"Tianheng? What are you doing here?"
Dugu Yan's delighted voice came from behind him, but Yu Tianheng didn't turn around. He kept glaring warily at Shen Feng.
"Tell me, who are you, and why did you attack Yanzi in the street?"
"If you don't talk, you die!"
Yu Tianheng's voice was thick with anger. It seemed Shen Feng's 'attack' on Dugu Yan had hit a nerve.
"Whoosh~~."
Just then, a golden-haired male Soul Master with wings on his back let out a long cry from high above, circling over the street and showing no sign of leaving.
Right after that, three men and a woman hurried over from the street Yu Tianheng had rushed out of earlier.
At the front was a black-clad Soul Master with a pale face and a slender build. His entire body was covered in sleek, glossy black fur, and his beastlike eyes were vertical slits. A bloodthirsty glint shone in his gaze as he looked at Shen Feng.
Behind him came two burly men who looked almost identical and wore tortoiseshells. They were protecting a young woman in black.
There wasn't much to say about the two men. From their looks, they were clearly tortoise-type Soul Masters with exceptionally strong defenses. They weren't very tall, not even 1.7 meters, and had short, stout limbs. Their stocky builds gave people a reassuring feeling.
But the young woman in black they were guarding captured Shen Feng's full attention the instant she appeared.
She was slender and graceful, her curves accentuated by her black outfit. A delicate black veil covered her face, fluttering in the wind as she ran and revealing glimpses of her lovely features, enough to spark the imagination.
A cascade of deep-blue hair fell down her back like a waterfall. It was like a clear stream in a murky world, drifting behind her as she ran and stirring a ripple in the heart.
Her beautiful eyes, the same shade as her hair, revealed no emotion. They were as cool as water and as clear as the sky, with a hint of loneliness and melancholy that made people instinctively feel for her.
The moment Shen Feng looked at her, the young woman seemed to sense it. Her brows knitted slightly, and she turned to meet his gaze.
Then, escorted by the two obnoxious 'gatekeeper' guards, she hurried straight to where Dugu Yan stood and joined her side. With her teammates, she warily watched Shen Feng, whose body was covered in strange 'tattoos.'
All of Dugu Yan's teammates had arrived. Six pairs of eyes, all but Dugu Yan's, warily watched Shen Feng and his strange 'tattoos.'
In their eyes, anyone with a Martial Soul Possession form they'd never seen before was bound to be tough to deal with.
And the fact that he'd chased their strongest member, Dugu Yan, only deepened their wariness.
"Kid, whoever you are, you attacked our teammate in the street. You're leaving your life here today."
The black-clad young man with beastlike eyes stood in the shadow behind Yu Tianheng, hunched over in a stance ready to pounce. He glared at Shen Feng with bloodthirsty eyes and spoke in a chilling voice.
Dugu Yan punched him on the head. "Baozi, that's my younger brother. Watch your mouth."
The air suddenly fell silent. Everyone turned to look at Dugu Yan.
Yu Tianheng looked at Shen Feng in disbelief, then turned back to Dugu Yan. A spark of understanding suddenly flashed in his bewildered eyes.
"Your younger brother? No wonder he's so colorful. What kind of snake is he?"
"With those colors, he must be highly poisonous."
Dugu Yan was at a loss for words. "Xiao Feng is my sworn younger brother, not my biological brother. And those colors aren't from Martial Soul Possession. My grandfather put them there as punishment."
"Ah, it's too much trouble to explain. I'll just have my grandfather prove it."
"Grandfather, had enough of the show? Stop hiding."
"Hahaha!" Dugu Bo's voice came from all around them. "That was so entertaining. It would've been even more fun if they'd actually fought and the kid had gotten a lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dugu Bo's thin, tall figure abruptly appeared between Shen Feng and the Imperial Fighting Team.
"All right, this really was a misunderstanding. The chase earlier was just a bet between Yanyan and Xiao Feng."
"Yanyan, give Xiao Feng the antidote. You've already lost."
Dugu Yan nodded, took a pill from her Soul Tool, and tossed it to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng caught it and swallowed it without hesitation. The strange tattoos on his body faded a little, but their colors remained distinct.
"Old man, what's going on? Why are the colors still there?"
Dugu Bo gave a snort. "You weren't poisoned, so of course the antidote won't work right away."
"Give it seven days. As your body purges it naturally, the colors will disappear."
