Chapter 5. Changing Plans and Good Fortune
After I went to bed, I didn't wake up again until noon—and even then only because Tang San asked Xiao Wu to wake me up. After lunch our teacher's lesson was supposed to start, and since I had been the one to insist on attending, skipping it would clearly have been wrong. Especially since, besides the already known beasts I now had in mind for my third ring, I also needed to learn about those suitable for the future, including for my second spirit. Which meant I had to study.
To be honest, the lesson itself wasn't particularly interesting, but unfortunately it was extremely useful. Knowing the signs by which you can determine a beast's age is literally vital for development. Including knowledge of their combat capabilities at different ages. And then, when the lesson ended, the time came for Tang San's first intake of whale glue.
Even though I suspected he already knew how to correctly prepare a dose, I still did everything myself the first time—because I already had experience. And the Grandmaster was able to see firsthand the tempering process with the hundred-year glue. It was obvious he really liked the result. There was no longer any doubt that after absorbing the thousand-year glue, the body would be able to withstand thousand-year rings comparable to those normally absorbed by rank 40 masters.
But another question arose. How could we get the most beneficial ring in terms of age? Waiting twelve years to enter Shrek Academy was clearly no longer an option, and there was also no contact with Tang San's father, one of the strongest Titled Douluo. The only time I know for sure he could be found and perhaps persuaded to help is, again, those same twelve years later—when he showed up and beat up the teacher who decided he wanted a fight, which resulted in injuries for Xiao Wu and a complete mental break for Tang San, who filled that teacher so full of hidden weapons that, despite his being a Spirit Saint, he was in very bad shape. And in the end, it all finished with Tang San losing consciousness.
In other words—far too long to wait, a truly unacceptable waste of precious time.
So in the end Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang faced a dilemma. To help his disciple, he would have to go against his own feelings and turn to his old friends.
In the past, he and a couple of friends hadn't been called the Golden Iron Triangle for nothing. Besides having a triple spirit fusion, thanks to which the Grandmaster's spirit—which had undergone a negative mutation and become similar to a strange dog—turned into what it should have become in the case of a positive mutation: the Golden Holy Dragon, he was also part of a love triangle.
In fact, his romantic history is something truly out of the ordinary.
His first relationship essentially became the catalyst for a tragedy that would affect the entire continent. He made the then-Saint of Spirit Hall fall in love with him and thus gained access to more restricted information within Spirit Hall. But it all ended with the woman now known as the Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, wanting to run away with him. This resulted in Yu Xiaogang being expelled and left to think she had abandoned him. Meanwhile, the girl herself was raped by her teacher, the previous Pope of Spirit Hall, and kept locked up until she gave birth to a daughter. From that moment hatred for the whole world was born in her. And it all was compounded by the fact that in the meantime Yu Xiaogang had become part of that very triangle. The girl, Liu Erlong, and two men—the Grandmaster himself and the surname-less Flender—fell in love with her, yet by some miracle they managed to remain close friends and even created a spirit fusion technique. Those relationships ended with the Grandmaster as the winner, and they were even about to get married when suddenly the wedding was interrupted by the girl's father showing up—and it turned out they were cousins.
That moment left the Grandmaster with psychological trauma, and he began to avoid everyone, eventually settling in Nuoding City. He was even afraid to turn to Flender, the second man in their triangle, an agility-type master at the level of Saint, because the latter could give away to Erlong where he was, and he simply wasn't ready for that meeting mentally.
But those worries didn't concern me. I spent the first week in this city just resting, and Xiao Wu, having gained another girl in her close circle, immediately began dragging me all over the city—and I didn't really mind. I only continued cultivating the purple energy at dawn and attending Yu Xiaogang's lessons. Until in one of the classes the Grandmaster mentioned Sea God Island, and I decided to add that there actually are ways to reach godhood, and Sea God Island is one of them.
At that point I decided to list all the methods I knew. Two main ones, and one more that relies more on luck.
First. Find a divine inheritance left by a specific god on the continent and pass the trials. Of those, I only know of three places on the Douluo Continent: Sea God Island, where the Sea God's inheritance lies; Spirit Hall, where the Angel God's inheritance is; and Slaughter City, where the Asura God's inheritance is.
Second. After reaching rank 99, begin building faith around yourself and gradually reach rank 100, and then ascend. That's what the aforementioned Angel God and Sea God did.
Third option—attract the attention of one of the gods, who then grants you trials directly. That's what happened with Bibi Dong, whose hatred drew the attention of the Rakshasa God. Also falling under this category are food-type spirit masters. If such a master reaches Titled Douluo level, the God of Cuisine will take notice, and if that master has a beloved woman, the Nine-Colored Goddess, who is the god's wife, will take notice of her—they simply want their successors to be together as well. But the most important point here, the one that jolted me awake, is that if you can push one of your attributes to the absolute—absolute darkness, for example—then, besides the fact that such a master is already about twenty ranks stronger in practical power than ordinary spirit masters without absolute attributes, upon reaching rank 99, or even earlier, if there is a god with a similar attribute in the Divine Realm, he is very likely to grant divine trials directly.
