Chapter 4: Beware the One with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul
"What—what are you talking about?!" Xiao Wu finally couldn't stand it any longer, shouting in anger.
The fact that she was a spirit beast who had taken human form was her deepest secret. She hadn't even revealed her martial soul, yet the boy before her seemed to see straight through her.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Luo Ling said calmly. "Your true form… is a rabbit, isn't it?"
At those words, Xiao Wu froze, her body trembling. She realized in horror that her identity had been exposed. The next instant, her cherry-red eyes turned feral.
As a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast who had taken human form, Xiao Wu was far from harmless—and her first instinct was to kill him to silence the truth!
In an instant, her martial soul possessed her. Two long rabbit ears sprouted atop her head, and she darted forward like lightning, leaping straight at Luo Ling.
Her right leg bent, toes pointing down. Power gathered in her foot as she launched upward, kicking fiercely toward Luo Ling's chin—holding nothing back.
But Luo Ling didn't even flinch.
A pale yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet, then began to glow.
Seeing that ring, Xiao Wu's pupils narrowed sharply—her instincts screamed caution.
She was a soul beast who had only just entered the human world. She had no rings, no human experience—and no idea what kind of soul skill Luo Ling might have.
Before she could figure it out, she realized her body couldn't move.
Invisible threads of darkness had wrapped around her, suspending her midair.
"What did you do?! Let me go!" Xiao Wu kicked frantically, though she could see nothing. Still, she felt herself bound tightly by something unseen.
Ignoring her angry cries, Luo Ling waved his hand. A shadow identical to him appeared silently behind Xiao Wu.
Before she could react, the Raven Shadow Puppet bound her completely with more black threads, then slung her over its shoulder and carried her before Luo Ling.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Luo Ling raised his hand and smacked her a few times across her still-youthful rear.
"You little brat! We just put on a little act in front of the villagers, and now you think you can act wild?" Luo Ling scolded with mock anger. "How dare you raise your hand against your big brother?!"
"You—you bastard! You shameless pervert!" Xiao Wu's face flushed bright red. Struggling on the puppet's shoulder, her small body trembled with fury and humiliation as tears began to glimmer in her eyes.
Luo Ling ignored her protests and turned to the stunned villagers. "Sorry, everyone! My little sister's a bit rebellious. I just need to have a word with her. Could you lend us an empty house for a bit?"
"Uh… no problem." The village chief gave Luo Ling an odd look—then noticed the black shadow beside him and paled. He nodded quickly.
Moments later, the elderly chief led them to an empty house.
"This used to belong to our late village chief. He passed away recently, so it's empty. You two can use it."
"Let me go!" Xiao Wu was still struggling. Turning her head toward the village chief, she cried, "Grandpa, don't listen to him! He's not my brother!"
The old chief gave an awkward smile. Seeing her flushed face and then glancing at the hundred-year soul ring beneath Luo Ling, he quickly backed out of the room.
A soul master with a century-old ring was not someone a small village head could afford to offend. Whether they were siblings or not—it no longer mattered.
…
Once the chief left, Luo Ling entered the room with ease.
Coincidentally—or perhaps fatefully—it was the same house he had grown up in.
He maneuvered the Raven Shadow Puppet to toss Xiao Wu onto the bed, closed the door, and gazed around the familiar room nostalgically.
After a brief moment lost in memory, his attention returned to Xiao Wu.
Now it was time for business.
"Hello, little rabbit," Luo Ling said with a devilish grin.
At his words, fear finally surfaced in Xiao Wu's eyes. Teardrops shimmered at the edges.
"What do you want from me?" she choked out, biting her lip.
"What do you think happens when a soul master meets a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast?" Luo Ling replied with an amused smile.
"You can't kill me! You're only a soul master—you can't absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!" Xiao Wu shouted in defiance.
"I can't absorb your ring," Luo Ling chuckled, "but I can make good use of your soul bones."
"You monster! Even if I die, I'll never forgive you!" Xiao Wu cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Luo Ling suddenly burst out laughing.
Xiao Wu clenched her teeth, glaring at him with hatred but saying nothing—burning his face into her memory.
"Alright, alright, enough joking," Luo Ling finally said, his tone softening. "I don't actually plan to kill you."
"What?" Xiao Wu froze, blinking in disbelief. For a moment, hope flashed in her eyes—then quickly faded.
"Then what? You plan to keep me as a pet?"
The thought made fresh tears fall as despair settled in again.
"You misunderstand," Luo Ling said, shaking his head. "I really don't intend to harm you—or to cage you."
Killing her wasn't part of his plan. He had something far more interesting in mind.
"Actually," he said, adopting a solemn expression, "I'm a reborn traveler from the future. I came to warn you… because I couldn't bear to watch your tragic fate unfold."
He coughed lightly, then began his deception in earnest. His eyes slowly turned deep crimson—like roses blooming in the dark.
This was Luo Ling's second martial soul—a spirit he called the Soul of Desire.
He regarded this as his true intrinsic martial soul—a counterpart to the Spiritual Eyes once possessed by others, but far more insidious.
He had studied it carefully the previous night.
The Soul of Desire allowed his soul to manifest outside his body—granting astral projection and even possession of others.
It also gave him the power to manipulate emotion and desire—to make others feel drawn to him, to influence, suggest, even reshape their thoughts subconsciously.
He hadn't yet tested it—what better test subject than Xiao Wu?
"You think I'm an idiot?" she retorted. "If you wanted to trick me, you should've come up with a better lie."
Yet, under the Soul of Desire's influence, her emotions were already beginning to calm.
"You don't have to believe me," Luo Ling said easily. "But what I say next—you can verify yourself."
He leaned closer. "At Notting Academy, you'll meet a boy with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul. He'll possess innate full soul power."
"His name is Tang San. His teacher will be a man named Yu Xiaogang."
"His first soul skill will come from a Mandala Snake—Blue Silver Bind."
"Tang San will have strange abilities—hidden weapons, Purple Demon Eye, Controlling Crane and Capturing Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track…"
"You'll share a dorm with him at Notting Academy for six years. Later, Yu Xiaogang will recommend you both to a place called Shrek Academy in Soto City."
"Wait!" Xiao Wu interrupted him, her voice trembling. "What are you talking about? What are you trying to say?"
Luo Ling stopped speaking. His expression went still, eyes glowing red as he stared deeply into hers.
"I'm telling you this for one reason," he said quietly. "Beware the one who wields the Blue Silver Grass."
As his words fell, an almost invisible flash of red glimmered in Xiao Wu's eyes.
(END CHAPTER)
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