"All right, you youngsters can handle things yourselves. This old man won't get involved. I'll be going ahead."
With that, Dugu Bo vanished again, evidently heading to the imperial palace ahead of them.
With Dugu Bo confirming the truth himself, Yu Tianheng and the others stopped treating Shen Feng as a threat and dispelled their Martial Soul Possession one by one.
After dispelling his Martial Soul Possession, Yu Tianheng's arms returned to normal size, and the scales on his face disappeared. He wasn't particularly handsome, and his expression barely changed. He seemed to have stiff facial muscles, giving him a dour, unsmiling appearance.
But his earlier guess about Shen Feng was enough to show that he was definitely a closet flirt.
After dispelling their Martial Soul Possession, the two defensive Soul Masters looked almost identical. They seemed to be twin brothers.
Their shells disappeared, and their bodies became considerably slimmer. They seemed to grow a little taller, too, but they remained sturdy and looked strong.
The flying Soul Master landed as well. He was a handsome young man of average height and build, with short blond hair and lively eyes. He looked at Shen Feng with open curiosity.
After dispelling his Martial Soul Possession, the beast-eyed Soul Master also turned out to be a blond young man, his features so delicate they could rival a woman's. He looked completely different from his earlier appearance.
The person who still held Shen Feng's attention most was the young woman, whose appearance had barely changed.
Standing beside Dugu Yan, who had dispelled her Martial Soul Possession, she looked even younger than Dugu Yan, judging by the features visible above her veil.
Her waterfall of deep-blue hair and clear, sky-blue eyes, along with the faint sorrow and loneliness between her brows, gave her a fragile air that was only heightened by her slender waist.
Looking at her, Shen Feng couldn't help feeling an urge to protect her.
Just then, Dugu Yan walked out from the crowd and excitedly pulled Shen Feng in front of her teammates to introduce him. "Let me introduce you. This is my sworn younger brother, Shen Feng."
"You've all wondered how I got rid of the hidden problem in my body, and where I found all those rare medicinal herbs, haven't you?"
"That's right. It was all thanks to my dear little brother. He prepared them for you."
"For certain reasons, he'd been cultivating in seclusion until just a few days ago."
At Dugu Yan's introduction, everyone's expressions softened. Some even looked at Shen Feng with the eager eyes of people who'd just spotted a rich patron.
After her own hidden problem had been resolved, Dugu Yan hadn't forgotten her teammates. She'd brought back quite a few herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to strengthen their foundations and improve their Soul Power.
They hadn't received the Immortal Grade Herbs, which would have had the best effects and caused a sensation, but each of them had still gotten at least one precious herb with a medicinal age of a thousand or even ten thousand years.
After taking the herbs, they'd each raised their Soul Power by three to six levels in just ten months.
Yu Tianheng in particular had gained the most.
A third of the Red Blood Dragon Vines, Dragon Saliva Grass, and other herbs Shen Feng had discovered—medicinal plants that greatly benefited Dragon Martial Soul users—had been given to him by Dugu Yan.
That was why, ten months ago, he'd been a Level 45 Soul Ancestor, but now he'd become a Five-Ring Soul King before Dugu Yan.
After introducing Shen Feng, Dugu Yan turned and took Yu Tianheng by the arm. "Xiao Feng, this is my boyfriend, Yu Tianheng, the future heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"You can call him Brother Tianheng or brother-in-law."
Yu Tianheng stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Good to meet you, Brother Shen. I'm Yu Tianheng, Yanzi's boyfriend. Just call me Tianheng."
Since Yu Tianheng was being so courteous, Shen Feng returned the gesture. "I'm Shen Feng, Yanyan's sworn younger brother. Pleased to meet you, Brother Yu."
Dugu Yan stepped forward and took one of Yu Tianheng's hands and one of Shen Feng's. "What's this? You two are already being so formal? Should I introduce the others, or not?"
At that moment, the flying Soul Master suddenly rushed over and casually slung an arm around Shen Feng's shoulders.
"Brother, I'm Yu Feng. A pleasure to meet you."
"You weren't even using Martial Soul Possession just now, yet you withstood a blow from our captain. You must be an impressive Soul Master."
Shen Feng smiled awkwardly. "That was because Brother Yu held back. Look at me—I'm a ragged mess. How could I compare to Brother Yu?"
