Compared to Na'er, who had been gloomy the whole way, Yang Fan was quite at ease.
A black-level badge was already quite impressive. He had come to the Spirit Pagoda mainly to learn, and if his level were too high, people would keep an eye on his every move.
Black level was just right. It wouldn't draw too much attention, and he still had all the permissions he needed.
For a Soul Master who was publicly known to be twelve years old and at level twenty to receive this kind of treatment, what more could he ask for?
Life was about knowing when you were well off and being content.
It was like all those webnovel authors whose books were flops. As long as they earned enough to put food on the table, they'd update four thousand words day after day, and occasionally go on a short burst of extra updates when they received a tip.
With a pretty young woman from the Spirit Pagoda guiding them, Yang Fan and Na'er arrived at the room where Bi Ji was resting.
At that moment, Bi Ji was enjoying tea. An elegant set of white porcelain teaware sat before her, and the tea rippled in the cup as wisps of steam curled upward.
She lightly cradled the cup with her slender fingertips and turned her wrist slightly, letting the fragrance of the tea drift into her nose with each breath.
Bi Ji lowered her eyes and took a delicate sip. The instant the tea touched her lips, her brows relaxed slightly, and a smile rose in her eyes.
"You're back? Did everything go smoothly?"
Bi Ji's voice was as gentle as Lan Yin's, but her gentleness was more like that of an affectionate elder toward a younger person.
"Mm. Na'er awakened the Silver Dragon Spear Martial Soul without a hitch and got a gold badge. I got a black badge by association."
Yang Fan scratched his head and said with a smile.
Naturally, he had to act as guileless and straightforward as possible in front of Bi Ji.
"I don't know what you're putting on an act for. When Tower Master Leng gets here, I won't speak up for you. If you want a high-quality Soul Spirit, show the same skill you used when negotiating with the clan head."
Ever since Bi Ji had seen Yang Fan go head-to-head with Di Tian that day, she had known the boy was no ordinary child. She wanted to take the opportunity to test him again.
Yang Fan put on an innocent expression, but inwardly, he was a little regretful.
Finding a suitable Soul Spirit was one of his goals, too. Had he gone a little too far when facing Di Tian? But if he hadn't hit him hard with that medicine, what if Di Tian had decided to kill him and seize his treasures?
Di Tian did show some sense of responsibility when the fate of the Soul Beast Clan was at stake. In the original story, he had even acted against Tang Wulin behind the Silver Dragon King's back.
"I was only doing that for my own—Mmph..."
Before he could finish, Bi Ji covered his mouth with her soft, fair hand.
"Look where you are. Heavenly Phoenix Crown is almost here. Watch what you say."
The woody fragrance coming from Bi Ji calmed Yang Fan instead of making his thoughts wander.
Before he could take another few breaths, Bi Ji sat back down where she had been drinking tea, holding Na'er in her arms.
"If you want a woman to cover your mouth, I can smother you when we get home, how about that~"
Hearing Lan Yin's sharp voice from the Sea of Consciousness, Yang Fan immediately behaved himself.
Looks like this body's entering puberty. Why do I keep getting lost in these ridiculous thoughts?
Yang Fan muttered inwardly.
Luckily, he had Yin'er by his side. Otherwise, if he started thinking with the lower half of his body, he wouldn't be far from courting death.
On the Douluo Continent, the greatest opportunity was falling in love, and the greatest crisis was falling in love, too.
Love and hate, entwined together, had been the eternal tune of this land for tens of thousands of years. Even with a portion of Eros's inheritance, he still couldn't afford to be careless about relationships between men and women.
The wait for Leng Yaozhu was a little difficult to bear. Yang Fan didn't just stand around; he poured himself a cup of tea from the pot on the table.
Yang Fan lifted the teacup and drained it in one gulp.
To him, tea was just for quenching his thirst. He only pretended to appreciate it when entertaining guests. They were all friends here, so there was no point putting on airs.
Just then, Leng Yaozhu entered. Her well-tailored black uniform perfectly accentuated her tall, graceful figure.
Her waterfall of red hair hung loose, her features were as lovely as jade, and her aura blazed like fire.
The air was filled with the faint fragrance of tea, yet it couldn't conceal the subtle tension in the room.
"Crown Feiyi, the Spirit Pagoda can sign this cooperation agreement. But there's only one condition..."
Leng Yaozhu walked in slowly and took the seat of honor.
At that moment, her beautiful eyes were fixed on Na'er, who had just awakened the Silver Dragon Spear and was nestled in Bi Ji's arms.
"This girl's talent is extraordinary, a once-in-a-century find. I want to take her as my personal disciple."
