Time passed slowly. Three hours later, Zhu Yuling successfully absorbed the 4000-year-old Netherworld Wolf spirit ring, and her spirit power reached level 41.
"It's late. It's not safe for Miss Zhu to be in the Star Dou Forest with a child alone. Why don't you stay with us and continue your journey tomorrow morning?"
Lan Xiaodie proactively suggested that the other party stay. If the other party left with that Little girl, in this dangerous Star Dou Forest, there might be a threat to her Life.
"Zhu Yuling thanks you, adults."
A Spirit Douluo expert taking her in made Zhu Yuling incredibly touched. This was the first time she had ever experienced such treatment.
"Don't mention it."
Lan Xiaodie waved her hand indifferently.
The two slowly walked towards the cave. Lan Xiaodie saw that this woman was already 35 years old and only a Spirit Ancestor, so she knew her status in the Star Luo Empire's Zhu family was very low. She just didn't understand why she brought a 6-year-old Little girl to obtain her fourth spirit ring. And that Little girl only had level 8 spirit power. Wasn't that a hindrance?
"Auntie..."
At this moment, Little Zhuqing ran over from the front, throwing herself into Zhu Yuling's arms, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Qing'er, quickly thank the adults for saving your Life."
Zhu Yuling hugged her poor Little niece, feeling extremely pained. The feeling of surviving such a close call truly made her feel very scared.
"Zhu Zhuqing thanks you, adults, for saving my Life."
Little Zhuqing immediately knelt down and bowed to Lan Xiaodie. The other party was a Spirit Douluo, so she dared not be impolite.
"Silly Little girl! Get up quickly!" Lan Xiaodie found this Little girl so sensible and interesting, so she reached out and helped Little Zhuqing up.
"Senior Sister! Dinner's ready!" At this moment, Su Lin's voice came from inside the cave.
"Miss Zhu, bring your child and eat with us! You must be hungry after a day of traveling."
Lan Xiaodie said to Zhu Yuling, then took Ye Liangchen's small hand and walked towards the cave.
"Thank you, adults."
Zhu Yuling was incredibly moved, holding Little Zhuqing and following behind Lan Xiaodie.
This meal was very rich. Su Lin and Lan Xiaoling made a total of ten dishes, allowing everyone to feast to their heart's content.
"May I ask your names, adults? So that Qing'er and I can remember them forever."
After dinner, Zhu Yuling helped heat water to wash the cooking utensils and also inquired about Lan Xiaodie and their identities.
"We are teachers from Tianshui Academy."
The three of them, Lan Xiaodie, had already revealed their Spirits earlier. Their aquamarine hair and water-attribute Spirits were exposed, and combined with their stunningly beautiful faces, they couldn't hide their identities.
Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, only the beauties of Tianshui Academy met these three conditions. This was common knowledge in the Spirit Master's world.
"So the adults are teachers from Tianshui Academy."
"A few years ago, at the Soul Master Competition in the Star Luo Empire, I was fortunate enough to see the participating students from Tianshui Academy. Each one was as beautiful as a flower, truly unforgettable."
Zhu Yuling had already guessed Lan Xiaodie and their identities when she saw their Spirits, especially the Ice Phoenix Spirit. It was rumored that only the dean of Tianshui Academy possessed such a Spirit.
"Tianshui Academy is an academy that specifically recruits beauties. No matter where our students go, they are always the center of attention."
Su Lin smiled. As a teacher of Tianshui Academy, teaching students who were beauties with both beauty and wisdom gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
"Tianshui Academy is a sacred place for female Spirit Masters, but it's a pity that you only accept water-attribute Spirit Masters, which makes countless female Spirit Masters who want to enter the academy hesitate."
Zhu Yuling sighed. As a female Spirit Master, it was too difficult for her to survive in this cannibalistic World, and Tianshui Academy was undoubtedly a sanctuary for female Spirit Masters.
"Yes! Our Tianshui Academy..." Su Lin prattled on to Zhu Yuling about the glorious history of Tianshui Academy, as if Tianshui Academy was the number one academy on the entire Douluo Continent.
