The Gratitude of the Ye Family Mother and Daughter

"A dignified Soul King, yet he only had this much money."

After dealing with the Fire Leopard Soul Master, Lin Mu gave him a quick search. Aside from a pouch containing a few hundred Gold Soul Coins, all that remained was an identity token.

He was a Soul King expert from the Fire Leopard Sect, yet he did not even have a Storage Soul Tool. That was truly shabby.

Just as Lin Mu was looting the body, Ye Miaoyun walked over with Ye Lingling in tow.

"Thank you, benefactor, for saving us."

Only after drawing closer did Ye Miaoyun realize that her benefactor was astonishingly young, nowhere near the at-least-twenty-something man she had imagined.

He had short dark-brown hair, neatly styled and sharp-looking. His bangs naturally swept to one side, making him appear clean-cut and energetic, without the slightest bit of sloppiness.

His features were well-defined, his nose high and straight, and his eyes bright as torches—sometimes gentle, sometimes sharp.

He looked no older than eighteen or nineteen.

To have reached the Soul Ancestor realm at such an age and even killed a Soul King across ranks, his talent was unquestionably among the very best.

After placing the spoils into his Storage Soul Tool, Lin Mu turned to look at Ye Miaoyun.

She wore white Palace Attire, with breathtaking beauty and a gentle, ethereal temperament. She was like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting, making people unable to resist looking at her a few more times.

Being stared at so directly by a man more than ten years younger than her, Ye Miaoyun's eyes flashed with a trace of embarrassment.

A moment later, Lin Mu withdrew his gaze and chuckled. "There's no need for verbal thanks. Why not give me something practical instead?"

"Benefactor, I only have this much Gold Soul Coin on me. Please do not find it too little."

Ye Miaoyun took out a money pouch from her Storage Soul Tool and stuffed it into Lin Mu's hand. It was clearly twice as heavy as the Fire Leopard Soul Master's pouch.

"Oh, I really shouldn't."

Though he said that, his hands did not hesitate in the slightest as he immediately placed it into his Storage Soul Tool.

Lin Mu's Storage Soul Tool was a wristguard with less than five cubic meters of storage space, but it was already the most valuable thing he owned.

Seeing this seamless series of movements, both Ye Miaoyun and Ye Lingling were left utterly dumbfounded.

Ye Miaoyun stepped forward and asked, "Benefactor, you appear to be under twenty, yet you are already a Soul Ancestor expert. Do you come from some great family?"

Not only was his talent far beyond ordinary people, but he could also defeat a Soul King across ranks. He did not seem like a commoner Soul Master at all.

Although his Martial Soul was somewhat strange and did not resemble the inherited Martial Soul of any great family, it could not be ruled out that it was a Mutated Martial Soul.

Even if an ordinary Martial Soul mutated, it would be difficult for it to become this powerful.

Judging solely from his performance in the battle just now, this Mutated Martial Soul was absolutely top-tier, not inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer or the Seven Kill Sword in the slightest.

There was also one crucial point: he knew full well that his opponent came from a major sect like the Fire Leopard Sect, yet he still dared to act. He clearly had some backing.

"I'm just an ordinary Soul Master. What family could I possibly have?" Lin Mu said calmly.

At that, shock flashed through Ye Miaoyun's eyes. This was completely beyond her expectations.

Ye Lingling suddenly poked her head out from behind her mother and said shyly, "Benefactor big brother is so amazing. How could you possibly be an ordinary Soul Master?"

Lin Mu paused, then shifted his gaze to Ye Lingling. She was around one and a half meters tall, with delicate and lovely features. Though she was only about ten years old, she already looked like a young girl.

This was not surprising. Soul Masters matured quickly to begin with; Ma Hongjun had long since become a regular at brothels.

"My name is Lin Mu. You don't have to keep calling me benefactor. It feels a little strange."

"Big Brother Lin Mu~"

Ye Lingling called out sweetly, her voice soft and clear.

Hearing that form of address, Lin Mu inexplicably felt a twinge of guilt. After all, he had just extorted a huge sum from them.

"Benefactor, I am Ye Miaoyun, head of the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family. This is my daughter, Ye Lingling."

Ye Miaoyun still did not change how she addressed him. Calling her benefactor by name felt somewhat improper, and she could not call him big brother like her daughter did.

At that, understanding flashed through Lin Mu's eyes. This was almost exactly what he had guessed.

"You should be here to hunt for Soul Rings, right?"

As he said this, Lin Mu suddenly remembered something—his disciple was still hanging from a tree.

Without waiting for Ye Miaoyun and Ye Lingling to answer, Lin Mu leaped back onto the top of the tree from earlier and brought Tang San down.

"Master, I thought you had forgotten about me."

"How could that be? I was doing this to train you, so you could see how your master deals with enemies." Lin Mu said with a straight face.

Although that explanation was somewhat perfunctory, Tang San did not mind. From the battle just now, he had indeed felt how formidable his master was.

More importantly, his master showed no mercy whatsoever toward enemies. That happened to align perfectly with his own views.

"This is your disciple?"

Hearing their conversation, Ye Miaoyun asked in disbelief.

For someone Lin Mu's age to have already taken a disciple was practically unheard of. His strength was certainly sufficient, but he was too young. He was still in the golden period of his own cultivation, so where would he find the energy to teach a disciple?

If he did not have a cheat, Lin Mu definitely would not have done this.

At his current cultivation speed, he could raise his Soul Power by roughly Level Three Soul Power each year, and it would most likely become slower and slower later on.

If he continued cultivating like this, six years would at most bring him to the Soul Emperor realm.

Although that speed was already outrageously fast in the eyes of ordinary people, it was still somewhat lacking for Lin Mu.

If he wanted to reach the Soul Sage realm within six years, he could only rely on his cheat.

Unless a God Inheritance was delivered right to his doorstep. Although the gods of this world were somewhat lackluster, the Soul Power rewards were real. First Level Soul Power could save months or even years of cultivation.

The only God Inheritances known publicly were those of the Sea God and the Angel God.

The Sea God was thousands of miles away. Setting aside the dangers of the journey and the difficulty of the trials, judging by his Martial Soul's attributes alone, it was impossible for him to gain the Sea God's recognition. At most, he could receive a red-level trial.

Put nicely, one would become the successor to the Great Worship of Sea God Island. In reality, one would merely become a puppet on strings.

There was even less need to mention the Angel God's inheritance. It could be said to be passed down through a single lineage; only a Six-winged Angel could accept the inheritance.

"That's right. This is my disciple, Tang San. I brought him here specifically to hunt his first Soul Ring."

At that, a strange look flashed through Ye Miaoyun's eyes. This child seemed to have awakened only a few months ago, yet his Innate Soul Power had to be at least level eight or higher.

As long as he was properly nurtured, he would at least become a Soul Douluo expert in the future.

"A few days ago, Lingling broke through to level twenty. To hunt her Soul Ring, I brought several family servants and even specifically hired a Soul King expert. I never expected that we would nearly bring disaster upon ourselves."

As she said this, Ye Miaoyun's gaze darkened.

Other auxiliary-system Soul Masters had at least some ability to protect themselves, but Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters could only heal. No matter how high their cultivation was, they still needed someone to protect them at close range.

At that, Lin Mu immediately understood. No wonder that Fire Leopard Soul Master had so much blood on him.