The World Through Lin You's Eyes

News spread quickly.

"Have you heard? Someone died in the manor?"

"You mean those beasts, A Long and the others? Haha, they all died. Coroner Old Zhao said their faces were iron-blue, there were no signs of battle on their bodies, and they'd soiled themselves. It was a truly miserable death."

When the nearby servants heard the news, they all looked delighted. Hardly anyone showed any sadness; instead, it was as though they were celebrating a festival.

Those three wicked servants had gone far too far in bullying others. Now that Heaven had punished them, it was simply wonderful news.

"It's just a pity... Sigh, I heard Huo Yun'er was driven into the woodshed. They said the place she lived had a plague that killed those three people. If you ask me, that's all bullshit. Isn't it just... Cough, cough, forget it. I shouldn't say any more."

"Heh, you don't dare say it, but I do. If the Duchess hadn't come from the imperial family and had no real foundation here, and if Lin You hadn't had the Duke's military backing, Huo Yun'er would've been killed by that 'plague' long ago."

As they chatted, they noticed a woman walking past while leading a four- or five-year-old child by the hand, and their voices immediately lowered.

The woman walked past with her head bowed, her face expressionless. But her child did not possess such restraint. He immediately asked worriedly, "Mom, will we have to live in the woodshed in a year too? Brother Lin is a really good person. He's always taken care of me, and even something happened to him..."

Hearing this, the woman's expression shifted slightly. Grief welled up in her heart, and she could not help pulling Dai Loli into her embrace as she comforted him softly. "Luo'er, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Mother will protect you."

Not long afterward, when Uncle Li found Lin You in the woodshed, he brought good news.

The White Tiger Duchess had met with the chief steward, effectively settling the matter.

"Sigh, kid, if I'd known this would happen when your mother left you in the manor, I never would've entrusted you to Huo Yun'er's care. Who would've thought that a woman so favored when the Duke was around would be targeted so viciously the moment he left?"

Uncle Li sighed softly. Clearly, there was nothing he could do about Lin You's stubborn insistence on helping them.

In the end, it was all Dai Hao's fault.

"Looks like you'll have to put up with staying here for a while. You know the Duchess's methods. Right now, you're the only one who can make her somewhat wary, but don't go too far either. Killing you would be as easy for her as wringing a chicken's neck. Once things die down, I'll come get you."

Afterward, Uncle Li made a few more arrangements, stuffed several Gold Soul Coins into Lin You's hand, and left.

Huo Yun'er emerged with a worried expression, gazing hesitantly at Lin You's straight-backed figure. Her heart was filled with complicated emotions.

This child was truly mature and dependable. He had been so tiny when he was little, yet now he was like a little adult, protecting her behind him.

At that thought, her expression grew even more sorrowful. Compared to him, that man was a powerful soul master and a noble Duke. He clearly could control everything, and he had personally said he loved her, yet he could not give her even the slightest sense of security. He was not even as dependable as six-year-old Lin You.

Huo Yun'er tightly gripped the hard object in her arms, unable to disperse the thick sorrow in her heart. What, exactly, did this White Tiger Dagger mean?

"All right, Aunt Huo, Yuhao. It seems we'll be safe for a while. This should be our new home."

Lin You turned to look at the messy but gradually tidier woodshed and smiled with some satisfaction.

"You'er, why go this far?" Huo Yun'er asked softly.

He had damaged his own future. Lin You, who should have lived in splendor and luxury from childhood, was willing to go so far for their mother and daughter. Although she had indeed served as his wet nurse for a time in the beginning, he had clearly possessed no memories then. After all, he had only been a week old. Once he reached five or six months, the old steward had taken him away to raise.

When they met again later, he was already four or five years old. At the time, she had not even recognized him, but Lin You had unceremoniously kicked over the children bullying Yuhao, forging the bond between them.

"I don't care."

He shrugged indifferently, then looked around and said with a touch of nostalgia, "Aunt Huo, I haven't tasted your grilled fish in a long time. This place is close to the side gate, so I'll go buy some. How about it?"

"Huh? Grilled fish? Yes, yes!" At that moment, Huo Yuhao crawled out from inside the woodshed, covered in dust and grime. She still wore an apron and held a rag and broom, busy cleaning up.

Looking at the two children before her, Huo Yun'er could not help revealing a gentle smile. "If you want to eat it, then let me show you what I can do. I'll go prepare it."

That night.

The three sat around a small bonfire. Beside them lay numerous used bamboo skewers, with fish bones still clinging to them, picked completely clean.

"Burp... I ate a little too much." Lin You lay down with a hand over his stomach, smacking his lips as he savored the lingering taste.

"Mom's cooking is still the best, hehe!"

Huo Yuhao smiled contentedly as she leaned against Huo Yun'er. Suddenly, she felt that no difficulty counted as a real difficulty anymore.

