"Lin Shuo." Lin Shuo gave a slight nod, his tone calm. "I'm only resting here, too. I happened to run into Miss Huo Yu'er while she was resting."
Tang Ya peeked out from behind Bei Bei. Her gaze swept between Lin Shuo and Huo Yu'er, then settled on the grilled fish. Her eyes lit up. "Um... could I buy one? I'll pay! It smells so good."
Huo Yu'er glanced up at her, then at Lin Shuo. Without a word, she handed over the two fish she had just finished grilling.
"No need to pay," Huo Yu'er said softly. "They're my treat."
Tang Ya cheered, took the fish, and bit into it. She let out a satisfied sigh. "Oh my gosh, this is so delicious! Bei Bei, you have to try it!"
Bei Bei accepted the grilled fish Tang Ya offered him, but didn't eat it right away. His eyes never left Lin Shuo, studying him carefully. When he saw the few spirit fruits the boy had casually set on the ground, he looked a little surprised, yet also thought it only natural. Someone with such a powerful Martial Soul was bound to have an unusual background.
"Brother Lin, are you here to hunt Soul Beasts, too?" Bei Bei asked tentatively.
Lin Shuo shook his head. Seeing that, Bei Bei wisely didn't press him.
The four of them enjoyed a delicious meal of grilled fish. Aside from Bei Bei being a little distracted, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
"Big Brother Lin, Big Brother Bei, Sister Tang, I'm heading off." Once she had finished her fish, Huo Yu'er stood up, bowed to Lin Shuo, picked up her bundle, and turned to leave.
After Huo Yu'er had gone some distance, Lin Shuo stood and said to Bei Bei and Tang Ya, "Brother Bei, Miss Tang, I'll take my leave here." With that, he followed after Huo Yu'er.
"Hey, you're leaving already?" Tang Ya said, surprised. She was about to ask him to stay, but Bei Bei gently pressed a hand to her arm.
After Lin Shuo had walked some distance, Tang Ya nudged Bei Bei with her elbow. "Bei Bei, what was that about?" She might have been a little scatterbrained, but she wasn't stupid. She could at least tell that the atmosphere had grown rather tense.
"That young man Lin's Martial Soul put a lot of pressure on me. It must be a powerful Dragon Martial Soul," Bei Bei said after a moment's thought.
Hearing that, Tang Ya promptly put it out of her mind. Instead, she looked thoughtfully at the fish bones on the ground.
"Little Yu'er must be here to obtain a Soul Ring. Should we recruit her into the Tang Sect?"
"Probably. I could sense that she has Soul Power, but it's very weak. That young man Lin likely headed in that direction because he was worried about her. But..." Bei Bei turned to look at Tang Ya.
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue, caught red-handed. "No time like the present. Let's go take a look, too."
Bei Bei shook his head helplessly. "All right, Teacher Xiao Ya."
After Lin Shuo had walked some distance, he contacted the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm through their spiritual link. "Tian Meng, I've picked out a host for you. In a moment, offer yourself to the Huo Yu'er in front of me." Lin Shuo kept close enough to Huo Yu'er to intervene at any time, but not so close that she would notice him.
As they entered the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, a shrill cry rang out, and a figure lunged at Huo Yu'er. It was the legendary Ten-Year Wind Baboon, which had nearly slain a god-king. Lin Shuo stopped walking, with no intention of stepping in. To keep Bei Bei and Tang Ya from growing suspicious if they followed, it was crucial to have the corpse of a Ten-Year Soul Beast on the ground. After a fierce battle, the Wind Baboon fell just short and was defeated by Huo Yu'er.
Just then, Tian Meng came waddling over with his round body and rushed straight to Huo Yu'er. Following Lin Shuo's plan, Tian Meng and Huo Yu'er fused without a hitch. But in the middle of the fusion, the sky—which had been clear and bright—suddenly darkened. A tremendous pressure descended from above, and a stream of gray air appeared out of nowhere. Lin Shuo immediately took the Gold of Life out of his Storage Soul Tool. Sensing Lin Shuo's presence and the Gold of Life in his hand, the gray stream, which had been flying toward Huo Yu'er, veered toward Lin Shuo instead.
"With the sun and moon in my grasp and the stars plucked from the heavens, none in this world can compare to me. I never thought I'd still have a remnant of my soul left." After entering Lin Shuo's Sea of Consciousness, the stream of gray air—or rather, Electrolux—fell silent. Seeing that Electrolux had entered his Sea of Consciousness, Lin Shuo headed over to Huo Yu'er. Electrolux had only a wisp of divine consciousness left; Lin Shuo would let him slowly recover on his own.
The girl lay on the ground. Tian Meng was still sealing his Soul Power and Spiritual Origin. When he saw Lin Shuo approach, worry filled his round face. "My lord, I saw that gray stream of air fly toward you just now. Are you all right?"
Warmth filled Lin Shuo at his concern. He smiled and said, "I'm fine. Just stay with Huo Yu'er. Her future won't disappoint you."
Tian Meng was curious about why his lord had such faith in this frail little girl, but he didn't dare ask. He went back to his great work of sealing himself.
Seeing that everything had gone smoothly, Lin Shuo took a cushion from his Storage Ring and laid the girl on it. Then he waited for her to wake.
A faint rustling came from the woods in the distance. Lin Shuo spread out his spiritual power like a tide, saw that it was Bei Bei and Tang Ya, and withdrew it.
Lin Shuo made no effort to hide anything. He simply sat quietly beside the girl, his gaze resting on her pale face, his expression calm as still water.
A moment later, someone swept aside the bushes. Tang Ya peered through the branches, about to call out, but the instant she saw the scene before her, she abruptly fell silent.
"Lin Shuo, what happened to Yu'er?" Tang Ya asked quietly.
"She's fusing with a Soul Ring. What a shame—I still got here a step too late," Lin Shuo said regretfully.
Bei Bei came over, too. The moment he saw the Ten-Year Wind Baboon on the ground, he understood what had happened.
"Indeed. If we'd arrived one step earlier, perhaps we could have helped Miss Huo obtain a Hundred-Year Soul Ring," Bei Bei said, sounding regretful as well.
"Mm..." A soft moan came from Huo Yu'er. All three of them turned to look at her. When Tang Ya saw Huo Yu'er wake, she immediately threw herself at her side. Huo Yu'er's head was still muddled, and she nearly slapped her away.
Bei Bei rubbed his forehead helplessly and pulled Tang Ya back. "All right, Xiao Ya. Let Miss Huo wake up properly first."
Huo Yu'er felt the Soul Power inside her and realized that everything that had happened was real. Remembering what the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had just told her, she jumped up with delight. "I did it!"
Tang Ya and Bei Bei sensed the mental fluctuations radiating from Huo Yu'er's eyes and were a little surprised.
"Yu'er, is your Martial Soul a Mental Attribute Martial Soul?"
Huo Yu'er first sneaked a glance at Lin Shuo, then nodded. "Yes, Sister Xiao Ya. My Martial Soul is the Spirit Eye. It's a Mental Attribute Martial Soul."