A smile appeared on Zhang Lexuan's face. Then she turned to Mu Yueye with that gentle smile and, as casually as if they were chatting, posed him a deadly question.
"Xiao Ye, would you be willing to share a room with Sister Lexuan?"
Zhang Lexuan smiled and stroked Mu Yueye's head, but he had the feeling that if he said no, his face would be pinched into modeling clay.
Mu Yueye took a deep breath, then put a smile on his own face and said to Zhang Lexuan,
"Yes. I like Sister Lexuan best."
He wasn't Bei Bei, anyway, and he had no intention of taking any interest in Tang Ya. There was nothing wrong with agreeing to Zhang Lexuan's request now.
At the thought of Bei Bei, Mu Yueye narrowed his eyes. He wondered where Bei Bei was making his fortune now.
Come to think of it, Bei Bei's Innate Soul Power wasn't much lower than his own, and he also had a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon with the light attribute.
At most, his bloodline wasn't as pure as Mu Yueye's after he had fused with the Long Yueye template.
Yet after the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, Mu Yueye hadn't seen Bei Bei again. It was as if Bei Bei had been eliminated outright.
When Mu Yueye asked Mu En, Mu En merely said that the gap between the two brothers' Martial Souls was a little too large, and that it could easily cause conflict between them in the future. It was better to keep them apart and let them meet again when they were older, so things could be better between them.
But those tangled thoughts were soon replaced by another feeling: Zhang Lexuan really couldn't stay still in her sleep.
Zhang Lexuan usually looked quite ladylike, but after washing up and going to bed, she clung to Mu Yueye like a koala.
Mu Yueye was ten years younger than Zhang Lexuan, after all. Even though he was tall for his age, in the arms of Zhang Lexuan, who was likewise tall among girls, he was like a delicate doll.
Zhang Lexuan had her arms wrapped completely around his upper body and had one leg clamped tightly around his thigh. He couldn't move at all.
In a position like that, you really couldn't let your thoughts wander. Nearly half of Zhang Lexuan's body was draped over you, and you had to bear her weight and heat.
Mu Yueye took two deep breaths. Only by taking such large breaths could he make sure he got enough air, so his brain wouldn't suffocate from lack of oxygen.
The night dragged by like that. When Zhang Lexuan yawned and opened her eyes the next morning, she saw Mu Yueye's face, his eyes closed.
Then, without giving any thought to whether Mu Yueye had slept well that night, she planted a kiss right on his forehead.
Mu Yueye had always been a light sleeper. The kiss made him start, and he opened his eyes to see Zhang Lexuan looking at him, her eyes full of smiles.
"Morning, Sister Lexuan. What is it?"
In the end, Mu Yueye suppressed his morning grumpiness and murmured as he reached out to push Zhang Lexuan off him.
Zhang Lexuan stroked Mu Yueye's cheek again before getting up and saying,
"Time to get up. We'll have a quick breakfast, then set off to find your Second Soul Ring.
"According to Elder Mu's arrangements, you're going to challenge a Soul Ring that's around a thousand years old for your second one. So, are you confident?"
Mu Yueye smiled at that. Stretching, he said to Zhang Lexuan with an air of unconcern,
"Don't worry. I only got this requirement after I protested to my great-great-grandfather.
"If there's a chance, I want to challenge a two-thousand-year Soul Ring. After all, even though a small difference in a Soul Ring's age gives only a tiny boost, no matter how small a mosquito's leg is, it's still meat."
Zhang Lexuan was taken aback. Then she smiled at Mu Yueye and said,
"All right. I knew my little Yueye was the most driven. Don't worry, as long as there's a suitable one, I'll make sure you get it."
With that, Zhang Lexuan playfully pinched Mu Yueye's cheek and said to him,
"Our slogan is: Xiao Ye wants it, Xiao Ye gets it!"
Mu Yueye smiled, then patted Zhang Lexuan's hand and said,
"Thank you, Sister Lexuan. Let's hurry and set off!"
After a quick breakfast, Zhang Lexuan took Mu Yueye to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Since Mu Yueye wanted a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the two didn't linger long in the Star Dou Great Forest's outer region. Instead, they headed straight for the deeper mixed region.
The edge of the mixed region was where Soul Beasts that had just entered the thousand-year tier were most active, because most of them wanted to venture deeper.
But their own strength wouldn't allow them to go too deep, so they could only roam the edge between the mixed and outer regions, where there were relatively few powerful beasts.
There they lay low, waiting for their next breakthrough before venturing deeper.
The entire Star Dou Great Forest operated under these unwritten rules, which benefited both Soul Beasts and human Soul Masters.
They reduced conflict among Soul Beasts and made it easier for human Soul Masters to find Soul Beasts of a suitable age according to how deep they ventured.
As long as no other variables came barging in, this arrangement could be considered relatively stable.
But the Soul Beast Mu Yueye wanted was indeed too hard to find.
Mu Yueye and Zhang Lexuan came to understand this all too well once they entered the Star Dou Great Forest and began searching for themselves.
They spent the entire morning and afternoon, nearly a whole day, and came away with nothing but a pile of leaves stuck to their clothes.
When night fell and they had no choice but to spend it in the Star Dou Great Forest, Zhang Lexuan demonstrated the capabilities of an inner-court disciple, quickly taking down a fifteen-hundred-year Violent Bear Soul Beast.
Then she followed the Violent Bear Soul Beast's trail to its den and took Mu Yueye inside to stay for the night.
Mu Yueye helped Zhang Lexuan cut off the bear's paws. The two gave them a quick roast and made a meal of them with the dry rations Zhang Lexuan had brought.
Watching the two from a distance, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help asking Xuan Zi,
"Elder Xuan, those two children seem to be having a hard time finding a Soul Beast. Should we give him a hand?"
Xuan Zi took a drink of wine and said to Yan Shaozhe irritably,
"Then how do you suggest we help? How about you go down there and stand in for a thousand-year dragon-type Soul Beast with the Mental Attribute?"
Yan Shaozhe gave an awkward smile and waved his hand at Xuan Zi.
"No need, no need. I wouldn't mind going down there and letting it hunt me, but the main thing is, if it killed me, it wouldn't drop a Soul Ring... just dropping a Soul Bone wouldn't solve the problem either."
Xuan Zi took another drink, then shook his head helplessly and said to Yan Shaozhe,
"The most we can do is guide those two children into settling for second best if he really can't find one. As for the rest, it depends on their fortune."
Yan Shaozhe nodded, then suddenly rushed out and twisted the head off a five-thousand-year wolf sentinel that had come to scout. He turned back and said to Xuan Zi,
"Elder Xuan, stop drinking. Looks like it's time for us to get to work..."