Chapter 16: You May Go
With the Soul skills's enhancement, Xiao Wu's strength, speed, and even flexibility had greatly increased.
Her right leg swept towards Lin Yang's waist like a whip, carrying a whistling sound of splitting air.
However, Lin Yang's pupils remained as still as a deep pond.
Just as Xiao Wu thought she was about to succeed, the Lin Yang before her suddenly dissipated like a mirage.
An illusion?
Xiao Wu's heart jolted in shock. Before she could even change her move, a cold blade quietly pressed against her neck.
"Don't move!"
The edge of the blade was bone-chilling, a hair's breadth from life and death!
In that instant, Xiao Wu's heart felt as if it were clenched by an invisible hand, stopping abruptly.
The red light in her eyes fluctuated violently. Fear, unwillingness, and resolve interwove on her face, finally solidifying into a look of sheer determination.
Ignoring the sharp blade at her neck, she abruptly threw herself towards Lin Yang's chest.
She had lost!
The price of losing was her life.
But even in death, she would self-destruct, taking this human with her.
Lin Yang's heart skipped a beat. He hastily withdrew Scarlet Edge and took several steps back, putting distance between himself and Xiao Wu.
"Wait, I don't mean you any harm."
"If I truly wanted to kill you, what I severed at the start wouldn't have been your hair."
Xiao Wu twitched the corner of her mouth, her smile somewhat cold.
"What, not only do you want my bones, but also my Soul Ring? Can you even handle a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring?"
"Think whatever you like," Lin Yang's tone remained steady.
"I said from the beginning, as a Soul Master, killing you would be perfectly justifiable, but..."
Lin Yang's gaze softened slightly.
"You saved my grandmother and took such good care of her for so long. This kindness... I remember it."
"So... you may go. Never appear before me again."
Xiao Wu was instantly stunned, thinking she had misheard.
Only after a long while did she cautiously and tentatively ask,
"You... you're really willing to let me go?"
Her voice trembled slightly, her gaze fixed tightly on Lin Yang as if searching his calm face for mockery or ridicule.
"What good would lying to you do me?" Lin Yang spread his hands.
"Of course, if you truly don't wish to live, I can also lend you a hand."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu, like a startled Little Rabbit, immediately tensed her body and watched Lin Yang warily.
Lin Yang gave an almost imperceptible smile. He turned to leave, but as if remembering something, his lifted foot came back down. His tone carried a note of gravity,
"A word of advice: leave this place as soon as possible. Go anywhere."
"Just don't go to Nuoding City, and don't go to Saint Spirit Village. There are people there who can see through your true form. I've said all I need to; whether you believe it is up to you."
Xiao Wu shuddered. Besides the Lin Yang before her, only a Titled Douluo could see through her true identity.
A hundred thousand year Spirit Beast transforming into human form possesses the pinnacle of talent, and cultivation is as simple as eating and drinking for them.
But in the early stages of cultivation, they need to be exposed to human aura as much as possible; otherwise, their cultivation will stagnate, unable to advance an inch.
It's only upon reaching the Seventieth Rank that they can truly transform into a human.
According to her plan, she would obtain the Work-Study Student spot from Red Maple Village and then blend into the Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy.
But who would have known? The very first step of her plan had just begun when she encountered Lin Yang, who saw through her true form with a single sentence, and was then informed that Nuoding City had a Titled Douluo.
Xiao Wu's heart felt bitter. What sin had she committed? Did she forget to check the almanac before leaving home, or did she run into a Demon on the road?
She had already run far and remote enough, deliberately seeking out an obscure little town.
Yet this one-in-a-million probability event actually kept happening to her, one after another.
Her rabbit life... was simply pitch black!
The rabbit with a rich inner monologue, seeing that Lin Yang was genuinely helping her, then softly uttered a word of thanks.
"No need," Lin Yang waved his hand, his expression wistful and complex.
"One thing is one thing. If I see you again next time, I might not be willing to let you go."
"While I haven't changed my mind yet, leave quickly. Don't let me see you."
Xiao Wu hopped back a few steps lightly. Finding that Lin Yang truly had no intention of killing her, she prepared to flee immediately.
"Wait..."
Xiao Wu's steps halted, her body instantly tensing as she watched Lin Yang warily.
Had this guy changed his mind?
Whoosh!
A golden light shot from Lin Yang's fingertip. Xiao Wu subconsciously caught it. It was a gold coin, its edges glinting with golden light under the sun.
"Take it. Don't starve to death on the road later," Lin Yang said plainly.
Looking at the gold coin in her hand, Xiao Wu pursed her lips. Her voice softened,
"Lin Yang, you're a good person. Thank Grandma Su Xi for me for taking care of me during this time."
Lin Yang gave a slight nod. "I'll pass on the message."
Xiao Wu said no more. After giving Lin Yang one deep look, her figure flickered, transforming into a blurry afterimage and vanishing into the nearby forest in an instant.
Lin Yang gazed at the place where she disappeared. After a long while, he shook his head and chuckled softly, as if mocking his own foolishness.
However, on the way back, his steps were even lighter than when he came.
Upon returning home, Grandma Su Xi was still sleeping.
Lin Yang did not disturb her. Instead, he went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner, and incidentally picked up the clay pot for decocting medicine to begin concocting some medicine that would aid bone recovery.
The bitter smell of medicine soon permeated the entire kitchen.
By the time Lin Yang finished preparing the medicine and dinner, Grandma Su Xi happened to wake up.
Lin Yang helped her sit at the dining table.
At this moment, Grandma Su Xi looked around. Not seeing the familiar figure for a long while, she couldn't help but ask,
"Where's that child Xiao Wu? She's usually the most eager at mealtime. Why haven't I seen her today?"
"Grandma, don't worry," Lin Yang placed a bowl of medicine in front of Grandma Su Xi, then sat down and said,
"Xiao Wu's relatives came looking for her. She's been taken away. Before leaving, Xiao Wu asked me to thank you on her behalf."
Grandma Su Xi was stunned for a few seconds, opened her mouth, and finally sighed helplessly,
"I see. That's good too. Having relatives willing to take her in means she has a place to settle. I thought I could gain another granddaughter, someone to keep me company and talk with me usually..."
Lin Yang saw the reluctance and worry in his grandmother's eyes. It was clear she genuinely liked Xiao Wu and very much enjoyed this atmosphere of doting on a grandchild.
But he couldn't take that risk.
Xiao Wu's identity was always a bomb. The slightest misstep could implicate his grandmother, even the entire Red Maple Village.
The World of Soul Masters is, after all, one where the strong prey on the weak.
"Grandma, if you say that, I'll think you're dissatisfied with me. Should I drop out of school..." Lin Yang joked to lighten the mood.
"Nonsense," Grandma Su Xi gave Lin Yang's head a light tap,
"You're a Soul Master now. How can you have a future staying cooped up in this small village? Don't worry about me. Go out and study when you should, go out and make your way in the World when you should."
"It's just that the family can't give you any support..."
Seeing a hint of guilt rising in Grandma Su Xi, Lin Yang quickly changed the subject.
"Grandma, the greatest support you can give me right now is to recover your health. Live to a hundred, so you can look after my children for me then."
"Then when will you bring a granddaughter-in-law back for Grandma?"
"Grandma... you're at it again."
The tranquil Red Maple Village was enveloped under the night sky. The lit kerosene lamps in each household were like stars dotting the indigo night curtain, not ostentatious, but shining steadily and securely.
The evening breeze carried the scent of grass from the fields, mingling with the aroma of meals from every home and the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks, painting a picture of simple, heartwarming comfort.