Soul Land—Chapter 14: Bloodline Evolution and the Stealing Cat
Seven days later, in Ling Qianyao's room.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ling Qianyao were practicing the Double Stars Practice Method to reshape the last of the seven acupoints, the Great Vertebra Acupoint.
As the method was activated, a faint fluctuation of soul power seemed to permeate the air.
With the assistance of this method, their soul power training speed had surprisingly improved by 10% compared to the past. During this time, Ling Qianyao's room had almost become a sacred place for the two to practice. Most of the time, they sat side by side, immersing themselves in the practice together.
Compared to her previous shy demeanor, characterized by blushing cheeks and a racing heart, Zhu Zhuqing now seemed much calmer.
She was no longer reserved about this kind of intimate contact with Ling Qianyao. Their bodies naturally gravitated toward one another during practice, and the occasional skin contact merely caused her heart to swell with warmth, rather than the panic she had experienced in the past.
When the Great Vertebra Acupoint in Zhu Zhuqing's body was reshaped, seven positions along her spine flashed with starlight.
The Big Dipper in her mind suddenly shone with brilliance, and a faint new power surged within her body. This power was both familiar and strange as if it originated from the depths of her blood.
Zhu Zhuqing felt that her soul underwent a marvelous connection with this starry sky, as though she could hear the whispers of the stars and feel their rhythm.
This new power flowed through her body, continuously strengthening her martial soul, bones, and blood.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and summoned her martial soul.
The cat was black, adorned with cool purple patterns, and bore a pair of small wings on its back. A faint glow of stars flowed from its tail as it evolved into something new.
"Martial soul evolution!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up as the thought flashed through her mind subconsciously.
Ling Qianyao squatted down to observe and was a little surprised.
"Zhu Qing, how do you feel?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes shifted slightly, and she also squatted down, leaning against Ling Qianyao as she looked at the Hell Spirit Cat. She whispered, "The seven acupoints have each increased my abilities by 5%. Just now, when they finally connected as one, it seemed a new power appeared in my body, prompting changes in the origin of my martial soul.
The starlight on the tail of the Hell Spirit Cat also illustrates this point. From my perception, it seems to be evolving in the direction of the starlight tail flame. My martial soul bloodline is getting stronger."
Ling Qianyao nodded and said sincerely, "That's a good change. Congratulations."
Ling Qianyao wondered if the Hell Spirit Cat, whose bloodline had evolved, could still undergo martial soul fusion with the White Tiger martial soul. Surely, the leap from fish to dragon shouldn't be compared to the past?
Zhu Zhuqing smiled and whispered, "Thank you, Qianyao."
"No need to thank me." Ling Qianyao flipped over and lay flat on the bed, hands behind his head, and murmured, "If I decide to leave the Star Luo Empire, what will you choose?"
"I'll go with you," Zhu Zhuqing blurted out without hesitation. "No matter where you go, I will follow you."
"Oh?" Ling Qianyao closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. "Aren't you afraid of the pursuit from the Star Luo Imperial Family and your Zhu family?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head and returned her Hell Spirit Cat martial soul to her body. She looked at Ling Qianyao seriously. "My future isn't decided by them; they can't keep me. During our joint training, I've become accustomed to having you by my side, and I understand what a true partner and reliance are."
"Then why should I..." Before Ling Qianyao could finish speaking, Zhu Zhuqing interrupted.
The action of retracting her martial soul had been a martial soul possession. Zhu Zhuqing took advantage of Ling Qianyao's closed eyes to complete this action.
The speed blessing brought about by the possession of the Hell Spirit Cat martial soul allowed her to reach Ling Qianyao's bedside in the blink of an eye. She hugged Ling Qianyao tightly on the bed and rested her head on his chest, saying, "Don't leave me; I only have you."
Ling Qianyao opened his eyes and felt Zhu Zhuqing's slightly trembling body in his arms. He sighed softly, tidied Zhu Zhuqing's hair, and patted her back. "I know, I won't leave you. Get up quickly; you're so heavy."
"Yeah."
Zhu Zhuqing stood up, her eyes slightly red, yet a smile played at the corner of her mouth. "I'm very light."
Light? Ling Qianyao glanced at Zhu Zhuqing's chest and quickly looked away, realizing his gaze might be inappropriate, and coughed awkwardly.
"You!" Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared at Ling Qianyao reproachfully. "It's getting late. I—I'm going to sleep first."
After saying that, she turned and rushed out of the room in a panic.
"Click——"
Once inside her room, Zhu Zhuqing flopped onto the soft couch, pulled the quilt over her head, and whispered something to herself. Her jade-like feet, exposed outside the blanket, kicked up and down as if to release the shyness and panic she had just experienced.
"What did I just say?" After a while, Zhu Zhuqing poked her head out from under the quilt and took a breath of fresh air. The blush on her cheeks had not completely faded, mixed with a hint of annoyance and shyness in her eyes.
She lay on the pillow with her eyes closed, smiling.
Ling Qianyao's Room.
He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "This feeling isn't bad."
Ling Qianyao shook his head, forced back the corners of his mouth, and sank into the Primordial Heaven Star map in his mind.
Five months had passed since the awakening of his martial soul, and the Big Dipper had already been illuminated.
Ling Qianyao had also begun to comprehend the new stars. Four-star regions blinked in the Primordial Heaven Star map, illuminating a total of 28 stars.
He directed all his energy into the eastern star region and saw that the seven stars there were connected in a line, resembling a winding green dragon soaring into the sky: Beauty Star, Tranquility Star, Celestial Emperor Star, Virtue Star, Heart Star, Mighty Star, and Auspicious Star.
Among the seven stars, Beauty Star, Wood Star, Tranquility Star, Metal Star, Dragon Star, and Celestial Emperor Star had lit up, while the Earth Star transformed into three stars. The three acupoints on Ling Qianyao's left arm—the Crooked Pond Acupoint, Shoulder Bone Acupoint, and Forearm Acupoint—had also transformed into star points.
Different from the amplification brought about by the Seven Stars, the Azure Dragon Constellation granted him more flexibility and affinity with elements.
His consciousness gradually sank.
It was late at night, and the moonlight was silver, shining through the window lattice into Ling Qianyao's room.
"Da Da."
With the barely audible sound of footsteps, Ling Qianyao's door creaked open slightly, and a slender figure slipped in silently.
Zhu Zhuqing tiptoed to Ling Qianyao's bedside, gazing at him as he breathed evenly and slept soundly, unable to resist moving closer and lying beside him.
She bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her eyes sweeping across Ling Qianyao's handsome face, finally resting on his lips.
After a moment, it seemed she had made a decision. Leaning over, her heartbeat pounding like a drum, her red lips brushed against his.
"Hmm..."
Zhu Zhuqing covered her flushed cheeks, gently tucked the quilt around Ling Qianyao, and then turned to leave.
(I'll add 2 chapters on Fri, Sat, and Sunday)
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(End of this chapter)