Coaxing Xiao Wu, Digging Up A Yin

Although they are both 100,000-year soul beasts, soul beasts and humans are different. Most stay within their own territories and do not venture out easily, so information travels slowly. Only that big monkey likes to run around, which is how he earned the title of King of the Forest.

"Then how did she end up like this?"

Xiao Wu looked at the Blue Silver Emperor with some surprise. If Shang An hadn't told her, she would have mistaken this for an ordinary blade of Blue Silver Grass. It didn't look like a Blue Silver Emperor at all!

"Because she was schemed against by Tang Hao and sacrificed to him. If not for the immortal nature of the Blue Silver Emperor herself, she would have been gone long ago."

"Sacrificed!"

"That's right. Tang Hao relied on this Blue Silver Emperor to achieve his reputation as the youngest Title Douluo on the continent."

Shang An said with certainty. As for whether Tang Hao truly schemed against A Yin, he didn't know, but did that stop him from splashing dirty water on him?

If he didn't smear Tang Hao's reputation, how could he destroy the bond between Tang San and Xiao Wu? How could he take advantage of the situation... ahem, how could he accelerate the growth of the Seed of Heart?

"Besides, that Tang Hao has a son, and you know him too."

"I know him? Who is it?"

Xiao Wu felt a sense of dread. Could it be that she had been living under the gaze of a Title Douluo all this time?

"Take a guess."

Shang An did not give her the answer directly.

Xiao Wu racked her brains, but certain that she didn't know anyone like that, she could only hug Shang An's arm and act spoiled.

"Oh, Master, I can't guess. Just tell me."

"That person is the Third Brother you've been thinking about day and night."

Shang An stroked Xiao Wu's head and said with a hint of pity.

"Third Brother? How is that possible! Third Brother said his family was just an ordinary household."

Xiao Wu couldn't believe it. This was an answer she had never considered. Was her Third Brother lying to her all this time? It must be Shang An who was lying to her.

"Master, stop joking."

"Heh, a joke? You believe him just because he told you so? Who do you think was confronting Ni Huang in Nuoding City that day? Do you think ordinary Blue Silver Grass would have innate full soul power?"

Shang An sneered at Xiao Wu. He wanted to shatter her illusions about Tang San and make her 'see' his true nature, otherwise how could he... ahem.

"And how could it be such a coincidence? The son of a dignified Title Douluo goes to a small Nuoding Academy to be a work-study student, ends up in the same dormitory as you, and just happens to become your good friend."

Shang An continued. Standing from a god's-eye view, he knew these were all coincidences, but to those caught in the web, there was no such thing as coincidence. And right now, Xiao Wu was the one caught in the web.

"Tang Hao is already at the ninth ring, so he naturally no longer needs a soul ring. Thus, he wanted his son to replicate his path, and you, a simple little rabbit, just happened to jump out."

"No, Third Brother wouldn't do that. I don't believe it!"

Xiao Wu covered her ears in pain and crouched on the ground. If this were true, wouldn't she have lived as a joke? She transformed to avenge her mother, only to be schemed against by a human soul master without even knowing it, foolishly treating the other party as family.

"Why do you think I could find this Blue Silver Emperor just by holding a handkerchief stained with Tang San's blood? Silly girl, your Third Brother has been lying to you."

Once doubt is planted, the cracks only grow wider, especially with a schemer like Shang An holding the pickaxe to fan the flames.

"No, it's impossible."

Facing Shang An's relentless words, Xiao Wu collapsed helplessly onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't want to believe it, but could there really be such coincidences in the world?

So it was all a scheme. The Third Brother she was willing to give her life for was actually just coveting her soul ring and soul bone. The human world is so complicated. Mother, I miss you.

Shang An walked over and sat down, gently picking Xiao Wu up and placing her on his lap, his right hand wiping the tear stains from her face.

"Those things are in the past. You are my pet now, and no one can hurt you except me."

"Mother... Master."

Inhaling the scent on Shang An that was somewhat similar to her mother's, an inexplicable sense of security washed over her. Xiao Wu couldn't help but bury her head in Shang An's chest. Her tears soaked his clothes, but Shang An didn't mind. He simply stroked Xiao Wu's snow-white back, his power of the heart quietly circulating.

Ni Huang watched this scene from the side. Seeing Xiao Wu lying in Shang An's arms, a flash of envy crossed her eyes.

