As soon as his father reminded him, several thoughts flashed through Fang Lin's mind. At last, he answered:
"I wouldn't dare hide it from you, senior. I do know her."
Ye Xinhua could have asked before treating Fang Lin's father, or made inquiries before coming, but she had chosen this particular moment to ask.
Fang Lin preferred to believe she might mean no harm.
"Is that so?" Ye Xinhua's smile suddenly turned cold. "Then what kind of person is this Ye Lingling you know?"
Seeing Ye Xinhua's expression change so abruptly, Fang Yuanqiao realized that the aunt and niece seemed to be on bad terms. Only then did he understand that he had just landed his son in trouble.
Everyone's eyes fell on Fang Lin, including Uncle Ye's.
"Someone... a little stubborn and hardworking, I suppose." Fang Lin paused briefly. His deepest impression of Ye Lingling came from that long-distance dash to Heaven Dou City; beyond that, it was her composed, steady performance in the sparring matches.
Even if he suspected the two were at odds, Fang Lin didn't want to say anything against his conscience just to curry favor with Ye Xinhua.
If she really wanted to check, lying would do Fang Lin no good. Worse, if Ye Lingling learned of it, a rift could open between them.
"That's a fair assessment." Ye Xinhua's face regained its earlier warmth. "Treating your father was originally a deal I made with your academy's education committee. I no longer need that deal, and you needn't feel burdened by it."
After saying that, Ye Xinhua told Uncle Ye to see the guests out.
Fang Lin left the room somewhat bewildered. Qin Ming didn't understand what she meant either. Fang Lin's father was anxious to know, but with everyone present, he didn't ask further.
Only after they returned to their lodging and Fang Lin explained the matter did Fang Yuanqiao say with some feeling:
"You brat, although I don't know the reason behind it, judging by that Soul Saint's words and actions, she probably doesn't harbor such deep ill will toward the niece you mentioned. At least, she doesn't anymore."
"And do you know what she meant by her last words?"
Fang Lin said nothing, merely looking at him expectantly.
Fang Yuanqiao gave a grunt. "If she bears her niece no ill will, she's making you indebted to her niece. If she does, she's making you indebted to her. Why else would a Soul Saint go to the trouble of treating your father, a mere Soul Grandmaster, without accepting anything in return? Isn't she counting on you to remember the favor and repay it?"
Fang Lin sighed. "The old saying really is right: an elder in the family is a treasure."
His father looked like a mere martial man, but he was actually a strategist. No wonder he had been the one giving orders when he teamed up with Uncle Wang and the others.
"You brat, your father's only thirty-five. What do you mean, old?" Fang Yuanqiao angrily smacked Fang Lin on the back of the head.
Although Soul Masters lived only twenty or thirty years longer than ordinary people, their Soul Power nourished them, making their youth last longer and keeping their Qi and blood vigorous for a long time. Fang Lin's father was therefore still young and strong.
The next day, Fang Yuanqiao, worried about Fang Lin's mother, Qiao Rong, briefly said goodbye to Fang Lin and set off home. He promised to write again when Fang Lin's younger brother or sister was born.
With Fang Yuanqiao's matter settled for the time being, Fang Lin returned to a peaceful, regular routine: training his body, cultivating through meditation, and taking part in duo Soul Fighting with Dugu Yan.
Time flew when one was busy, and two months passed in a flash.
One morning, Fang Lin sat cross-legged in meditation, the Soul Power within him full and quivering. It was as though an invisible barrier had shattered. His meridians widened somewhat, and his Soul Power broke through to level thirty-four.
"Phew..." Fang Lin breathed out a mouthful of turbid air, and his presence gradually calmed.
After absorbing his Third Soul Ring two months ago, Fang Lin had been a little way into level thirty-three. Now that he had broken through to level thirty-four, the actual time it took him to gain a level worked out to three or four months. There was still a considerable gap between him and Tang San, who gained a level every two months.
"Unfortunately, there's still no news from Dugu Yan."
With a sigh, Fang Lin walked out of the mimicry cultivation room.
After his father left, the sparring training reserved for Fang Lin had ended, and he had entered the second stage of practical combat training alongside Dugu Yan and the others.
During the sparring training, Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo had both broken through to level thirty and obtained their Soul Rings. Their third Soul Skills were just as Fang Lin had expected: Yu Tianheng's enhanced his Soul Power and lightning attribute, while Shi Mo's allowed for derived transformations of his shield.
The younger brother, Shi Mo, was still some way from breaking through to Soul Elder, causing the brothers' win rate in duo Soul Fighting to drop sharply.
