She Really Was a Block of Wood

"This way? You're looking for a Blood-Sucking Vine?"

Dugu Bo followed behind Tang Ling, who was leading the way. Looking at the increasingly dense grass ahead, he asked in a low voice.

"Yes. When a Blood-Sucking Vine uses its spirit skill, its movements are subtle, and its blood-sucking usually goes unnoticed. It suits A-Xuan's martial soul very well." Tang Ling kept walking without turning her head as she replied.

Dugu Bo nodded at her words, then looked at Tang Ling in astonishment. "You seem never to have mentioned what martial souls that Third Brother kid has, have you? Tell me. This old man can help you weigh the options." As he spoke, he revealed a smug smile.

Tang Ling paused when she heard him. She really had never told him. Thinking of that, she immediately replied, "A-Xuan's second martial soul is the Fingertip Blade. You should know the short dagger martial soul—the Fingertip Blade is a mutation of it. As the name suggests, the blade is very small and suited for assassination."

"I see. Then the Blood-Sucking Vine really is a good fit. The reason its attacks go unnoticed is because when they land on someone, only the wound can be seen, but no blood seeps out. The blood is rapidly coagulated by its poison, and the wound is numbed so the victim feels no pain." Dugu Bo nodded to himself, then explained it to Dugu Yan and the others following behind him.

After finishing, he grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Tang Ling. "Not bad, girl Ling. You know your junior brother's martial soul so well."

Tang Ling could not understand his strange expression. She rolled her eyes at him, then looked at him with some pride. "Of course. I raised A-Xuan. I understand him best."

"Then you really are a good senior sister!" Dugu Bo glanced at Tang San behind them, whose smile carried a trace of bitterness, and gave Tang Ling a teasing grin.

Tang Ling did not understand what he meant, but she felt it was not a compliment. She raised her arm and smacked him, then quickly walked ahead amid Dugu Bo's angry shout.

Time passed quietly as they traveled on foot. After a while, Tang Ling led everyone to a stop outside a patch of grass.

"An eight-hundred-and-fifty-year Blood-Sucking Vine—won't that be too high? How many years was the third Spirit Ring of his first martial soul?" Dugu Bo looked at the menacing vines in the distance and asked worriedly.

"Not too high. The Fingertip Blade's second Spirit Ring is four hundred and fifty years old. The Five Elements Faceless Disc's third Spirit Ring is twelve hundred years old. It's well balanced, so there's no need to worry." Tang Ling smiled at him, then turned to look at the vine more than three meters tall and as thick as a tree trunk. She decisively summoned her martial soul.

As a silent chill descended, an icy-blue Bladeless Sword hovered before Tang Ling.

"It's actually the Ice Phoenix Sword!" Dugu Bo stared at the martial soul in her hand, confirming it several times before crying out in amazement.

No wonder those Third Brother kids said she was formidable. With such a powerful martial soul, of course she was formidable. But what was going on with her spiritual sense? Was she also someone with Twin Martial Souls?

Dugu Bo's thoughts churned. When he realized he could not figure it out, he decisively gave up and turned his attention back to Tang Ling.

Tang Ling looked at the grotesque Blood-Sucking Vine, swung her sword with one hand, and leaped into the air.

Crack—!

A solid sword radiance, radiating cold air, flashed swiftly through the air. The Blood-Sucking Vine was severed at the waist and fell to the ground.

Dugu Bo looked at the neatly cut Blood-Sucking Vine, which had not sprayed a single drop of "blood," and gave Tang Ling a thumbs-up. "Not bad, girl Ling. You didn't even use a spirit skill and took care of it so easily. Titled Douluo definitely won't be your end point."

Tang Ling put away her sword at his words, smiled, and blinked at him with a sly look. "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key!"

Then she called out to Tang San, "A-Xuan, come quickly. Senior Sister will protect you."

Tang San took a dagger from his storage space and stabbed it into the Blood-Sucking Vine's roots. The Blood-Sucking Vine died instantly and transformed into a Spirit Ring.

Tang San put away his dagger and gave Tang Ling an obedient smile before sitting cross-legged to begin absorbing the Spirit Ring.

Tang Ling stood quietly beside him, guarding him.

