"I had innate rank-nine Soul Power. To hunt for a Soul Ring sooner, I took some medicine to raise it by one rank. Do you believe me, big sister?"
Jiang Dongjun gave the blonde girl a sidelong glance. Without deliberately acting childish, he offered an answer in his normal tone that had holes in it yet sounded plausible.
"Since you've put it that way, of course I believe you."
The blonde girl smiled "kindly."
"But you're so young, yet you talk like an old man. I don't like that."
As she spoke, she raised her arm, fair as jade, intending to subdue Jiang Dongjun and give his little head a good ruffling.
Jiang Dongjun ducked out of the way, then looked up and asked.
"Big sister, do you feel anything special toward me?"
Nearby, Jiang Ming, who was exchanging information with Han Ruoruo, jolted. He desperately wanted to leap over and cover his son's damned mouth.
You little brat, why did you expose yourself?
Han Ruoruo also cast an odd look their way.
Teased by the boy's words and subjected to her best friend's teasing gaze, Wu Ming immediately flushed.
"You little rascal! You're already teasing older girls at this age-what'll you be like when you grow up? I don't feel anything for you, but I can make you feel something. Pain!"
Her fair, jade-like hand reached out to grab Jiang Dongjun's ear.
Though Wu Ming had an explosive temper, she knew where to draw the line. She was only fooling around.
Jiang Dongjun reacted swiftly, raising his hand to block her before catching her outstretched hand in the same motion. Before Wu Ming could resist, he sent his Soul Power straight into her.
Instantly, Wu Ming froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Jiang Dongjun, by contrast, sensed things briefly, his brows creasing slightly before smoothing out again. While Wu Ming was distracted, he released her hand and retreated to his father's side.
Father and son exchanged glances.
-What did you do?
-We'll talk when we get back.
"Wu Ming?" Han Ruoruo called softly.
"Huh? Oh, Ruoruo, I'm fine." Wu Ming came to her senses and urged, "Ruoruo, can we confirm that Teacher Jiang already dealt with our target before we arrived? If everything's settled, let's go back."
This was the first time Han Ruoruo had ever seen her usually carefree best friend so distracted. She could not help casting a suspicious look at the father and son of the Jiang Family, the culprits behind it.
But the pair were experts at playing dumb, each looking more innocent than the other.
Amid the strange atmosphere, Han Ruoruo felt like an outsider and could only sum things up.
"The Evil Soul Master Huang Fen came from Ross Province in the Dou Ling Empire. His Martial Soul was the corpse-wrapping cloth, and he specialized in creating and controlling corpse puppets. He occupied Old Dragon Ravine, and we've confirmed that Teacher Jiang killed him last night. Ming, our mission target is gone. We can indeed return to the academy."
The four of them began the journey back.
Soul Kings traveled very quickly on foot.
But Jiang Dongjun felt it could not compare to flying at all. Being carried along by his father as he ran was utterly miserable, too. He felt as though his stomach would be jolted right out of him.
After a brief rest that night, they resumed their journey the next morning and reached Shrek City around noon.
The four parted in front of the eastern gate.
The eastern gate only led into Shrek Academy, not Shrek City. Huo Yuhao had once nearly been killed by the Dai Family's deathsworn because of this brain-dead city planning.
Before they parted, Wu Ming gave Jiang Dongjun a look filled with complicated emotions.
He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze composed, with a maturity that did not suit his age.
Father and son headed for the southern gate.
On the way.
Jiang Ming asked curiously, "How did you rein that girl in? I'm so used to seeing her usual boisterous antics that having her behave herself all the way back felt rather strange."
Jiang Dongjun remained clearheaded, without a trace of smugness, and answered, "Her heart was in turmoil, and she simply hadn't reacted yet. Once she comes to her senses and makes up her mind, I'll probably be the unlucky one."
Jiang Ming stopped walking, glanced at his son, and snorted. "You may have a handsome face, but there's an age gap between you and her. How could you possibly stir her heart? Tell me the truth."
"It's just a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. With something that momentous landing on her head, how could her heart not be in turmoil?"
"What?"
Jiang Ming's head began buzzing, as though he had not heard clearly.
"I said, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"How is that possible?" Jiang Ming could not believe it. "How could a fireball climb onto the Golden Crow's branch? How could those two have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? It would make more sense if you were a Golden Feather Crow, like the White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat."
