Daming's massive body loomed with a heavy aura as he rumbled, "You mean… Wolf Bandits? Not bad, Xiao Tian. You actually know of them. Wolf Bandits are rare, appearing only in hidden corners. But as you said, their offspring are half-human and half-beast. Tang San, however…" His tone grew colder with every word. "…Tang San is clearly human. Perfectly so. Which means, the possibility of that theory is minimal."
His words hung in the air, frost seeping around them.
Because in Daming's heart, the pieces had already started clicking into place. If Tang San's birth wasn't the reason Ah Yin was exposed… there could only be one explanation left.
Someone had betrayed her. Someone who had known all along she was the Blue Silver Emperor.
It wasn't strangers—it was Tang Hao himself.
The thought poisoned Daming's mind with rage. Directed and acted in a tragic farce? Just to obtain power? Just to sacrifice her willingly? Do they think spirit beasts are so easy to fool?
Er Ming scratched his cheek and asked bluntly, "Hey, Xiao Tian. You wouldn't… do something like that to Sister Xiao Wu, right?"
His question hung heavy, stabbing at the air.
"Er Ming!" Daming immediately barked, anger in his booming voice. "Don't talk nonsense! Don't you understand Xiao Tian's heart for Xiao Wu already?"
Er Ming grinned sheepishly, raising his arms defensively. "Hehe, I was only joking. No need to get angry, big brother. Thanks to the soul contract, I already know Xiao Tian has no bad intentions."
Daming exhaled heavily and turned toward Xiao Tian with an apologetic bow of his mighty head. "Forgive him. Er Ming speaks casually without thinking."
Xiao Tian shook his head and waved it off. "It's fine."
Then, calmly, he began his next task—transplanting Ah Yin into a brand-new flowerpot. He poured out a handful of unique soil, one that shimmered faintly with silver light—the special gift from his system.
"I wonder," Xiao Tian murmured as he lightly pressed the stem into the soil, "how this compares to the soil near the Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Well?"
Ah Yin's body trembled faintly as her roots touched the soil. Her delicate stalk, once listless, shook for a moment as though with sorrow… and then, just like spring rain falling on parched earth, vitality rushed into her.
Her dull blue-gold stripes flared, glowing with renewed brightness. Cultivation surged through her—dozens of times faster than before.
Daming and Er Ming both froze. Their ancient eyes widened.
"Hey… this soil!"
"It's special," Daming muttered, leaning in closely. "It actually accelerates cultivation… Xiao Tian, where did you…"
Xiao Tian smiled mysteriously, backing away from the pot. "A secret. I'll tell you another day."
The beasts exchanged glances but no longer pressed. For now, all focus snapped back onto Ah Yin.
Daming's voice lowered, sharp and cutting. "Ah Yin. Answer me truthfully. Back then, when you were pregnant, why—why would Tang Hao take you wandering everywhere instead of helping you settle into seclusion where you could give birth safely?"
Ah Yin could not speak. Her stalk trembled awkwardly, a branch swaying left and right as if to say: I don't know.
Daming's jaw nearly cracked from clenching. "…Don't know?"
Even as a spirit beast himself, the stupidity of it infuriated him. "Whether human or beast, one thing never changes: a pregnant mother requires protection and rest! To let her wander endlessly at that stage—what madness!"
He gritted his teeth, his deep voice booming. "No wonder you were forced into self-sacrifice in the end. You truly never questioned it at all?"
The air grew heavy.
Ah Yin's small frame vibrated faintly, startled and… bewildered.
Er Ming, standing nearby, blinked in surprise. "Woah, big brother… you're saying she's dumber than me?!"
Xiao Tian doubled over, stifling laughter until his sides ached. Pfft—top-tier sarcasm, brother Daming! Even I can't hold it in anymore. She looks so lost, like she got roasted without realizing it.
Daming's fury had not cooled. His eyes were grim as he turned toward Xiao Tian. "Tell me, do you know more about this incident? Because I feel more and more certain now—the Blue Silver Emperor's forced sacrifice… wasn't a tragedy of fate. It was a play. Directed. Scripted. And Tang Hao was the one holding the strings."
The room went still again.
Even Er Ming's pupils dilated, shock dawning on his face.
Xiao Tian inhaled deeply, then nodded slightly. "You may be right. I've reasoned it before. If Tang Hao truly wished to protect Ah Yin, then why? Why, when chased by Spirit Hall, didn't he lead her into the Star Dou Great Forest?"
His voice gained an edge, each word striking like a blade.
"That was where she could unleash her maximum strength. That was where you—the two kings of the forest—might have sensed her aura and rushed to help. That was where even if things turned desperate, her kin, the Blue Silver King, could rise in protection. There was no way she had to reach a dead end!"
He glanced at Daming and Er Ming both. "Even back then, they were already close to the forest. Star Dou spans both empires. Wuhun City stands in between. The Great Forest was practically within reach! But instead, Tang Hao led her elsewhere… until only death and sacrifice remained!"
His eyes turned toward the swaying grass. His voice softened. "So, Ah Yin. Doesn't my reasoning make perfect sense?"
The stalk froze, its golden-blue veins flickering weakly.
Inside the pot, Ah Yin's heart trembled. She wanted to deny it. To shake her branches furiously. To cry out. But her body remained frozen—her innocence and blind faith now slicing her heart open.
If she still had a human form, tears would roll down her cheeks.
Daming's fury erupted. His voice shook the air like the bellow of an enraged dragon.
"Damn him! For the sake of one hundred thousand years of spirit bones and rings, he toyed with a beast's love, ripped apart her trust, and directed her to her death! Tang Hao—human hearts are filth! Truly filthy!"
His fury blazed so hotly that he didn't even realize his condemnation scorched Xiao Tian alongside.
Xiao Tian twitched slightly, lips quirking. Oi oi oi, Big Brother Daming, careful! You're scolding humans while I'm right here, you know…
Still, he stayed silent, watching quietly.
Daming glared at the stalk of glowing grass. His tone shifted, somber and patient now. "Blue Silver Emperor… listen to me. If, with Xiao Tian's help, you regain your strength… then for your own sake, do not, I repeat, do not return to Tang Hao. He is not worth your devotion."
Ah Yin did not respond. Her frail branches drooped low, hugging the pot, cloaked in silence.
Er Ming scratched his big hairy head in frustration. "Argh, I hate this! It'd be so much easier if you could talk. But with your cultivation so low right now, you can't even communicate with us, huh? Only your kind can understand your words."
Daming's great brow furrowed in frustration. "Exactly. Without spiritual communication, we can't gauge her heart. It's too difficult this way."
Then his eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. He turned toward Xiao Tian. "Wait. Can't you try making a soul contract with her? If that succeeds, then Ah Yin will be able to connect through the spiritual space. Finally, she could speak to us directly!"
Xiao Tian's gaze shifted toward the swaying stalk. His mind turned quickly. Daming's idea wasn't wrong.
He placed his right hand against his forehead. Soul power surged, glyphs of light forming in the air as the framework of a contract appeared.
The characters shimmered above Ah Yin's pot.
Xiao Tian's voice deepened as he extended his will. "Ah Yin. Are you willing to sign an equal soul contract with me? After binding, your cultivation will accelerate exponentially. With your current meager hundred years of strength, you could grow into the ten-thousand-year realm swiftly. And one day—when my body becomes capable of bearing a hundred-thousand-year ring—then that day shall also be the day you walk the world as human again."
The words lingered, wrapped in silent promise.
In the pot, Ah Yin's branches quivered violently.
Would she choose?
Would she dare?
--
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