Sister... You'll Get Shocked Plenty Like This

The medicinal bathhouse was thick with steam and filled with the scent of herbs.

Long Ling soaked in the medicinal bath for quite a while, feeling the soreness throughout her body ease considerably.

She climbed out of the tub, dried herself off, changed into clean clothes, hummed an unknown tune, and returned to her room.

"Eh, where's my dad?"

Chu Zisheng sat properly in a chair and shrugged. "Uncle said the house was too warm, so he went out for a walk to get some air."

In truth, Long Ling's father felt an immense amount of pressure whenever he was alone with him.

He did not know what to say to Chu Zisheng, and he was afraid of saying something wrong and offending him.

After all, the aura he sensed from this child was as deep as an abyss, utterly unfathomable.

He had hunted his entire life and survived countless dangers. His alertness far surpassed that of ordinary people, allowing him to vaguely sense lurking threats. Soul Beasts came in countless forms; some powerful ones looked harmless and adorably foolish, making them especially deceptive. If one was not careful, even an experienced old hunter could easily fall into their trap.

It was also thanks to that instinct that he had avoided powerful Soul Beasts time and again, escaping death by the skin of his teeth.

But... even the aura of the most terrifying Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast he had ever encountered could not compare to even a fraction of what this eight-year-old child gave off.

Who knew what kind of powerful old monster he was? He probably possessed at least the cultivation of a Soul Saint!

And who knew what his true purpose was for concealing his identity and coming here...

Staying there made him feel too restrained, so he simply slipped away.

"Eh? What air is there to get at night? Didn't I tell Dad to take good care of you? Honestly..."

Long Ling glanced outside, puffed out her cheeks, then took Chu Zisheng's hand.

"Come on, follow me inside."

Chu Zisheng looked up at her. "Huh?"

"What do you mean, huh? Do you want to sleep on the floor tonight?"

Long Ling gave him a strange look, led him into the room next door, and began bustling about on her own. She made his bed, lit a lamp, and after working for a while, clapped her hands.

"All right, you'll sleep here. Your sister will sleep in the room next door."

"If you have a nightmare tonight, just shout, 'Sister, it's dark, I'm scared, wah wah,' and I'll come rushing over." Long Ling said excitedly.

He was just a child, unfamiliar with the place and newly arrived somewhere strange. It would be easy for him to feel insecure, and then he would be prone to nightmares.

Chu Zisheng: "..."

His face darkened.

This girl really was trying to coax him like an eight-year-old child.

"Go to sleep already... I'm leaving."

Long Ling had just reached the door when she suddenly smacked her forehead. "Oh no, that won't do. I sleep like the dead at home. What if you cry and I don't hear you?"

"Then if you have a nightmare, you could scream your throat raw and no one would answer. How pitiful would that be?"

Chu Zisheng looked at her, sensing a faintly ominous feeling.

"So... I've got it!"

Long Ling clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling. She quickly ran next door, carried over a quilt, and tossed it onto the bed.

"Your sister will sleep with you tonight! Right beside you! If you have a nightmare and cry in the middle of the night, your sister will swoosh over and hug you right away! How about it? Aren't you happy? Aren't you touched?"

Perhaps because they had gone through a brush with death together, Long Ling was especially close to Chu Zisheng.

"Sister Long..."

Chu Zisheng curled his lips. "You'll get shocked plenty like this."

"Huh?" Long Ling looked at him in confusion.

Just then.

Long Ling's father staggered back in. He happened to hear those words, and the corner of his eye twitched violently.

He looked at his daughter, then at the quiet eight-year-old child sitting on the bed. His throat moved as though he wanted to say something.

"Dad! I'm sleeping in this room tonight! Get some rest early!"

Without even turning around, Long Ling shouted as she nimbly climbed onto the bed and spread out the quilt.

Long Ling's father: "..."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Was... was this right?

A terrifying existence who could make the Seven-Thousand-Year Wolf King's head explode out of thin air, who could make two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts turn and flee...

Yet this silly girl was still trying to comfort him like some pitiful eight-year-old orphan...

But Chu Zisheng did not have even the slightest malicious intent, much less any intention of harming anyone. On the contrary, if not for him, Long Ling would likely have been in grave danger today.

For a moment, he did not know what to do. After hesitating for a long while, he could only swallow the words on the tip of his tongue, awkwardly respond, and enter a room across the hall, closing the door behind him.

