Nine Heart Begonia

Ling Yun and the others followed Yu Tianheng to a dazzling, lavishly decorated hotel.

"The Seven Treasure Hotel!"

"Whoa! Boss, you're really going all out!" Shi Mo exclaimed. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the richest sect on the Douluo Continent—calling them fabulously wealthy barely did them justice.

They had a presence in every sizable city, with businesses spanning every industry.

They made money from commoners and nobles alike.

That much wealth without the strength to protect it would have spelled disaster. But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, with two Titled Douluo guarding it and plenty of Soul Masters besides. No one dared cause them trouble.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also had the support of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, making its position all the more secure.

The Seven Treasure Hotel Yu Tianheng had brought them to was unquestionably a place for high spenders. That was why Shi Mo was so surprised.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm doing this mainly for Xiao Yun, to celebrate our new friend."

"Right, right! Look at me, I really didn't think that through."

Ling Yun blinked. How had he suddenly become the center of attention? "Thanks for the warm welcome, but isn't this a bit extravagant?"

"It's no big deal. It's not like we eat here every day!" Yu Tianheng waved a hand and led them into the Seven Treasure Hotel.

When the young, pretty waitress spotted them, she promptly came over, her every movement polite and professional. "Welcome. Are you here to dine or stay the night?"

"We're here to eat. Six people!"

"Certainly. This way, please!"

The waitress led them into a private dining room. The six of them sat around a round table, while she waited beside them.

There were two menus on the table. Yu Tianheng said, "Xiao Yun, order whatever you like. Don't worry about saving me money!"

"I'm not familiar with the menu. You should order. I'm sure you know what's good."

Yu Tianheng didn't insist. He picked up a menu and quickly ordered more than a dozen dishes.

"Anything else you want? Go ahead and mark it."

Yu Tianheng passed the menu to Dugu Yan, who was sitting closest. After looking it over, she found nothing else she wanted to order. Yu Tianheng had already marked all her favorites.

The menu then went to Ye Lingling. She didn't mark anything and passed it to Shi Mo.

"Then I won't hold back!" Shi Mo said, though he didn't mark any of the extravagantly priced dishes. Once he was done, he handed the menu to his younger brother, Shi Mo.

"I won't hold back either!"

Shi Mo's eyes lit up. He quickly marked six dishes, then leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

The waitress took the menu and left the private dining room.

The dishes arrived quickly. Once they had all been served, the waitress closed the door, leaving them in peace.

"Eat your fill! Especially you, Xiao Yun. Don't be shy."

Ling Yun nodded, perfectly at ease. What was there to be shy about? When food was in front of him, he just ate. First things first: fill his stomach.

"Come on, let's drink!"

Yu Tianheng was the first to raise his glass. Ling Yun had two drinks, then bent his head and focused on his meal. Ye Lingling didn't touch a drop.

The others downed one glass after another.

Before long, they were all slurring their words a little.

"Xiao Yun, did you eat some kind of heavenly treasure? Do you have any more? I'll buy it from you. I can even ask my family for a Soul Bone to trade. I promise you won't lose out!"

Shi Mo and Shi Mo chimed in as well, saying they were willing to pay and would enlist their families' support. Whatever Ling Yun needed, they would do everything in their power to help him.

Dugu Yan knew the whole story, and by now the alcohol had mostly sobered her up. She jumped in. "Heavenly treasures are impossible to find if you go looking for them. There aren't any more, but you could consider Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."

"Xiao Yun ate something from my grandfather's medicine garden. The Douluo Continent is vast, so perhaps there's more to be found elsewhere."

"What a shame!"

Ling Yun took it all in. Wanting to grow stronger and yearning to improve one's Soul Power were only natural.

They were willing to pay for it instead of plotting behind his back or trying to take it by force. That alone made them good people.

They ate until sunset.

Ye Lingling got rooms for Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Yu Tianheng, then helped Dugu Yan out of the hotel and took Ling Yun along.

The three of them returned to Dugu Manor. Dugu Bo took the dead-drunk Dugu Yan from them and furrowed his brow. "Sorry for the trouble, Lingling."

"How did this girl manage to drink so much?"

"By the way, you've come at just the right time. I need to discuss something with your grandfather in a couple of days. It concerns you, too. Go sit in the main hall with Xiao Yun while I get Yanyan settled. I'll be right there."

"Of course!"

Dugu Bo gave Ling Yun a knowing look and spoke to him through voice transmission. "Xiao Yun, weren't you planning to build a force of your own? The Nine Heart Begonia Family has extraordinary strategic value. I've already made plans regarding her family."

"This is the perfect chance for you to get closer to the future head of the Nine Heart Begonia Family. I don't need to teach you how to handle something like that, do I?"

Ling Yun nodded to show he understood. Ye Lingling was exceptionally observant, and a series of thoughts crossed her mind. Whatever Dugu Bo was about to discuss clearly had a great deal to do with Ling Yun.

Her gaze fell on Ling Yun, curiosity in her eyes. The two of them walked into the main hall together. "If I'm not mistaken, what Senior Dugu wants to discuss concerns you, doesn't it?"

Ling Yun nodded. "It does. Quite a lot, actually!"

"Before we get into why, let's talk about your Martial Soul, Lingling. Only two people can possess it at the same time, right?"

Ye Lingling nodded, her expression unchanged.

Otherwise, the title of best support Martial Soul on the continent wouldn't have gone to the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda.

Her great-grandfather had possessed the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, as had her grandfather. But her father had inherited her grandmother's Floating Cloud Sword Martial Soul instead.

Her aunt and uncle had also been unable to inherit the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul. They, too, had inherited their grandmother's Floating Cloud Sword Martial Soul.

After her great-grandfather passed away of old age, the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul appeared again when it was time for her to awaken her Martial Soul.

Generally, a person awakened the stronger of their parents' Martial Souls.

But the Nine Heart Begonia was different. As soon as one bearer died, the next member of the bloodline to awaken a Martial Soul would certainly awaken the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.

It was an astonishing phenomenon.

At present, the only people in the Nine Heart Begonia Family with this Martial Soul were her grandfather and her.

"Lingling, I have a way to make your Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul evolve. Would you be willing? After it evolves, it'll be able to fight as well as heal."

Ye Lingling's eyes filled with disbelief. Could someone really make another person's Martial Soul evolve?

She looked into Ling Yun's eyes, hope rising in her heart. His gaze was brimming with confidence, as if evolving a Martial Soul were a simple matter.

Ling Yun wouldn't dare make promises about other people's Martial Souls, but the evolution of the Nine Heart Begonia was all but guaranteed.

During the era of Legend of the Dragon King, Shi Mengshan of the War God Temple had possessed the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, but hers had mutated into a Poison Martial Soul.

Healing and deadly poison: opposites bound together. With his Martial Soul to guide and assist it, along with the power of Pills, evolving the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul would be no challenge at all.

As they spoke, Dugu Bo entered the main hall after getting Dugu Yan settled in bed.