Sunset Forest

That night, he had a wonderful dream. In it, he became a great villain and drove the protagonist, Tang San, to ruin, making his life as miserable as could be.

When Lin Ye woke up the next morning, he still felt the dream hadn't gone far enough.

Never mind. I'll just make the things from my dream a reality someday.

In his previous life, Lin Ye had loved eating noodles, and after coming to Douluo Continent, he'd carried on that fine tradition.

In the room, Lin Ye, Snow Empress, and Ice Empress each had a steaming bowl of noodles in front of them. That was their breakfast, and Lin Ye was slurping his down with gusto.

Seeing him, Ice Empress imitated his movements. She picked up her chopsticks and stirred the noodles around in her bowl. She managed to lift a few with her chopsticks, only for them to quickly fall back into the bowl.

No matter how she tried, she just couldn't pick up the noodles. Her movements were incredibly awkward.

Ice Empress scrunched up her little face, looking very troubled.

When Lin Ye noticed, he almost burst out laughing.

The sight reminded him of Journey to the West. Sun Wukong had been just as clumsy the first time he tried to eat noodles.

That was how it went for people who'd never used chopsticks before. Westerners were the same way—they didn't know how to use them either.

Then he looked at Snow Empress, who was also holding her chopsticks helplessly.

Well, that was understandable. After all, they were Soul Beasts.

"Okay, Bing'er, stop stirring. I'll teach you how to use chopsticks." Lin Ye couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Ice Empress froze. "What did you call me? And who's your sister? Don't call me that."

Lin Ye ignored her and began teaching the two women how to use chopsticks.

"Watch my hands. First, hold two chopsticks in your right hand and place one between your index and middle fingers. Then rest the bottom of that chopstick against your thumb so it stays firmly in your hand. This chopstick doesn't move when you use it.

"Place the other chopstick between your thumb and index finger, resting its end against the first joint of your ring finger. This chopstick can move when you use it. Use your index and middle fingers to control its movement, like this..."

Lin Ye explained as he demonstrated, while the two women listened attentively.

They understood the lesson, but their hands wouldn't cooperate. Ice Empress tried several times and still couldn't get it right. In the end, she tossed her chopsticks onto the table and gave up.

The next moment, several noodles floated out of her bowl. Ice Empress tilted her head back and opened her mouth, and the noodles flew right in.

Lin Ye: "..."

So that was an option? Who would've thought Ice Empress had such a playful side?

Compared to Ice Empress's clumsy efforts, Snow Empress picked it up much faster. Her movements were still a little awkward, but at least she could manage to pick up the noodles.

They finished their meal in high spirits. Then the three of them set off, leaving the town behind and heading for Sunset Forest.

They stopped along the way from time to time. On the morning of the third day, the three of them finally spotted the outline of Heaven Dou City in the distance.

"There are so many buildings. It looks really prosperous," Ice Empress said, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Ye knew she was craving food again. After spending several days with her, he'd learned all about Ice Empress's appetite.

"Okay, we have business to take care of first. When we get back, I'll take you to eat something delicious."

Ice Empress nodded enthusiastically.

The three of them passed over Heaven Dou City and continued on their way. In less than half an hour, they arrived at Sunset Forest.

They flew over Sunset Forest in full view, but not a single Soul Beast was foolish enough to get in their way.

Along the way, Lin Ye also saw several groups of people wearing the same uniforms from Soul Master Academies.

In a valley at the heart of Sunset Forest sat an extraordinarily strange hot spring.

Unlike an ordinary hot spring, it wasn't very large, but it was divided into two distinct sections. The water in its oval-shaped pool was milky white on one side and vermilion on the other.

Even stranger, though both sections occupied the same pool, their waters remained clearly divided, never encroaching on one another and always staying on their own sides.

Billowing steam rose from the spring and only began to disperse when it reached the mouth of the valley.

Just then, a thin old man with dark green hair and beard, dressed in fine clothes, slowly emerged from a cave not far from the hot spring.

The old man didn't seem to be in good shape. His emerald-green eyes were dull, and his frail body trembled slightly, as if he were enduring some unbearable pain.

A girl of about twelve or thirteen followed not far behind him.

She had delicate features and a youthful look, but a graceful figure. In particular, as she walked, her fair legs moved beneath her, and her slender waist swayed with a softness that seemed almost boneless. It gave her an unusual beauty.

The girl had been looking around with interest, but when she noticed that the old man's clothes were soaked through, her expression changed at once. She hurried over to him and asked anxiously,

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

As she spoke, she quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Grandpa's fine. I'm just getting old, and I'm not as strong as I used to be." The old man chuckled warmly and gently patted the girl's unusual short purple hair. He quickly changed the subject, seeming reluctant to talk about his condition.

"Yanyan, you're twelve now. In a little while, Grandpa will send you to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. You're a young girl; you can't stay cooped up in these mountains with an old man like me forever."

Seeing how relaxed he looked and remembering how strong her grandfather was, the girl didn't think much of it. She hugged one of his arms and sweetly pleaded, "Grandpa, Yanyan doesn't want to go anywhere. I'll stay here and keep you company!"

"..."

"Grandpa?" Her grandfather hadn't answered for a long time, so the girl looked up at him in confusion.

To her surprise, his expression was terribly grave. In all her years, she'd never seen him look so serious—or perhaps nervous was a better word.

There was no time to explain. The old man gathered his Soul Power and abruptly pushed the girl into the cave.

"Yanyan, go back inside. No matter what you hear, don't come out. Remember that."

Before the girl could respond, the old man leaped into the air and sped toward the mouth of the valley.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye and the two women had arrived at the outskirts of the valley.

When he saw the green poisonous mist ahead, Lin Ye knew they'd come to the right place.

The Ice Fire Yin Yang Well was currently occupied by Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. To keep Soul Beasts from entering, Dugu Bo had set up a Poison Array around the perimeter of the well.

With the Poison Array in place, Soul Beasts wouldn't dare approach.

The three of them headed into the Poison Array. Lin Ye held a large flower in his hand. It was pale pink, with no leaves and a stem three feet long. The flower was enormous, over a foot across, and each petal looked as translucent as crystal. As Lin Ye walked, the pale pink bloom swayed gently.

Its pale purple stamens looked like clusters of purple diamonds, and it gave off a faint, enchanting fragrance, like the natural scent of a young woman.

This flower was the Aromatic Silk Beauty. It was the bane of all poisons, capable of neutralizing every kind of toxin. It couldn't cure poison itself, but it could suppress it.