Inside the room.

After making the bed, Long Ling somehow found a large piece of fragrant roasted Soul Beast meat. Once Chu Zisheng had eaten his fill, she brought back a steaming bowl of beast milk and held it up to his mouth.

"Here, beast milk. It's tasty."

Chu Zisheng glanced at it disdainfully. "Not drinking it."

"Drink it."

"No..."

"Drink it, drink it. It really is delicious!"

Seeing Long Ling's serious expression, as though she was eagerly waiting for him to drink it, Chu Zisheng helplessly accepted the bowl.

He lowered his head and sniffed it. He did not know what beast it came from, but he took a small sip. There was no strange taste, and it was not especially sweet either. The flavor was mild, but the rich milky sweetness was strong.

It was exactly the same scent he had smelled in Long Ling's arms during the day.

He turned to look at Long Ling.

Hmm...

This girl had probably been drinking it since childhood. The smell had seeped into her bones.

Huff...

Chu Zisheng took a deep breath and drank the entire bowl of beast milk. It tasted somewhat gamey, and he pretended to feel nauseated as he spat several times.

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo..."

"Hahaha..."

Seeing that, Long Ling laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, then reached out and rubbed his head.

"What a good boy!"

After putting the bowl away, she extinguished the lamp.

Long Ling lay down beside Chu Zisheng as well. Bright moonlight spilled in through the window, and she gently patted his quilt as though coaxing him to sleep.

"Little brat, your sister wants to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

"When we enter the city the day after tomorrow, your sister will find you a kind, good family..."

Long Ling spoke softly. "There are more people in the city, and life will be a little better. Life in the tribe is hard, and it isn't suitable for you. But don't worry. Your sister will visit you every month, and your sister will miss you very much too. Don't forget me, okay..."

Chu Zisheng lay on the bed without replying.

Long Ling took it as his agreement and rambled on for a few more sentences. Her voice gradually grew quieter, and her breathing slowly evened out.

She... had fallen asleep.

Chu Zisheng turned his head and looked at her in the moonlight.

Only when someone slept would they put down all the defenses in their heart.

Yet even in sleep, Long Ling seemed burdened by heavy worries in her dreams. Her brows remained faintly furrowed, unlike her cheerful, giggling self during the day.

And then...

In the middle of the night.

Chu Zisheng suddenly frowned and opened his eyes. He looked at Long Ling, who was sleeping especially soundly but with utterly terrible sleeping habits, tightly hugging him with one long leg pressed over his body...

She had completely treated him as a giant body pillow.

This girl... really was going to get shocked plenty.

Chu Zisheng took a deep breath and was just about to turn over.

But the next moment.

He did not have a nightmare. Long Ling did.

"No, no, don't..."

Long Ling's brows knitted tightly as she murmured in panic. Her arms instinctively tightened, suddenly pulling him firmly into her embrace.

"Mmph..."

...Damn it.

He could barely breathe.

Chu Zisheng's head felt dizzy, and he nearly threw up.

Early the next morning.

Long Ling was already awake. Carrying two huge steaming bowls of beast milk, she kicked open the door.

"Little brat, get up! Come drink milk!"

Chu Zisheng sat on the bed, looking at her gloomily, too lazy to move.

He had already had enough last night.

For the rest of his life... no... a lifetime was too long... for the near future, at least.

He probably would not have that urge anymore.

Long Ling shoved a bowl in front of him, then picked up the other one and gulped down a huge mouthful, letting out a satisfied "Hah~."

"Eh, why aren't you drinking?"

Chu Zisheng curled his lips. "Don't want to."

Long Ling affectionately pinched his face and said excitedly, "Come on, drink it, drink it. Once you drink this bowl of magical beast milk, you'll gain magical power!"

Chu Zisheng: "..."

This woman was completely hopeless... Sigh.

After he finished drinking.

Long Ling picked up the bowl and dashed off again in a flash.

Chu Zisheng shook his head and followed her outside.

The weather was good today, and the tribe was especially lively. In the square at the center of the tribe, which had been empty yesterday, huge amounts of goods were piled up today.

Cartloads of Soul Beast meat and bundles of medicinal herbs were stacked like mountains.

Outside the tribe, more carts were continuously bringing in supplies.

