"Buzzz-!" As he absorbed the two immortal herbs,
Ye Han immediately felt warm energy coursing through every limb and bone.
His eyes and flesh were both nourished, as though undergoing a baptism.
"Phew~~!"
The process was completed before long, and Ye Han exhaled a long breath of stale air.
When he opened his eyes, an unusual gleam flashed within them.
This was precisely the work of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. His eyes' perceptive ability was no longer what it had once been.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum had contributed considerably as well, tempering his body to make it tougher.
Unfortunately, his Soul Power still had not increased. The three supreme treasures had absorbed the energy.
At that moment, Ye Han could feel that, under the medicinal effects of the two immortal herbs,
the Dragon God Sacred Body, Dragon God's Soul, and Dragon God's Spirit had all improved considerably.
The most immediately apparent improvement was that the age limit of the Soul Rings he could absorb was now several times what it had been.
He could directly absorb the Soul Ring of a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast without worrying about its soul's impact.
His compatibility with the three supreme treasures had risen to ten percent, leaving him forty percentage points short of the Fourth Trial's target of fifty.
He reckoned that those remaining forty points of compatibility would require him to become proficient in using them before it could gradually increase.
This was not something he could rush. It seemed there really was a reason the Dragon God's Fourth Trial had given him two and a half years!
Just as Ye Han was pondering this, Xiao Wu's cries suddenly came from outside:
"Ah! Boohoohoohoohoo..."
"Xiao Wu knows she was wrong! Xiao Wu won't dare do it again..."
They were accompanied by the sharp cracks of a leather whip striking tender skin:
"Crack! Crack, crack, crack!!!"
The sudden, loud noises interrupted Ye Han's thoughts.
"Heh heh, that's what you get for misbehaving, you rotten Rogue Rabbit!"
Ye Han was not surprised. Instead, a cold sneer curved his lips.
Who had told Xiao Wu to secretly peek while he and Ling Yuan were bathing earlier?
Once Sister Ling Yuan discovered her, a whipping was naturally unavoidable.
Sister Ling Yuan had always hated Soul Beasts, so she naturally would not show her mercy.
"Crack-!"
"Aah! Boohoohoo, please spare me!"
"I won't dare do it again! I know I was wrong! Boohoohoo!"
Yet as time passed, the whipping grew heavier and heavier.
Xiao Wu's cries became increasingly shrill as well, echoing throughout the courtyard.
"Hiss... this..."
Ye Han could not help frowning slightly. This could not go on.
It would not be good if the whipping drove Xiao Wu mad and left her harboring resentment.
Perhaps he could even use her in the future to trick Da Ming and Er Ming into sacrificing themselves to him.
If she was beaten out of her mind, she might go berserk and stab him in the back someday!
At that thought, Ye Han immediately rose and headed out to stop it.
The moment he reached the courtyard, he saw Xiao Wu stripped naked and kneeling on the ground.
Ling Yuan was swinging her leather whip, lashing her tender back viciously.
As Xiao Wu was a Soul Master, ordinary attacks like these were not enough to tear her skin open.
Still, the whipping had left many scarlet welts, a clearly shocking sight.
When Ling Yuan saw Ye Han come out, she did not stop whipping her. Instead, she struck even harder.
"Aah! Boohoohoo!"
Xiao Wu saw her master appear, yet surprisingly did not call for him to save her.
Afraid that doing so would invite even harsher whipping from Ling Yuan, she merely kept admitting her fault to her:
"Boohoohoo, I'm sorry! I won't dare do it again!"
"I know I was wrong! Please forgive me! I'll behave and do as I'm told from now on!"
At this sight, Ye Han could not help freezing in place.
Normally, this Rogue Rabbit would definitely have asked him to save her.
It seemed Sister Ling Yuan's whip had beaten her into submission, and she no longer dared to be willful.
"All right, Sister Ling Yuan. Spare her this once."
For some reason, Ye Han could not quite bear it. He stepped forward and gently intervened.
Hearing him, Ling Yuan stopped and gave Ye Han a smiling glance.
Then she shot a meaningful glance at the side room, seemingly hinting at something.
Afterward, she turned and walked back inside, leaving behind an inscrutable departing figure.