After a long while, Xiao Wu's sobbing gradually subsided. She lifted her delicate, tear-streaked face to look at Shang An.

"Master, can I trust you?"

"Of course, you can always trust me."

I will always keep you fooled.

Shang An didn't hesitate at all. Of course, he only said the latter part in his heart. Seeing Xiao Wu's favorability reach seventy, he was in a great mood. It was worth the effort to smear Tang Hao and his son.

Xiao Wu suddenly revealed a bright smile. This time, she would live for her Master.

After soothing Xiao Wu, Shang An began to observe the Blue Silver Emperor. Despite being a Blue Silver Emperor and a top-tier soul beast, she looked sickly and half-dead. The blue leaves were yellowing, and the golden threads on them were so dim they were almost imperceptible.

This must be due to the lack of light. Looking at this cave, it was clear; there wasn't a single other plant inside besides the Blue Silver Emperor. If not for the Blue Silver Emperor's tenacious vitality and ability to draw nutrients from the earth, she would have perished long ago.

He wondered what Tang Hao was thinking. Did he really have a guilty conscience?

Withdrawing his gaze, Shang An began to look around the cave.

He wondered if the soul bone was still there. Shang An looked up at the ceiling of the cave and noticed a loose section of rock. He unleashed a burst of soul power, and a lead box immediately fell down.

Shang An stepped forward to pick up the lead box and opened it. A crystal-clear blue crown lay inside, shimmering with brilliant light, looking truly extraordinary.

"A 100,000-year soul bone!"

Ni Huang looked at the "crown" in the box in astonishment. Spirit Bones, of course, were not literally shaped like bones; they were merely a special condensation of energy. They came in various shapes and could simply be integrated into a specific bone of the human body.

However, Spirit Bones possessed a unique fluctuation that was easy to detect, so there was no fear of confusing them with other items.

"This is the Spirit Bone left behind by the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor."

Shang An toyed with the Spirit Bone. He was very knowledgeable about Spirit Bones; over the years, he had even used many spirit beasts for research, reaching the point where he could create Spirit Bones below the ten-thousand-year level. He believed that even ten-thousand-year or hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones could be crafted once his strength improved.

Of course, Shang An still needed to use spirit beasts to craft Spirit Bones. After all, the power of a Spirit Bone did not come from thin air; they contained the innate spirit abilities of the spirit beasts.

After comparing the Spirit Bones Shang An crafted with ordinary ones, he found no difference. However, perhaps because the Spirit Bones were created by him and contained his power, those who absorbed the Spirit Bones he crafted would have their favorability toward him increased, though this was not exactly a drawback for Shang An.

He did not intend to absorb this hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone but rather planned to study it. Since he could condense Spirit Bones, what about the reverse? Could he turn a Spirit Bone back into energy and integrate it into the Blue Silver Emperor?

He attempted to probe into the Spirit Bone using his spiritual power, but he did not succeed.

"Can a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone block spiritual power?"

Shang An had anticipated this and switched to using heart power. This time, there was no obstruction at all, as if the heart power did not exist.

"So that's how it is. This is what a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone is."

Shang An seemed to understand the composition of a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone.

Come to think of it, Spirit Bones were somewhat like enchanted equipment, with one or two spirit abilities solidified within them while also providing buffs to the user. However, Spirit Bones needed to be integrated into one's own skeleton, a point Shang An did not particularly like.

In comparison, External Spirit Bones were much better; they were essentially external equipment that could be retracted into the body.

After putting the Spirit Bone away, Shang An took out a flowerpot filled with nutrient-rich soil specifically for cultivating herbs. He carefully pushed aside the dirt and slowly removed A Yin's roots, placing them into the pot.

There was no help for it; A Yin was too fragile right now. Shang An was terrified that he might accidentally kill her, which would be a grave sin. If that happened, he wouldn't be able to watch the future drama of A Yin and the father-son duo of Tang Hao and his son turning against each other.

After transplanting A Yin, Shang An stored her inside Moonfall Star.

The tasks for this trip to Nuoding City were almost all completed. Next stop, Tiandou Imperial Capital.

(I saw a video tonight calling Xue Pinggui a scumbag and couldn't help but debate with the crowd, so this is posted a bit late. There might be some typos I didn't catch.)