Zhu Zhuqing turned her gaze toward Lin Yi.
That guy was still in the same position as before, sleeping with complete peace of mind.
For some reason, she suddenly wanted to laugh.
When Lin Yi had first lain down, he had still been thinking about slipping away once Xiao Wu left.
And what happened?
In less than half an hour, he was sleeping like a dead pig.
That mentality really was...
Zhu Zhuqing did not know what to say.
She had seen many kinds of people.
The scheming nobles in the Star Luo Imperial Palace, the Zhu Family members who appeared cordial while plotting against one another behind the scenes, and the Soul Masters who would stop at nothing to fight over resources.
Everyone kept themselves taut, calculating and guarding against others every moment of every day.
But Lin Yi was different.
That guy clearly hid so many secrets, clearly knew so much, and could be watched by others at any time, yet he could sleep so soundly in this environment.
If one said he was carefree, he truly was.
If one said he was foolish, he was clearer-headed than anyone else.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head inwardly, then withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes again.
Elsewhere.
In a clearing deep in the woods about five li from the cave.
At the center of the clearing, Xiao Wu stood atop a bluish stone, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at the mountain-like figure before her.
"Erming, you're quite good at hiding, aren't you?"
There was a trace of reproach in her tone, but even more joy at seeing an old friend.
The Titan Giant Ape lowered its head, its golden beast eyes filled with gentleness.
"Sister Xiao Wu, I wasn't hiding, it's just..."
"Just what?" Xiao Wu hopped down from the stone, walked over to him, and patted his thick arm. "You sensed that I was back, but instead of coming to find me immediately, you hid and watched from the shadows?"
Erming scratched his head and let out a low rumble.
He did not know how to explain it.
He could not exactly say that he had been startled by that human boy's Heart Voice, could he?
Xiao Wu looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Alright, I know what you're thinking."
She stepped back two paces and sat on a flat rock, swinging her legs.
"You can hear Lin Yi's Heart Voice too, can't you?"
Erming nodded.
"That guy..." Xiao Wu looked up at the moonlight overhead, her tone carrying a touch of complexity. "His Heart Voice really is unusual, isn't it?"
Erming nodded again.
"So you've been observing him all this time?" Xiao Wu looked at him. "Trying to see what exactly is going on with this human?"
Erming nodded, then asked after thinking for a moment, "Why does that human know so much about me? He knows you underwent a Soul Beast Transformation, so why doesn't he expose you? And why does he keep wanting to shake you off?"
Xiao Wu fell silent for a while before taking a crystal from her clothes.
Under the moonlight, the liquid-like gleam flowing within the crystal was especially striking.
"This is a Breath-Hiding Stone," Xiao Wu said softly. "Lin Yi's father gave it to me."
Erming's golden beast eyes suddenly narrowed.
He stared at the crystal, his enormous body leaning forward slightly as his nostrils flared, carefully sensing something.
Then he froze.
When the crystal left Sister Xiao Wu's body, her Soul Beast aura was completely revealed.
But after Sister Xiao Wu put the red crystal back on, that aura vanished again, as though she truly were merely an ordinary human Soul Master.
"Lin Yi's father?" Erming let out a deep growl.
Xiao Wu nodded. "Lin Yi's father is named Lin Yuan. His strength... is unfathomable. He can hear Lin Yi's Heart Voice, and he knows my identity too, but he did not hurt me. Instead, he gave me this Breath-Hiding Stone."
She paused, then continued, "He said he hoped I would encourage Lin Yi and keep him from idling his days away."
Erming remained silent for a long time.
Though he was a Soul Beast, his intelligence was no less than a human's.
From Xiao Wu's words, he understood two things.
First, that powerful human named Lin Yuan bore them no ill will and could even be called friendly.
Second, he held extremely high expectations for his own son.
"Sister Xiao Wu, what do you plan to do?" Erming asked.
Xiao Wu raised her head, as if considering something.
After a moment, she said firmly, "I plan to keep following him. It's been five years. At first, I only wanted to change my fate and avoid the ending of being sacrificed, but now..."
She paused, and her voice softened somewhat. "Now, things are different."
Erming looked at her without speaking.
"Besides, his father is right. Lin Yi really is too lazy. He clearly has talent and potential, yet he always wants to keep a low profile and coast through life."
"Since I took something from him, I have to help him with his affairs, right?"
As Xiao Wu spoke, she suddenly smiled.
There was no calculation or ulterior motive in that smile, only pure happiness.
Erming scratched his head and let out a low rumble.
He did not really understand all the twists and turns of human affairs, but as long as Sister Xiao Wu was happy, that was enough.
"Oh, right." Xiao Wu suddenly remembered something. "Help stand guard for me. I'm about to break through, and it's time for my Third Soul Ring to condense as well."
Erming nodded and took a few steps back, squatting at the edge of the clearing.
Xiao Wu sat cross-legged on the bluish stone and closed her eyes.
She was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had undergone a Soul Beast Transformation, so her cultivation method differed from that of human Soul Masters.
Human Soul Masters had to kill Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings, but when she broke through a rank, she only needed to rely on her own strength to condense one.
This process required absolute safety and could not be interrupted.
Xiao Wu circulated her Soul Power, which flowed slowly through her body like a stream.
The bottleneck at level twenty-nine had already begun to loosen during the past few days of travel. Especially after Lin Yi's Starlight Charge, that barrier seemed to have been pried open by a crack.
Now, she was going to force that crack completely open.
Soul Power circulated through her meridians in cycle after cycle, growing faster and faster.
Xiao Wu's brows drew together slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Erming squatted not far away, his golden beast eyes fixed unblinking on her. The muscles throughout his body were slightly tensed, ready to deal with any accident at any moment.
Time passed second by second.
No one knew how long had passed when Xiao Wu's aura suddenly changed.
An invisible ripple spread from her body, making the surrounding grass and trees sway slightly.
Above her head, a pale purple Soul Ring slowly began to take shape.
A Millennium Soul Ring.
A trace of relief flashed through Erming's eyes.
Sister Xiao Wu had grown stronger again.
About another quarter of an hour passed before the pale purple Soul Ring fully stabilized, slowly descended, and settled around Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu opened her eyes and let out a long breath of stale air.
She stood up, stretched her limbs a little, and smiled.
"I succeeded."
Erming patted his chest, seemingly offering his congratulations.
Xiao Wu walked over to him and patted his thick arm.
"Thank you for standing guard for me."
Erming shook his head and rumbled, "Sister Xiao Wu, are you going back now?"
Xiao Wu nodded. "I have to go back, or that guy Lin Yi will wake up."
She paused, then suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "Oh, right. You should all come out less often in the future. And when you go back, remember to tell Daming that Sister Xiao Wu is doing very well, so he shouldn't worry."
Erming nodded. "Alright, Sister Xiao Wu."
Only then did Xiao Wu smile in satisfaction before turning and walking back in the direction she had come from.
Before you continue