Huo Yutong's head sank lower and lower.
With a thud, she dropped to her knees and knocked her head hard against the ground.
"Please, Grandmaster, help me hunt a soul beast. Let me owe you these thousand Gold Soul Coins for now. I'll definitely pay you back someday."
Her eyes filled with resolve, Huo Yutong looked at Lu Yu.
"Didn't you say my Martial Soul was a top-tier one? I swear on my Martial Soul that I'll repay your kindness a hundredfold."
"As long as it's something I can do, I'm willing to do anything!"
With that, Huo Yutong knocked her head down hard again.
For a moment, Lu Yu's conscience pricked him. Heaven won't strike me down for tricking a fool, will it?
"I'll help you. Get up first."
Warmth filled Huo Yutong's heart at his words. I'm sorry, Mom. I was a bad girl today.
"I'll definitely repay your kindness."
With that, she bowed down hard once more.
Only this time, her head struck not the cold ground, but a warm hand.
Huo Yutong looked up to see Lu Yu's furious face. "You won't even listen to me. Is this how you repay me? Now, stand up."
Frightened, Huo Yutong immediately sprang to her feet, her body as straight as a javelin.
"Now come inside with me."
Lu Yu took out his key and opened the door again.
"Go take a bath in the bathroom first. Come out when you're done."
"A... a bath! What are you going to do?"
Seeing Huo Yutong's crimson face, Lu Yu thought teasing a fool was rather fun.
"What do you think? Didn't you say you'd do anything?"
"B-but!"
"Is this your resolve? Looks like that's all it amounts to!"
"I... I'll go!"
Gritting her teeth, Huo Yutong ran into the inner room, her face scarlet!
"Teasing an innocent girl is so much fun."
Lu Yu smiled and happily took a wooden tub out of the storeroom.
There was no misunderstanding to be had: he had no intention of sharing a lovers' bath. That would earn him an invisible iron fist.
After taking out the wooden tub, Lu Yu filled it with water and piled firewood underneath, adding medicinal herbs as he boiled it.
These herbs strengthened the constitution and made clearing the meridians easier. They were best suited to people at the Soul Scholar level, essential herbs for a difficult start in his previous life.
The bath was to help Huo Yutong's skin absorb the medicinal liquid more easily.
After boiling these herbs, Lu Yu still had to help Huo Yutong open the meridians throughout her body. No dirty thoughts-this was perfectly respectable meridian opening.
In any case, the Flame Emperor had done it too.
Half an hour later, Huo Yutong finally put on her clothes and came out of the bathroom, her face still scarlet. Upon entering the room, she found it wreathed in steam, a bitter medicinal smell reaching her nose.
"You're here. The temperature's just right. Hurry and get in for a soak. It'll clear your meridians and do you good. Remember to watch that clock. You only need to soak for two hours. Don't soak until you faint."
Seeing Huo Yutong approach, Lu Yu hurriedly stood and headed for the door.
"Aren't... aren't you going to..."
"I was just teasing you."
Lu Yu left, leaving Huo Yutong behind with a crimson face.
Two hours later, Huo Yutong came to the bedroom. Before entering, she checked the mirror and found that her little face was still flushed.
It's from getting dizzy in the bath.
Huo Yutong entered the room and found Lu Yu already seated cross-legged.
"Next, I'll help you open your Twelve Principal Meridians. Once they're open, your Innate Soul Power should reach around rank three. After that, cultivate this Mysterious Heaven Skill. It'll expand your meridians. Once you've learned it, you need to train your body every day as well. The Mysterious Heaven Skill can circulate automatically after your physical training reaches its limit. Keep that up, and your Innate Soul Power can reach rank five."
Lu Yu curled his lip. Was this Tang Sect ten thousand years later really founded by Tang San? Back when I played Tang San, the Mysterious Heaven Skill could take someone from zero Innate Soul Power to full Soul Power. How come the version ten thousand years later is such garbage?
And that's not all. Why have the Mysterious Jade Hand, Dragon Seizing and Crane Controlling, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track all been nerfed? Where's my Poison Scripture? Where's my Herbal Compendium? Hidden Weapons can't beat Soul Tools? Why do I remember Hidden Weapons having different stats when I played?
Well, well, Tang San. You stole the secret manuals yourself, then wouldn't pass them down to later generations, huh? Perfect. If you can steal, so can I.
After this round of self-justification, Lu Yu suddenly found himself perfectly at ease about secretly learning the technique. Apparently, he too had cultivated this "Mysterious Heaven Skill" into his stomach.
"Oh, right. Remember to practice this in secret. Don't tell anyone. If you're found out, just say you picked it up. Don't say Lu Yu taught you."
So his name is Lu Yu. What a nice name.
"Why are you so good to me?"
Looking at Lu Yu, Huo Yutong voiced the question in her heart.
Before this, only Mom was this good to me. The way Lu Yu treats me, thinking about my future-he's practically like my dad.
If only Lu Yu were my dad. Mom, Lu Yu, and I could live together, far, far away from the Duke's Mansion. We'd definitely be happy.
"Didn't you say you'd pay back everything you owe me? You should know that being a Soul Master is a very lucrative profession, especially with your Spirit Eyes Martial Soul. Once your Soul Master rank is high enough, just learn a little about Soul Tools, and the money will come flying in. Of course I have to make you rack up debt while I can."
"None of this is free. I'm counting all of it as high-interest loans. You know what those are, right? Interest piles on interest. Once you borrow, you end up owing money you can never repay. Still, with my level of skill, you'll probably pay all this back within ten years."
"Only ten years?"
Huo Yutong's voice was as faint as a mosquito's whine.
"What did you say?"
If only I could owe him for a lifetime.
Too embarrassed to say it aloud, Huo Yutong sat cross-legged in front of Lu Yu, her face red.
"Next comes the Soul Power circulation route for the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Make sure you remember it."
Lu Yu's Soul Power passed through her clothes and entered her meridians. It moved slowly and gently, without pain. Instead, it felt like a caress.
Her tight meridians immediately expanded. Where the Soul Power flowing through them had been as thick as a finger, it could now be as thick as a wrist.
Hehehe, Spirit Eyes Fragment, here I come.
Lu Yu's Soul Power entered Huo Yutong's body. While opening her meridians, he seized the pure-white Spirit Eyes Martial Soul fragment along the way and refined it in an instant!
He felt that he could now use the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul. Although the Spirit Eyes currently had no Soul Skills, Lu Yu still intended to switch to it and give it a try.
Switching his one-ring Dark Blue Silver Grass to the Spirit Eyes, Lu Yu's eyes immediately sparkled. Now his eyes held stars too.
At that moment, he felt an inexplicable attraction toward Huo Yutong.
No way. Am I going to get shocked?
Lu Yu felt that games were games and reality was reality. Although, when starting at Shrek in the game, he would choose to try the electric-shock activities with those Shrek NPCs, this was reality. He took his partner's physical and mental health very seriously.
Besides, he thought strength was the most important thing in a partner. Although Huo Yutong had a promising future, her strength was still a little lacking.
In his previous life, what he hated most in fantasy novels were decorative female leads. They were good for nothing but padding the plot. How could that compare with growing stronger?
Now that the game had become reality, he also had to consider future strength when choosing a partner. At the very least, she had to have the potential to become a God Official.
If this isn't the God of Love at work, then what's going on?
Wait. Huo Yutong's Martial Soul is the Spirit Eyes, and my Martial Soul is now also the Spirit Eyes. Could it be...?
Before you continue