Although both were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Spirit Beasts differed from humans. They generally stayed within their own territories and rarely went out, so information was relatively slow to spread. Only that big monkey liked wandering everywhere, which was how he earned the title King of the Forest.
"Then how did she end up like this?"
Xiao Wu looked at the Blue Silver Emperor in surprise. If Shang An had not told her, she would have taken it for an ordinary Blue Silver Grass. No matter how she looked at it, it did not resemble a Blue Silver Emperor in the slightest!
"Because Tang Hao plotted against her and made her sacrifice herself to him. If not for the Blue Silver Emperor's immortal nature, she might have long since perished."
"A sacrifice!"
"That's right. Tang Hao relied on this Blue Silver Emperor to earn his reputation as the continent's youngest Title Douluo."
Shang An spoke with certainty. As for whether Tang Hao had truly plotted against Ah Yin, he did not know. But did that stop him from smearing Tang Hao's name?
If he did not smear Tang Hao's name, how could he damage Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship? How could he take advantage of the opening... Ahem, how could he speed up the growth of the Seed of Heart?
"And Tang Hao has a son. You know him too."
"I know him? Who is it?"
Xiao Wu felt a chill run down her spine. Had she been living under the watchful eye of a Title Douluo all this time?
"Take a guess."
Shang An did not give her the answer directly.
Xiao Wu thought hard for a while and confirmed that she did not know anyone like that. She could only cling to Shang An's arm and act coquettishly.
"Oh, Master, I can't guess it. Just tell me already."
"That person is the Third Brother you were always thinking about."
Shang An stroked Xiao Wu's head and spoke with a hint of pity.
"Third Brother? How could that be! Third Brother said his family was just an ordinary one."
Xiao Wu could not believe it. She had never considered this answer. Had her Third Brother been lying to her all along? No, Shang An must have been lying to her.
"Master, don't joke around."
"Heh, a joke? He told you, and you believed him? Who do you think confronted Ni Huang in Nuoding City that day? Do you think ordinary Blue Silver Grass can possess Innate Full Soul Power?"
Shang An looked at Xiao Wu with a cold smile. He wanted to shatter Xiao Wu's fantasies about Tang San and make her "see clearly" Tang San's true nature. Otherwise, how could he... Ahem.
"And how could there be such a coincidence? The son of a mighty Title Douluo went to a tiny Nuoding Academy as a working student, was assigned to the same dormitory as you, and then just happened to become your good friend."
Shang An continued. From his god's-eye view, he naturally knew it was all coincidence. But to someone caught up in it, how could such things possibly be coincidences? And Xiao Wu was now that person.
"Tang Hao already has nine rings, so naturally he no longer needs Spirit Rings. Thus, he wanted his son to follow the same path he had, and you, a simple little rabbit, just happened to hop right out."
"No, Third Brother wouldn't do that. I don't believe it!"
Xiao Wu covered her ears in anguish and crouched on the ground. If it were really like this, would she not have become a complete joke? She had taken human form to avenge her mother, only to be plotted against by human Spirit Masters without realizing it, foolishly treating the other party as family.
"Why do you think I could find this Blue Silver Emperor with just a handkerchief stained with Tang San's blood? Silly girl, your Third Brother was lying to you."
Once suspicion arose, the crack would only grow wider. Especially with Shang An, that conniving bastard, fanning the flames with an iron pickaxe.
"No, that's impossible."
Faced with Shang An's increasingly pressing words, Xiao Wu helplessly collapsed to the ground and sobbed without pause. She did not want to believe it either, but could such a coincidence truly exist in this world?
So everything had been a scheme. The Third Brother for whom she had been willing to give her life had merely coveted her Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone. The human world was so complicated. Mom, I miss you.
Shang An walked over and sat down, gently lifting Xiao Wu into his lap. With his right hand, he wiped the tears from her face.
"That is all in the past. You are my pet now. Other than me, no one can hurt you."
"Mom... Master..."
Smelling the scent on Shang An that was somewhat similar to her mother's, Xiao Wu was flooded with an inexplicable sense of security. She could not help burying her head in Shang An's chest, her tears soaking his clothes. Shang An did not mind and merely stroked Xiao Wu's snowy back as Psychic Power quietly circulated.
Ni Huang watched this scene quietly from the side. Seeing Xiao Wu lying in Shang An's embrace, a trace of envy flashed through her eyes.
