Xuan Zi Gets Thoroughly Dragged

Rushing back to the hall, Ye Xinglan immediately questioned the staff handling personnel registration.

The answer was unanimous: no Soul Master named Lu Mingfei had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform today.

Ye Xinglan looked as though she had been struck by lightning, staggering back several steps.

After several seconds of silence, her expression darkened on the spot. Crossing her arms over her chest, she coldly stared at the passageway at the back of the hall.

"If you met me, then you definitely entered through the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda. I'll wait for you here and see whether you come out."

Seeing that something was wrong, one of the staff members kindly brought her a stool, but she shook her head and refused it.

Having been forcibly "cured of their internet addiction," people soon began emerging from both passageways in considerable numbers. All they talked about was the danger and excitement of the Spirit Ascension Platform world. It was far more thrilling than the online games that were currently so popular.

These were all Soul Masters who had entered the beginner and intermediate Spirit Ascension Platforms, most of them young people. As for the advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, entry took place on fixed dates each month, and today was not one of those dates.

Since the Spirit Ascension Platform had come into existence, there had been cases of forced interruptions before. After receiving assurances that their qualifications to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform would be retained, these Soul Masters did not angrily demand an explanation. Instead, they found it novel, since the last forced interruption had happened a century ago.

They had really caught it at the right time.

Ye Xinglan appeared utterly indifferent toward the people passing beside her. On the other hand, some boys around her age secretly glanced at her.

In terms of features, Ye Xinglan was indeed exquisitely beautiful. Not only was her skin as delicate as white jade, but she also possessed a heroic air between her brows that was rarely seen at her age. She had thoroughly captured the hearts of certain boys.

Some older boys from prominent backgrounds recognized Ye Xinglan's identity. Their expressions immediately changed, and they slapped their younger brothers on the forehead.

In Heaven Dou City, the Ye Family kept an extremely low profile. Yet whenever the governor hosted a banquet, the head of the Ye Family was always seated beside him. One could imagine how formidable the family's hidden strength was. Ye Xinglan herself had attended several such banquets.

Some youths from relatively powerful families had seen her at those banquets. She looked unfamiliar at first glance, but they recognized her at the second.

Just then, Ye Xinglan's eyes shifted. A tall figure emerged from the crowd—it was her father, Ye Changming.

Ye Xinglan hurried over. "Dad."

Ye Changming saw his daughter as well. A doting smile had just appeared on his face when he remembered that she had secretly entered the Spirit Ascension Platform ahead of time, and his expression immediately fell.

This was bad.

Ye Xinglan instantly sensed trouble. She was about to deploy her coquettish act to escape this verbal lesson when her steps suddenly halted. Her azure eyes erupted with fury as she shouted, "Lu Mingfei!"

Behind Ye Changming, Nan Liujing came into Ye Xinglan's field of vision, his face still somewhat pale.

Hearing the name Lu Mingfei, Ye Changming's expression turned strange. Just as he was about to explain on Nan Liujing's behalf, his daughter grabbed her Stargod Sword directly, pointing its tip at Nan Liujing with an aggressive stance.

This instantly drew everyone's attention in the hall, and pairs of eyes turned toward them instinctively.

A staff member said sternly, "Young lady, this is a non-combat area of the Spirit Pagoda. Releasing martial souls is prohibited."

"Xinglan." Ye Changming frowned.

Ye Xinglan pursed her lips, snorted coldly, and withdrew her martial soul.

Nan Liujing said irritably, "Why are you yelling so loudly?"

"Why did you lie to me? Your name clearly isn't Lu Mingfei." Ye Xinglan strode forward until she stood less than a meter away from him, staring straight at him.

"Is that important?" Nan Liujing asked.

"It is." Ye Xinglan was extremely serious. "Because you're my partner. You were the one who said partners should trust each other, but you wouldn't even tell me your real name."

Listening beside them, Ye Changming smiled and stopped trying to mediate.

Nan Liujing froze. In the girl's ocean-clear eyes, he saw fierce stubbornness emerge.

He suddenly recalled that in the original timeline, Ye Xinglan had desperately eaten dozens of large meat buns and two bloodthirsty red bean buns to recover her Soul Power and stamina so she could forge the first piece of Tang Wulin's battle armor. Even while suffering severe injuries from the backlash of the bloodthirsty red bean buns, she had insisted on fulfilling her promise.

The girl was proud, arrogant, and tsundere, but she valued loyalty and friendship, and she treated every promise as a bond worth a thousand pieces of gold.

After merely two hours of helping each other, she had truly regarded him as a partner. That was why she had become so angry after discovering that his name was false.

"My brother's name isn't Lu Mingfei. His name is Nan Liujing."

