Feeding the Rabbit

"Um, you're the black-robed stall owner who was buying rabbit fur yesterday, right?

Sorry, I actually followed you on purpose."

Xiao Wu suddenly felt a little guilty.

He was already this upset, and she was still scheming to get his bamboo leaves.

Li Han smiled and said, "I thought you'd wait until we got to the academy to say anything."

"Huh? You knew I was following you?"

Xiao Wu asked in surprise.

"You weren't very good at tailing me yesterday. I noticed right away."

"Was I really that bad at it? You're not mad at me, are you?"

Xiao Wu looked at Li Han, afraid he might start to dislike her.

Li Han shook his head.

"We'll be classmates from now on. What is there to be mad about?

Besides, we're pretty fated to have run into each other ahead of time."

"Yeah, yeah, it's fate!

Actually, I followed you because that bamboo leaf you gave me yesterday was really special.

You condensed it with Soul Power, right?

Are you a food-type Soul Master?"

Li Han shook his head.

Soul Masters were divided into Power Attack, Agility Attack, Control, Defense, Support, and Food types.

Most Soul Masters chose one path and developed in that direction to bring their potential to its fullest.

But Li Han didn't think he needed to.

With the system, he had only one path: to become an all-rounder.

Food-type Soul Masters had Martial Souls that could produce food for Soul Masters to eat.

These Martial Soul foods had all kinds of different abilities. As long as they were eaten within a certain period, they would take effect.

It was easy to think of it as a shelf life.

The shelf life could be long or short, depending on the ability of the Soul Skill itself.

But very few foods could be stored for long. They usually lasted only a few hours; the longer-lasting ones might keep for a few days. Those with a one-year shelf life were exceedingly rare.

Li Han's Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaf, on the other hand, lasted forever. Such a thing was practically unheard of among Food-type Soul Masters.

Of course, he wasn't a Food-type Soul Master to begin with.

"Then how can you condense a food like bamboo leaves?"

Seeing Li Han deny it, Xiao Wu asked in confusion.

Li Han didn't explain. Instead, he summoned his Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

A flash of green light passed, and a twenty-centimeter Heavenly Thunder Bamboo appeared in Li Han's palm.

"This is my Martial Soul, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

That leaf you mentioned was plucked from it.

That part is a little like a Food-type Soul Master's ability.

But for now, my bamboo can only produce one leaf a day. After I pluck it, I have to wait twenty-four hours for another to grow."

As he spoke, Li Han plucked a Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaf.

This wasn't exactly a secret, but he wouldn't normally tell other people.

He explained it to Xiao Wu because he wanted to feed her Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaves.

He wanted to see what effect the leaves would have on a Soul Beast that had taken human form.

And judging by Xiao Wu's expression, she was clearly after his Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaves, too.

"This bamboo leaf appeared as a change in my Martial Soul after I absorbed my First Soul Ring.

It can feed Soul Beasts, and Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters can eat it, too.

Xiao Wu, this is a secret between us. Don't tell anyone else."

Li Han spoke with great solemnity, making it clear how much he trusted her.

Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly and promised him.

"Don't worry! I definitely won't tell anyone.

But could you give me a few more Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaves?

Maybe it's because my Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit, but these leaves taste so good to me.

I can even feel that the energy inside them is doing me a lot of good.

So..."

Xiao Wu clasped her hands together and rocked them up and down. She gazed at Li Han with wide, pitiful eyes.

"Please, please!"

Who could possibly resist that?

Li Han had already been planning to do it, so when Xiao Wu said it herself, he couldn't be bothered to think up an excuse.

"Sure! No problem! The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo produces one leaf a day, and I don't have any use for them right now, so you can have them all."

As he spoke, Li Han handed Xiao Wu the leaf he had just plucked.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at once.

"Thank you! You're such a good person!"

Xiao Wu took the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaf and ate it in one bite.

That familiar tingling sensation washed over her again. Xiao Wu had only one thought.

It felt amazing!

Watching Xiao Wu's blissful expression, Li Han smiled faintly.

He started looking forward to what might happen after she had eaten Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaves for a few years.

After finishing the leaf, Xiao Wu felt the Soul Beast aura inside her weaken a little more.

She was overjoyed by this discovery.

The thought that she could eat one every day from now on made her even happier.

She looked at Li Han with warmth and dependence.

He was her long-term meal ticket, after all.

Thanks to the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Leaves, their relationship warmed quickly, and they soon became good friends.

One day later.

The two arrived at Nuoding Academy by carriage.

The dean's office.

"What? Mo Hen was eaten by a Datura Snake that was over four hundred years old?"

The dean was quite surprised after hearing Li Han's account.

"Yes. We'd obtained our Soul Rings and were about to leave Soul Hunting Forest.

But then a Datura Snake suddenly appeared and bit Teacher Mo Hen.

Teacher Mo Hen was poisoned. He sacrificed himself to cover my escape, and the Datura Snake ate him.

Dean, I'm sorry. Teacher Mo Hen died in the snake's belly because of me."

Li Han forced out two tears at just the right moment, looking utterly heartbroken.

The dean sighed at his words.

"Child, it wasn't your fault. Protecting students is a teacher's duty.

I just didn't expect you to be so unlucky as to be ambushed by a Datura Snake.

The fact that you made it back safely is already good enough.

By the way, what Soul Ring did you absorb?"

"It was a hundred-year Lone Bamboo Soul Ring."

As he spoke, Li Han released his Martial Soul and Soul Ring.

A deep yellow Soul Ring encircled the lush Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, gleaming brilliantly.

"The color of this Soul Ring... I didn't expect you to be so lucky. It looks like you must have hunted a Lone Bamboo that was at least three hundred years old to get a Soul Ring with such profound Soul Power.

You did well. Keep working hard.

When you have time, go to the Spirit Hall Branch in town and get certified as a Soul Master.

Soul Masters can receive a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin each month."

"Yes, Dean."

The dean turned to look at Xiao Wu beside him.

"And who is this?"

"Hello, Dean. I'm a Work-Study Student from Radish Village. My name is Xiao Wu, and this is my Martial Soul certificate!"

The dean took the certificate and stared at it in surprise.

"Innate Full Soul Power? A Soft Bone Charm Rabbit Martial Soul? A promising child like you, coming to my Nuoding Academy?

Child, why didn't you accept the Spirit Hall's invitation and go to Spirit Hall Academy?"

Xiao Wu pouted and said, "I didn't want to. I want to stay with Li Han!"

The dean froze, then glanced at Li Han and secretly gave him a thumbs-up.

They had lost a teacher, but brought back a promising child with Innate Full Soul Power. That was a good thing.

"Good! From now on, you're a first-year student at Nuoding Academy.

Li Han, make sure you take good care of your junior, Xiao Wu."

"Yes, Dean."