After quite a while, Xiao Wu's crying gradually subsided. She lifted her delicate, tear-streaked face and looked at Shang An.
"Master, can I trust you?"
"Of course. You can always trust me."
I'll keep fooling you forever.
Shang An did not hesitate in the slightest. Of course, he only said those latter words in his heart. Looking at Xiao Wu's favorability, which had reached seventy, he was in an excellent mood. His efforts to slander Tang Hao and his son had not been in vain.
Xiao Wu suddenly revealed a bright smile. This time, she would live for her Master.
After comforting Xiao Wu, Shang An observed the Blue Silver Emperor. It was clearly a Blue Silver Emperor, a top-tier Spirit Beast, yet it now looked sickly and half-dead. Even its blue leaves had yellowed slightly, while the golden threads upon them had dimmed until they were barely visible.
It was probably due to the lack of sunlight. One only needed to look at this cave to know. Other than the Blue Silver Emperor, not a single other plant grew inside. If not for the Blue Silver Emperor's tenacious vitality and its ability to absorb nutrients from the earth, it would likely have died long ago.
Who knew what Tang Hao had been thinking? Did he truly have a guilty conscience?
After withdrawing his gaze, Shang An began looking around again.
He wondered whether the Spirit Bone was here. Shang An raised his head to inspect the cave ceiling and spotted a loose section of rock. He fired out a strand of Soul Power, and a Lead Box immediately fell.
Shang An stepped forward and picked up the Lead Box. Upon opening it, he found a crystalline blue crown lying inside. Brilliant light flowed across its surface, making it look exceptionally extraordinary.
"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"
Even Ni Huang stared at the "crown" in the box in astonishment. Spirit Bones were not truly shaped like bones. They were merely a special form of condensed energy and came in many forms, capable only of merging with a certain bone in the human body.
However, Spirit Bones possessed their own distinct fluctuations and were easy to identify, so there was no fear of confusing one with something else.
"This is the Spirit Bone left behind by the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor."
Shang An played with the Spirit Bone. He understood Spirit Bones extremely well. Over the years, he had even used many Spirit Beasts for research and had already become capable of creating Spirit Bones below the ten-thousand-year level. Even ten-thousand-year and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones should be possible once his strength improved.
Of course, Shang An still needed to use Spirit Beasts to create Spirit Bones. After all, the power of Spirit Bones did not come from nowhere; what they contained were the innate spirit skills of Spirit Beasts.
After comparing the Spirit Bones he created with ordinary Spirit Bones, Shang An found no difference between them. However, perhaps because they were made by him and contained his power, those who absorbed Spirit Bones he created would gain greater favorability toward him. Still, Shang An did not consider that a drawback.
He did not intend to absorb this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Instead, he planned to study it. Since he could condense Spirit Bones, could he reverse the process? Could he turn a Spirit Bone back into energy and merge it into the Blue Silver Emperor?
He tried to use his spiritual power to probe into the Spirit Bone, but failed.
"Can Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones block spiritual power?"
Shang An had expected this already, so he switched to Psychic Power. This time, there was no obstruction at all, as though Psychic Power did not exist.
"So that's how it is. This is what a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone is."
Shang An seemed to understand the composition of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
In a way, Spirit Bones resembled enchanted equipment. One or two spirit skills were fixed within them, while they also enhanced the user. But Spirit Bones had to merge into one's own skeleton, which Shang An did not like very much.
By comparison, External Soul Bones were much better. They were external equipment that could be stored within the body.
After putting away the Spirit Bone, Shang An took out a flowerpot filled with rich soil specially cultivated for medicinal herbs. He carefully pushed aside the dirt, slowly removed Ah Yin's roots, and placed her in the flowerpot.
He had no choice. Ah Yin was too weak right now, and Shang An feared that one careless move would kill her. That would be a grave sin indeed. Then he would never get to see the spectacle of Ah Yin and the Tang Hao father-and-son pair turning against one another as wife and mother versus husband and son.
After transplanting Ah Yin, Shang An stored her within Moonfall Star.
This trip to Nuoding City had nearly completed all of its objectives. The next stop was Tiandou Imperial Capital.
(Tonight, I saw a video saying Xue Pinggui was a scumbag and could not resist debating the masses, so this came out a little late. There may be typos I did not catch.)
Before you continue