A Delightful Conversation

"Oh, so he planned to gain the upper hand in how we address each other by speaking first?" Wu Ling thought.

Xue Qinghe wanted to suppress Wu Ling through their forms of address, but how could he have known that Wu Ling did not care about such a thing at all?

Back when Wu Ling was in college, his martial arts habits made him get up early every morning. Because he rose early, whenever he left the dormitory, the entire room would erupt in waves of cries: "Big Brother," "Dad," and "Ancestor."

It was also during that time that Wu Ling gradually changed from a clueless young man in both mindset and temperament, becoming accustomed to calling someone "bro" whenever he needed help.

"Haha, then I'll gladly accept, Brother Xue."

Seeing Wu Ling sensibly change how he addressed him, Xue Qinghe nodded in satisfaction inwardly.

Yet at that moment, he also felt something strange. After Wu Ling called him "Big Brother," not only did Wu Ling not seem suppressed by him in terms of bearing, but Xue Qinghe instead felt as if he had punched cotton.

"This feeling of having nowhere to start... this man's bearing can no longer be influenced by words alone. As expected of that woman's disciple—he truly cannot be underestimated!"

Wu Ling never would have imagined that an ordinary habit from his past would raise Xue Qinghe's estimation of him by another level.

"It's actually nothing major. Over the past few years, there have always been rumors about you, Brother Wu Ling, but they were never confirmed. This time, I heard that you had made a rare visit, so naturally, I could not restrain my curiosity and wanted to meet you.

As the saying goes, hearing about someone a hundred times is not as good as seeing them once. Now that I've met you in person, your bearing truly is extraordinary. After meeting you, I feel that those rumors did not exaggerate you at all. If anything, they were somewhat too modest."

"Not at all. I had long heard of Brother Xue's great reputation as well, and meeting you today has only deepened my admiration."

After exchanging a few flattering remarks, the two began chatting about everything under the sun. From Spirit Beasts, Spirit Masters, and cultivation, they moved on to geography, culture, and politics. By the end, they seemed to regret not having known each other since the womb.

Of course, that was merely superficial pleasantry. Still, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, was indeed astonished by Wu Ling's breadth of knowledge.

As the First Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe had begun studying as soon as he became aware of the world. In order to make her disguise flawless, Qian Renxue had sacrificed time from her cultivation and, with her grandfather's help, mastered knowledge in so many fields.

Yet from observing some of Wu Ling's small habits, Qian Renxue determined that he was not a disciple of one of the great clans. Before awakening his Martial Soul, he had most likely been a commoner. But how could an ordinary commoner child seriously study at an age when children loved to play and freeload?

"Perhaps she demanded it of him. After all, she has always valued theoretical talent, so she made her disciple study more as well.

But if that is the case, isn't she worried that his cultivation speed will fall behind? Or is his talent simply so outstanding that she has nothing to fear? Neither possibility seems like something that woman would do.

Wu Ling... he really is impossible to see through."

After another exchange of verbal and intellectual sparring, Xue Qinghe noticed that both teacups were empty and the four plates of snacks had been picked clean.

"Ah, look at us. Brother Wu Ling and I were having such a delightful conversation that we only realized the tea and snacks were gone after finishing them."

After saying that, Xue Qinghe lifted a small section of flooring beside the table and tugged on a rope beneath it.

As he pulled the rope, he happened to notice Wu Ling's curious gaze and explained, "The rooms here are very well soundproofed, so if we call out inside, the maidservants outside may not hear us. Besides, shouting would be quite inelegant.

So they had someone design this device. As long as we pull this rope inside the room, a bell outside the door will ring, and the maidservants will come in to serve us."

Just as Xue Qinghe had said, the door opened as soon as his words fell.

The two pairs of twin sisters entered and removed the teacups and snacks. In less than three minutes, they brought fresh tea and snacks, and the new tea and refreshments were entirely different from the previous ones.

The previous spread had been flower tea and savory snacks, while this one consisted of green tea, along with two plates of sweet snacks and two plates of savory ones.

But although the tea and snacks were excellent, Xue Qinghe's attention remained fixed on Wu Ling.

After the four maidservants left, Xue Qinghe asked with interest, "Brother Wu Ling, are you interested in those maidservants? If you want them, just tell me. I can take them back for you. Although this place sells talent, not bodies, once they are taken away, it no longer counts as selling themselves."

Looking at Xue Qinghe's youthful face, then considering his own age of ten, Wu Ling found it strange that they could discuss matters between men and women without the slightest reservation.

It seemed that people of Douluo Continent matured rather early because of their Martial Souls. Take Ma Hongjun from the original story—given his Evil Fire, he was probably already an old hand at the brothels before he was ten.

In the end, Wu Ling merely smiled and shook his head. "Brother Xue is too kind. Cultivation is still my priority right now. I only looked at them because I have not seen twins in a long time, so I felt somewhat nostalgic."

"Oh? Could it be that Brother Wu Ling used to know a pair of twins?"

"Sigh, it was something from childhood. Not worth mentioning."

That was right, it was something from childhood—his childhood on Blue Star. Before he started elementary school, one of the neighboring families in his hometown had twin daughters. The older sister was gentle, while the younger was lively, and they were not much different from him in age.

He had even heard from his father that their families had nearly arranged a childhood betrothal. Later, for certain reasons, their family moved to a big city, and the matter was left unresolved.

When he had planned to return and bury his father, he received word that the twin sisters would be going back as well. But now, it seemed they would not only attend his father's funeral—they would attend his funeral too.

Perhaps noticing Wu Ling's troubled thoughts, Xue Qinghe did not speak again and simply savored his green tea.

"Sorry, sorry. I got a little lost in thought just now."

"It's no matter. However, I still have one question, and I hope Brother Wu Ling can give me an answer."

Wu Ling made a gesture of invitation. "Please speak freely, Brother Xue."

"Very well. Since Brother Wu Ling said earlier that cultivation is your priority, then I will boldly ask: could you tell me your Martial Soul and current Soul Power Level?

Of course, to show my sincerity, I will speak first. My Martial Soul is the Swan Martial Spirit of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal line, and my current Soul Power Level is rank 31."