Little Zhuqing quietly listened to the adults talk about these things, extremely shocked. Her small mouth formed an "o" shape. She had learned about Tianshui Academy from the adults in her family and naturally yearned for it. If she could enter this academy, she might live.
But she also knew it was impossible. Her Spirit was the Hell Civet, which had no relation to the water attribute, so she couldn't meet the requirements. Moreover, she was from the Star Luo Empire, and her identity was very sensitive.
Ye Liangchen was too lazy to listen to Su Lin and their extreme feminist boasting. After resting for a while, he came alone to the open space outside the cave entrance to practice the Five Elements Divine Fist for a bit.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Ye Liangchen infused spirit power into his fists and began to practice the moves. The wind from his punches made whooshing sounds, incredibly powerful.
However, he couldn't yet achieve spirit power materialization. He estimated he would need to practice for several more years before he could materialize five forms: dragon, snake, tiger, leopard, and crane, using spirit power.
"He's so amazing!"
Ye Liangchen's movements attracted Little Zhuqing's curiosity. Seeing Ye Liangchen's small body possess such powerful strength shocked her greatly.
"Adults, who is that Xiao Jiahuo?"
Everyone was drawn to Ye Liangchen's practice, especially Zhu Yuling and Little Zhuqing, who were very surprised.
"He is our nephew."
"This Xiao Jiahuo is naturally intelligent and loves to learn. He usually likes to study some martial skills and just practices them blindly," the Lan Xiaodie sisters said lightly. In front of outsiders, they couldn't reveal anything about the Five Elements Divine Fist.
There were also martial skills on the Douluo Continent. The soldiers in the Empire who had no spirit power often practiced martial skills for killing enemies, but they were very crude and not as exquisite as the Five Elements Divine Fist.
As Lan Xiaodie gradually understood the Five Elements Divine Fist, she also realized that without detailed things like a fist manual, mental cultivation methods, and footwork, others couldn't learn it. Even if these two women saw Ye Liangchen's practice, she didn't have to worry about them being able to learn it.
Little Zhuqing watched intently, thinking, 'How wonderful it would be if I had such strength!'
Ye Liangchen practiced the Five Elements Divine Fist in front of everyone with a clear purpose: to intentionally attract Xiao Maomi's attention and give her a good first impression.
Ye Liangchen practiced with full concentration, and inadvertently glanced over, finding Xiao Maomi's envious gaze very interesting. He thought to himself, 'Xiao Maomi! Envious, aren't you? Do you want strength? Do you want to break free from fate? Come follow me, and I guarantee you'll soar to the sky; becoming a god will be child's play.'
Zhu Zhuqing's wish was very simple: to become stronger and then to live. Ye Liangchen was now showing just a tiny bit of his strength to let her witness his power, giving her another path to choose.
This is called: Deep affection never lasts, but schemes win hearts.
Zhu Zhuqing's fiancé, Dai Mubai, should be around 9 years old now. That guy's innate spirit power seemed to be level 8. Because he couldn't stand the suppression from his elder brother, he fled from the Star Luo Empire to Shrek, starting a Life of indulgence. Even so, by the age of fifteen or sixteen, his spirit power still reached level 37, which showed that his cultivation talent was still decent.
As for Dai Mubai's character, Ye Liangchen didn't offer any evaluation. This person was quite loyal, but his remark that women were not considered people, but merely resources, was off-putting.
The inhumane competition system of the Star Luo Empire imperial family left Dai Mubai powerless to resist fate, forcing him to become nothing more than a fallen prince indulging in brothels.
Regarding the Shrek Seven Devils, Ye Liangchen planned to poach Xiao Maomi. This top-tier goddess would definitely not be left for the white tiger. As for the other six devils, Ye Liangchen only needed to intercept the Immortal Herb, and they would be unable to grow.
After finishing the Five Elements Divine Fist, Ye Liangchen took out the precious sword given to him by Lan Xiaodie and practiced the sword technique left behind by his father. Although that sword technique couldn't compare to "Myriad Plum Blossoms Welcoming the Wind" and "Celestial Flight," for the Douluo World, it was already a top-tier sword technique.