Frightened by Ye Xinglan's imposing manner, Na'er's little face tightened. Still, she gathered her courage and stepped forward to face Ye Xinglan.

"Nan Liujing?" Ye Xinglan glanced at the adorable porcelain-doll-like girl before her, then looked at Nan Liujing in surprise. "You're Uncle Sun's nephew?"

Nan Liujing smiled and rubbed Na'er's head, then proactively extended his hand. "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Nan Liujing."

Ye Xinglan did not take his hand. She continued staring at him.

Nan Liujing unleashed his finishing move. "Then we won't drink the waters of the Heaven Dou River."

"Ye Xinglan." Ye Xinglan immediately extended her hand.

One large hand and one small hand shook lightly.

That was more like it. She was simply too good at keeping promises.

An insignificant little incident came to an end. Nan Liujing proactively informed the staff member who had previously guided him that he had killed a Special Type Wind Baboon. Learning that the application would take some time, he left with Ye Changming and the others. Unexpectedly, as they were leaving, they ran into the brothers Chu Ziyuan and Chu Zihang. What a coincidence.

Watching Nan Liujing leave, the staff member handling his application hurried to another elevator reserved exclusively for staff.

He was not an ordinary employee, but the supervisor of the Spirit Ascension Platform branch, so he had considerable freedom.

Going upward, he soon reached the second floor of the Spirit Pagoda and came before a door marked "Soul Spirit Supervision Director."

He knocked softly.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

The man opened the door with an ordinary expression and entered.

The office was large. When the elderly man behind the desk saw him, he seemed to trigger a passive skill and pressed a concealed button at his side. The entire room immediately entered soundproof mode.

"Director, I discovered a genius who has not appeared before," the staff member explained his purpose.

The director said in perfect understanding, "Let me see."

The supervisor took out a crystal card the size of a thumbnail and handed it over.

The director accepted it and inserted it into a slot beside the computer.

An icon naturally appeared on the computer screen. After clicking it, several video clips appeared.

They showed a purple soul ring floating around Nan Liujing, followed by scenes of him killing the Special Type Wind Baboon and a thousand-year Green Bush Wolf.

All of it had been secretly recorded, without being intercepted through the internal network.

The director's eyes lit up. "What about his age?"

The supervisor said, "He is six years old. This was confirmed when he entered the Spirit Ascension Pod. Furthermore, when his identity information was registered, it was confirmed that he has not joined our Spirit Pagoda. However, the person who brought him to the Spirit Ascension Platform was Ye Changming, head of the Ye Family."

"Ye Changming brought him?" The director raised his brows. "That's troublesome. This child is likely being secretly cultivated by the Tang Sect."

"I was worried about that as well," the supervisor said. "That's why, under the pretext of reporting the Soul Spirit Choice Card to you, I came to ask whether you wanted to report this upward."

The director pondered for a while before making his decision. "A top-tier Coiled Dragon Staff Soul Master who does not belong to the Qian Gu Family is worth recruiting. I'll report this to those above first. If they are interested, I will personally visit the Ye Family. Go back for now and conceal this child's identity temporarily. If the Pagoda Master asks why it was not reported, use Ye Changming as a shield."

When it came to matters involving soul spirits, he and the Pagoda Master shared the highest monitoring authority. Giving away a Soul Spirit Choice Card of such immense value indeed required him to personally step in.

"I understand." The supervisor had come in a hurry and left in a hurry.

The director replayed the footage several more times. The more he watched, the more passionate his gaze became.

The Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda had always been firmly controlled by the Qian Gu Family; it was their foundation. Nearly every member of its upper echelon obeyed the Qian Gu Family—except him.

After leaving the Spirit Pagoda, a cold wind blew straight at them, making their bodies shiver.

Heaven Dou City remained blanketed beneath dark clouds, and fine rain fell from the sky, bringing dampness with it.

Pedestrians walked along the roadside beneath umbrellas of all colors, resembling a sea of flowers.

The roads were still congested, but things had improved considerably.

Inside the luxurious Soul Guidance Vehicle, once the soundproofing was activated, Ye Changming immediately gave Ye Xinglan a thorough lecture.

Ye Xinglan was like a toad that moved only when poked. She occasionally responded, but she was clearly distracted.

As a father, Ye Changming felt helpless. However, his daughter had lost her mother at a young age, so he did not want to speak too harshly.

"Uncle Ye, it's getting late. How about we find somewhere to eat and talk?" Unable to watch any longer, Nan Liujing proactively changed the subject.

At the mention of food, Na'er, who had been sitting obediently beside him, immediately brightened as if she had been fully charged.

