Passing by Tang Yuehua

Immediately afterward, Lin Hai's Fourth Spirit Ring flashed beneath his feet as he activated Cosmic Spirit Control!

A warm jade bottle silently flew beneath Ye Lingling's finger.

At the same time, Lin Hai stirred his thoughts, attempting to draw out the drop of blood at her fingertip.

Yet after a long while, nothing happened.

A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Hai's eyes before realization dawned on him:

What a "soulless and ownerless" rule, what a "heaven and earth working as one"... Old Fu, Old Fu, your settings have truly refreshed my understanding of fantasy...

With magical means failing, he could only return to the simplest physical method.

With a helpless sigh, Lin Hai bent down. His left hand gently pinched Ye Lingling's tender, scallion-like finger, while his right steadily held the jade bottle beneath it as he carefully squeezed.

One drop... two drops... three drops...

After collecting roughly a dozen drops of crimson blood, Lin Hai swiftly put away the jade bottle. Looking at his hands, he sighed inwardly:

When it matters most, I still have to rely on you two...

He then activated his Fifth Spirit Skill. Soul Power flowed through his fingertips, precisely repairing the tiny puncture wound. Her skin was smooth as before, as though it had never been pierced.

Thus, Lin Hai completed his first battle after entering the healing path—"with resounding success."

Not daring to delay, he immediately slipped out of Ye Manor, as if afraid those precious dozen drops of blood would clot.

After returning to the hotel, the dozen or so drops of blood containing the essence of the Nine Heart Begonia were refined into more than a dozen Nine Heart Begonia Martial Spirit Pills that emitted strange fluctuations of life.

Success!

Every objective of this trip to Heaven Dou City had been perfectly accomplished.

Over the following dozen or so days, Lin Hai indulged in some restrained flirting and fooling around with Dugu Yan at Dugu Manor.

Once the silent coachman returned, dusty from travel, with three sealed letters and a professional "messenger" possessing a flying Martial Spirit,

Lin Hai no longer lingered. He boarded the House Carriage, like a mobile palace, and prepared to leave Heaven Dou City.

The next destination was none other than the lair of soul beasts—

the Star Dou Great Forest.

The carriage rolled onward, its wheels crushing over Heaven Dou City's broad bluestone roads.

Inside the carriage, Lin Hai tapped his knuckles against the window frame as thoughts surged through his mind:

"It's time to create a healing Secret Method..."

The thought passed, and the name "Inexhaustible Life Technique" surfaced in his mind—only for him to reject it himself.

"This name... is way too lame. I'll call it the Life Technique instead!"

Yet the words "Inexhaustible Life" flashed through his mind like inspiration, abruptly stirring fragments of memories from his previous life—

the melody of a song with the same name slowly echoed in his mind.

With a thought, he took out a self-made ocarina from his Soul Tool and raised it to his lips.

"Woooo—"

A clear yet faintly mournful note suddenly pierced through the carriage curtain and drifted over the bustling market street.

Pedestrians and street vendors alike turned to look at the moving carriage.

Heaven Dou City had never lacked people who enjoyed a spectacle. The sight of someone leisurely playing a tune inside a carriage was certainly novel enough.

The ocarina's melody crossed the street and slipped through the window of another luxurious carriage.

Inside, a woman dressed as a noble lady, her aura as delicate as an orchid, had been resting with her eyes closed. At the sound, she abruptly opened them, a trace of incredulous astonishment flashing through her eyes:

What kind of instrument is this? Its tone is so unique!

This woman was none other than Tang Yuehua.

When it came to understanding music theory, she believed that those who could compare with her were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. She was nothing like Yu Xiaogang, who was famous for theory.

One was a true Grandmaster; the other was merely a "summarizing freak" who copied others' wisdom.

An unheard-of tune alone would not have moved her, but the unprecedented instrument itself was another matter...

What made her heartstrings tremble even more was the artistic conception flowing through the melody—

an aura of vastness and distance, coupled with profound universal love, had been conveyed with such purity.

Even if she were honest with herself, she might not have been able to perform a melody that struck directly at the heart like this.

Since when has Heaven Dou City concealed such a person?

Unable to resist, she leaned forward and lifted the brocade curtain at the side with a delicate hand, following the lingering notes with her gaze.

The carriage looked exceedingly plain on the outside, nearly no different from an ordinary vehicle found among the common folk.

Yet Tang Yuehua had spent years navigating among Heaven Dou's nobles and powerful figures. Her eye was keen, and with a single glance, she spotted what was unusual about it—

First, the carriage's construction was exquisite, its mortise-and-tenon joints fitted seamlessly together, while its shock absorption design was among the finest.

Second, although the two horses pulling it were not particularly large, they were Cloud-Treading Steeds famed for their astonishing endurance and exceptional ability to travel long distances at speed. Using two such fine steeds to pull a carriage already marked its owner as extraordinary.

Third, the carriage compartment was unusually spacious. Even with two horses pulling it, there was still ample room inside. A carriage of such scale either belonged to a prominent noble traveling in secret or a wealthy merchant transporting precious goods...

A prominent figure... deliberately keeping a low profile.

Tang Yuehua had already reached her conclusion.

And the breadth and depth carried by the ocarina's melody made her inexplicably certain—

the performer had to be a man!

She watched as the plain-looking yet mysterious carriage gradually traveled farther away, eventually merging into the crowd.

Tang Yuehua slowly lowered the curtain. The lingering resonance of that strange melody seemed to remain at her fingertips.

The corner of her lips lifted as she murmured, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity and amusement:

"What a... fascinating person."

The carriage left Heaven Dou City.

Lin Hai sat cross-legged, seated upon the White Tiger Fur Blanket that he took with him wherever he went.

He took out the three reply letters and unfolded them one by one across his knees.

The first letter was from his teacher.

The scent of Condensing Frost Containing Sandalwood wafted toward him.

The familiar handwriting met his eyes. Between the lines were the same old concerns and reminders, endlessly urging him to take care and stay safe.

At the end, it mentioned, "Your teacher... awaits your return with the Spirit Ring Pills."

Lin Hai's fingertips brushed over that line, and a helpless yet warm smile touched his lips.

The second letter was from Hu Liena.

It carried the same familiar scent of Flowing Fragrance Intoxicating Fruit.

Its contents followed an even more familiar "formula"—

the words were burning hot and direct as they declared, "I miss you so much." At the end came a slightly foolish question: "What about you? Do you miss me?"

Lin Hai could practically picture the upward curve of her lips as she wrote those words.

Interestingly, not once did the letter mention asking him to return to Spirit Hall. For her to be so "understanding," she had clearly been sternly warned—or perhaps drilled—by someone.

After silently mourning for Little Fox for three seconds, he gently folded the letter, as though he could smooth away the longing she had been forced to suppress.

The third letter was from Yue Guan.

The instant he unfolded it, an excitement so intense it nearly spilled from the page rushed at him!

The handwriting was even more flamboyant than usual, as though every turn of the brush trembled. It was as if the writer was doing everything in his power to suppress the storm raging within his heart.

The tone in the letter was still familiarly proud and tsundere:

"Hmph, brat, only for you... would this old man grant such face!"

Yet beneath that forced front was an excitement he could not conceal.

When Dugu Bo was mentioned, the letter merely glossed over him with, "As long as that Old Poison doesn't go too far..."

Looking at those words, Lin Hai could almost hear Yue Guan's deliberately reserved yet eagerly expectant snort. He shook his head helplessly and thought:

Go too far? I'm afraid that even if Dugu Bo really goes too far, you'll grit your teeth and endure it...