Leng Yaozhu spoke with imperious certainty.
"Vice Tower Master Leng, Na'er's talent is indeed rare, but..."
Bi Ji wanted to decline politely. She tugged at the other woman and thought, My lord bears the fate of the entire Soul Beast Clan. If she's to be bound completely to the Spirit Pagoda, we need to secure enough benefits.
In other words, we need to ask for more money!
Before Bi Ji could finish, Na'er, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, suddenly raised her head.
"Vice Tower Master Leng, I can become your disciple."
Na'er's voice was a little childish.
She pointed her fair little finger at Yang Fan, who was drinking tea and watching the show. "But I have one condition. I want you to take Big Brother as your disciple, too."
The air in the VIP lounge instantly froze.
"What?!"
Leng Yaozhu was stunned. A flicker of surprise passed through her haughty eyes.
The dignified vice tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, a level 99 Limit Douluo, wanted to take a disciple, and the girl was bargaining with her?
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Leng Yaozhu's brows knitted together, and the terrifying pressure of a Limit Douluo poured out involuntarily.
"Do you know what kind of resources I'd give you to nurture you? Are you really willing to let someone as mediocre as him take half?"
Na'er refused to back down. Her violet eyes fixed on Leng Yaozhu, and her voice carried an obstinacy that made Yang Fan uneasy. "He's different."
"You..."
Leng Yaozhu's chest rose and fell slightly with anger. She had roamed the continent for years, but this was the first time she had encountered such an unreasonable little girl, one who even dared to bargain with her.
Seeing the stalemate, Bi Ji glanced at Yang Fan, who was quietly setting down his teacup, and sighed inwardly. You really are a handful.
This wasn't what she had hoped to gain, but her lord's will was the highest will of the Soul Beasts.
"Vice Tower Master Leng, please calm down."
Bi Ji hadn't wanted to help Yang Fan, but in the end she spoke up at just the right moment, offering a compromise. "How about you take Na'er as your personal disciple, and let Yang Fan become an ordinary disciple? He can stay by Na'er's side and listen in when you teach her. What do you think?"
An ordinary disciple?
Leng Yaozhu paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the twelve-year-old Yang Fan, who had remained composed from beginning to end, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"An ordinary disciple..."
Leng Yaozhu gave a cold snort and withdrew her pressure. In Na'er's stubborn gaze, she seemed to see her own younger sister, who had been missing for many years.
"For Na'er's sake, I'll make an exception. But I won't give you any resources. Still, you can ask me about cultivation whenever you like."
Ask me? Yang Fan stared at Leng Yaozhu's red lips for a moment, then realized he had taken her words the wrong way.
"Thank you, Tower Master Leng!"
Yang Fan hadn't expected an unexpected gain like this. He didn't care about cultivation resources, but he did need guidance on cultivation.
He had stumbled along this path relying entirely on himself. Although Lan Yin had guided him later on, her knowledge couldn't compare with that of Leng Yaozhu, a Limit Douluo from the era of Douluo III.
This era was a full twenty thousand years ahead of his own. The emergence of mechas and Battle Armor had pushed cultivation techniques and individual combat systems far beyond those of Douluo I.
It was just that Leng Yaozhu's outer disciple might attract quite a bit of attention, which ran counter to his preference for keeping a low profile. But with Na'er, her personal disciple, standing out in front, it should be fine.
Besides, Na'er had awakened the Silver Dragon Spear. Once Shrek heard the news, Yun Ming might come over to compete with Leng Yaozhu for her, too.
Shrek had pulled this kind of thing more than once. As long as it served their interests, they didn't care about law, reason, or human decency.
What was yours was theirs, and what was theirs was still theirs.
All the treasures and talents under heaven were fated to belong to Shrek.
Speaking of which... Had Leng Yaozhu taken Na'er as her personal disciple for Yun Ming's sake, too?
There were plenty of geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power in the era of Legend of the Dragon King. Even if she wanted to cultivate good relations with the Longyuan family, Leng Yaozhu might not necessarily give them any face.
In truth, Yang Fan was overthinking it. Leng Yaozhu was one of the few people on the Douluo Continent who wasn't so blinded by love. She had already lost her younger sister because of it, and her feelings for Yun Ming were more the regret of unrequited love.
She had planned to take Na'er as her disciple for some time. Qiangu had been putting her under too much pressure lately, and support from the reclusive Longyuan family would make things easier for her.
Bi Ji took the opportunity to push the cooperation agreement she had prepared earlier in front of Leng Yaozhu.
Leng Yaozhu didn't hesitate. She signed her name swiftly and decisively.
"Na'er, from today onward, you're my disciple, Leng Yaozhu's."