From Su Lin's mouth, he learned that this sword was given to Lan Xiaodie by his mother back then. So, Ye Liangchen named the sword: Lan Yan Sword. It represented the deep sisterly bond between his mother, Liu Ruyan, and Lan Xiaodie.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
The Lan Yan Sword in Ye Liangchen's hand drew out beautiful sword flowers, incredibly dazzling, making everyone dizzy with wonder.
"He also knows swordsmanship! He's too amazing."
Little Zhuqing was stunned. She usually only practiced some simple combat skills at home, besides cultivating spirit power, which her aunt had taught her. She was now seeing Ye Liangchen's exquisite swordsmanship, which deeply shocked her. A look of longing was revealed in her big eyes. She thought: How wonderful it would be if I could learn it!
"Adults! This child has boundless potential in the future!"
Zhu Yuling was stunned by Ye Liangchen's performance. She had never seen such an outstanding six-year-old child.
Indeed! Excellent children always belong to someone else's family. Although Zhu Yuling had no children, when she compared that Xiao Jiahuo to Zhu Zhuqing, it was like heaven and earth.
"This child is also very pitiful. He lost his parents when he was only three months old."
"We only hope that he can live a peaceful Life. As for other things, we dare not force them; we'll let fate decide."
Lan Xiaodie and the others couldn't casually reveal Ye Liangchen's twin spirits to outsiders.
"He lost his parents at three months old. He really is a pitiful child," Zhu Yuling exclaimed, lamenting the cruelty of this World.
Little Zhuqing also sighed in her heart: He lost his parents when he was three months old. So he's even more miserable than me! But even though I have parents, it's like not having them at all. We are both pitiful people.
...
Late into the night, Lan Xiaodie carried a large bucket of hot water to Ye Liangchen, interrupting his practice.
"Xiao Chen! That's enough practice for today. Auntie has prepared hot water for you. Go take a bath; you need to rest." Lan Xiaodie took Xiao Jiahuo's hand and walked towards the river.
"Thank you, Aunt Lan."
Upon reaching the river, Ye Liangchen took off his clothes and jumped into the large wooden tub, enjoying a wonderful hot bath. He felt incredibly comfortable all over.
Little Zhuqing, watching from a distance, saw Lan Xiaodie meticulously caring for Ye Liangchen and thought, 'Although he has no parents, he still has relatives who care for him. He's a thousand times happier than I am.'
The night passed without a word. Early the next morning, everyone ate some dry rations and began to leave the Star Dou Forest.
Lan Xiaodie was still concerned about the safety of Zhu Yuling and Little Zhuqing, so she directly led them out of the Star Dou Forest and even escorted them to the Star Luo Empire border, which took two more days.
"You should be safe here. We'll be leaving now."
The group waved goodbye to Zhu Yuling and Little Zhuqing, then quickly headed towards Hunting Soul Town.
"Thank you, three adults, for saving our lives."
Zhu Yuling pulled Little Zhuqing and bowed to Lan Xiaodie and the others.
Little Zhuqing quietly watched the quickly departing figures, wanting to forever remember the image of that Xiao Jiahuo. However, the speed of high-level Spirit Masters was too fast, and soon those figures disappeared.
"Qing'er! Do you like that Xiao Jiahuo?" Zhu Yuling looked at Little Zhuqing's expression and smiled sweetly.
"Ah...! Auntie! I don't!" Zhu Zhuqing immediately shook her head, her face slightly red, but she secretly remembered the Xiao Jiahuo named Ye Liangchen.
"Qing'er! Being in our Zhu family is your misfortune, and you have no choice."
"But Auntie still hopes you live on strong."
Zhu Yuling held Little Zhuqing in her arms, feeling sad for her fate. If no miracle occurred, this Little girl's Life would wither at the age of 25.
When the Little girl awakened her Spirit, her innate spirit power reached level 7. Her elder sister then considered the Little girl a threat, so she secretly sent people to interfere with the Little girl's cultivation and would occasionally catch snakes and insects to scare her, making the Little girl live in fear and unease every day.
Zhu Yuling sighed and carried Little Zhuqing towards the Star Luo Empire. Although she felt very pained for this Little girl, her strength was limited, and she couldn't change anything.