Secrets

Night.

A figure swept over Heaven Dou City at tremendous speed, racing out of the city.

Perhaps because he was moving too fast, his figure was completely concealed by the darkness, without disturbing a single person in the city.

Moments later, Mo Lin appeared in Sunset Forest.

Looking at the dark green poison miasma before him, so dense that it blocked his sight, he curled his lips into an enigmatic smile.

"Such a strong aura of ice and fire. Looks like this is where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is."

He had spent most of his time in Heaven Dou City over the years and rarely ventured out.

But that only meant this side of him rarely ventured out. His other side had long since pinpointed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As for why he had never made a move, it was simply because he had no use for it.

Immortal herbs might be treasures to other people, but in his hands, they were practically useless.

With the power of the Twelve Talismans bolstering him, the so-called immortal herbs were rather like adding an extra stroke to a finished painting.

Of course, another reason was that he was truly busy and had no time to bother with this place.

If Dugu Bo had not insisted on attaching himself to him, of all things, he would not have come to ravage the place.

"I wonder if immortal herbs can cure the Nine Heart Begonia's Martial Soul defect."

Mo Lin rubbed his chin. He and Ye Lingling had grown up playing together, and his understanding of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul far surpassed that of others.

As the world's foremost healing-element Martial Soul, the Nine Heart Begonia was the only support Martial Soul that could rival the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

But just like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, it had a shortcoming that could not be ignored.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could never obtain an eighth Soul Ring, and its highest attainable level was seventy-nine.

Although the Nine Heart Begonia did not have that restriction, only two Nine Heart Begonias could exist in the same era, throttling this Martial Soul through sheer limits on its numbers.

It was already known that Aromatic Silk Beauty could break the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's restriction, allowing it to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

By the same reasoning, this thing could also break the Nine Heart Begonia's restriction.

Of course, that still needed consideration. He would have to run an experiment first when the time came.

Standing outside the poison miasma, Mo Lin took out a little notebook at some point and began recording everything running through his mind.

Only after confirming that he had overlooked nothing did he put it into the Storage Soul Tool he carried.

As the pen and paper vanished, a shovel and a sack appeared in Mo Lin's hands instead.

Judging by his preparations, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was bound to suffer a "bloodbath" tonight.

Early the next morning, the shop opened as usual.

After working all night, Mo Lin was a little tired.

But compared with his haul, that bit of hard work seemed hardly worth mentioning.

Just as Mo Lin was tidying the counter, a figure stepped into the shop.

He looked up and saw a beautiful young married woman with an extraordinary air.

"Oh, you've made quite a proper setup here. It really looks the part."

The young woman surveyed the shop with a playful glint in her eyes. The exquisite folding fan in her hand lightly tapped the counter beside her, making a series of thumping sounds.

From the looks of it, she seemed less like a customer and more like someone here to wreck the place.

Yet when Mo Lin saw her, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.

"Aunt Ye, how come you have time to visit me today?"

Indeed, the visitor was Ye Lingling's mother, Ye Xingmeng.

"What, from that tone, am I not welcome? Ah, all those years raising you, wasted."

Ye Xingmeng glanced at Mo Lin, her face full of grievance, as though she had suffered some monumental injustice.

"I wouldn't dare. Have a seat, Aunt Ye. If you need anything, just say the word."

After spending so many years with her, how could he not know what Ye Xingmeng was like? Judging by her manner, she was definitely cooking up mischief.

Really, she was well into her thirties. Could she not be a little more mature?

"No need to sit. I'll be leaving shortly. I just came to see how things were going here."

"Also, did you go to Dugu Bo's house yesterday?"

Good grief, did news travel that fast?

"Yes."

Mo Lin did not hide anything and told Ye Xingmeng what had happened.

After hearing his account, Ye Xingmeng nodded.

"So that's what happened. I was wondering why that girl Dugu Yan came running to my house first thing this morning to ask how my health was. The moment I heard her, I knew it was your handiwork."

She raised her folding fan, lightly knocked Mo Lin on the head a few times, and continued.

"You've got some nerve, though, brat. You even dared to extort Dugu Bo. Aren't you afraid he'll slap you to death?"

Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo. Even if he bore the title of the weakest Titled Douluo, he was still a Titled Douluo.

If he wanted to kill Mo Lin, not even the emperor of Heaven Dou could save him.

Hearing the concern in her words, Mo Lin felt warmth in his heart.

"Senior Dugu is very reasonable. Why would he stoop to holding something against me?"

Of course, Dugu Bo would not stoop to holding something against him, but that did not mean he would not hold something against Dugu Bo.

Yesterday, he had been so busy cleaning out the man's assets that he had forgotten to ambush him with a club.

In that case, he would make up for it tonight.

"I don't know what to do with you, brat."

Ye Xingmeng sighed helplessly, then continued.

"Lingling is going out to gain experience. Come home for dinner tonight."

"All right."

He gave a simple answer, and Ye Xingmeng said nothing further.

After all, that was how she and Mo Lin talked: normal one moment, anything but normal the next.

Mo Lin was used to it. After all, there was another layer to their relationship.

Child bridegroom was merely the outward title. His true role was Ye Lingling's Dao Protector.

Ye Xingmeng was also one of the very few people who knew a corner of Mo Lin's secrets. Although he did not particularly care about it, Ye Xingmeng did not seem to feel the same way.

She knew Mo Lin was very strong now, but she did not know exactly how strong.

When she had first picked him up and brought him home, she had not thought that much about it.

It had simply been sympathy at work, coupled with a desire to find her daughter a playmate, that had led her to bring home Mo Lin, who had been on the verge of freezing to death by the roadside. Who could have known she had picked up a monster?

But a monster was a monster. At least he could better protect her daughter in her stead, and that was enough.

Besides, her daughter did not object to the arrangement, so she might as well leave things as they were.

There was some helplessness in it, but in this era, perhaps this was the best choice.

Just as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had to seek powerful people from outside, the Nine Heart Begonia also needed the protection of the strong.

Unfortunately, the Nine Heart Begonia's Martial Soul restriction made founding a sect impossible, and likewise made it impossible to replace the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Watching Ye Xingmeng's gradually receding figure, Mo Lin felt somewhat heavyhearted.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back twelve years, to the Tiger Talisman, the first ability he had obtained.

Because he had only just gained it, he had not been skilled at controlling its power, and Ye Xingmeng had seen him, forcing him to reveal some of his secrets.

At the time, Ye Xingmeng had not pursued the matter. Instead, she had chosen to place her bet on him.

Her stakes had been Ye Lingling and all the Ye Family's holdings. That was how the title of child bridegroom had come about.

Only he and Ye Xingmeng knew about this. Everyone else knew nothing of it.

To be honest, he did not much like this approach, because it felt like a transaction to him.

The thinking shaped by his previous life put him at odds with certain ideas in this world.

At least in his view, people should not be used as bargaining chips.

Of course, if it were someone who did not matter to him, he would not think this way. Human nature was selfish, after all.

"Ah, forget it. It's already come this far."

With a helpless sigh, Mo Lin shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

But soon, he had no time to think about it anyway.

A peculiar fluctuation of energy came from inside.

Mo Lin's gaze changed instantly, and in a flash, he arrived in the room at the very back of the shop.

His gaze fell on the corner, where a robot only as tall as his lower leg stood.

At that moment, the robot was flashing a dazzling red light, as though issuing some kind of alarm.

[Anchor point damaged. Proceed with repairs?]

[Repair location: parallel plane (Peerless Tang Sect era)]