Gu Tian's room was brightly lit.
The walls were adorned with top-grade luminous pearls from the deep sea, which cast a soft glow. Gu Tian sat idly on the stone bed, his mind full of Xiao Wu's pair of pink rabbit ears. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he grew, afraid that Tang San, that hypocrite, would get there first.
"Thud, thud."
Heavy footsteps approached, as if the earth itself were trembling.
A huge shadow blocked the light at the doorway. Er Ming walked in carrying a food basket woven from thick vines. With his enormous, millstone-sized hands, he awkwardly took out a plate of Soul Beast meat brimming with vitality, along with several crystal-clear spirit fruits.
"Lord Dragon God's Emissary, the Lady asked me to bring you some food," Er Ming rumbled. His voice set off a series of echoes in the cramped room.
Gu Tian looked at the rare delicacies that would have sent Soul Masters from the outside world into a frenzy, but he had no appetite at all. He darted over to Er Ming, grabbed one of his thick fingers, and lowered his voice. "Brother Er Ming, I'm begging you. Could you please plead with Gu Yuena for me? It's urgent with Xiao Wu. I have to leave right away."
"No, no, don't call me brother! I'm not worthy!" A simple, honest look flashed through Er Ming's not-so-bright eyes as he crouched down, stirring up a gust of rank wind.
"But don't worry, my lord," Er Ming whispered, bringing his head closer. His voice was barely audible, yet still sounded like thunder. "The Lady never meant to keep you locked up for real. She's worried you'll suffer once you go out, so she wants to train you herself and build up your strength before sending you to the human world."
At this, Gu Tian's anxious heart finally settled. Since Gu Yuena had this in mind, all he had to do was show enough improvement, and he would be leaving the Star Dou Great Forest in a few days.
With the tension easing from his nerves, Gu Tian felt like chatting. He sat cross-legged on the stone bed again, chewing on a spirit fruit while making idle conversation with Er Ming.
"Er Ming, you said Xiao Wu went to get revenge. To be honest... I'm worried about her." Gu Tian took a bite of the fruit, his gaze growing profound. "Especially after hearing you mention Ah Yin and Tang Hao. I can't shake the feeling there's more to it than meets the eye."
Er Ming's expression dimmed. He stroked his knee with his huge hand and sighed. "It's a real shame about Sister Ah Yin. She actually chose to sacrifice herself for that Tang Hao. But even we Soul Beasts are moved by the devotion of someone giving her life for love."
"Giving her life for love?"
Gu Tian snorted and spat out the fruit pit, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Er Ming, you're too innocent. Have you ever wondered why Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo, was hounded by Spirit Hall until he had nowhere to turn? Why was it that just when he needed his ninth Soul Ring, his wife had no choice but to sacrifice herself?"
Er Ming froze, his huge head tilting to one side in confusion. "Wasn't it... because Spirit Hall discovered their whereabouts?"
"That's exactly what makes it so suspicious." Gu Tian began spinning his conspiracy theory, his tone full of persuasion. "Tang Hao was the Clear Sky Sect's most outstanding genius. Could it really have been so hard for a powerhouse of his caliber to conceal someone's presence? Unless he exposed them on purpose. He was gambling—gambling on Ah Yin's love for him, on that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and that precious Soul Bone. In his eyes, perhaps Ah Yin wasn't his wife at all, but a Soul Ring he could harvest whenever he pleased."
At this, Er Ming's breathing grew noticeably heavier, his gasps echoing through the hall. He had never considered the matter from this angle before. As far as he knew, human love was noble, but Gu Tian's words had torn a bloody gash in his pure worldview.
"You mean... Tang Hao did it on purpose?" Anger crept into Er Ming's voice.
"If he didn't do it on purpose, why hadn't he returned to his sect all these years? Why had he taken his newborn son and hidden away in Holy Soul Village, drinking himself into a stupor?" Gu Tian sneered, fanning the flames. "Was it to soothe his guilt, or was he waiting for the long years it would take Ah Yin to take human form again so he could harvest her once more? Tang San is his son, after all, and he inherited Tang Hao's blood. Xiao Wu is at the same academy as him now—she's walking straight into the tiger's den."
"Damn, how did I never think of that?" Er Ming slammed a fist into the ground, instantly spiderwebbing the hard bluestone floor with cracks. He wasn't entirely convinced, but Gu Tian's logic was so airtight—and so in keeping with human greed—that he couldn't help but grow suspicious.
"Enough, Er Ming. Don't tell Gu Yuena about this yet. Her condition is unstable right now." Gu Tian brushed the crumbs from his hands, his gaze resolute. "That's why I have to get stronger quickly and bring Xiao Wu back."
Er Ming got to his feet and left, deep in thought. Gu Tian's words had clearly fooled him more than a little.
The next morning.
A thin veil of purple mist hung over the surface of the Lake of Life.
Gu Tian was brought to an open space by the lakeshore, where Gu Yuena had been waiting for some time. Today she wore a white, close-fitting outfit that let her move freely, with a long cloak draped behind her. It outlined her nearly perfect figure to the fullest. Her long hair was swept up high with a jade hairpin, giving her a dashing, heroic air, like a swordswoman.
"I have to improve your combat skills in a short time, so you won't be a complete pushover once you enter human society." Gu Yuena turned around, her expression stern, though a fleeting trace of shyness crossed her violet eyes.
"Ahem. But before training begins, we need to settle an issue with how you address me."
Gu Tian paused, puzzled. "How I address you? Should I call you My Lord, or Instructor?"
"No." Gu Yuena shook her head. She took a deep breath, as though she had made some enormous decision. Her voice was cool, yet carried clearly to Gu Tian's ears.
"From today onward, when it's just the two of us, you'll call me 'wife.'"
Gu Tian froze on the spot, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. What a sudden turn of events! Yesterday it had been imprisonment, and today they were playing house?
"Th-this doesn't seem appropriate, does it?" Gu Tian scratched his head awkwardly. In his mind, Ao Linxi was laughing so hard she was about to pass out.
"It's perfectly appropriate," Gu Yuena explained with a straight face. "The Lady said that the divine trial is about love. A person's subconscious perceptions can alter the direction of their feelings. If you repeat this form of address every day, your subconscious will gradually come to believe that I'm your partner, which will help you form that bond of true affection sooner."
She looked at Gu Tian, her tone serious. "Say it once."
Gu Tian swallowed. Looking at the peerless, mature beauty before him, who could bring the Divine Realm crashing down, his adult soul found the whole thing mortifying, but his mouth was perfectly honest.
"W-wife?"
Gu Tian's voice trembled a little, and his heart pounded like a drum.
The tips of Gu Yuena's ears visibly reddened, but she quickly resumed her cool, instructor-like composure and gave a slight nod.
"Good. Perception training complete. Now we begin formal cultivation. Your Soul Power has reached level twenty, but your control over your attributes is still at the most primitive stage. Next, I'll teach you how to draw on the Dragon God Origin and sense the nine great elements of nature."
Gu Yuena took Gu Tian's hand and guided him into a cross-legged position. The cool, delicate touch made that embarrassing word keep echoing through Gu Tian's mind.
Seeing Gu Tian lost in thought, Gu Yuena angrily rapped him on the head. "What are you thinking about? Focus."
"Oh, right! Okay." Gu Tian put his hands behind his back and turned his head away. "I'm going to focus now."
"I don't know what to do with you." Gu Yuena closed her eyes and kissed Gu Tian. "Now can we begin?"