After hearing Lu Yu's explanation, Su Yuntao's initially grave mood eased. He had thought Lu Yu was the sort of person who acted on every whim, but Lu Yu's explanation was both mature and heartbreaking.
He would rather give up this only means of fighting and choose a Soul Skill that could save his life. The sole reason for it all was that he did not want to become a burden to his younger brother.
Su Yuntao looked at Lu Yu with complicated feelings. The boy's youthful face was full of stubborn resolve, and the words of persuasion Su Yuntao had been about to say caught in his throat. He could not get a single word out.
"Alas, all right. Let me give it some thought." Su Yuntao sighed helplessly and chose to respect Lu Yu's decision.
Seeing that Su Yuntao was willing to help, Lu Yu allowed a barely perceptible smile to touch his lips.
Halfway through the meal, after careful consideration, Su Yuntao finally offered his suggestion.
"Lu Yu, there's a Soul Beast that fits what you're looking for very well-the Sky-Flying Centipede."
"Sky-Flying Centipede!" Lu Yu murmured, searching his memory to see whether he had come across information on the Soul Beast just now.
Unable to find the information he wanted, Lu Yu looked up at Su Yuntao and asked him about the Sky-Flying Centipede.
"Grandmaster Su, is this Soul Beast called the Sky-Flying Centipede because it can fly?"
It was no wonder Lu Yu asked. In the Soul Beast illustrated guides he had just read, the names of the Soul Beasts were more or less connected to their appearance, characteristics, or habits.
Take the well-known "Man Faced Demon Spider," for example: a spider-type Soul Beast with a human face on its abdomen. The "Soft Bone Rabbit" had soft bones, while the "Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent" had a serpent's body and a phoenix's tail, with a fleshy growth on its head like a rooster's comb.
Then there was the "Golden Armored Ant." Even without having seen one, you could tell from its name alone that this ant Soul Beast's shell had to be golden.
Hearing Lu Yu's question, Su Yuntao smiled and shook his head. "The Sky-Flying Centipede isn't called that because it can fly. It's because it's very fast. Among Soul Beasts of the same age, it's faster than even flying birds. That's why it's called sky-flying..."
"Hiss..." After hearing Su Yuntao's introduction to the Sky-Flying Centipede, Lu Yu clicked his tongue inwardly. He had not expected that something running on the ground in Douluo Continent could be faster than something flying in the sky. This Soul Beast really was what Lu Yu had dreamed of finding.
After a moment of inward marveling, Lu Yu hurriedly pressed him. "Grandmaster Su, where do you know about this Sky-Flying Centipede, and where can I find one?"
"Well..." Su Yuntao opened his mouth, sighed, and continued.
"I only heard about it from someone else. I don't know exactly where to find one, either. You can look at other types of Soul Beasts first, like the Shadow-Hunting Leopard and the Gale Wolf. Those two are very fast as well."
"As for the Sky-Flying Centipede, that will depend on fate."
An apologetic look crossed Su Yuntao's face. Although he had named the kind of Soul Beast that appealed to Lu Yu most, he did not know where to find it. It was no different from painting a big pie.
"It's all right, Grandmaster Su. Having a clear goal is better than blindly searching on my own." Seeing Su Yuntao's embarrassment, Lu Yu waved his hand and reassured him without a care.
They chatted a little longer as the last rays of the setting sun slanted in through the window, falling directly on Lu Yu's face.
Raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring light, Lu Yu tilted his head and looked outside. Only then did he realize how much time had passed without his noticing.
"Grandmaster Su, it's getting late. Xiao Fei and I should head back, or it won't be safe on the road after dark," Lu Yu said, getting up and straightening the scattered books in front of him.
Su Yuntao turned to glance at the sky outside and nodded. "All right. You two be careful on your way home. Next time you come to the library, just tell the gatekeeper my name. I'll let him know."
"Thank you, Grandmaster Su!" Lu Yu smiled and bowed in thanks.
After putting the books on the table back where they belonged with Lu Fei, the two followed Su Yuntao out of Spirit Hall. Watching the brothers walk away, Su Yuntao's lips curved upward slightly.