Under the Great Soul Arena's rules, opponents were matched not only by Soul Badge but also by Soul Master level. In duo Soul Fighting, the higher-level fighter was used as the reference. That meant the Shi Mo Brothers were now placed in Soul Elder-level matches, where their opponents were almost always pairs of Soul Elders.
After leaving the cultivation room, Fang Lin went to practice his saber as usual.
The training ground was quiet in the early morning. Nearly a hundred meters across, it was paved entirely with bluestone bricks, and the occasional soft birdsong came from the surrounding woods.
Moisture from the morning mist condensed on the saber's tip, then scattered into the air with the force of its swing.
Only when sweat had soaked his clothes did Fang Lin put away his long saber, panting. He removed each piece of his weighted under-armor and placed it in his storage ring.
The complete set of under-armor weighed nearly three hundred jin. Fang Lin wore it every day, except when meditating and cultivating at night. It had been somewhat strenuous at first, but after about a month, he had largely grown accustomed to it. The lingering medicinal effects of the two ice and fire herbs had played a considerable part in that.
Fang Lin had originally absorbed only a little over seventy percent of the medicinal power in the two Immortal Herbs. As he tempered both his Soul Power and his body, they fused little by little, more deeply with his body and Martial Soul.
Since he was going to Heaven Dou City later to take part in duo Soul Fighting, Fang Lin decided not to put the weights back on.
A wooded path leading uphill from the training ground brought him to the Heaven Dou Imperial Team's dormitory area.
"Knock, knock knock."
Fang Lin knocked on Dugu Yan's dormitory door.
Only after he had knocked twice did the door creak open a crack. Dugu Yan wore nothing but a dark green, thin-strapped dress, its two slender straps running past her collarbones and resting on her shoulders. The dress clung to her body and fell to mid-thigh, leaving the rest of her fair, slender legs exposed to the morning light.
Fang Lin shifted his gaze to Dugu Yan's hair, doing his best to look nowhere else.
After the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison had been forced from her Soul Power into her Soul Bone, Dugu Yan's originally purple hair had gradually faded to a normal black. But she wasn't used to how it looked and had dyed it another color by some unknown means. Now her long green hair hung to her shoulders.
When she learned that Fang Lin had come to hurry her to the Soul Fighting Arena in Heaven Dou City, Dugu Yan rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"I'm not going. I'm resting today."
Dugu Yan moved to close the door, but a hand caught its edge.
"Oh, come on. Another couple of matches and we'll just about be Silver Soul Fighters. Don't you want to finish Teacher Qin's training assignment sooner?"
They could only fight one duo match a day. Fang Lin and Dugu Yan had won nineteen consecutive matches in their first month, and it had looked as though one more victory would earn them Silver Soul Badges. But in their twentieth match, a pair of level thirty-eight Flight System Soul Elders had brought their streak to an end.
One opponent had a Thunder Eagle Martial Soul, while the other had a Golden Eagle Martial Soul. The former kept Fang Lin occupied while the latter targeted Dugu Yan, swiftly eliminating her. Then they harassed and kited Fang Lin, defeating him with ease.
In their subsequent matches, not only did their opponents have comparable win rates, but their Martial Soul combinations were also all sorts of strange: there was a poison-resistant Pufferfish paired with a hide-drum Martial Soul that could bewitch the mind, and an Agility Attack System Soul Master paired with a gemstone Martial Soul capable of creating illusions.
Fang Lin and Dugu Yan had fought hard for an entire month and still hadn't reached Silver Soul Fighter rank. They were now stuck at 998 points.
"Teacher Qin gave us a year. There's plenty of time. I don't want to go for a while, so stop asking me." Dugu Yan curled her lip. Seeing that Fang Lin was blocking the door, she simply ignored it and walked straight back into the room. Without looking back, she tossed out, "Remember to close the door when you leave."
Watching Dugu Yan sway her way back to bed, Fang Lin slapped the door shut in frustration and criticized her through it.
"This is outrageous. If you slack off like this, when will your teammate ever get to eat Whale Rubber?"
Once they reached Silver Soul Fighter rank in duo Soul Fighting, the prize for a win would be a hundred Gold Soul Coins, and it would double again if they achieved ten consecutive wins. In the first two months, Fang Lin had slaved away for a mere 415 Gold Soul Coins because of their low badge rank. Now that it was the perfect time to earn Gold Soul Coins, Dugu Yan had started dragging her feet.
"Maybe I should take on some academy credit assignments?"
Heaven Dou Academy credits were worth the same as Gold Soul Coins. Half a month ago, Seven Treasures Pavilion had already received news of some Five-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, but with Dugu Yan on strike lately, Fang Lin had no choice but to consider other options.