I'm Such a Little Rascal

"It's so dark!"

Glancing into the cave, Yang Yunhai quickly took off his bundle, felt around inside, and pulled out a firestarter.

Removing its waterproof cap, he blew gently, and a flame immediately sprang up.

"Just in case, I can't waste any time!" Taking a deep breath to steady his slight excitement, he hurried inside by the firelight.

Before long, he reached the inner chamber. After sweeping his eyes around, he did not linger for even a moment and headed straight for the stone wall on the other side.

Summoning his martial soul, he extended several vines toward the upper part of the stone wall. They soon touched the box resting in a recess. He immediately controlled the vines to wrap around it and bring it down.

The box was quite heavy, weighing at least two hundred jin, but it was still within what he could handle.

Catching it with both hands, Yang Yunhai immediately crouched down, spread out the bundle, and placed the box on it.

Tang San had slept for three days after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone in the original story. How much longer would it take him? If the absorption took too long, doing it inside this cave was clearly unwise. If Tang Hao came rushing over during that time, Yang Yunhai would likely end up being slapped to death on the spot.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, he picked up the Bamboo Tube beside the bundle and walked to the center of the stone chamber.

Without hesitation, he crouched down and dug through the soil with both hands, carefully removing the still-tiny Blue Silver Emperor plant, roots and all. He then opened the base of the Bamboo Tube, which was only one-third its full height, scooped some soil into it, and placed the Blue Silver Emperor plant inside together with its roots and soil.

Then, he put on the other half of the Bamboo Tube, which had holes in its upper section, stood up, and hung it from his chest.

Tap tap tap. He hurried over to the bundle, cushioned the Lead Box with clothes, then tied up the entire bundle. To be safe, he summoned his martial soul again and wrapped it in another layer of vines before securing it to himself.

"I should leave Tang Hao something, shouldn't I?"

Rubbing his chin, he quickly ran to one side, picked up a stone, and walked to a dry stone wall. With great seriousness, he carved the following words: "Tang Hao, I'll be taking the soul bone for my own use. As for that Blue Silver Grass, it should be the Blue Silver Emperor that sacrificed herself for you back then, right? Unfortunately, she's far too weak now. I can't wait, and she has no value to me at all."

"So, I've decided to throw it into the Waterfall Pool outside. Whether you can still find it when you return, I have no idea."

"Don't worry. I won't reveal that you ever came here, nor will I reveal any information about your son or his whereabouts. After all, I don't want it known that I absorbed the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone your wife left behind."

"As for who I am... hehe, take a guess!"

"Consider this soul bone compensation for the injury you once inflicted on me. I was ordered to track your whereabouts for years, and now I've finally gained something in return. As for the grudge between us, once I become a Titled Douluo, I will personally come before you and settle it."

"Be furious, Tang Hao! Hahaha, the worse your injuries are, the higher my chances of winning will be."

"And besides, I've had my eye on the soul bones on your body for a very long time."

Signature: Once an admirer, today merely passing through! My thanks to Clear Sky Crown for the gift you left behind!

"I'm really such a little villain." Muttering to himself, he tossed away the stone, hurriedly got up, and fled.

Reaching the cave entrance, he used vines to secure the bundle, the long box, and the Bamboo Tube against his chest. With a flick of both hands, two vines wedged firmly into the gaps on either side of the stone doors. Then, facing the cave entrance, he leaned backward and swung down with the momentum of the rushing water.

The current was swift, but it did not hit the relatively thick vines with too much force. As long as his body did not remain in contact with the torrent for long, it was manageable, so the descent went fairly smoothly.

Before long, he swung down heavily, his feet landing beside the Waterfall Pool.

Quickly setting the bundle and Bamboo Tube on the ground, Yang Yunhai looked up at the Waterfall again and muttered in alarm, "I should probably deal with the marks left by the barbs."

After thinking for a moment, he released his martial soul, leaped several times to reach the front of the Waterfall, and climbed up again.

With some precise remote control, he used the barbs to deepen and widen the fine scratches and holes, turning them into marks that looked like they had been left by an animal's claws.