Why did that shake me so much? Because, to be honest, my original plans largely revolved around simply using the main character and eventually becoming a goddess like the original Zhu Zhuqing, who became the Goddess of Speed. But I had no idea how she became the Goddess of Speed—this was never mentioned anywhere. Unlike Tang San and the pair who became the God of Cuisine and the Nine-Colored Goddess, nothing is known about how the others obtained their inheritances, and many theories revolved around Tang San having found inheritances for them. But when it came to ascension, I still wasn't ready to rely entirely on him. Which meant I needed to think up another plan.
While I was pondering, trying at the same time to recall everything useful I knew, I also returned to active training. Since we had no healer, I didn't overload myself with weights but I still trained while cultivating. At first Xiao Wu wasn't very happy about this and kept trying to drag me out to play, and sometimes she even succeeded. But when she noticed that even during our walks I was still immersed in planning my future, she gave up.
And I did come up with something. But it would also require considerable risk from me in the future—both in terms of opening up a little more to the main character, in the hope that this guy, who had brought with him extremely useful knowledge not only in the art of killing and making hidden weapons, but also in medicine and various natural treasures, would help. I needed not just to grow faster than the original Zhu Zhuqing. I also wanted to try to seize some of the advantages that should have belonged to the second main character ten thousand years later. And try to develop my spirit so that an absolute attribute would appear. But all this is extremely difficult, and to begin with I still needed an incredibly solid foundation, much stronger than I had initially planned.
Having made up my mind, I walked with an equally determined expression toward the boy who was about to go to the smithy to earn money and at the same time forge some parts for his hidden weapons.
"Tang San. I need to discuss something with you," I addressed him, then, glancing at Xiao Wu standing next to the boy, added, "In private."
"All right," the boy agreed.
"Zhuqing, what do you need little San for? And I can't listen too?"
"Sorry, but this is a conversation between us. But don't worry, I definitely won't try to steal him from you."
Xiao Wu puffed her cheeks slightly, but noticing the unusual seriousness in my eyes, she only snorted, waved her hand, and trudged off toward the dormitory, grumbling in annoyance.
Tang San saw her off with a gentle look, then turned to me. His eyes instantly became focused and calm—a trait that always betrayed him as someone with a soul much older than his young body.
"Let's go," he said. Then we walked until we were in a grove, away from prying eyes and ears.
"I'm listening, Zhuqing. Did something happen?"
I took a deep breath in and out to give myself a bit more confidence, then spoke.
"First of all, I want to assure you that I'm not going to pry into your past and certainly won't demand or ask you to pass your techniques to me. But it so happens that I need help with certain matters, and I suspect you have the necessary knowledge. So I want to make a deal."
"I don't understand what you mean," Tang San frowned, and his gaze became slightly dangerous, while his hand, seemingly by chance, ended up near his belt, which I knew to be a spatial artifact, just like my ring.
"I know where the immortal herbs are, as well as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I hope you won't ask how I know this, just as I won't ask where your knowledge comes from."
The boy's eyes widened greatly, showing how unexpected my words were, but thanks to his strong self-control he quickly got hold of himself.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
"Cooperation. Just as you are now taking whale glue, if you have the necessary knowledge to safely absorb half of a ten-thousand-year whale glue, then I'm willing to split it with you so that my third ring can be ten-thousand-year. As for the immortal herbs, they grow near the Ice and Fire Well, but the main problem is that the place is surrounded by a poisonous barrier, and there lives the Titled Douluo Dugu Bo, who is poisoned by his own spirit but can slightly alleviate his symptoms there, even though he doesn't know what herbs grow there. And besides the immortal herbs, there are many poisonous plants. I don't know herbs, so I need your help—just to select the right ones for me. Also, as the daughter of a duke of the Star Luo Empire, I offer you my friendship and help. I will assist your research, including financially. And I will help with common enemies who, because of your origin, are inevitably going to be your enemies. Naturally, I also expect that you will regard me as a friend. And the very last point: under no circumstances are you allowed to fall in love with me. Because even leaving aside the fact I have a fiancé whom I will definitely break with once I become stronger, I am first and foremost not in the least interested in men."
I poured out the prepared speech in one breath. And immediately felt calmer. Maybe it was foolish, but I don't like using people in the dark.
Tang San froze like a statue. If the mention of the Ice and Fire Well had shocked him, my bluntness regarding potential feelings and everything else made him momentarily lose the power of speech. He slowly removed his hand from his belt, and the dangerous glint in his eyes was replaced by a certain respect, mixed with something else I couldn't quite define—perhaps something between amusement and disapproval over how I had laid everything out. And I suppose if this were the Tang San from that future, when he had already become a god and his actions were increasingly geared toward controlling everything and everyone, I wouldn't have dared. But now, when his mind, despite his experience in the assassin clan, was still not far from a blank slate and receptive to sincerity, I was ready to take the risk, especially since my new plans required a higher-quality early development. Otherwise I'd die long before I achieved anything. And the parallel acceleration of the development of the one who would in any case have to bear the brunt of future enemies was quite useful.
