But she also had many questions.
Why had the Emperor Auspicious Beast appeared here? Why was the Emperor Auspicious Beast in human form? Had the Auspicious Beast also begun cultivating anew as a human?
She had many doubts, but she could not express them. She could only gently curl her Blue Silver Grass leaves around Xu Ran's fingers, conveying attachment and submission.
Even Soul Beasts cultivating anew could receive the Auspicious Beast's auspicious protection, so they naturally had to submit to the Auspicious Beast and acknowledge him as their master.
"I know you're conscious now, and that you know I'm here. If you can understand what I'm saying, nod with your leaves," Xu Ran said, trying to communicate with Ah Yin. This blade of Blue Silver Grass contained Ah Yin's complete consciousness, so she could definitely understand him. That was precisely why he had chosen to put on a show with Tang Hao in front of Ah Yin.
As long as Tang Hao revealed the truth of what had happened back then, his image in Ah Yin's heart would crumble completely. Her lover had betrayed her. Tang Hao had deliberately plotted to harm her, while she had foolishly sacrificed herself so that he could survive.
If Ah Yin learned all this, Tang Hao would only be her enemy, not her lover.
Sure enough, after Xu Ran finished speaking, that leaf of Ah Yin's trembled slightly, showing that she still possessed her complete consciousness.
"As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, you rashly fell in love with a human. What punishment do you deserve?" Seeing this, Xu Ran spoke with the decisiveness of cutting nails and slicing iron, disregarding Ah Yin's current condition entirely.
Hearing Xu Ran's words, Ah Yin felt even guiltier and somewhat at a loss. What could she say when the Emperor Auspicious Beast questioned her like this? It was just that the things she wanted to pursue did not exist in the Soul Beast Realm.
Besides, she still felt not the slightest regret over falling in love with Tang Hao.
Because their love was so pure, so perfect, so unique. Their love transcended race and gender. How great it was!
They were even the first couple to prove that humans and Soul Beasts could share sincere love. Even now, she did not regret it in the slightest. Even when she had willingly sacrificed herself. She did not know how Tang Hao and the others had felt, but she herself had been moved by her own actions.
Noticing that Ah Yin had gone still, Xu Ran could not help smiling.
Poor girl. She'd been sold off, yet she was still helping count the money!
Where in this world was there such great love? At least in Xu Ran's eyes, only affection born of time spent together was somewhat reliable.
So-called love at first sight, to put it bluntly, was still lust. Lust for someone's body.
You did not even know whether they went ten days without washing their stockings, or whether those stockings had a sour stink, yet you had already fallen for them. Was that realistic? Love at first sight mostly turned people into fuck buddies. Only affection born over time could last.
Besides, even affection born over time could not withstand being tested. That kind of pure love, without the slightest contamination, could only be found in Xu Ran. Because Xu Ran possessed precisely that quality: he would never do something like sell out his wife.
"Do you think your love is beautiful and worthy of respect?" Xu Ran asked with a smile, preparing to guide the blade of grass before him. Of all the people she could have fallen for, she had fallen for a hammer. Even if she had chosen Tang Xiao back then, she would not have met this fate. For no other reason than that Tang Xiao was an honest man. He probably could not have done something like this either.
"Since you think Tang Hao is so good, why did he choose to plant you somewhere that never sees the light of day?" Xu Ran asked, looking up. Sunlight entered this cave only through a small hole Tang Hao had cut open. Anyone who had learned even a little geography knew that the sun's position constantly changed. The position of the sunlight falling through that little hole also changed in real time.
It could be said that only at noon, when the sun was directly above the hole, could sunlight shine straight onto Ah Yin. At other times, the sunlight that fell through would slant away.
In other words, Ah Yin had only an hour or less each day in which she could photosynthesize.
For a Plant-type Soul Beast like Ah Yin, this was probably a form of torture. Besides, the cave was damp and the soil hard. When Xu Ran had taken Ah Yin out just now, he had already noticed that the damp moisture had soaked her roots white. If this blade of Blue Silver Grass had not been Ah Yin's incarnation, possessing vigorous vitality, it probably would have withered long ago.
He did not believe that the renowned Clear Sky Douluo did not even know such basic common sense. Moreover, his own wife was a Plant-type Soul Beast. Surely he understood something about them.
"Even if you think Tang Hao was fleeing and couldn't take you with him, you're only an ordinary blade of Blue Silver Grass now. Taking you along would be fine. After all, Blue Silver Grass is the most common plant in the world. No one would notice you," Xu Ran said again, piercing straight to the heart of the matter. When Ah Yin had undergone Human Transformation as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Tang Hao had dared to take her running all over the place. Now that Ah Yin was only an ordinary blade of Blue Silver Grass, she would hardly attract powerful enemies' attention. Would he really plant her somewhere like this out of concern for her?
"And I can also tell you this. Tang Hao has spent these years living in seclusion in a place called Holy Soul Village, concealing his identity. No one knows who he is. In that case, why does he still refuse to plant you in Holy Soul Village? Looking after you himself would be better than leaving you here to live or die on your own, wouldn't it?" Xu Ran continued questioning her, watching Ah Yin's reaction.
Under Xu Ran's repeated questions, Ah Yin's emotions began to change, and the leaves of the Blue Silver Grass trembled wildly.
In truth, she had some doubts herself. Why had Tang Hao planted her here? Back when she was alive, she had clearly taught Tang Hao plenty about growing flowers and plants, so why had he still made such a huge mistake? She could only put it down to Tang Hao not listening carefully at the time. As a man, he did not understand how to care for flowers and plants.
But why had he so rarely come to see her over these years? Tang Hao had practically never done so.
Why was all this happening?
If Tang Hao truly loved her, would he not come to see her even once? What exactly was he trying to do?
All this time, she had thought Tang Hao was on the run and had not come to see her for fear of exposing her. But since he had already settled into seclusion and was living a peaceful life, why had he still not come to see her?
Could Tang Hao really be that kind of person?
A trace of doubt arose in Ah Yin's heart, along with some fear. She was afraid that everything Xu Ran said was true. If so, that would be far too tragic.
However, Ah Yin was only affected by Xu Ran's words for a moment before her emotions settled again. She trusted Tang Hao, and trusted their love even more.
Tang Hao surely had his own difficulties.
"I know you won't believe me. Once I lure Tang Hao here, everything will become clear. Then you'll know what kind of person Tang Hao is." Xu Ran shook his head. Women who believed in love had zero intelligence. They would not even believe what they saw and felt, believing only in that illusory, elusive love.
Xu Ran did not know how to judge such women.
Women who believed in love were treasures. Unfortunately, they had loved the wrong people.
Tang San, Tang Hao, Yu Xiaogang-every one of them was merely a hypocrite adept at maintaining a persona. Once the coats they had forged from falsehood were torn away, the truth would emerge. Tang San was a shameless wretch who lifted his bowl to eat, then smashed it and cursed his benefactor. Tang Hao was a brute who specialized in screwing over his wife and daughter-in-law. Yu Xiaogang was a two-faced, double-dealing man who played both sides between Bibi Dong and Tang San and Liu Erlong.
Baseness was the passport of the base, and nobility the epitaph of the noble.
This world had always been absurd.
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