"Come on, little brother, my own little brother! Just help your big sister out!"
Qian Renxue hugged Lin Huai and pleaded in a sweet, playful voice.
"Worst case, once I become a god, I'll grant you any wish you want."
Lin Huai's eyes lit up.
Heh. You'd better not go back on that later.
Qian Daoliu smiled sheepishly.
He didn't mind their intimacy.
After all, no one in the world was worthy of Xiao Xue. Being with his disciple was better than being with some outsider.
"Ahem..."
"I won't make any grand promises. Whether you succeed or not, I'll make you the Holy Son."
Though he had already accepted that the two of them were together, seeing his own little cabbage take the initiative to cling to Lin Huai still left him with mixed feelings.
"All right. Since Dugu Yan hasn't seen you yet, Grandpa will take you back to Heaven Dou first."
Qian Renxue pressed her lips to Lin Huai's cheek again.
"Keep up the good work! I can't wait until we meet again."
Before Lin Huai could reply, Qian Daoliu swept Qian Renxue away with his Soul Power.
"Heh..."
Lin Huai touched the spot Qian Renxue had kissed.
Elder Chrysanthemum drifted over, looking uneasy.
He remembered how recklessly Lin Huai had spoken just now.
"Little Huai, don't tell anyone what you just said. Understand?"
Lin Huai came back to his senses. Noticing Elder Chrysanthemum's warning, he waved a hand.
"Don't worry, Elder Chrysanthemum. We've already talked it over. I'll be careful."
"Let's pick the mature Immortal Herbs first. Teacher can distribute them later."
Thinking of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill shared by Elder Chrysanthemum and Elder Ghost, Lin Huai continued.
"If Elder Chrysanthemum can bring Elder Ghost over to the Worship Hall, I'll make the call and give him an Immortal Herb!"
Elder Chrysanthemum pointed at himself with a long, slender index finger, his voice full of disbelief.
"I'm already part of the Worship Hall?"
Lin Huai looked at him with a mischievous grin.
"What, Elder Chrysanthemum? Can't bear to give up the Pope's favor?"
Elder Chrysanthemum could barely keep his composure.
What favor? Not a bit of it!
He worked hard every day without getting the slightest benefit, and still had to worry about being dragged into Bibi Dong's wrath.
"But Elder Chrysanthemum, you don't need to worry. If the plan goes smoothly, you'll be a spy too."
He wants me to be a spy—and drag Old Ghost in with me!
Still, the Worship Hall did have better prospects.
"Don't worry, Little Huai. I'll make sure Old Ghost agrees."
Then the two of them began picking the Immortal Herbs.
After packing up all the mature Immortal Herbs, Qian Daoliu returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with Dugu Bo and his granddaughter.
It seemed Qian Daoliu had run into the two of them on his way back.
Elder Chrysanthemum handed Qian Daoliu the storage pouch that could hold living things.
He himself kept hold of the flowerpot containing Lovesick Heartbreak Red.
Qian Daoliu swept his spiritual power over the packed Immortal Herbs, then took out an Immortal Herb in a golden box and handed it to Dugu Bo.
"If your Soul Core progresses slowly, Elder Dugu, you can take this first, so you don't waste time."
"You and Elder Chrysanthemum can grow herbs here. Just make sure no one else finds out."
Dugu Bo accepted the golden box with both hands.
"Thank you for your understanding, Grand Elder."
"You and Yanyan are both members of Spirit Hall now. I'll send someone to deliver your resources for this year."
Dugu Yan smiled happily. "Thank you, Grandpa Grand Elder!"
"Little Huai, let's have another match!"
"My third Soul Ring came from a Poison Dragon Martial Soul that was nearly three thousand years old. It greatly strengthened my poison."
Lin Huai looked at Dugu Yan as if she were an idiot.
"Yan-jie, did you forget that I'm immune to poison?"
Dugu Yan's expression stiffened. She lifted her chin and stubbornly insisted:
"It's fine. My constitution got stronger after I absorbed the Soul Ring, too."
