Xiao Wu's Affection, Raising a Blood Bag

As Xiao Wu turned over, her scorpion braid slipped down from her shoulder, its tip landing right on the back of Tang San's hand.

Tang San had not yet fallen deeply asleep. He opened his eyes and glanced at her. "Xiao Wu, your hair."

With her eyes closed, Xiao Wu mumbled, "Don't move. I'm watching you."

Tang San did not know whether to laugh or cry. "How can you watch me when you're asleep?"

"I'm watching in my dreams."

After saying that, she squeezed a little closer to him.

Tang San could only flatten his hand so he would not press on her hair.

This was exactly the opportunity Ji Yuan had been waiting for.

The spores lodged in her hair climbed up along the scorpion braid, moving so lightly that they did not even disturb her scalp. At last, they stopped at the back of Xiao Wu's neck, near the roots of her hair.

There was warm blood energy there, as well as the soul beast essence she had hidden deeply but still could not completely contain.

A hundred thousand years.

When those words entered Ji Yuan's mind, they brought not shock, but hunger.

He did not rush to tear open an opening.

Xiao Wu was not a Datura Snake, much less some soul beast corpse by the roadside.

If this blood bag woke up, the trouble would be far greater than Tang San coughing up blood.

Ji Yuan had the spores release a trace amount of poison first. It was not harmful, merely slowing the skin's sensations.

Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose and raised a hand to scratch her neck.

Tang San immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

Half-asleep, Xiao Wu said, "It itches."

Tang San looked at the back of her neck. "Maybe your hair is poking you."

Xiao Wu buried her face in the pillow. "Then stop talking."

Helpless, Tang San withdrew his gaze.

As soon as her hand dropped, the spores' fine tendrils pierced her skin and slowly pressed inward along the outside of her blood vessels.

The moment the first wisp of essence flowed in, the demon vine hidden in the shoe's inner layer nearly lost control.

It was too pure.

Too abundant.

Unlike the energy of the Datura Snake, mixed with poisonous stench, Xiao Wu's essence carried vigorous life force. Even that tiny amount caused dark red patterns to light up along the surface of Ji Yuan's newly formed demon vine.

Ji Yuan immediately reduced the suction.

He could not be greedy.

This was not disposable prey. This was blood bag number two, meant for long-term nourishment.

He only drew off a thin layer of the essence leaking outward, then used the Mysterious Heaven Skill inner force drifting from Tang San to replenish what had been taken from Xiao Wu.

Although Tang San was not actively cultivating, he had just absorbed a soul ring, and the soul power in his body was still circulating naturally. Energy constantly flowed through his meridians.

While Ji Yuan tore away residual inner force from Tang San's body, he dragged Xiao Wu's essence back to his main body.

With the two blood bags pressed together, they even saved him the trouble of concealing himself.

Xiao Wu slept restlessly, her brows furrowed as she burrowed further into Tang San's arms.

Tang San's body stiffened. "Xiao Wu."

With her eyes closed, Xiao Wu lifted a leg and pinned down his blanket. "Don't move around. What if you secretly start cultivating?"

Tang San's face heated up. "I'm not cultivating."

"Liar."

"I really am not cultivating."

"Then don't move."

Tang San lay stiffly on the bed, utterly helpless.

In the darkness, Ji Yuan fed more steadily.

The closer Xiao Wu moved, the less Tang San could move.

The less he could move, the easier it was for Ji Yuan to draw from him.

To Ji Yuan, the closeness between these two was simply like connecting two supply tubes directly in front of him.

After the demon vine's main body absorbed the hundred-thousand-year essence, the venom at the roots of its barbs grew heavier. Fine red and blue lines appeared beneath its formerly dark-purple bark. The toxicity did not spread, but its toughness increased considerably.

Ji Yuan tried making the roots contract within the shoe's inner layer.

The old cloth was squeezed into fine cracks, yet made no sound.

Not bad.

Once this power stabilized, his Bind and Bloodsuck would become even harder to detect than before.

Tang San suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Xiao Wu, are you really asleep?"

Xiao Wu did not open her eyes. "No."

"Then why are you still lying on top of me?"

"I'm afraid you won't behave."

Tang San fell silent for a moment, his voice lowering. "Today in the forest, I almost thought I wouldn't make it back."

Xiao Wu's fingers twitched. "Then why were you still trying to act tough?"

Tang San said, "Teacher was poisoned. I couldn't retreat."