Ye Han understood. It seemed Sister Ling Yuan had done this deliberately, deliberately playing the villain. She was letting him play the good guy so Xiao Wu would feel grateful to him and become more loyal.
At that thought, Ye Han gladly went with the current and crouched down to check Xiao Wu's condition.
"Master! Xiao Wu hurts so much! Boohoohoo..."
Xiao Wu immediately seemed to have found someone to lean on.
She threw herself into Ye Han's arms and burst into loud sobs.
It was as though she wanted to pour out all her grievances.
"There, there. It's all right now."
Ye Han held her tightly and comforted her softly.
Since this was Sister Ling Yuan's method, he had to make use of it.
He immediately picked Xiao Wu up and headed toward the side room Ling Yuan had indicated.
The moment he entered, he saw a jar of specially prepared healing ointment on the table. It had clearly been set out in advance.
"Be good. I'll put some medicine on you now."
While Xiao Wu was crying and not paying attention, Ye Han took the opportunity to pick up the ointment.
Then he laid Xiao Wu on the bed and applied it to her, putting on a pained expression.
"Ah, boohoohoo! Master, it hurts! Xiao Wu hurts!"
Xiao Wu trembled with pain, her alluring, delicate body shuddering violently.
Ye Han continued applying the ointment while feigning gentleness as he soothed her:
"Bear with it. It won't hurt soon. Be good."
Xiao Wu panted breathily from the pain, her whole body limp as she wept and pleaded:
"Boohoo, Master, Xiao Wu knows she was wrong..."
"Xiao Wu will listen obediently to Master and Sister Ling Yuan from now on..."
"Please ask Sister Ling Yuan not to hit Xiao Wu again, all right...?"
Ye Han nodded, inwardly thinking how clever Sister Ling Yuan's methods were.
As the ointment took effect, Xiao Wu's sobbing gradually quieted.
She curled up in Ye Han's arms like a wounded kitten, her eyes filled with dependence and infatuation.
Perhaps exhausted in both body and mind, Xiao Wu soon fell into a deep sleep under Ye Han's gentle soothing.
Ye Han gently laid her down and tucked the blanket around her. As he watched her peaceful sleeping face, countless thoughts ran through his mind.
Hopefully this rotten Rogue Rabbit will behave from now on. If she dares misbehave again, I'll have to discipline her myself!
Just as Ye Han was immersed in his complicated thoughts, a sweet call rang out from outside:
"Junior Brother Xiao Han, we're here~"
Hearing the voice, Ye Han immediately rose and went out to greet them.
Outside, he saw that Hu Liena and Dugu Yan had arrived as agreed.
They were walking arm in arm, having clearly become like sisters.
The two girls glanced around. Only after failing to spot a certain annoying fellow did they speak in unison:
"Junior Brother Xiao Han, what presents are you giving us?"
"Holy Son Xiao Han, what presents are you giving us?"
Hearing them, Ye Han kept feeling that Dugu Yan's way of addressing him sounded odd.
But he did not take it seriously and immediately took out two Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma and handed them over.
"These are... immortal herbs!"
Dugu Yan naturally recognized them at a glance, though she did not know their uses.
"Ahem, these two immortal herbs are called Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. They..."
Ye Han chattered away to the two girls, introducing the immortal herbs' effects.
He explained how much they would aid their cultivation and told them to keep it secret.
After hearing him out, they nodded in agreement, both amazed and delighted, then consumed the immortal herbs.
The Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma mainly strengthened one's foundation and nourished one's vitality. Neither gained much in level, only advancing by one each.
Dugu Yan advanced from level twenty-nine to level thirty, while Hu Liena advanced from level thirty-one to level thirty-two.
Their strength was not far apart, but their ages differed by two years. Dugu Yan was fourteen, while Hu Liena was twelve.
This made it easy to see just how great the gap in talent was between the Spirit Hall Golden Generation and other Soul Masters.
The long night soon passed.
When the next day arrived, Ye Han woke early.
After making preparations, he set out for Heaven Dou City with Qian Daoliu.
Ling Yuan accompanied them, as did the now-disciplined Xiao Wu.
The purpose of this trip to Heaven Dou City was precisely to meet his future wife, Qian Renxue, as she had requested.
(End of chapter)