"Sure, but I'm summoning my Martial Soul."
Dugu Yan stopped.
"Then forget it."
Lin Huai narrowed his eyes with a grin.
"Poison won't work, brains aren't her strong suit. Little Yanzi is a piece of cake."
As he taunted her, Lin Huai held up his thumb and forefinger and made a pinching gesture.
Dugu Yan tossed her head.
"Hmph!"
"This young lady is magnanimous. I won't stoop to arguing with a little brat like you."
"Grandpa, let's go."
Dugu Bo nodded to Qian Daoliu, then left with Dugu Yan.
Elder Chrysanthemum said he wanted to stay there for a while and grow some rare flowers and plants.
Qian Daoliu looked at Lin Huai. "Little Huai, how are you going to communicate with your Martial Soul?"
"Um... Teacher, just put me inside a soundproof barrier first."
Qian Daoliu released a Soul Power barrier large enough to hold one person.
After making sure no one could hear him, Lin Huai began talking to himself.
"Calling Lianlian, calling Lianlian."
"Can you deal with the remnant divine thought inside Bibi Dong?"
"If you can, please stimulate my spiritual power."
Outside the barrier, Qian Daoliu saw Lin Huai suddenly clutch his head and thought something had gone wrong.
Just as he was about to dispel the Soul Power, Lin Huai waved at him.
"I can already send my words directly into your mind. But to protect your privacy, I need you to write down what you want or say it aloud so I'll know what you're asking."
Malenia's voice sounded in Lin Huai's mind.
"Then why did you stimulate my spiritual power?"
Lin Huai waved at Qian Daoliu as he spoke.
"Wasn't that what you asked me to do?"
Malenia's calm voice rang in his mind.
If Lin Huai hadn't known Malenia was a serious, earnest person—or god—he would have thought she was playing a prank on him.
He shook his head and set those irrelevant thoughts aside for now.
"Can you do it?"
"What do I need to do?"
"Yes. Just keep that Pope inside the Scarlet Rot Domain. As soon as the divine thought tries to act, it'll be erased."
Surprise filled Lin Huai's eyes.
"That powerful? Then can't I just open the Rot Domain from now on and coast to victory?"
"Their levels are different. The Scarlet Rot won't retaliate against any power in this world below the god level."
"If your swordsmanship weren't barely at the level of Micro-Perception, I wouldn't have allowed you to make this choice."
As expected of the primal power of a powerful Outer God. It even had such an intelligent defense mechanism. If the Flowing Water Sword Technique didn't counter it, I'd never be able to escape this curse, even after becoming a god!
"All right. Keep practicing, and I hope you can suppress the Scarlet Rot soon."
"Thanks, Lianlian. Goodbye, Lianlian. Love you."
When no more voice sounded in his mind, Lin Huai patted the barrier to signal Qian Daoliu to let him out.
But in Lin Huai's Sea of Consciousness, Malenia stared blankly as she gently touched her flushed cheek with her left hand.
"Teacher, it's fine. No problem!"
Qian Daoliu asked, sounding a little nervous, "That's all it takes?"
"You don't have to pay any price, do you? That's god-level power!"
Lin Huai put on the wicked grin of a crooked-mouth Dragon King.
"It's fine. My swordsmanship was barely at the level of Micro-Perception, remember? That happens to be enough to cancel out the effects."
Qian Daoliu tugged at the corner of Lin Huai's mouth.
"Don't grin like that again. You're going to be the Holy Son. It doesn't look good."
Lin Huai suddenly remembered what he had promised Elder Chrysanthemum earlier.
"Teacher, I promised Elder Chrysanthemum that if he brought Elder Ghost over to the Worship Hall, I'd give him an Immortal Herb."
Qian Daoliu raised his voice slightly, seemingly to make sure Elder Chrysanthemum heard him.
"That's fine. Gui Mei can come find me when the time comes."
Then he lifted Lin Huai with his Soul Power and vanished in a streak of golden light, leaving Elder Chrysanthemum behind to keep gardening.
Before you continue