Drunken Mistake

"Bing'er."

"This is yours."

Lin Ye took a palm-sized crystal from the Ink Salamander's corpse.

It was called a Salamander Crystal.

After swallowing poisonous gas, the Ink Salamander relied on its Salamander Crystal to refine it, then convert it into its own cultivation.

That was why

the Salamander Crystal was known throughout the Soul Master World as the bane of a hundred poisons.

Of course,

the Salamander Crystal differed from the Aromatic Silk Beauty.

The Aromatic Silk Beauty could not detoxify anything, but it could suppress all poisons and create a safe area.

The Salamander Crystal could neutralize poison, but it could not create a safe area.

"Great!"

Shui Bing'er smiled.

This time, she had no intention of thanking Lin Ye like she used to.

They had spent an entire year traveling and training together...

How could they still be as polite with each other as before?

Next,

they searched the Peerless Dragon Snake couple.

They found nothing worth a damn!

The Gold Soul Coins on the pair did not even add up to a thousand.

No wonder they were still doing so poorly at their age. Apart from the title "Peerless Dragon Snake," they had nothing.

"Where are we going next?"

Shui Bing'er knew Lin Ye well by now.

After all,

they had just fought a major battle here. They certainly could not stay long.

Before leaving, they would also have to dispose of the couple's bodies as usual.

"Back,"

Lin Ye said.

"Back?"

"Back where?"

Several places flashed through Shui Bing'er's mind like scenes in a revolving lantern.

The Frozen Forest?

The Star Dou Great Forest?

One of the little towns on the outskirts where they had stayed before?

Or perhaps...

"Heaven Dou City, of course."

"We've been away for a full year."

"I promised the Shui Family I'd bring you back after a year."

"..."

Lin Ye had another, more important reason for deciding to return.

His Soul Power had been stuck at level seventy-nine for three months.

A Soul Master's cultivation did slow as his level rose.

But!

At the rate he had cultivated before...

In three months, he should at least have reached the threshold of Soul Douluo. Failing that, he should have gained a fraction of a level. Instead, his progress had been negligible.

Lin Ye felt it was time for a change of scenery.

A new approach to cultivation!

Back at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had heard Meng Shenji say: cultivating as a Soul Master was like walking on thin ice. Once you got trapped in a dead end, you might never advance again in your life.

"When did you make a promise to my family?"

"How come I didn't know?"

Shui Bing'er looked thoroughly puzzled.

After all,

her father had ordered her to accompany Lin Ye on his travels, but he had only told her to listen to Lin Ye while they were away.

"My father-in-law came to me before we set out."

Shui Bing'er froze for a moment.

Then,

she burst out laughing.

It seemed...

her father really had worried about her training out in the world.

"Don't just stand there... Let's go."

"Wait for me."

They walked off side by side.

Seven days later,

Lin Ye entered Heaven Dou City.

He did not head straight for Heaven Dou Royal Academy this time.

Although he had promised he would always be part of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he could not live in its dormitory forever.

Besides...

He had a wife!

Over the past year of travel and training,

he had run into plenty of fools who had not watched where they were going—in Soul Beast forests, outlying towns, remote wildernesses, and other seldom-visited places. He had also relieved them of some of their valuables.

So his first task was to buy a house in Heaven Dou City.

As for Shui Bing'er,

she had gone home to the Shui Family first.

The moment she entered Heaven Dou City, her longing for her family had burst its banks like a flood.

"Lin Ye!"

As he walked along one of Heaven Dou City's main streets, a familiar voice called his name from behind.

He turned...

It was Shui Yue'er.

She was running toward him.

Lin Ye asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I can divine the future." Shui Yue'er grinned. "I looked at the stars last night and knew you and Bing'er would be back, so I waited here for you."

"Oh."

"I get it."

"Shui Bing'er's already gone home."

"She told you I'd come to Heaven Dou City, didn't she?"

Most of the smugness vanished from Shui Yue'er's face.

He had it exactly right!

How else could she have known Lin Ye was back?

What was she, an immortal?

Lin Ye asked, "What did you want with me?"

At that,

Shui Yue'er grew excited again.

"I heard you're buying a new house, so I came to help you choose!"

"It'll be your and Bing'er's little nest."

"You have to choose carefully!"

"..."

A note of envy slipped into Shui Yue'er's voice.

Her younger sister was already married.

And ever since the wedding, her cultivation had gone smoothly too.

As for Shui Yue'er...

Sigh.

Why couldn't she meet someone like Lin Ye?

Afraid Lin Ye might leave her behind, Shui Yue'er immediately put on a serious face. "Don't underestimate me. My family may live in Skywater City, but I know Heaven Dou City's layout like the back of my hand."

"If you really want to help, put up two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Lin Ye was joking.

He did not turn down Shui Yue'er's offer.

Having another person along could not hurt, and Shui Yue'er might even help him bargain.

"Two hundred thousand?"

"You've got to be kidding."

"I wouldn't fetch that much if you sold me!"

"How about I sell myself to you, and you give me the two hundred thousand?"

Still joking, Shui Yue'er obediently followed at Lin Ye's side.

He had to admit...

Shui Yue'er had not been boasting.

She really did know Heaven Dou City's layout.

She knew which districts housed Soul Masters, which housed nobles, and even where the major families lived.

Even so...

they found nothing after half a day of searching.

That evening,

they found a hotel and booked two rooms.

To welcome him back, Shui Yue'er ordered two bottles of wine, and they sat in a room drinking together.

They talked about continuing their house hunt tomorrow.

Shui Yue'er's cultivation was lacking, and her tolerance for alcohol was no better.

After two cups...

she was done for.

Shui Yue'er began rambling.

"Bing'er's always been talented. The family elders have adored her since she was little."

"I'm so jealous of her."

"And now she's married an even more powerful Soul Master like you."

"I'm more jealous than ever..."

"Lin Ye."

"Do you know?"

"I like you too."

"But you're my brother-in-law. I can't steal you from Bing'er."

"I can't..."

"But I really do like you."

"Why don't you marry me too?"

"Bing'er and I could share a husband."

"..."

Lin Ye took a fierce swig of wine.

Shui Yue'er's words were growing more outrageous by the moment. She had reached the point of begging him to do it.

Lin Ye looked at Shui Yue'er, who was sitting on his lap. In the end, he could not hold back and slept with her.