream must be to become a carefree princess, not a bird released into the wild that had to stay vigilant against danger at every moment.

How old did this girl even look?

No wonder she was willing to trade her most precious "killing techniques." To her, interpersonal relationships were likely this shallow, simple, and brutal.

He could not help empathizing with her somewhat, even feeling a trace of heartache.

"No, I don't need you to kill people for me," Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, said slowly.

"I can kill people myself, and I have killed quite a few disobedient fellows. But I lack someone to chat with in my daily life. If you are willing to stay by my side, then I can pass the time when I am bored."

"But I don't know what topics you like," Shi Yueyi said after thinking it over.

"I rarely chat with others either. The one I talk to most might be myself in the mirror." Qian Renxue felt a little embarrassed. "Still, we can give it a try."

Shi Yueyi looked into Qian Renxue's eyes, seeming to glimpse a faint hint of purple deep within them.

"Deal." Seemingly sensing the other person's feelings, Shi Yueyi joked, "Then from now on, I'll be living off your rice."

Upon hearing that, Qian Renxue took her hand.

That slender hand bore no sign that it had ever been stained with blood.

Shi Yueyi sighed inwardly. This was how debts were formed: someone saved your life, and you had to repay them.

Even knowing that she was destined to fail in history, Shi Yueyi still had to give it a try.

After all, she had come here with knowledge of history.

Though history's descriptions of Spirit Hall were somewhat vague, its descriptions of a certain Tang were exhaustive—just short of recording how many dogs his family kept.

"Then come back to Heaven Dou City with me," Qian Renxue said. "And while we are at it, we can help you obtain your First Soul Ring. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

There was a flaw in Qian Renxue's timeline. After analyzing it, the author concluded that the most plausible version was the one where she was nine years older than Tang San.