Ye Xinglan gave Nan Liujing a grateful look. "I know a very good restaurant. We can go take a look."

"Sure." Nan Liujing trusted a local's recommendation.

Still in the eastern part of the city, there was a small restaurant with unremarkable but warm and clean decor.

Its seven or eight tables were already packed with customers, whose laughter rose amid the clinking of glasses.

The owner and several employees were busy in the kitchen, where flames from a Planetary Engine could be seen.

The owner's wife chatted with regular customers.

Steam bubbled up from the iron pan, and white mist carrying an enticing aroma drifted upward.

What sat before Nan Liujing was a Mountain City-style grilled fish remarkably similar to one from his previous life.

An iron pan sat on top, while a rack holding charcoal fire rested below. This kept the grilled fish in the pan constantly heated, allowing the stir-fried seasoning base to soak more deeply into the fish, filling it with flavor.

Nan Liujing looked at Ye Xinglan, who was already unable to wait any longer. "I didn't expect you to like grilled fish."

Ye Xinglan rubbed her hands together, looking like a seasoned gourmet. "Ordinary grilled fish isn't worthy of my attention. This restaurant specializes in the famous Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish. They say the owner even went to Grilled Fish Academy in Star Luo City for further training, so the flavor is absolutely authentic."

Na'er sat beside her, eager to try it. However, the fish had not absorbed enough flavor yet, so she could only widen her big eyes and wait quietly.

Nan Liujing said regretfully, "The grilled fish is good, but it has no soul."

Ye Xinglan blinked. "No soul?"

Ye Changming remained silent as he used the communal chopsticks to pick a piece of fish from the bottom, one that had absorbed some flavor, and placed it in Na'er's bowl.

Na'er's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled and began seriously working on the fish.

Nan Liujing asked, "You've never been to Star Luo City?"

"No." Ye Xinglan shook her head.

"No wonder you don't know." Nan Liujing nodded in realization.

Ye Xinglan asked quietly, "I heard from Dad that Uncle Sun lives in Star Luo City. Since you're his nephew, you must have seen authentic Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish. Is this restaurant not authentic?"

Nan Liujing did not explain. He casually searched on his phone and handed it to her. "Here. This is the authentic Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish."

Ye Xinglan leaned closer and saw a photo of a grilled fish restaurant. The grilled fish in the picture included fish skewered on iron sticks, each one not very large—only around half a pound to a pound. There were also fish like the one they were eating now, each weighing six or seven pounds, grilled first before being placed in an iron pan to simmer with stir-fried seasonings.

Ye Xinglan frowned. "Doesn't this restaurant also serve the kind of grilled fish we're eating, the kind that's grilled first and then simmered?"

"I mean the blackboard on the wall. That is the soul." Nan Liujing picked up a piece of fish and chewed it. Mm, pickled chili flavor—the exact same taste as in his previous life.

Those who practiced swordsmanship had extremely sharp eyes.

Ye Xinglan looked again. Once she finished reading it, she muttered, "The origin of Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish?"

"Legend has it that Tang Wutong, the wife of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, once fell ill and could not eat anything. Spirit Ice Douluo was frantic with worry. While making soup one day, he had a sudden idea and turned it into grilled fish. After his wife ate it, she was greatly amazed, and even her illness quickly recovered..."

Ye Xinglan read it word by word. By the end, she was completely dumbfounded and said in astonishment,

"What a familiar story. In Heaven Dou City, there's a flatbread shop with a similar blackboard hanging inside. Except the protagonist of that story is Spirit Ice Douluo's mother. Supposedly, Spirit Ice Douluo himself told it to someone. When he was young, he was neglected at the White Tiger Duke's Estate and could not even get enough to eat. His mother would secretly run to the kitchen every day, steal piping-hot flatbreads, hide them against her chest, and bring them to him. She even burned her chest because of it."

"Later, after Spirit Ice Douluo ascended, the story became too famous. Even today, some beginner Soul Master Academies require students to use this story in essays praising the greatness of mothers. So this is the soul you meant?"

"Yes." Nan Liujing's expression was strange. He had never expected the flatbread story to be passed down as well.

Just which genius had written that diary?

Ye Xinglan rolled her eyes. "I thought the soul you meant was cumin and chili powder. That's it?"

She was clearly disdainful of the stories Huo Yuhao had left behind and immediately changed the subject.

"Nan Liujing, you recognized me from the start, didn't you? That's why you deceived me with a fake name."

Nan Liujing looked at her fair, heroic oval face and corrected her with a smile. "You can't call it deception when it comes to Soul Masters. As a Soul Master, you must be cautious. Your name needs to be kept secret, just like your martial soul and soul skills. That is why I used another name."