It might look a little fake, but at least Tang Hao would not immediately connect them to impressions made by vine thorns, much less connect them to Yang Yunhai. After all, his age and strength were there for all to see, especially with the words he had left in the cave. Someone who knew of Ah Yin's sacrifice and knew that Tang Hao had once been injured was most likely a participant in that incident, or at the very least someone in the know.

Thus, it became obvious that the culprit was some high-ranking Spirit Master from Spirit Hall, at least someone with the strength of a Soul Saint.

"This will do." He nodded slightly, quickly jumped down, picked up the bundle and Bamboo Tube, and left.

Naturally, he did not return the way he had come. Instead, he ran upstream along the river.

In his view, leaving the mountain range before finding somewhere to absorb it was not the best choice. Carrying a treasure around recklessly—who knew what accidents might happen along the way?

Within this mountain range, however, the most dangerous places were also the safest.

The outer region was half a day's journey from here, separated by dozens of li. Even a Titled Douluo could not see that far. Besides, the outer region was filled with treacherous stone peaks, and places like that would certainly have no shortage of stone caves. He only needed to find a hidden one and hide inside; no one would ever discover him.

Most importantly, based on the words he had left in the cave, even if Tang Hao arrived and found them, he would immediately think of Spirit Hall. He would also definitely follow the river downstream to search for the Blue Silver Emperor plant supposedly thrown into the river, rather than search the mountains aimlessly or go to Spirit Hall looking for someone.

The reason he had written that he had thrown the Blue Silver Emperor plant into the Waterfall Pool was precisely because of this consideration.

With that in mind, he sped up.

Lowering his head to look at the Bamboo Tube hanging from his chest, thoughts flashed through his mind. "The Blue Silver Emperor's soul may be powerful, but her body is still far too weak. Even if her consciousness awakens, she has no ability to resist or escape. But if I swallow her into my stomach... that might be another matter."

With that thought, he raised his head toward the sky. The clouds were thick, so there should be plenty of moisture in the air. Looking around at the surrounding mountains, he saw them shrouded in mist.

"I hope there'll be thunder and rain over the next few days." He could not help muttering softly.

Time passed bit by bit. As night was about to fall, Yang Yunhai finally found a stone cave with a narrow entrance, suitable for hiding.

After doing some simple cleaning and arrangements, he opened the bundle, removed the Lead Box, and opened it. A cool, comfortable aura immediately wafted out.

"It's quite pretty." Looking at the crystalline blue-gold right leg bone inside the box, Yang Yunhai could not help sighing inwardly.

He immediately sat cross-legged and brought the soul bone close to his right leg.

"Buzz!" A faint humming sounded. Coolness swept over him, and Yang Yunhai involuntarily shuddered.

Then, a cool aura continuously flowed from his leg, while the leg bone in his hand quietly dissipated.

"It feels so good." Sighing as he spoke, he sank his consciousness inward to inspect himself.

Within his view, streams of blue airflow entered his meridians from his right leg and immediately wrapped around them. Then, as his Soul Power circulated, they rapidly spread throughout his entire body.

After only a few breaths, all his meridians turned pale blue. A faint swelling sensation spread through him. Yang Yunhai could clearly feel his meridians continuously strengthening, becoming increasingly resilient, while their internal capacity expanded at a rapid pace.

Yet no matter how much they expanded, they remained constantly filled to the brim.

"As expected of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!" Yang Yunhai exclaimed in surprise, though inwardly he was delighted.

After all, this soul bone belonged to him now.

Time passed bit by bit. The cool, comfortable sensation soon spread throughout his entire body, and Yang Yunhai's mind unconsciously relaxed.

In the end, his consciousness sank away, and his body, no longer controlled by his brain, collapsed to the ground.

Only faint breathing remained in the air, along with the pale blue glow continuously shimmering across Yang Yunhai's body.

Meanwhile, inside the Bamboo Tube placed not far away, a blue leaf pressed close to the air hole and swayed back and forth.

Yet no matter what, it simply could not squeeze out.

PS: I have something urgent to take care of tomorrow and need to travel far away. I probably won't be back until after the May Day holiday. I can only write on my phone while I'm away, so I may not be able to guarantee the daily word count. If I write too little, everyone can bookmark it and save up a few days' worth before reading.

Sorry, everyone!