Having been thoroughly impressed by Tang Ling's coolness, Dugu Yan grabbed Ning Rongrong and leaned in close to whisper with her. Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, hesitated for a moment, then joined the discussion as well.

Not far away, Dugu Bo stood beside Tang Ling and watched them with a cheerful smile, his expression filled with emotion. "Sect Master Ning really knows how to raise children. My Yan'er has never been this close to anyone before. Yet after only half a day, they're already holding hands and whispering face-to-face."

"Indeed. Rongrong was raised very well. She has such a lively, cheerful personality. Without her, I truly don't know how my team would have come together." Tang Ling nodded in agreement.

She considered herself somewhat charismatic, but communication was essential for people to get along. She was used to taking the lead, but fooling around and playing together like that was something she truly could not do.

"Tsk." Dugu Bo glanced at her and clicked his tongue. "Stop speaking in that tone. It makes you sound so old!"

"Then you should stop joking around and picking on people. You sound very childish!" Tang Ling rolled her eyes at him.

In the half day since meeting this old rascal, she had rolled her eyes more times than she had in the previous several years. Talking to him always made her unable to control her temper.

"Heh!" Dugu Bo sneered at her words and said no more.

He shifted his gaze to Tang San, who sat cross-legged on the ground, and secretly prayed that the Third Brother kid would fail to win her over and become depressed, so that girl Ling would have a chance to comfort him.

Then he quietly spat to the side. Better not pray recklessly. What if it actually came true, and girl Ling flew into a rage and took it out on innocent bystanders?

He should still let the kid win her over. Although he would not be able to control girl Ling either way, at least she would have something to hold her back.

With that thought, Dugu Bo gave Tang San a kindly, benevolent smile.

Then, the moment Tang San opened his eyes after absorbing the Spirit Ring, he saw Dugu Bo's strange expression.

He shivered and quickly looked away, turning to Tang Ling. "Senior Sister, I did not disappoint you. This Spirit Ring's spirit skill is exactly what we expected."

"Then show us!" Tang Ling smiled at him and blinked.

Tang San's ears immediately reddened. He sprang to his feet and summoned his martial soul.

"Fingertip Blade, third spirit skill, See Blood Seal Throat!"

The moment his words fell, a delicate little blade gleaming with cold light appeared at Tang San's fingertips.

As a yellow hundred-and-twenty-year Spirit Ring descended, the Fingertip Blade shot out. After slicing open the neck of a bird in the distance, it flew back and was steadily caught between Tang San's fingers.

"Not a single drop of blood came out!" Ning Rongrong picked up the bird that had fallen to the ground, her face full of delight. "This is just like Lingling's spirit skill. Neither of them makes anyone bleed."

"Indeed. It will definitely be very suitable for coordinating in battle later." Tang San smiled and turned back to Tang Ling.

Tang Ling nodded in satisfaction and patted his head with a pleased expression. "Then A-Xuan, work hard at cultivating. Strive to be able to coordinate with Senior Sister."

"Mm! I'll definitely work hard!" Tang San nodded heavily, his face filled with the joy of being acknowledged.

Watching the two interact, Dugu Bo quietly sidled up to Xue Qingxi and asked in a low voice, "Have those two always gotten along like this?"

Xue Qingxi smiled at him without saying a word, but nodded with complete honesty.

"Then she really is a block of wood." Dugu Bo looked at Tang Ling with an unfathomable expression. He was then met with agreement from Ning Rongrong and Xue Qingxi.

Neither of them said anything, but they nodded furiously at Dugu Bo with expressions of complete agreement.

Although Dugu Bo was puzzled by why they were not speaking, he did not dwell on it. He secretly wondered when Tang Ling would finally realize it.

When Ning Rongrong saw that Dugu Bo did not mind, she exchanged a glance with Xue Qingxi and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the senior did not care, so they did not need to explain.

As for why they did not speak—

Heh! Ever since Third Brother, that bastard, discovered that Lingling/Senior Sister truly did not understand his feelings,

anyone who gossiped behind his back about him and Tang Ling would be dragged off for special training! Neither of them wanted to go! They could only communicate through tacit understanding.

But that did not diminish their love of gossip.

Ning Rongrong and Xue Qingxi exchanged a glance, then smiled as they looked at the two gazing at each other in the distance, sighing endlessly.