Three Weapons

The woman listened to Elder Ghost Douluo's words. A flicker of panic appeared in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Elder Ghost Douluo's meaning was perfectly clear: if they joined Spirit Hall, the two of them could live. If they did not, whether they could leave this courtyard was no longer something he could decide.

Her gaze moved back and forth between Elder Ghost Douluo and Bi Zihan, as though she were considering something. Beside her, however, the girl spoke up. "Mom, he's much stronger than Yu Tianheng."

The girl's voice was crisp and calm, as if she were merely stating a fact.

Bi Zihan continued assembling his parts, with no intention of paying them any attention. He had already made himself clear—he had no need for auxiliary Soul Masters.

After a while, a smile returned to the woman's face. "Our Nine Heart Begonia Clan has few members. If Spirit Hall can provide us with protection, then our clan will no longer have to worry about being swallowed up by others someday."

"Elder Ghost Douluo, our clan is willing to join Spirit Hall. But perhaps we should discuss the matter of our treatment in greater detail." The woman looked at Elder Ghost Douluo. The two inheritors of the Nine Heart Begonia were both here. Joining Spirit Hall would ensure their survival, but if they did not join, that might not be the case. And the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul would disappear along with them.

Moreover, having Spirit Hall's protection seemed like quite a good choice. At the very least, they would not have to worry about their clan being swallowed up by another sect or noble family one day.

"I am not the one who can decide this matter. It must be decided by Her Holiness the Pope. You two may stay in this courtyard for now. I will report this matter to Her Holiness." Elder Ghost Douluo glanced at the two of them but made no promises. This was not something he could decide.

"Then we'll have to trouble Elder Ghost Douluo. The environment here is quite pleasant. Staying here for a few days while waiting for news from Her Holiness the Pope is not a bad choice." The woman smiled, showing no concern over having to remain in the courtyard.

Time passed. Once Bi Zihan had assembled the parts before him, three items appeared before him: the Five-Position Blade, the Butterfly Knife, and the Sleeve Sword.

The Five-Position Blade looked like a ring, except it had a small protrusion on it. With a press of that protrusion—or while flying at high speed—five blades gleaming with cold light would spring out. It was a weapon suited for close combat, though it could also be thrown as a concealed weapon when necessary.

The Sleeve Sword was a type of short sword. Its hilt was long and its blade somewhat shorter, with a total length of less than one foot and two inches. The blade was hidden within the end of the hilt. The hilt was hollow and contained a spring. The Sleeve Sword could normally be concealed within one's sleeve. When needed, one only had to take out the hilt and press the mechanism, and the blade would spring out to injure an opponent.

The Butterfly Knife was a relatively common weapon, suitable for close-quarters combat. When there was nothing else to do, it could even be used to peel fruit or the like.

After putting away the assembled Five-Position Blade and Sleeve Sword, Bi Zihan casually played with the Butterfly Knife in one hand as he examined the two people before him.

But he soon withdrew his gaze. He alone could take on an entire team, so what use did he have for an auxiliary Soul Master? Acting alone was far more convenient.

Besides, his own necklace had an effect that granted buffs to the entire team. He had no need for an auxiliary Soul Master at all. He could deal damage, control enemies, provide support, inflict area damage, and defend all by himself. What did he need teammates for? He could simply charge in alone and start the fight.

Hu Liena watched the Butterfly Knife spinning through his hand, especially the occasional wicked glint in his eyes, and silently shifted a little farther away.

The Butterfly Knife gleamed with sharp, cold light as it continuously slid and spun between his five fingers. What if it suddenly flew out and injured her?

"Back at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was it you who treated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon disciples?" Bi Zihan played with the Butterfly Knife as he looked at the woman, wanting to know whether they had treated those disciples or whether something had gone wrong with his soul skill.

"At the time, I was the one who treated them. Otherwise, they would not have been able to withstand your soul skill." The woman nodded gently and admitted it outright, without concealing anything.

"Mm, I understand." Bi Zihan responded, then rose and headed straight for his room. As long as there was nothing wrong with his soul skill, that was all that mattered.

After watching Bi Zihan get up and leave without another word, surprise appeared in the woman's eyes. She could not understand what he meant by that.

A soul skill with such terrifying power had left the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul capable of healing people back to perfect condition. Now that such a top-tier support had practically delivered herself to his door, he did not even want her? "The young master's personality is somewhat withdrawn, so there is no need for you two to take it to heart. As for what will ultimately be decided, that still depends on Her Holiness the Pope." Seeing the woman's expression, Elder Ghost Douluo offered a brief explanation to keep the two of them from overthinking.

"You worry too much, Elder Ghost Douluo. I can see a little of what his personality is like, so we will not take it to heart." The woman smiled. She felt that Bi Zihan was more than merely withdrawn—he also seemed somewhat sinister. As for exactly what was sinister about him, she could not say, but she had that feeling nonetheless.

In his room, Bi Zihan took a book from his Soul Tool and read it carefully. The book contained all sorts of theories regarding martial souls, along with various annotations. The annotations were exceptionally detailed, making the book easy for Bi Zihan to understand. There was nothing he found unclear.

Bibi Dong had required him to study these books, and they were indeed quite useful, so he read them with great seriousness, doing his best to memorize and master every theory within.

Learning these theories would also be immensely useful in future battles. After all, if one could thoroughly understand the attributes of different martial souls and the directions in which they excelled, one could find their weaknesses. Using one's own strengths to strike at an opponent's weaknesses could greatly increase the odds of victory in battle.

Just as Bi Zihan turned to the second page, he found something that interested him greatly. The second page did not contain martial soul theory. Instead, it listed detailed information on three martial souls, and in the lower-right corner was a line of small words written in red ink.

"Zihan, after reading the contents of this page, you must commit them to memory. Then make sure to destroy this page. Do not let anyone else see it!"

Bi Zihan blinked as he looked at the line of small writing, immediately understanding that the contents of this page had been written by Bibi Dong specifically for him.