At Yu Feng's words, the beast-eyed Soul Master's pupils suddenly contracted. He immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands. "I'm Osler. I spoke harshly earlier. I hope you'll forgive me, Brother Shen."
Shen Feng slipped out from under Yu Feng's arm and returned Osler's greeting. "You didn't know, so you're not to blame. Besides, you were protecting my elder sister. That's understandable, completely understandable."
"Shi Mo."
"Shi Mo."
Two deep voices rang out almost simultaneously. Shen Feng looked up and saw the two twin brothers.
He returned their greetings one by one. "I'm Shen Feng. Pleased to meet you both, brothers."
Just then, Dugu Yan pulled over the blue-haired young woman, who had been standing at the back without coming forward, and pushed her straight in front of Shen Feng.
"Xiao Feng, this is Ye Lingling, my best friend. She's also the finest healing support-type Soul Master in the world."
With her standing so close, Shen Feng froze. His black-and-white cheeks flushed hot, and his heart raced like a startled fawn, as if it might leap from his chest.
All his life, both in this world and his past one, he'd thought he had no interest in women. But in that moment, he finally knew what it felt like to fall for someone.
Was this what young love felt like?
"Ye Lingling. My name is Ye Lingling."
Ye Lingling's voice was lovely, as beautiful as a skylark's song, but it was also strangely hollow, giving him an unreal feeling.
Shen Feng stared blankly at Ye Lingling and, without thinking, reached out and lifted the black veil covering her face. His brows furrowed as he softly recited:
"Two brows, gently furrowed like smoke-wreathed willows; eyes bright with tears, both joyful and sad."
"A delicate nose; sorrow resting at the corners of her eyes. Her cherry lips parted, her tender voice stirring concern."
"Her blue hair fell lightly, stirring hearts like the breeze through willow branches. Her lovely eyes were serene, yet her sorrow only made people pity her more."
"Delicate and gentle, her slender waist small enough to grasp in one hand. Her curvaceous figure awakened wicked thoughts and reckless desires."
"Miss Ye, I'm Shen Feng. Would you have a child with me?"
At Shen Feng's words, everyone watching gaped in stunned silence.
Ye Lingling's lovely face flushed red before their eyes.
"Pervert! You scoundrel!!!"
Humiliated and angry, Ye Lingling raised her hand and swung it at Shen Feng.
Shen Feng leaned back slightly to dodge her slender hand, but accidentally tugged down the black veil covering her face, exposing her exquisitely lovely features for all to see.
Perhaps the black veil was her true form. At the loss of its cover, Ye Lingling panicked, covered her face with both hands, and fled in a hurry.
Shen Feng reached out and called after her. "Miss Ye, your veil!"
He might as well not have called out. At his shout, Ye Lingling ran even faster, even using her Soul Power as she fled.
Shen Feng stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning, the black veil fluttering in his hand while a delicate fragrance wafted toward him.
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
Dugu Yan doubled over laughing. "Little brother, you—you actually like Lingling?"
The others' mouths twitched as they stared at Shen Feng in disbelief.
Shen Feng gave a soft snort. "What? Is that not allowed?"
"Fair maidens are the pursuit of gentlemen."
"Miss Ye is so beautiful. Isn't it perfectly normal that I like her?"
"Besides, didn't you tell me there weren't many good girls around, and if I didn't make a move, someone else would?"
Dugu Yan fell silent and stopped laughing. She straightened up and looked Shen Feng in the eye. "Little brother, are you serious?"
Shen Feng nodded. "Of course. You know I never lie."
After hearing Shen Feng confirm it, Dugu Yan's expression turned troubled. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Yu Tianheng sighed and said solemnly, "Brother Shen, do you understand Lingling? Do you know about the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul?"
Shen Feng thought for a moment, then carefully recalled what little the original story had said about Ye Lingling and nodded slightly.
"I don't know much, but the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul is exceptionally skilled at healing. No matter how many Soul Rings its user has, they only have one Soul Skill, an area-wide healing ability that affects everyone."
"The higher their level and the more Soul Rings they have, the more Soul Power they can use for healing, and the better the effect."
"According to legend, as long as a Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master is present, it's difficult to die before their Soul Power runs out. In the Soul Master World, it's known as 'a miracle among Martial Souls.'"
Yu Tianheng nodded, looking at Shen Feng with a complicated expression. "Then do you know the flaw of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul?"
Before you continue