There were quite a few people as well. Many of them dressed completely differently from the people of the Long Ling Tribe, and it was obvious at a glance that they came from other tribes.

Everyone gathered in small groups and chatted, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

However, they were all ordinary people. There were barely even any soul masters among them.

Only a young man at the level of a Great Soul Master was speaking with Long Ling about something.

Long Ling held a ledger and kept recording things. She nodded from time to time, her expression no longer carefree and giggling but exceptionally serious. Though she noticed the young man's admiring and infatuated gaze, she did not care in the slightest, nor could she be bothered to.

Just then.

"Sister Long." Chu Zisheng called out.

When Long Ling saw him approaching, she tossed the ledger to the young man, gave him a few instructions to sort everything out, then flipped through the air several times and landed beside Chu Zisheng.

The young man looked helpless, but he did not dare refuse. He could only head off to direct this person and call over that person, keeping himself busy.

"What is it?"

"What are they doing?"

Long Ling dusted off her hands and proudly thrust out her chest. "The day after tomorrow is the day we head into the city. Every month, we go sell Soul Beast meat and medicinal herbs, then buy some daily necessities to bring back, things to eat and medicine for injuries. So at this time, all the tribes within dozens of miles gather here."

"Why do they gather here?"

"Because... your sister lives here!"

Long Ling lifted her chin proudly. "The journey is long and the mountains are high, and the Soul Beasts we encounter are fierce. Without an expert to protect them, who would dare travel? Among all the surrounding tribes, your sister is the only Soul Elder. If they don't rely on me, who else can they rely on?"

The proud look on her face seemed to say, Praise me, praise me.

Compared to these ordinary people crossing mountains and ridges, having a Soul Elder protect them along the way indeed made the journey much safer.

But Chu Zisheng looked at her and frowned.

"These tribes... their affairs are their own. You're only a small Soul Elder. It's already difficult enough for you to protect yourself, and protecting your own tribe should be enough. Do you really need to take on every tribe around here?"

He could tell.

Beneath Long Ling's lively, cheerful exterior, she actually bore enormous pressure. Even when she slept, she was full of worries.

It made sense... the safety of the entire tribe, the lives of over a thousand people, all rested on her shoulders alone.

How could the pressure not be immense?

Long Ling was like a guardian deity, silently protecting these people.

But in the end, she was not a god. She was merely a Soul Elder.

If something like yesterday happened again.

The Goddess of Luck would not look after her a second time...

Long Ling had not expected him to say something like that. She stood there in a daze for quite a while.

She looked at this eight-year-old child, opened her mouth to refute him, but could not say anything.

After a moment of silence.

She reached out and pinched his face. "What does a little brat like you know? A small Soul Elder? You sure talk big. Then drink more beast milk, grow up quickly, and come protect your sister, all right?"

Chu Zisheng shook his head and looked straight into her eyes.

"Sister Long, if something like yesterday happens again, what will you do?"

"Yesterday..."

Long Ling fell silent.

She could tell that Chu Zisheng was worried about her.

She didn't know why.

But Chu Zisheng seemed like a different person right now. Those deep eyes of his carried an especially heavy pressure.

It made her instinctively avert her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Yesterday... yesterday was an accident. Don't underestimate me—I'm not usually like that."

"You went to hunt Soul Beasts yesterday because you wanted to break through to Soul Ancestor?"

"That's right, I want to break through to Soul Ancestor! That way, I can protect the tribe better... It's just... Thousand-Year Soul Beasts aren't easy to deal with. I watched that Two-Headed Demon Wolf for a long time before I caught it alone. I never expected..."

Long Ling gave a bitter smile. Even thinking back on it now left her looking frightened.

"But you still have to hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Beast next, right?"

"You little brat, why do you seem like a completely different person..."

Long Ling fell silent for a moment, then muttered softly, "Sigh, I've been stuck at the peak of Soul Elder for a long time. To break through to Soul Ancestor, I need to gather my fourth Soul Ring, which means hunting a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. But Thousand-Year Soul Beasts aren't that easy to kill..."

Generally speaking,

if someone wasn't from a major sect or a noble family, and didn't have family or a teacher to support them,

then for an ordinary person to hunt Soul Beasts and break through to Soul Ancestor,

there were only two methods.

The first was to join Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall would arrange people to cooperate in the hunt according to the situation, which was far better than fighting alone.