"Why?" Having never encountered such things through her father, Ye Xinglan immediately became interested. This was much more interesting than Huo Yuhao's mother hiding flatbreads in her chest.

Nan Liujing put down his chopsticks and discussed it with her. "Let me tell you, some evil Soul Masters have martial souls in the form of blood-stained paper. If you reveal your name, they might write it down, and then you could suddenly become disfigured and start oozing pus. The outcome would be extremely tragic."

"Don't scare me." As a girl who cared about her appearance, Ye Xinglan shuddered at the thought of becoming disfigured and covered in oozing sores.

No. She absolutely did not want that.

"Big brother is lying to you."

Suddenly, Na'er, who had been focused solely on eating, spoke up.

Ye Xinglan froze and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean, lying to me?"

Nan Liujing immediately sensed trouble and prepared to stop Na'er, the queen of spilling secrets.

Ye Xinglan instantly swept a cold glance at him, stopping him.

Na'er's rosy little lips glistened with oil as she said in a soft, sweet voice, "Big brother used ghost stories to scare me before. After he scared me into crying, he comforted me and said those stories were all made up. So, big sister, you don't need to be afraid."

After learning that Na'er had a big appetite, Ye Xinglan had ordered several more fish, earning the foodie's goodwill.

Seeing her brother scaring someone again, Na'er the foodie immediately chose righteousness over family.

Ye Xinglan suddenly fell silent, her gaze dangerous.

Nan Liujing coughed dryly and pretended not to notice. "Na'er, this grilled fish is a little spicy. Once you finish what's in your bowl, you're not allowed to eat any more."

Hearing this, Na'er, who was holding her bowl and gnawing on a fish head, froze. Tears began appearing in her eyes.

Was it still too late to apologize?

Ye Xinglan could not stand it any longer. "How can you bully your own little sister like that?"

Na'er nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.

"We won't pay attention to him." Ye Xinglan smiled as she pinched Na'er's soft, bouncy cheeks. Then she declared grandly, "Just tell big sister whatever else you want to eat. I'm paying!"

"I want more pickled chili grilled fish." The tears in Na'er's eyes instantly vanished as she wildly praised her. "Big sister, you're so nice."

"Of course." Ye Xinglan lifted her fair chin, looking thoroughly proud.

Nan Liujing was helpless, but seeing how much more cheerful Na'er had become, a smile still appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Such Soul Masters really do exist."

Ye Changming suddenly spoke.

Ye Xinglan had been immersed in her little sister's praise. With the mood broken, she frowned. "Dad, why are you trying to scare people too?"

Ye Changming shook his head. "Killing with paper really has been recorded in history, though it was not as exaggerated as that. With your talents, you will eventually encounter things that ordinary people never do. Among them, you will inevitably encounter evil Soul Masters like that. Remember to be careful. Caution comes first. Even if you possess strength beyond your opponent's, you must not be careless."

When it came to serious matters, Ye Xinglan was still earnest. She said solemnly, "You have taught me that many times. Wasn't Xuan Zi, the first Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years ago and also the master of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy, exactly the sort of person you mean? Because he was careless, he was actually tricked by a Soul King despite being a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, and young Spirit Ice Douluo was taken away."

"If Spirit Ice Douluo had not been so tough, he might have died at the hands of that Evil Soul Master called the Death God Envoy. Without soul spirits, the Soul Master system would probably have faced serious problems by today, ten thousand years later."

Nan Liujing could not help giving Ye Xinglan another look. He had not expected her to know about events from ten thousand years ago.

First grilled fish, then flatbreads, and now Xuan Zi. Just which good person had recorded all this?

And besides.

Xuan Zi, you really were miserable. Even ten thousand years later, people were still dragging you out to beat a dead horse.

If Ye Changming had intentionally kept quiet earlier to let Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan chat and become more familiar with each other, then by the latter half of the meal, it had turned into an experienced elder Soul Master instructing two rookies on matters related to martial souls and soul skills.

Whether it was Nan Liujing's use of the Coiled Dragon Staff martial soul or Ye Xinglan's modified swordsmanship, he could point out both their strengths and weaknesses.

Under the warm lights, Na'er kept saying it was not spicy, though she was actually hissing from the heat, her little face flushed red. Even so, she did not stop eating.

Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan were like students who had entered a classroom.

A layer of Ye Changming's Spiritual Power enveloped their table, cutting off the noisy chatter of the other diners.

Outside the restaurant, the light rain had stopped, though the ground was still quite wet.

Every now and then, passersby with their hands in their pockets and their bodies shivering walked past.

There was no peace more serene than this.

Ye Xinglan's father was originally named Ye Tianqiong. I changed it.