Liu Erlong wasn't a shy or hesitant person. Since she'd accepted Ling Feng's gift, there was no need for her to be overly reserved.
She cheerfully opened the medicine box and saw a small, golden melon about the size of a fist.
It looked a little unlike a melon, despite being called one. Its rich medicinal fragrance deeply captivated Liu Erlong.
"This spirit herb!" Liu Erlong felt her Martial Soul stir.
Ling Feng said, "This spirit herb is called the Earth Dragon Golden Melon. It's extremely rare and can only be found in certain special places."
"It can improve your overall strength, including your Martial Soul, Soul Power, and physical strength."
Hearing that the spirit herb had so many benefits, Liu Erlong was deeply moved.
Since her mother's death, Ling Feng was the first person to treat her so well.
She didn't say anything about feeling unworthy of it or needing to return it to Ling Feng. She simply resolved to repay him properly someday.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"
"This spirit herb is so heavy—it weighs more than a piece of gold!" Liu Erlong exclaimed.
She picked up the Earth Dragon Golden Melon and ate it. Ling Feng rose and closed the doors and windows of her room.
Before long, Liu Erlong felt a profound power surge through her body.
The power tempered her body, increased her Soul Power, and transformed her Martial Soul.
Soon, a dragon's roar sounded from within her, and Liu Erlong's Soul Power began to break through.
She hadn't expected the medicinal power of a single spirit herb to be so terrifying.
Liu Erlong quickly sat cross-legged on the floor and began guiding and absorbing the medicinal power. Gradually, she sank into the process and lost all awareness of her surroundings.
Two days later, Liu Erlong finally awoke.
She opened her eyes, her face brimming with joy.
"How are you? Do you feel unwell?" Ling Feng asked with concern.
Although he knew that Immortal Herbs weren't harmful, no one had ever taken the Earth Dragon Golden Melon before, so no one knew what might happen.
Letting Liu Erlong take it had therefore been somewhat risky.
"I'm fine. Better than I've ever been!" Liu Erlong said.
"My Soul Power actually broke through to level forty-seven. And now I feel like I have some kind of connection to the earth."
"Oh? A connection to the earth?" Ling Feng asked.
"Mm. I feel as though I'm one with the earth and can draw strength from it," Liu Erlong said excitedly.
The change was so immense that Liu Erlong realized this wasn't an ordinary spirit herb.
But Ling Feng hadn't explained what it was, which meant the herb involved certain secrets. So she didn't ask.
"This spirit herb is countless times more effective than that Whale Rubber. It must be incredibly precious."
"That ten-thousand-year Whale Glue was worth tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins. This spirit herb must be worth at least hundreds of thousands."
"This favor is too great. I can't forget it!" Liu Erlong thought.
Ling Feng nodded and thought, Level forty-seven. That's about the same as with the other Immortal Herbs.
"It's too late today. Let's set out for Sunset Forest tomorrow!" Ling Feng said.
"All right. You guarded me for two days, so you deserve a night's rest," Liu Erlong said.
"I live alone, so you can stay here!"
"Sure. Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Ling Feng replied.
That night, Liu Erlong lay in bed. With someone else in the house, she felt more at ease and soon fell asleep.
Even a Soul Master like her found the loneliness of living alone difficult to bear.
Before falling asleep, Liu Erlong murmured, "If only things could stay like this forever."
Both of them were Soul Masters, accustomed to rising early and training through the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" Liu Erlong asked.
Ling Feng thought for a moment. "Very well. It felt like being home."
He meant it. Since becoming an orphan, this was the first time he'd felt that way.
Back in Spirit City, he'd lived in a dormitory at Spirit Academy. It hadn't felt like a home.
"That's good. If you ever want to come by, my door will always be open to you," Liu Erlong said.
As she spoke, she watched Ling Feng nervously, waiting for his reaction.
"Great. Then I'll come visit you from now on. You can't kick me out!" Ling Feng said.
When Liu Erlong saw that Ling Feng hadn't refused, she finally relaxed.
Half a day later, they arrived at Sunset Forest.
"The Soul Beast I'm hunting this time is a Man Faced Demon Spider. Its territory is just ahead, so stay alert," Ling Feng said.
He remembered that Liu Erlong, like Bibi Dong, rarely studied Martial Soul Theory, so he added:
"The Man Faced Demon Spider has a human face on its abdomen and excels at using poison, camouflage, and stealth. It's like a ghost in the forest, so it may ambush us later."
"Its defenses are extremely strong. Since it's a twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast, breaking through them will be even harder."
"Its weak points are its eight eyes. If we want to kill it, we'll have to strike at them," Ling Feng said.
"Understood!" Liu Erlong nodded.
"If it's good at stealth, how are we supposed to find it?"
Ling Feng already had a plan. He was just using the same trick again.
"It's good at stealth, and unless it's injured, we won't be able to find it. So I'm going to draw it out!"
Ling Feng took a thousand-year spirit fruit from his Soul Tool.
He wasn't using a ten-thousand-year spirit herb because he didn't plan to retrieve this one. Instead, he intended to set a trap inside it.
Even a thousand-year spirit herb would be extremely enticing to a Soul Beast.
"Is that a thousand-year spirit herb?" Liu Erlong realized. "You're going to use it to lure the Soul Beast?"
Ling Feng nodded. "Exactly. I doubt it'll be able to resist."
"But if we fail, won't that spirit herb go to waste?" Liu Erlong said regretfully.
"You can't catch a Demon Spider without risking a spirit herb. If you like, I'll give you some more later!" Ling Feng said.
Ling Feng had plenty of spirit herbs like this, so he didn't mind at all.
In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, spirit herbs grew dozens or even hundreds of times faster than they did elsewhere.
A thousand-year spirit herb could mature in just ten or twenty years. Losing one was no big deal.
"No, no. I just accepted a spirit herb from you. How could I ask for another?"
"All right, I'm going to make my move. Be careful!" Ling Feng said.
Ling Feng split open the skin of the spirit fruit and slipped a tiny Yin-Yang jade bottle inside.
The bottle held spring water from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If the Man Faced Demon Spider ate it, Ling Feng might be able to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.
After tossing the spirit fruit into the Man Faced Demon Spider's territory, Ling Feng and Liu Erlong hid nearby.
"Will it really come?" Liu Erlong asked anxiously.
"That depends on luck," Ling Feng whispered.
Unlike the Crypt Demon Spider, which liked to hole up in its lair and wait for prey, the Man Faced Demon Spider liked to roam around, hunting other Soul Beasts and humans outside its territory.
Ling Feng was in luck. Before long, his sharp eyesight and powerful mental strength let him notice a faint movement.
"It's here!"