But if Long Ling left the tribe, no one would be left to protect it... Many of her tribespeople would face greater danger. She was unwilling to leave, so she had never considered this path.

The second option was to spend a huge amount of Gold Soul Coins to hire a Spirit Hall expert for help.

But Spirit Hall did not lack Gold Soul Coins. Though Spirit Hall had rules that required them to accept commissions from ordinary Soul Masters, the fees for such important figures to make a move were exorbitant, and their schedules had to be arranged in advance...

The tribe's annual income was not even enough to pay for one such intervention.

So Long Ling wanted to try her luck herself. This was also the choice many commoner Soul Masters made.

Better to rely on yourself than beg others.

Without a powerful background or abundant resources, the only thing one could rely on was one's own life.

If it worked out, then it was good fortune.

If not, then so be it...

"Forget it, why am I telling you this? You're just a little brat. You wouldn't understand even if you listened."

Long Ling reached out and roughly ruffled his hair.

She had tightly bound the rest of her life to this tribe.

Even though it clearly wasn't her responsibility, and she didn't have to bear it...

Chu Zisheng stood beside her, looking at her profile.

He seemed to understand why this foolishly pure woman—this woman who had believed in a god all her life yet had never received any response from one—possessed such pure faith.

The god she believed in did exactly what she was doing now.

Asking for nothing in return.

Only protecting.

"Sister Long."

He spoke softly. "When the Azure Hunt Goddess saved the people, she didn't expect anything in return either, did she?"

"Huh? The Azure Hunt Goddess? Why are you suddenly talking about that... Mm, of course she didn't ask for anything in return."

Chu Zisheng's gaze was deep. "So... what you believe in is her act of protection, not the god herself, right?"

Long Ling froze for a moment, then turned to look at him in confusion. "You talk in such a roundabout way. You're so young, yet you sound like those scholarly old academics, all refined and bookish. What's the difference?"

Chu Zisheng looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"None."

Just then, a shout came from the distance.

"Sister Ling! Sister Ling! Come see if I tied this cartload down properly!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

With a leap, Long Ling became that brisk, warmhearted big sister again and hurried over in just a few steps.

Chu Zisheng remained where he was, watching her back.

Under the sunlight, people from every tribe called her Sister Ling affectionately, and she answered them all with a cheerful smile.

She owed them nothing.

But she was willing.

Chu Zisheng withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at her.

Deep in the dense forest, dozens of miles beyond the tribe's outskirts.

More than a dozen pairs of faint green eyes lit up in the shadows. Two-Headed Demon Wolves!

The leader was covered in crimson fur and radiated a powerful aura, but it had only one wolf head left.

"Awoo..."

It sniffed the scent in the air and let out a low whine.

When a wolf turned back, there had to be a reason. It would never be gratitude—only revenge!

That direction.

The scent of that human woman who had made it lose one of its wolf heads... was carved into the depths of its soul.

The wolf pack silently crept toward that direction.

Spirit Hall headquarters, inner hall of the Papal Palace.

Qian Xunji dismissed everyone else and sat alone behind his desk, his fingers tapping against the tabletop again and again.

A secret report lay pressed beneath his hand. He had been looking at it for a long time.

It had been sent up a few days ago from one of Spirit Hall's remote branch halls.

While patrolling the deep mountains and old forests, a scout had accidentally discovered a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

A Blue Silver Grass Empress.

The Grass Empress had taken human form, becoming a beautiful woman who lived with a burly man under assumed names, seemingly intending to hide away and live a quiet life.

The scout had not dared to alert them. He secretly recorded the location and sent it back overnight.

Hundred thousand years.

Blue Silver Grass Empress.

He slowly leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes.

There was no need to explain what a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast represented.

Just then,

a flurry of noisy footsteps came from outside.

Qian Xunji looked up, and his expression changed slightly.

Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and the others had returned, dusty from their journey.

Other than Bibi Dong, the three members of Chrysanthemum Douluo's group had unsteady auras and pale faces, as if they had barely escaped with half their lives.

Qian Xunji hurried out to meet them, frowning as he asked,

"What happened?"

"Your Holiness..." Yue Guan forced himself to bow, his voice weak. "In Star Dou Forest, we encountered a mysterious person... who was at least a Limit Douluo..."

"A Limit Douluo!?"

Qian Xunji's expression changed sharply.