His gaze happened to sweep across Lu Yu's shoulder, where a monkey covered in golden fur lay quietly. Su Yuntao shook his head helplessly.
"What a pity. Such a good child, so how did he awaken a Trash Martial Soul? Strange, though. Even a Trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass can awaken with Innate Full Soul Power. Surely this monkey is better than Blue Silver Grass! What a pity!"
As Lu Yu walked, he pondered what Soul Beast he should choose as a substitute if he could not find a Sky-Flying Centipede for his next Soul Ring.
A slender figure passed Lu Yu by, brushing past his side.
The newcomer wore a black scholar's robe, with his hands clasped behind his back and his hair cut short. His bearing was distant and indifferent.
After taking two steps, the man abruptly stopped and slowly turned around, his gaze settling precisely on Great Sage on Lu Yu's shoulder.
He stared for only a moment before looking away, his expression unchanging. Then he turned and continued walking slowly toward the gates of the Spirit Hall Branch.
Lu Yu was now a One-Ring Soul Master, and his five senses far surpassed those of an ordinary person. Though the subtle sensation of being watched just now had been brief, he had noticed it.
Full of doubt, Lu Yu instinctively turned to look at the retreating figure. For some reason, a sense of familiarity arose in his heart.
But his mind was full of thoughts about which Soul Beast to choose for his Second Soul Ring. With so much on his mind, he could not recall the man's identity or background for the moment.
Lu Yu shrugged, putting the strange sense of familiarity out of his mind for the time being. He turned and continued toward the outskirts of Nuoding City with Lu Fei.
Su Yuntao, who was still standing at the gate watching, caught sight of the black-robed figure. A familiar smile instantly appeared on his face, and he hurried forward to greet him.
"Grandmaster, you're here to collect this month's Soul Master subsidy, aren't you?"
This man in a black scholar's robe, with a gloomy bearing and close-cropped hair, was none other than Yu Xiaogang, the foremost authority on Martial Soul Theory, known to everyone on the continent.
Yu Xiaogang gave a slight nod and tried to summon a smile in response, but after wearing a stern face for so many years, his facial muscles had long since grown stiff. That faint smile looked especially awkward and strange, neither one thing nor the other.
By the time the brothers Lu Yu and Lu Fei returned to their dilapidated hut, the whole world had long since been shrouded in the heavy darkness of night.
They had traveled that morning and spent the entire afternoon immersed in books at the Spirit Hall library. The brothers had expended a great deal of mental and physical effort and were already exhausted in body and mind.
They simply washed up, then fell into a deep sleep as soon as they touched their beds. They slept soundly through the night without dreams.
The next day, the sky was already bright, and glaring morning light poured into the room through the worn paper covering the window before Lu Yu and Lu Fei slowly woke.
Lu Yu rolled over in bed, intending to doze a little longer before getting up, but faint sounds of a noisy commotion outside broke the morning's stillness.
Lu Yu frowned slightly.
The next second!
Bang-clatter!
A sharp, thunderous crash suddenly rang out!
A fist-sized stone fragment smashed through the window and slammed into the opposite wall. It bounced back from the impact, struck the floor repeatedly, and rolled with a clattering sound.
The violent commotion instantly chased away all of Lu Yu's sleepiness.
Lu Yu shot upright, staring in bewilderment toward the source of the sound. His gaze quickly fixed on the stone fragment still rolling slowly across the floor.
In an instant, Lu Yu's youthful face darkened completely. A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he fixed an unfriendly stare on the view outside the window.
Beside him, Lu Fei was also jolted awake by the sudden crash. His whole body trembled instinctively. Too afraid to make a sound, he merely curled up tighter, his little face turning pale in an instant.
Lu Fei's lips trembled slightly. Lowering his voice, he murmured, full of fear and unease:
"They're here..."
(P.S. I've been a little busy these past few days. When I have time, I'll make up the missed updates. Sorry! I hope my dear readers will understand. I currently owe one chapter.)