Xiao Wu finally opened her eyes and looked at him from the side. "What about you? What if you died?"

Tang San did not answer.

Xiao Wu sat up slightly and stared at him. "If you run into danger again, you're not allowed to charge in alone."

Tang San said softly, "Soul Masters always have to face danger."

"Then you're not allowed to leave me behind either."

Her tone was childish when she said it, but she was not joking.

Tang San looked at her, and his heart softened. "All right."

Ji Yuan listened to their conversation without the slightest reaction.

All right?

He made it sound so easy.

With him, Tang San was responsible for risking his life, and Xiao Wu was responsible for supplying blood.

Neither of them was going anywhere.

He had the secondary spores take another sip of their origin essence.

Just as Xiao Wu was about to lie down again, her body suddenly went weak. She had to brace a hand against Tang San's chest to keep from collapsing.

Tang San immediately caught her. "What's wrong?"

Xiao Wu rubbed her forehead. "Sleepy."

Tang San frowned. "Weren't you full of energy during the day?"

Xiao Wu stubbornly said, "I was worried about you and didn't sleep well. Is that not allowed?"

Tang San could only help her lie back down. "Then sleep."

Xiao Wu grabbed his sleeve. "You sleep too. No cultivating."

Tang San nodded. "Mm."

Ji Yuan did not drain any more.

The timing was right.

Any more, and Xiao Wu might notice her origin essence slipping away.

He withdrew the secondary spores from the outer layer of her blood vessels and back beneath her skin, leaving only an imperceptibly tiny red dot hidden at the roots of her hair.

The second long-term parasitic mark was complete.

In the latter half of the night, Tang San drifted off in a daze.

Xiao Wu's breathing gradually slowed as well.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuan digested the newly acquired origin essence within the hidden layer of his shoe sole.

The demonic vine's outer skin tightened. Its tiny barbs flattened back one by one, its venom ducts widened, and its bloodsucking roots became thinner and better able to cling to the meridians.

He had finally confirmed it.

Tang San provided cultivation inner force, the Clear Sky Hammer provided the weight of origin essence, and Xiao Wu provided the life-blood vitality of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.

As long as he raised these two blood bags properly, he would be able to keep evolving without risking himself by hunting outside.

Near dawn, Xiao Wu woke first.

She rubbed her neck as she sat up, her face still heavy with sleepiness. "Why am I still tired?"

Tang San woke as well. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Xiao Wu shot him a glance. "It's all your fault."

Tang San froze. "My fault?"

"You scared me by coughing up blood."

Tang San could only accept it. "All right, my fault."

Only then was Xiao Wu satisfied. She jumped off the bed to wash up.

Her scorpion braid swung past the edge of the bed. The tiny red mark at her hair roots was hidden by her hair, unseen by anyone.

Tang San sat up and quietly circulated a little of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

His meridians were much smoother than last night, but his inner strength still felt noticeably diminished.

He frowned and did not dare continue.

Yu Xiaogang's words still echoed in his ears.

Twin martial souls repelled each other.

Perhaps that really was the case.

Hearing him stop cultivating, Ji Yuan felt displeased, but did not forcefully draw any more.

There were too many people around during the day. It was not the right time to make a move.

At noon, the group from Seventh Dormitory went to the cafeteria.

Tang San had not yet sorted out his Spirit Master subsidy, and he did not have much money on him, so he still sat on the first floor with the work-study students.

Carrying her meal, Xiao Wu complained as she walked, "There's way too little food here. The second floor smells delicious every day—why do they get to eat the good stuff?"

Wang Sheng pulled a long face. "The second floor is for noble students. If we go up there, we'll only get kicked back down."

Xiao Wu set her tray down on the table. "Do they have an extra nose or an extra mouth?"

Before Tang San could speak, a burst of laughter came from the stairs.

"Well, well, aren't these the poor work-study students from Seventh Dormitory?"

Xiao Chenyu stood by the second-floor railing with several older students, holding a plate of meat as he looked down at them from above.

Wang Sheng's expression changed. "Boss Xiao."

Xiao Chenyu picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and deliberately tossed it onto the floor. "Want to eat? Pick it up, and I'll reward you."

Xiao Wu slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet. "You looking for a beating?"

Tang San also stood, stepping in front of Xiao Wu.

Ji Yuan opened his senses from within the sole of the shoe.

A bunch of lab rats had delivered themselves to his door—perfect for testing poison.