Chapter 75: The Hearts of Two Women

“Lingling, have you finished absorbing the soul bone?”

At the sound of this voice, Xiao Yu’s expression changed dramatically. He turned to look and saw that Ye Lingling had already finished absorbing the soul bone, blinking her large eyes at Xiao Yu and Huo Wu before her.

Damn it, this is ridiculous! In the original story, didn’t Tang San need three days to absorb his mother’s soul bone? How did Ye Lingling finish so quickly? It hadn’t even been two hours—what, is A Yin actually Ye Lingling’s mother now, not Tang San’s?

There was, in fact, something Xiao Yu hadn’t considered: Tang San possessed twin martial spirits. Aside from inheriting A Yin’s Blue Silver Emperor, he also had the domineering, offensive Clear Sky Hammer. The Clear Sky Hammer’s properties were utterly at odds with the life attribute of the Blue Silver Emperor, not to mention it came with the Slaughter God Domain, focused on killing. In terms of compatibility, Ye Lingling actually surpassed Tang San.

Seeing Ye Lingling had finished absorbing the soul bone, Huo Wu, startled, instantly jumped off Xiao Yu and turned away, not daring to meet Ye Lingling’s gaze. She’d been caught red-handed trying to steal someone’s man.

“Lingling, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Xiao Yu coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkward tension.

Ye Lingling rolled her eyes at him, her tone annoyed. “What’s there to misunderstand? I was just absorbing the soul bone, not unconscious!”

“So you heard everything, Lingling!”

Huo Wu’s face turned red, then white; she couldn’t even muster the courage to look at Ye Lingling, instead lowering her head to stare at the flagstones.

Ye Lingling smiled slightly, walked up to Huo Wu, and pulled her over to stand together before Xiao Yu. “Huo Wu, I’ve known for ages how you feel. Even though you two are always bickering, the way you look at him can’t fool anyone.”

Usually bold, Huo Wu now looked up at Ye Lingling timidly, like a mistress caught by the main wife. “Lingling, aren’t you angry?”

“I was angry, at first,” Ye Lingling replied calmly. “But then I thought it through. If I were an eight-year-old girl who’d just been rescued from the jaws of a soul beast, I’d probably fall for him too. Besides, when you met Brother Xiao Yu, you were eight too. There’s no such thing as who came first between us; I’ve just spent more time by his side. I actually admire you—you have more courage than I do, daring to love and hate so freely. After graduating from the elementary soul master academy, I never even considered rebelling against my family’s arrangements to follow Brother Xiao Yu. If he hadn’t come to Tiandou to find me, I’d probably still be at the Imperial Academy now.”

Of course, Ye Lingling couldn’t claim her heart was entirely untroubled now. But she understood Xiao Yu’s ambitions; Blazing Fire Academy had deep roots in the Heaven Dou Empire, and might one day become a powerful ally for him.

As she spoke, Ye Lingling drew Huo Wu along to stand before Xiao Yu, giving him a mischievous wink. “Brother Xiao Yu, you’d better treat the two of us well!”

Now that things had reached this point, if Xiao Yu continued to reject Huo Wu, the girl might well lose the will to live.

So be it!

Who could predict how things would develop in six or seven years? For all he knew, he might use this relationship to draw Blazing Fire Academy—and, by extension, the closely allied Divine Wind and Skywater Academies—under his banner, establishing a foothold in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Looking at the two beautiful girls before him, Xiao Yu hesitated no more and pulled them both into his embrace.

Ye Lingling and Huo Wu nestled against him, one on each side, their faces flushed, pressed tightly to his broad, solid chest.

With such soft beauties in his arms, Xiao Yu’s body responded instinctively.

Ye Lingling and Huo Wu both noticed his reaction at the same time and bolted from his arms in a flash.

“Ugh, pervert!”

Huo Wu quickly recovered her usual brash demeanor, rolling her eyes at Xiao Yu. “I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman, but you’re just a closet lecher!”

Ye Lingling was blushing with embarrassment, casting a reproachful look at Xiao Yu before dropping her head in silence.

So Brother Xiao Yu was thinking about that sort of thing after all!

“Ahem!”

Xiao Yu coughed twice, hurrying to change the subject. “Lingling, what did you gain from absorbing the soul bone?”

Hearing this, Huo Wu snapped back to attention, curiosity lighting up her face. “Right, Lingling! That’s a hundred-thousand-year soul bone—it must have given you incredible benefits!”

Ye Lingling nodded lightly. “A hundred-thousand-year soul bone truly is a priceless treasure. Not only did it boost my soul power by four levels, it granted me two soul bone skills and caused my martial spirit to evolve again, awakening a new innate domain.”

“A domain!”

Huo Wu was clearly shocked. Domains were rare even for Titled Douluo; compared to an innate domain, soul bone skills were practically nothing. “What does your domain do, Lingling?”

Ye Lingling replied, “My domain increases the soul power recovery rate of allies within it by fifty percent. Additionally, based on the difference between my soul power and the enemy’s, it can neutralize or weaken negative effects like poison, burning, paralysis, dizziness, and weakness caused by enemy soul skills. Since this domain awakened with my martial spirit, I call it the Sacred Heart Domain.”

Xiao Yu interjected, “And the soul bone skills?”

“There are two. One gives me the ability to fly. The other is limb regeneration—as long as I have enough soul power, no matter how badly someone’s arms or legs are shattered, I can restore them completely.”

“Heavens, Lingling, you’re way too powerful now!”

Huo Wu couldn’t help exclaiming, turning to Xiao Yu. “Xiao Yu, you gave Lingling such a precious treasure. Don’t play favorites—I want something too!”

“Forget about getting something for nothing. Go back and focus on training your soul power!”

Xiao Yu habitually rapped Huo Wu on the head, then turned to Ye Lingling and spoke seriously, “Lingling, the levels you just gained are all thanks to the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone. Strictly speaking, they’re not truly yours yet. In the coming days, you need to focus on stabilizing this new power and fully integrating the soul bone’s strength with your own. Don’t rush to break through to Soul King, or you’ll end up with an unstable foundation and shallow soul power. That will seriously hinder you when facing future bottlenecks.”

“Yes.”

Ye Lingling nodded solemnly. “I understand, Brother Xiao Yu.”

“Good. Let’s go home.”

They had accomplished most of their goals on this trip. Even though they hadn’t managed to intercept Tang San’s external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances, they had taken the Titan Giant Ape’s soul ring and soul bone—both originally his—as well as his mother’s right leg bone. They’d even managed to give the future God King Tang a beating, and smacked Dai Mubai, that lecherous tiger, twice. All in all, it wasn’t a bad haul. There was nothing left to do out here; it was time to return to the Nine Stars Hall.