We're All Still Young; We Have Plenty of Time to Plan It All

"No way! That really happened?"

Bibi Dong was stunned. Her eyes widened, and then she shook her head, half amused and half exasperated.

"Could my teacher have been behind it?"

"Maybe she really was." Yan Lingji covered her lips as she chuckled. "No one else would have dared do something like that."

"That does seem likely." Bibi Dong nodded, her expression strange. "Those old fossils in the Worship Hall would never do such a thing. They're all so stiff and proper, and they care about their reputations more than anyone."

"As for everyone else... that only leaves my teacher."

As she spoke, she suddenly laughed again. "My teacher really is..."

"Enough, let's not talk about that." Zhao Linchuan straightened his expression, set down his teacup, and looked at Bibi Dong's rosy face. "Did you break through?"

"I did."

Bibi Dong immediately puffed out her chest, a hint of pride appearing on her face.

"This Holy Maiden has now entered the ranks of Soul Saints. I only need one more Soul Ring to become a true Soul Saint."

"Then let your husband-to-be give you a betrothal gift," Yan Lingji chimed in. "Once we're back, you can move in and live with us."

"Oh, Ling Ji!"

Bibi Dong's face turned scarlet. She stamped her foot, her voice tinged with embarrassed annoyance.

"Could you stop teasing me all the time?"

She turned her face away to avoid Yan Lingji's amused gaze and muttered:

"Besides, I never agreed to marry him!"

"Maybe I don't even have feelings for him?"

"Is that so?"

Yan Lingji slowly rose, walked around Shi Mo, and came to Bibi Dong's side.

She leaned in close to Bibi Dong's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Then who is it that sneaks off to wash her 'little clothes' every morning~?"

Her voice was as soft as a feather, tickling Bibi Dong's ear, but Bibi Dong froze as if struck by lightning.

"Oh, no!!"

"Stop saying that!!"

So embarrassed she wanted the ground to swallow her, Bibi Dong spun around and started toward the room. Just then, a commotion came from outside the courtyard.

"You're a fatherless brat, and you think you can see Lord Soul Master? Dream on!"

"Exactly! Your mother's a sickly invalid, and you're a bastard. Why would Lord Soul Master see you?"

"Lord Soul Master! Lord Soul Master!! Please! Please!! I'm begging you to see me!"

The voice was hoarse and urgent, choked with sobs, like an injured young beast crying out in the wilderness.

Bibi Dong stopped in her tracks. All three of them turned to look outside.

"What's going on?"

"We'll find out if we go and see."

Zhao Linchuan got to his feet and strode toward the courtyard gate.

Yan Lingji and Bibi Dong exchanged a glance, then hurried after him.

The courtyard gate swung open.

On the dirt road outside, several children barely ten years old were surrounding a boy about their age, dressed in rags.

They blocked his way with their arms and hurled filthy insults at him.

When the children saw Zhao Linchuan and the others come out, they froze.

Then someone cried, "Lord Soul Master is here!" and they scattered in a flash, vanishing from sight. Only the dust they had kicked up remained, slowly settling in the air.

The boy they had cornered stood there, panting heavily, his chest heaving.

When he saw Zhao Linchuan, he froze for a moment, then rushed over as if he had just seized a lifeline.

He fell to his knees with a thud, his knees striking the dirt hard. His forehead hit the ground as well.

"Lord Soul Master, please save my mother! I'm begging you!"

His voice was hoarse and frantic, choked with sobs, like a string pulled so taut it could snap at any moment.

"Get up and tell me what happened." Zhao Linchuan's voice was calm and even. "Start from the beginning, and tell me the truth."

"Yes, Lord Soul Master!"

The boy hurriedly straightened up, but didn't dare stand. He remained kneeling on the ground.

He took a deep breath and began to explain, haltingly.

His mother was frail and often bedridden, so he had to shoulder all the work at home by himself.

Last winter, his mother caught a chill. She had nearly recovered, but a few days ago, spring rain came, and the window hadn't been properly shut that night. She caught cold again, her old illness flared up, and she developed a high fever that wouldn't break. She had been unconscious for days.

She was on the verge of dying, but he had no money to hire a doctor. The village doctor had heard about his family's situation and wouldn't even come to their door.

He had thought of going to town, but it was too far. By the time he got there, his mother might already be...

He had heard that several Soul Masters had come to the village, so he'd rushed over, risking everything, with one last glimmer of hope.

But the village children had bullied him and wouldn't let him near the gate. They called him a fatherless bastard and said he wasn't fit to see Lord Soul Master.

When he finished, he bowed his head to the ground again. His forehead struck the dirt with a dull thud.

"You're a devoted son." Zhao Linchuan's tone softened. "Lead the way."

"Thank you, Lord Soul Master! Thank you!!"

The boy bowed again, then hurried to his feet and said:

"Lord Soul Master, this way..."

About fifteen minutes later.

Zhao Linchuan stood in the open space before a tiled-roof house, his hands behind his back as he gazed at the distant mountain range.

The woman had recovered and was resting inside.

Yan Lingji stood beside Zhao Linchuan, looking at the dilapidated house. She remained silent for a long time.

Complex emotions surged in her gaze, as if she had been reminded of something from the distant past.

"Husband." She spoke slowly, her tone unusually serious. "The Spirit Hall's Soul Masters are so powerful. Why don't we unify the continent?"

"If the continent were unified under the Spirit Hall's rule, I think... things like this would happen far less often."

Zhao Linchuan didn't answer immediately. He continued to gaze into the distance, his eyes calm as still water.

After a moment, he turned toward Yan Lingji and replied, his tone calm but serious. "Would you be willing to live as a conquered people?"

"Well..." Yan Lingji froze, then gave a wry smile. "Of course not."

"They wouldn't be willing either."

Zhao Linchuan turned his gaze back toward the distance and spoke unhurriedly:

"If we tried to unify the continent by force, all we'd get in return would be resistance."

"Except for those who hate everything under the sun, no one wants to live as a conquered people."

He gazed at the view on the horizon, his fingers tapping lightly behind his back.

"If we want to unify the continent, then first we have to make the people despise their own countries."

"The logic is simple. I won't spell it out."

Zhao Linchuan turned around and looked from Yan Lingji to Bibi Dong, his expression calm.

"We're all still young. We have plenty of time to plan it all."