Jiang Dongjun did not respond. He thought his father was making a fuss over something he had rarely seen.
Martial Soul Fusion Skills were not all that lofty. A certain someone could casually mold them into existence.
In fact, the baiting device that certain someone had created could practically be called a universal Martial Soul Fusion device. It could even cause Ultimate Ice and the evil fire phoenix to show a tendency toward Martial Soul Fusion.
The original novel recorded that Huo Yuhao had suppressed Ma Xiaotao's evil fire many times without any sign of fusion-until Wang Dong placed her hand on them.
Well, well, guess what happened?
Ultimate Ice and the evil fire phoenix showed a tendency toward Martial Soul Fusion.[Note 1]
Tang Wulin's Martial Soul Fusion Skill had also been created by stealing the Golden Dragon King bloodline, and then there were the maneuvers of Douluo IV's protagonist.
In short, they were all artificially made.
Thoughts turned over in Jiang Dongjun's mind, but in the end, he still offered an explanation.
"According to ancient legends, the Golden Crow is a divine beast born within the sun. I'm the sun, and she's the Golden Crow."
Jiang Ming was even more surprised. "Then that means you're the one taking the lead in the Martial Soul Fusion?"
Then he added doubtfully, "Wait, where did this sun come from? Hasn't your Martial Soul remained unchanged?"
"My Martial Soul is still a fireball, but I have a Sun Soul Ring. That's the source."
Jiang Dongjun smiled and continued, "And precisely because of that, the compatibility between Wu Ming's Soul Power and mine is actually very weak. That earlier attempt was a failure, and future attempts will keep failing too, unless... I can draw closer to the 'sun'!"
Jiang Ming smiled.
He knew his son's ambition. He would certainly work toward fulfilling that final condition.
Perhaps the Martial Soul Fusion Skill was as good as secured.
Dongjun was not trying to bind anyone to him. He truly wanted to touch that supreme authority. He was pragmatic and would not reject any shortcuts that might appear along the way.
When he had taken Dongjun to the shore of Sea God Lake as a child, the boy had looked at Tang San's statue, and the fierce expression that had inadvertently surfaced in his eyes-I could take his place-had left a deep impression.
"That's a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, after all. That feeling of merging together could even turn a pair of men gay, let alone a girl. It's normal for her heart to be in turmoil. Once she thinks it through, she'll either cling to you or never see you again."
"Heh, heh, heh. You old bird, trying to steal my wife, were you? This is your retribution."
After they got home.
At the dinner table, Jiang Ming animatedly recounted the experiences he and his son had gone through over the past five and a half days to Diwu Ying.
Faced with the sumptuous dishes on the table, Jiang Dongjun once again only hurriedly shoveled down a mouthful.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to make something in the workshop in the backyard. Don't disturb me."
"Wait a moment." Jiang Ming stopped him and said, "I'm afraid a long night will bring more troublesome dreams, so I'll go see Dean Qian shortly and hand over the Giant Mushroom and Old Dragon Ravine. While I'm at it, I'll ask about that Giant Mushroom's origins and see how we should process our own. Also, I'll trade in the Soul Bone you brought back last time and get your mother an arm bone from a firebird-type Soul Beast. What do you want?"
Jiang Dongjun thought for a moment and replied, "First, a ten-thousand-year arm bone of exceptional quality, with a light attribute. See if the academy has one. Then a few pieces of whale rubber to strengthen my physique. Do whatever you like with the rest, Dad. Oh, right, you could ask for an allotment of rare metals."
Seeing the worry in his mother's eyes, Jiang Dongjun reassured her, "Mom, the Land of Yin-Yang Harmony is a tremendous stroke of fortune, a treasure basin. Dad saw those mushroom clusters we picked up, too. Asking for these things isn't excessive at all."
"Right, it's not excessive. Not excessive in the slightest. A treasure land whose blessings endure is far too important to any organization."
Jiang Ming chimed in from the side.
"Besides, there's a young girl in the academy who's dearly loved by the Sea God Pavilion Elders and is suffering badly from inner evil. Those mushroom clusters can balance yin and yang. Perhaps they could help her suppress her inner evil and lessen the hidden dangers in her Martial Soul."
"Ah..." Diwu Ying sighed. "Ming, we don't have the strength. Keep your head down when the time comes. Taking a few more losses is better than losing your life."
[Note 1]: Original novel, Chapter 170: Shrek, Defeated?
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