"You're just a child, what do you know? You think letting go is easy for me — but what about her?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes looked distant, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Gu You froze. Her? Did his beautiful, cold, powerful master from the Spirit Transmission Tower have some story he didn't know?
Leng Yaozhu gave a soft, knowing smile, as if she had read his thoughts. "She's my younger sister. You probably didn't know that."
Gu You forced himself to stay calm. Of course he knew. Having read Legend of the Dragon King in his past life, how could he not know this painful part of her story?
With a wave of her hand, Leng Yaozhu transported them to a private, sealed chamber, leaving Long Yali outside looking completely bewildered. Just a moment ago, her boss had been raging, ready to explode — and now, she was suddenly calm and pulling Gu You into a private room? Long Yali shook her head, sighing. She had wanted to watch the fireworks. Oh well.
"Let me tell you a story," Leng Yaozhu said softly.
"Master… maybe you shouldn't," Gu You hesitated. "Your emotions…"
"Are very unstable, right? That's normal. Don't worry."
Leng Yaozhu gave a faint smile, the kind that made Gu You quietly hold back further words. He chose to sit quietly, ready to listen. To be honest, if Leng Yaozhu had always shown this kind of softness, with her stunning looks and gentle tone, she was arguably even more beautiful than Ya Li — even the original novel hinted at that.
"My sister's name is Leng Yulai," she began, her voice low. "Her talent was extraordinary. Even when we were the same age, she surpassed me in every way. But her spirit… her martial soul was a dark phoenix. It was dangerously susceptible to corruption, to falling into the path of the evil soul masters. Because of that, the entire Leng family gave her extra care, extra supervision. Sometimes, just stepping out of the house, she'd have one or two Title Douluo following her in secret to ensure her safety.
"Everything should have been fine. Everything was fine… until we both met him. Yun Ming."
Leng Yaozhu let out a shaky breath.
"My sister and I both fell in love with him. I had already seen through my sister's feelings early on. So one evening, I approached Yun Ming myself and told him the truth — that my sister had feelings for him. I wanted to step aside, to let her have a chance.
"But I never expected… she saw us. She saw me and Yun Ming talking. And she misunderstood. She thought we were secretly meeting behind her back. She stormed away, furious.
"From that day on… decades have passed. I've had no word from her. No trace. Nothing.
"I regret it so much. I regret ever loving Yun Ming. I regret ever speaking to him that night. If I hadn't… maybe my sister and I wouldn't have been torn apart like this."
Tears welled up in her eyes, rolling silently down her cheeks.
Gu You's fists tightened slightly. He knew the truth. Leng Yulai… had already fallen, had become one of the Four Heavenly Kings among the evil soul masters. But how could he tell his master that now? If she knew… wouldn't that crush her completely?
Leng Yaozhu sniffled, forcing a smile as she wiped her tears away.
"Well, I feel much better now. Finally, someone I can vent all this to. As for you becoming Ya Li's godson…" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "I'll reluctantly forgive you this time. But if you dare casually call someone 'mother' again… I'll skin you alive, you hear me?"
Gu You gave a small, awkward laugh. "Master…"
"What? Feeling sorry for me?" Leng Yaozhu teased lightly, though a faint sadness lingered in her smile. "Good. You should. After all, the man I liked didn't choose me, and my own sister left me over a misunderstanding.
"But listen, as my disciple, if you really want to ease your master's heart — then work hard. Truly work hard. Become strong. And when you've grown powerful enough, help me find my sister. Before I die… I want to see her again. Even if she hates me, even if she wants to kill me… I just want to see her one more time."
Gu You felt his own chest tighten slightly, his emotions stirred by her quiet, heartbreaking words.
There was nothing more painful in the world than this.
"Alright!" Leng Yaozhu suddenly clapped her hands, her expression shifting completely, her smile brightening. "Let me take a look. What exactly did you learn these past three years? If Ya Li hasn't taught you anything worthwhile, I'll have to go have a long chat with her!"
Gu You blinked in surprise at her sudden mood change. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly — seriously, this woman could win an actress-of-the-year award with how fast she flipped emotions.
Grinning proudly, he patted the four-and-a-half-star forging badge pinned to his chest.
"Huh?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes widened slightly. It was her first time seeing this kind of rank badge.
"Heh, Master, your disciple is aiming to become a divine blacksmith! I'll wipe away all your worries! Someday, I'll personally craft for you a set of perfect god-level mecha, or the most flawless four-word battle armor! Maybe, if the world evolves enough, I can even create an unprecedented five-word battle armor!" Gu You puffed out his chest proudly.
Leng Yaozhu burst out laughing, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Oh, you little braggart! Talking so big, and you're not even blushing! Five-word battle armor, huh? Hah!"
Gu You flushed a bit red. But truly, he wasn't exaggerating. In his past life's knowledge, even six-word battle armor existed — though to reach that point required the evolution of the world itself. Once the Abyss Plane was devoured and the world underwent dimensional ascension, with his talent, he really might be able to break through to the god level and forge even higher-tier armors.
Later, Gu You also shared his future plans with her, explaining his upcoming journey.
"Wait, are you serious? Zhen Hua is really willing to take you as a disciple?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes widened even more. She had already thought Gu You's cultivation talent was once-in-a-millennium, but now hearing that his forging talent was also monstrous…
"Alright, alright. So tell me — why exactly did you come to me, just days before you're set to leave? What do you want?" Leng Yaozhu fixed him with a shrewd look, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Hehe, Master, you understand me best! Actually, my request isn't too demanding. I just want… a level-seven soul device, shaped like a milk bottle. One that can store a huge amount of soul power and supply it to me continuously."
Pfft!
Leng Yaozhu had just taken a sip of water and immediately sprayed it all over Gu You's face. Gu You sat there calmly, wiping himself off without complaint. After all, when asking for a favor, you couldn't afford to lose your patience.
"Level seven?! Are you kidding me? Do you even know how few level-seven soul engineers exist nowadays?" Leng Yaozhu's eyes were wide with disbelief.
Soul engineers had once been an incredibly prestigious profession, stretching back over five thousand years. In the past, the legendary Ice Spirit Douluo Huo Yuhao — founder of the Spirit Transmission Tower — had surpassed even the ninth rank, reaching the mythical tenth rank. But because the path of a soul engineer required mastering too many fields — research, crafting, forging, inscription arrays, and more — the profession had gradually been phased out over the centuries, replaced by newer secondary paths.
Nowadays, all-around soul engineers were exceedingly rare. And as for milk bottle soul devices, especially at level seven? Almost unheard of.
Which was precisely why Gu You had come to her.
"That's why I came to you, Master!" Gu You beamed, putting on his most shameless, puppy-eyed expression.
"Fine, fine! I get it!" Leng Yaozhu waved him off in exasperation. "Three days. I'll get it to you in three days. Use that time to prepare whatever you need for your trip. As for the milk bottle's design… I'll decide that myself."
"Thank you, Master!" Gu You shouted happily, throwing his arms wide as if to hug her.
"Get lost!" Leng Yaozhu smacked him away with one firm slap, sending him flying backward.
(End of chapter)
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