Kindhearted Ah Yin

Zhao Linchuan instinctively pressed his right hand to his chest. He could clearly "see" twelve strange strands of Origin Power entwined deep within his heart. They... seemed to be the origin power of various elements...

They pulsed quietly, conveying an indescribable sense of control—as though, if he wished, he could command every kind of elemental force in the world and even draw upon elemental power without limit to replenish himself.

Unfortunately, this great power far exceeded his current level. For now, he could only passively enjoy some of the mysterious benefits it brought.

"Was it that 'Immortal Herb' I swallowed back then?" Zhao Linchuan gave a bitter smile, then shook his head and rejected the term. "No. How could an Immortal Herb possess such heaven-defying fortune?"

"Calling it a 'Sacred Medicine' would be more fitting..." He stretched his limbs, feeling the power surging through his body, and mocked himself. "What was this? A blessing in disguise?"

"But thanks to this accident, I was finally able to completely refine that Sacred Medicine."

Before the thought had faded, the door was gently pushed open.

A young girl with long silver-blue hair walked in, holding an illustrated book titled After He Saved Me, I Roamed the World with Him.

When she saw Zhao Linchuan sitting up, a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.

"You're awake?" She walked over to the table, set down the book, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to him. "You were unconscious for ten whole days. If you hadn't still been breathing, I would have thought you..."

Her voice was gentle, carrying a hint of concern.

Zhao Linchuan accepted the cup, his gaze lingering briefly on her. She is... Ah Yin?

The nearly solid phantom of the Blue Silver Emperor that flickered behind her had nowhere to hide from his eyes.

Without revealing anything, he drained the warm water in one gulp, soothing his dry throat. "Did you save me, miss?"

Ah Yin nodded. "Yes, but Little Stone and his Uncle, Shi Shan, were the first to find you."

"They pulled you from the river while they were fishing."

"Otherwise..." She did not continue, merely shaking her head lightly.

"Little Stone... Shi Shan..." Zhao Linchuan silently remembered the two names, then clasped his hands solemnly. "I am Zhao Linchuan. I will remember your lifesaving grace, miss. One day, I will surely repay it generously."

His solemn manner amused Ah Yin, and she covered her mouth as she laughed softly. "My name is Ah Yin. Yin, as in Blue Silver Grass."

"I didn't save you for repayment. No matter who it was, even if it were only an injured Soft Bone Rabbit, I would still save it."

"Your heart is truly kind, miss. I admire you," Zhao Linchuan said sincerely.

He looked outside, and the long-missed sunlight stirred a yearning in his heart.

Seeing this, Ah Yin smiled. "You should get some sun after just waking up. I'll accompany you for a walk."

She naturally reached out to support Zhao Linchuan by the arm and slowly walked him out of the little house.

The village was not large, and Ah Yin was extremely well-liked. Every elderly villager they met greeted her warmly and enthusiastically invited her to eat with them.

Ah Yin declined each invitation, using the need to care for a patient as her reason.

As they strolled through the fields, green light flickered at Ah Yin's fingertips. A strand of Soul Power brimming with Life Force flowed into a small patch of wilted wheat seedlings, and they instantly straightened up again, bursting with vitality.

Zhao Linchuan watched with a smile. "Miss Ah Yin's Soul Power is filled with the breath of life. This village flourishes because of you."

His words were like a stone cast into a still lake, sending ripples through Ah Yin's heart.

Human Soul Masters had always regarded Soul Power solely as a tool for battle. Never had anyone so precisely revealed the origin of her strength.

The feeling of being understood warmed her heart.

She instinctively brushed aside the Strands of hair hanging down and asked, "Young Master Zhao, you... seem to be a very powerful Soul Master?"

Her Blue Silver Emperor talent allowed her to vaguely sense the astonishing power hidden within Zhao Linchuan, but she was confident that unless he was a Titled Douluo, he would not be able to see through her disguise.

Zhao Linchuan nodded frankly. "By luck, I broke through to level eighty. I only lack a Soul Ring now."

Ah Yin's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Zhao Linchuan's overly youthful face. "Heavens! How old are you, Young Master Zhao? You're already level eighty?"

Zhao Linchuan smiled calmly. "I have been in this world for sixteen years."

"Sixteen years? Even if you could cultivate from the moment you were born, you couldn't possibly reach level eighty in sixteen years!"

"Could you be a Shapeshifting Soul Beast? No, that can't be right. Even a Shapeshifting Soul Beast couldn't..." She shook her head repeatedly, feeling as though everything she knew had been overturned.

Zhao Linchuan spoke with a hint of mystery. "Perhaps I really was able to cultivate from the moment I was born?"

Ah Yin sighed, somewhat self-mocking. "Even so, sixteen years... is still far too astonishing."

"I thought my talent was decent, but only after meeting you today did I realize there is always someone greater."

"You've truly dealt me a blow."

Zhao Linchuan chuckled. "Look on the bright side. Maybe I'm an old monster with the means to preserve my youth?"

"You'd better be," Ah Yin said with feigned annoyance. "Otherwise, you'll discourage me so much that I won't want to cultivate anymore."

At that moment, Zhao Linchuan's gaze suddenly sharpened as he turned toward the path outside the village.

Two burly, fierce-looking men were striding toward the village.

The Tang Hao brothers? This was where they encountered Ah Yin? Zhao Linchuan's thoughts raced. He glanced at Ah Yin, who was supporting him, then abruptly changed the subject and pointed at an ancient tree in the distance, its gnarled branches twisted together and its bark split like scales. "Ah Yin, look at that Dragon Scale Pine."

Ah Yin followed his gaze, somewhat puzzled. "Hm? What about it?"

There was a peculiar depth in Zhao Linchuan's voice. "Look at it. It has taken root here for hundreds of years, its roots driven deep into the earth veins, its branches strong and twisted, its bark as sturdy as dragon scales."

"To ordinary people, it may simply be an ancient, resilient tree. They might think its foundation is deep and that no common wind or rain could shake it in the slightest."

His meaningful gaze swept over Ah Yin, as though he were looking through her at something else. His tone became low and cautionary.

"But in the eyes of certain beings with 'sharp sight,' this body, weathered by wind and frost and containing the essence of countless years, is precisely the most conspicuous and alluring 'treasure.'"

"The deeper its foundation and the purer its aura, the more easily it may... attract unexpected scrutiny and covetousness."

"Not every danger comes from the wind and rain one can see."

Ah Yin's heart jolted violently at those words!

She instinctively sensed that Zhao Linchuan's words carried another meaning. He was absolutely not merely discussing a tree.

"Sharp sight," "treasure," "deep foundation," "pure aura," "scrutiny and covetousness"... Those words struck against her heart like little hammers, making her think of herself at once!

She had disguised herself well. In the ten years since coming to the human world, no one had discovered anything unusual about her.

Could it be... Could someone truly see through her?

Uneasy and doubtful, she looked at Zhao Linchuan, trying to find an answer in his expression. "Young Master Zhao... what do you mean by that?"