"Brother! Throw it away! This necklace is too sinister. Even if Mother gave it to us, we can't let it hurt us," Xiao Yan said firmly.
Seeing that Yao Lao still had not appeared, Xiao Tian figured he might not yet have recovered enough for his soul to leave the soul ring, or even to speak.
"Er Huo, on second thought, Mother did give it to us. If she asks about it, you'll be fine, but my backside might get split into several pieces." Xiao Tian smiled bitterly. Four years ago, he had courted death by saying, "I don't want a wife! Love between men is true love!"
And then tragedy had struck him!
Inside the soul ring, hope rose in Yao Lao's heart. He roared across the distance, hoping Xiao Tian could hear him. "Little Xiao Tian! Well said! Whatever you do, don't throw it away! Once my soul can come out, I'll let you reign supreme over the Dou Qi Continent! I'll make you the Pill Emperor of this age!"
"Brother, don't be scared. We'll just say I threw it away. We'll tell the truth."
Yao Lao's heart went cold!
The soul ring necklace trembled in the fierce wind on the cliff! Yao Lao wept!
How many years would it take for someone to pick him up again? Could he hold out that long?!
Xiao Tian sighed inwardly. After several attempts to test him, Yao Lao still had not appeared. He looked at his little brother Er Huo and said, "No. It's not like you don't know Mother's temper. Last time, Xiao Hua's family threw away a book Mother gave them. Do you know what happened? Xiao Hua got beaten until his face swelled up! And he's our own older cousin!"
"No wonder." Hearing that, Xiao Yan lost some of his nerve too.
"Let's go back. I'll keep this thing and seal it away!" Xiao Tian planned to wear it himself, let Yao Lao absorb his Dou Qi for six months or a year, then learn the powerful art of the alchemist and expand his repertoire of martial techniques.
"All right, but Brother, whatever you do, don't wear it."
"Relax! Does your brother not know what the hell he's doing?!" And so, once he got home, Xiao Tian put on the soul ring necklace and muttered, "I want to see just how sinister you really are!"
Inside the soul ring, Yao Lao was beside himself with excitement! If he had not been trapped, he would have hugged Xiao Tian and given him several hearty kisses!
"Little Xiao Tian! Keep holding steady! Once I get out, I'll make you the most badass alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent! I'll make you a Pill Emperor!"
A day passed. Inside the soul ring, Yao Lao was both delighted and shocked. He discovered that little Xiao Tian's Dou Qi was incomparably pure, and he could absorb a great deal each time.
"Ten days! In ten days, my soul will be able to emerge and communicate with this little fellow! Heaven has not forsaken me!"
That day, heavy snow swirled and cold winds howled. Wearing thick clothes, Xiao Tian made his way through the snow. Just last night, his father Xiao Zhan had said he would take him and Xiao Yan to broaden their horizons.
Inside the main hall, some of the Xiao Clan's elders and quite a few members of the main line had arrived.
When Xiao Tian saw Xun'er arrive in what looked like Annie's adorable, Snowdown-exclusive plush outfit, he could not help grinning as he went over and whispered in her ear, "Xun'er, do you like teddy bears?"
Xun'er blinked her large, limpid eyes and whispered, "Brother Tian, do you mean those big bear monsters in the Magical Beast Forest that stand upright like people?"
"Yes, yes! And they're on fire too."
"Really? That sounds so interesting."
Xiao Yan arrived, a trace of an odd expression on his face. Annie and her teddy bear? he thought.
Just then, amidst the heavy snow, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan appeared, all smiles, alongside a burly, vigorous old man dressed in luxurious brocade and velvet. Following behind them was a delicate, adorable little girl of eight or nine, her cheeks rosy.
"Old Master Nalan, please take the seat of honor!"
"Ahahaha! Little Zhan, where are those two genius sons of yours? Bring them over and let me have a look. Yanran happens to be their age too. They can get to know each other properly."
Hearing this as she followed behind, Nalan Yanran made no attempt to conceal the cold arrogance between her brows, inwardly disdainful.
What geniuses could a little city have? Honestly, Grandfather. I'm already a One-Star Dou Zhe at nine.