A Method to Delay

"Come home with me!" Shui Xinrou said gently as she stood beside him.

"Okay!" Hearing the word "home," Liu Yanyang nodded.

He followed Shui Xinrou onto the carriage and set off for the Shui Mansion.

In the carriage, under Shui Xinrou's questioning, Liu Yanyang told her about how he had lived over the past two years.

When she heard that he had gone to Dragon Rising City all by himself, Shui Xinrou's eyes could not help reddening. At the same time, she was glad that Liu Yanyang had met Yang Wudi, a Senior who had been both teacher and friend to him.

After the carriage stopped before the gates of the Shui Mansion, Liu Yanyang followed Shui Xinrou down.

He saw two girls in blue cotton clothes standing before the gates. One stood quietly, while the other chattered nonstop.

Upon seeing who had stepped down from the carriage, the chattering girl immediately rushed over, threw herself into Shui Xinrou's arms, and said coquettishly.

"Auntie, you're finally back! Sister said we had to wait for you before eating!"

"You little glutton, are you hungry?" Shui Xinrou smiled as she gently stroked the girl's head.

Enjoying Shui Xinrou's caress, the girl's eyes curved into crescents, her smile bright and radiant.

But when she spotted Liu Yanyang behind Shui Xinrou, she immediately broke free from the embrace, ran before him, and blinked her bright eyes.

"Big brother, you're so handsome!"

Liu Yanyang was somewhat stunned. From what he had just seen, he had already vaguely guessed her identity.

Now, her manner and tone confirmed it—Shui Yue'er, the lovestruck girl from the original story and Shui Bing'er's older sister.

"Alright, stop making trouble, Yue'er." Shui Xinrou said helplessly.

Shui Yue'er pouted unhappily and ran over to Shui Bing'er. "Sister, Sister, I wasn't wrong! He really is so handsome!"

"Be good, Yue'er." Shui Bing'er stroked Shui Yue'er's head, then walked to Shui Xinrou's side and called her mother.

Then she looked at Liu Yanyang, her tone somewhat cool. "Long time no see."

Liu Yanyang felt a little awkward and scratched his head. "Long time no see, Miss Shui Bing'er."

Seeing how unusual the two were acting, Shui Xinrou felt puzzled. Her daughter was not usually like this, so why had she suddenly changed today?

Then she remembered that this was only their second meeting. It was normal for them to act a little oddly; not everyone could be as naturally familiar as Shui Yue'er!

"Let's eat first," Shui Xinrou said.

The group then headed toward the dining room...

During dinner, Shui Xinrou asked questions and Liu Yanyang answered them. Shui Yue'er occasionally chimed in to liven up the atmosphere, while Shui Bing'er listened silently at the side.

After dinner, Shui Yue'er ran off to play in the courtyard. Shui Xinrou usually kept her in check, but now that no one was watching her for once, she naturally had to enjoy herself.

Shui Xinrou went into the kitchen to cut fruit, leaving only Liu Yanyang and Shui Bing'er in the living room. The two sat facing each other on the sofa.

Neither spoke, as if by mutual understanding, and the atmosphere gradually became strange. In the end, Shui Bing'er was the first to lose her patience.

"Can you tell me your Soul Power Level?"

"A few days ago, I broke through to Level 25," Liu Yanyang answered calmly.

Shui Bing'er's face filled with shock. She could hardly believe it, and her mood sank.

She was only Level 19 now, and that was due to special circumstances.

She felt dejected. They were clearly the same age, both possessed top-tier Martial Souls, and their Innate Soul Power differed by only one level. She had already cultivated so diligently, so why was the gap between them so great?

Seeing Shui Bing'er's low spirits, Liu Yanyang comforted her. "I encountered a special opportunity, which is why my cultivation progressed so quickly."

But Shui Bing'er did not take it in and remained lost in self-doubt.

Suddenly, for some unknown reason, Shui Bing'er's Martial Soul manifested behind her. Soul power surged around her, cold air spilled outward, and layers of ice formed over the sofa and floor.

She began to tremble, pain appearing on her face. Shui Xinrou, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw this scene.

Dropping the fruit platter in her hands, she hurried to Shui Bing'er's side. Soul power surged around her as she directly channeled it into Shui Bing'er's body.

Before long, the abnormality subsided. Shui Bing'er collapsed weakly onto the sofa, while Shui Xinrou slowly continued to supply her with soul power. Once she saw that Shui Bing'er's body was no longer trembling, she withdrew her soul power.

"This... what is this?" Liu Yanyang asked in confusion.

"Ever since you told Bing'er last time that having her absorb the Soul Ring of a phoenix subspecies Soul Beast could promote Martial Soul Evolution."

"I thought the method was feasible, so I found a four-hundred-year-old Condensing Water Flying Luan deep within Ice Seal Forest."

"After absorbing it, Bing'er's Martial Soul did become a little more solid, and she also gained a powerful soul skill—Ice Seal, a single-target, instant-cast control-type soul skill."

"But ever since then, Bing'er's Martial Soul has manifested and gone berserk from time to time. Each time, we can only suppress it with soul power."

"Yet every outburst places an enormous burden on her body and may damage her foundation. The benefit is that after each outburst ends, her soul power increases drastically. That is why Bing'er was already Level 19 in soul power at eight years old!"

Shui Xinrou spoke helplessly. She had tried every method she could think of, but she was completely out of options.

After hearing Shui Xinrou's words, Liu Yanyang sank into thought. It seemed the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul wanted to evolve, so it had begun going berserk to absorb the energy of heaven and earth.

But that would also damage Shui Bing'er's meridians. At present, the only solution was to use the Nine Treasure Purple Ganoderma that Gangzi had used in the original story.

But if I went to take it now, Dugu Bo would probably kill me. There was no way I could run up to him and say, "Old man, you're poisoned. Trade your immortal herbs with me, and I'll tell you how to cure it!"

This method would not work for now, so Liu Yanyang could only try another approach. He turned to Shui Xinrou and said, "Aunt Shui, I don't have a way to solve it for the moment, but I can lessen Shui Bing'er's pain when her condition flares up."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Shui Xinrou.

Looking at the whale rubber in her hand, Shui Xinrou gazed at Liu Yanyang in confusion. If she had not known that the child would not act without reason, she would have flared up long ago.

"Whale rubber is highly nourishing for Soul Masters. It strengthens the body and enhances the endurance of the muscles, bones, and meridians," Liu Yanyang said calmly.

He then summoned his Martial Soul, and one yellow and one purple Soul Ring gleamed beneath his feet.

"A... a thousand-year second ring!" Shui Xinrou's face was filled with shock. Shui Bing'er, who had recovered somewhat, was equally stunned.

"After a Soul Master absorbs whale rubber, their physical constitution will improve, and the age limit of the Soul Rings they can absorb will also increase."

"So, Aunt Shui, don't spread this matter around," Liu Yanyang said earnestly.

Shui Xinrou also understood the danger involved. She then said gently, "Thank you, Xiao Yang. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do about Bing'er!"

Shui Bing'er beside her also revealed a smile, though her face was somewhat pale.

Liu Yanyang waved his hand and said, "Melt the whale rubber into liquid with fire. Have her soak in ice water, then swallow it directly, since whale rubber has side effects."

"There's no need to thank me. Miss Bing'er once saved me, so consider this repayment. Aunt Shui, you should let Miss Bing'er take the whale rubber first. We can discuss the rest afterward."

Shui Xinrou nodded and took Shui Bing'er back to her room. Now, only the matter of the Soul Ring remained. Liu Yanyang fell into thought.