Old Man

After returning to his room, Xiao Yan called for a servant to heat some water.

Once the bathing barrel had been filled with hot water, Xiao Yan finally dripped the Spiritual Medicine Miss Wan had refined into the steaming water.

Then he stripped naked and plopped himself into the bath.

"Hiss—"

Although he had been using Dou Qi to heal his injuries along the way, Xiao Yan still could not help sucking in cold breaths from the pain when he soaked himself in the bathing barrel.

"Miss—Wan—"

As he gritted his teeth and endured the pain throughout his body, desperately circulating his remaining Dou Qi to absorb the medicinal properties in the hot water, heal his wounds, and temper his body, Xiao Yan could only grit his teeth and call out Yao Wan's name.

Of course, he knew he could not blame Miss Wan, but she had been far too ruthless—

She was clearly just a girl. Why had she struck so viciously? She had almost specifically targeted his lower half.

"Hehe... that little girl is incredibly formidable. You should be secretly delighted to have the fortune of receiving her kindness, brat."

Xiao Yan had originally been alone in the bathing barrel, sucking in cold breaths and grumbling to himself. Who would have thought that a deep chuckle would suddenly sound, followed by an aged voice that gave Xiao Yan quite a fright?

"Who?!"

Xiao Yan immediately raised his head. It was the voice of a stranger he had never heard before, and alarm bells instantly rang in his heart.

Yet when he turned his head and looked around, there was not a single person in the room.

"Stop looking. I'm on your finger."

Just as Xiao Yan began to think the aged voice had merely been a hallucination, it sounded again.

Xiao Yan instinctively looked at his hands, then realized what it meant.

"You're inside my ring?"

"Hehe, indeed. You have quite the composure, little one. You didn't faint from fright on the spot."

The aged voice chuckled.

"Who are you? Why are you in my ring? What do you want?"

Alarm bells blared in Xiao Yan's heart. Another inexplicable being had been at his side all this time without him noticing—how could anyone remain calm in such a situation?

"Who I am isn't important. In any case, I won't harm you... Ah, after so many years, I've finally encountered someone with sufficient soul strength. How fortunate... Hehe, speaking of which, I should thank you for your offerings over the past two years. Otherwise, I don't know how long I would have remained asleep."

"Offerings...?"

Xiao Yan froze, then suddenly understood. What followed was blazing fury that surged into his heart.

"The Dou Qi I lost over the past two years was all absorbed by you?!"

"Hehe, I had no choice either. Don't blame me, little one."

"Fuck your mother!!!"

Even Xiao Yan was consumed by rage at that moment. He raised his hand, pulled the ring from his finger, and threw it out the window.

The instant the ring left his hand, Xiao Yan came to his senses from his momentary impulse. But on second thought, it was only in his own courtyard. He could just pick it back up later.

"You little brat, why are you so impatient? I only absorbed your Dou Qi for a little over two years. Is there really any need to get this angry?"

To Xiao Yan's surprise, the ancient black ring flew back through the window. What shocked him even more was the aged phantom quietly floating above it.

Yet despite his shock, Xiao Yan refused to lose momentum. He snapped, "If you hadn't absorbed my Dou Qi over the past two years, would I have ended up in such a state today?!"

"But without those two years of tempering, would your temperament be as steady as it is today?"

The old man smiled, and Xiao Yan found himself unable to refute him.

"Forget it. I can't be bothered talking nonsense with you. Since I now know you were the one absorbing my Dou Qi, you should seek someone else. I'm just a nobody who isn't even a Dou Zhe. I can't afford to support such a great Buddha as you."

Seeing Xiao Yan's attitude, the old man could not help but smile. "Little one, don't you want to become stronger?"

"Heh. Now that I know I couldn't accumulate Dou Qi because of you, and my talent has returned, why would I still need your help?"

"Since I've revealed myself, I naturally intend to make things clear between us. Without your permission, I will no longer absorb your Dou Qi on my own."

The old man's explanation only made Xiao Yan sneer.

"I suppose you can't keep hiding from Miss Wan anymore, can you?"

Xiao Yan crossed his arms and continued.

When Xiao Yan mentioned that mysterious girl, the old man's expression became somewhat awkward. He could only say helplessly, "Ahem, that is one of the reasons."

"That young girl is extraordinarily gifted, and her soul strength is even more exceptional. She probably discovered my existence long ago. The reason I chose to reveal myself now is that I was worried she might expose me herself someday. Then I truly wouldn't be able to explain myself."

"Hmph. In the end, you're still afraid of Miss Wan."

Xiao Yan snorted. But after calming down and thinking it over, according to this old fellow, Miss Wan had likely known about his presence all along, yet she had never mentioned it...

After more than half a year together, Xiao Yan had come to trust the girl who had always refused to remove her Bamboo Hat and reveal her true face. Naturally, he did not consider whether Miss Wan might harm him. Instead, he felt that since she had chosen to keep silent, she probably intended to let things take their natural course.

The old man merely shook his head and smiled. "Foolish boy, that girl is incredibly formidable. You're the only one who treats her as an ordinary person."

"Enough nonsense. How to deal with you is something I'll have to ask Miss Wan about."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan jumped out of the bathing barrel. After drying himself off and hastily throwing on a few clothes, he rushed out the door.

"You really intend to ask her?"

The old man asked.

"Could it be that you're afraid of her?"

Xiao Yan abruptly turned the question back on him.

"Hehe... you brat... Fine. I used your Dou Qi for over two years, so consider this retribution in the present life."

The old man sighed helplessly, then his illusory form slipped into the ring and vanished.

Xiao Yan did not think much as he walked, merely pondering why Miss Wan had chosen to conceal this matter.

Surely she doesn't want me to take this strange old man, who absorbed my Dou Qi for three years, as my master?

Xiao Yan shook his head. That can't be it...

Though he instinctively rejected that possibility, he still quickened his pace toward the Xiao Family's guest rooms.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Miss Wan, are you asleep? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

The moment he finished speaking, the guest room door opened.

"Mm, then come in."