At least Brother You was by her side, and so was her mother. Nothing could be better than this!

"All right, don't overeat. Go rest for a bit; I'll clean up here. Didn't you just receive manuals on meditation cultivation? Go on, go on. Cultivation is the most important thing for soul masters, so don't fall behind."

"Okay! I'll cultivate hard! Once I become a soul master and obtain a Soul Ring, I'll take you away from this place, Mom! Brother You, let's go!" The girl was fired up again and hurriedly dragged the helpless-looking Lin You to his feet.

Inside the woodshed.

The space was not large, but it had been arranged quite warmly. This was Huo Yuhao's doing. She had never stopped working; if anyone had contributed the most, it was undoubtedly her, bustling in and out. Aunt Huo was not in good health, having suffered lasting ailments in her early years, but fortunately she had recovered more or less during the past two years and was currently fine. Even so, Huo Yuhao forcefully took all the work upon herself and firmly made her mother rest.

The little girl sat cross-legged on the bed, carefully guiding the tiny amount of Soul Power she had painstakingly gathered through her body. Following a certain pattern, it moved slowly through her meridians. It felt unbearably stiff and constricted, and when she reached halfway, she could no longer advance at all. Her expression could not help turning miserable.

"Mm... So this is meditation cultivation? It's so hard. Let me see how Brother You cultivates." Huo Yuhao secretly glanced over, and was immediately stunned.

By comparison, Lin You did not seem to be having such a difficult time. Clearly, his Soul Power Level was lower, so cultivation should have been harder for him.

Yet Huo Yuhao did not see the slightest trace of distress on his face. Instead, he looked... relaxed?

Relaxed my ass! He was asleep!

After noticing Lin You's faint, steady breathing, the little girl felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to wake him, but she did not quite dare disturb him. She remained rooted in place, torn and at a loss.

"My method isn't suitable for you." Suddenly, Lin You spoke for no apparent reason without opening his eyes.

"My Martial Soul is Hydrogen. Absorbing the free Hydrogen in the surrounding Air can also serve as cultivation. Its molecules can also squeeze those Soul Elements over with them, so I don't have to go through the trouble of actively absorbing them. You see me lying here without moving, but I'm actually cultivating already."

Of course, it was neither particularly fast nor particularly slow. Hydrogen molecules were simply too small, and the energy contained in each individual molecule was extremely limited. Thus, after entering his body as a Martial Soul, they would naturally break down into Soul Power.

But if he kept absorbing like this, swallowing it all like a whale, his cultivation would definitely be faster than that of ordinary soul masters. Though he only had half a level of innate Soul Power, his cultivation speed might rival that of a soul master with three or four innate levels.

Moreover, as his Soul Power Level rose, the range he attracted would increase as well, and his cultivation speed would continue to improve. It was the kind that started slowly, but with constant acceleration, could even surpass the speed of light!

As for Soul Elements, that was the name he had given to the unknown specks of light in the Air that felt smaller than Hydrogen molecules, yet could neither be seen clearly nor calculated.

After seeing Huo Yuhao absorb the Air Current formed from these Soul Elements into her body, he understood. This was Soul Power.

A special elemental energy absent from the Periodic Table, existing only in the world of Douluo Continent.

These Soul Elements could even be further divided into various attributes. Their value was absolutely beyond comparison with any single element on the Periodic Table. After all, they were the foundation of the Douluo universe, no less significant than the Hydrogen Element was to the real universe.

Simply put, it deserved a whole new family tree of its own.

What astonished Lin You even more was the high activity of Soul Elements. They were not inert molecules, which meant they could combine with almost any substance or element, producing other things in the process.

So-called Soul Power and Soul Skills were formed from these tiny, invisible Soul Elements.

Although their internal molecular structure could not yet be examined, Lin You could make some simple guesses based on their properties.

First was their molecular structure. Judging by their volume, they should be a little smaller than Hydrogen molecules. Judging by their weight, compared to Hydrogen molecules that constantly floated upward, they were clearly somewhat heavier and remained stable in the Air.

In other words, they might be diatomic molecules formed by two or three slightly larger Soul Atoms bound together through covalent bonds.

After all, Hydrogen molecules were already among the smallest and simplest molecular structures. With such a basic comparison, he could infer their chemical property changes from molecular structure, then hypothetically estimate their reactivity and stability.

"What a pity. I don't have any precise equipment on hand. Being able to observe this much already relies entirely on my Martial Soul. I can't conduct any experiments, so I can only make guesses."

Lin You sighed deeply. In Douluo Continent's current era, there was simply no way to support the creation of such cutting-edge specialized equipment. Nor did he understand that field. Unless something unexpected happened, he would likely have no chance in this lifetime to uncover the true properties of Soul Elements.

But even if he could merely observe them, Lin You had already stood at the peak of every soul master, ancient and modern!