"Zhu Zhuqing. I appreciate your sincerity, and if even half of what you promised turns out to be true, I will cherish this friendship. However, as for the ten-thousand-year glue, we'll have to wait: I first need to feel the effects of the thousand-year glue, then, based on that, also study the ten-thousand-year version to figure out the best way to proceed. As for Dugu Bo… honestly, a Titled Douluo is something far too distant for me at the moment. I could perhaps negotiate with him and try to heal him in exchange for herbs, but I haven't even seen him once, so I can't promise in advance that I'll cure him."
"In that case, so there can't be any misunderstandings in the future, I suggest we both swear an oath that we will not intentionally harm each other, either directly or through others."
"An oath?"
"Exactly. I'll start first."
"I, Zhu Zhuqing, swear on my honor and my path of self-cultivation that from this moment on I will not cause harm to Tang San, neither directly nor indirectly, will not betray his secrets, and will be a loyal ally in our common cause, for as long as he abides by the terms of our agreement. May my spirit be destroyed if I break this word."
It grew quiet for a moment. Tang San listened closely, and I saw the last sparks of suspicion fade from his eyes. Such an oath is no empty sound for a practitioner; while it doesn't cause instant death, someone who breaks it simply won't be able to progress further. And when attempting to absorb a ring at a threshold level, the spirit could indeed explode in the end.
Tang San straightened, his face taking on a solemn expression.
"I, Tang San, accept your oath and will answer in kind," his voice was clear and firm. "I swear that I will not harm Zhu Zhuqing in deed or in thought, that I will be honest in our research and will share with her the fruits of our work in accordance with our agreement. My path as a Spirit Master will end if I break this word."
Hearing his answering oath, I exhaled in relief. It meant I had succeeded.
"Since we're on the same side now anyway, I think we can start with this," I said, taking from my ring first a piece of whale glue and then a pouch packed with gold coins. "This is ten-thousand-year whale glue, and there should be around a thousand gold coins here. I can't give more right now, since bank cards aren't used in Nuoding and it would be difficult for you to pay with them."
"…," Tang San was slightly stunned, apparently not expecting me to hand him money on the spot, but he didn't refuse.
After that, completely pleased with myself, I returned to the dormitory, which was empty at that hour.
However, as soon as the door closed behind my back, pressure descended on me so sharply that I almost stumbled. I managed to stay on my feet, but I immediately began looking around.
The pressure increased again. Then I heard the sound of heavy footsteps. From behind the screen around my bed I saw a tall man step out, his face hidden by a cloak.
"Hm," came an interested grunt, and the pressure jumped again. My spirit was forced out of me, and after I fused with it, the pressure became bearable again.
"Senior. When you're done, may we talk?" I forced out, already knowing who stood before me. Tang Hao, Tang San's father. Apparently he really was secretly protecting him at this time, not just when they headed to Shrek Academy.
"And are you sure you'll survive the day?" the man replied, and the pressure rose once more, forcibly activating my external spirit bone and revealing cat ears. I no longer had the strength to stand, and I found myself on my knees, bracing my hands against the floor.
"An external spirit bone? Not bad, but it seems that's not all."
"Senior, we have a common enemy… ah," I spoke again, genuinely afraid he might go too far, but the pressure increased once more, literally squeezing out my second spirit. With the appearance of the tiara on my head, it became much easier to endure the pressure, and I finished: "It's only a matter of time before Spirit Hall attacks my home. And Tang San and I have already sworn oaths."
"…oaths don't mean much," after a moment of silence, during which he stared at the newly appeared second spirit, the pressure finally vanished, and I felt a great wave of relief. "You just withstood spiritual pressure of rank 51. If what you said had been a lie, your body wouldn't have withstood it, and you'd be dead right now."
"Now explain to me what these immortal herbs are and why my son should risk his life for them," he went on, this time not crushing me with pressure, but summoning his spirit—the Clear Sky Hammer—and displaying nine rings: 2 yellow, 2 purple, 4 black, and 1 red.
"There are two reasons. First, immortal herbs are unique treasures of heaven and earth that improve a Spirit Master's potential without harming their foundation; on the contrary, they strengthen it, and in some cases they even promote spirit evolution. Second is Dugu Bo. If Tang San can rid him of his poison, he'll have a Titled Douluo as a friend, one willing to go very far for him, especially if he also helps with the poison afflicting his granddaughter. Again, the old man doesn't know the true value of the herbs around the Ice and Fire Well. He only knows that in that place plants can grow many times faster, so he won't…"
"What did you say?!" the man suddenly appeared right in front of me and gripped my shoulders so hard that, had I been weaker, he would've simply crushed them.
"The plants grow faster?" I repeated, slightly frightened by the madness in his eyes.
"How much faster?"
"I don't know. Maybe if Tang San sees it, he'll be able to answer… and you're hurting me," I added, because when I mentioned Tang San again, Tang Hao's grip on my shoulders grew even tighter. Fortunately, when I complained about the pain, he let go.
"…Don't tell that rabbit-spirit girl about me. When Tang San finishes his tempering, I'll take you where you need to go."
"All right," I nodded quickly. And when Tang Hao finally left, my legs turned to jelly and I flopped down onto the floor right where I was standing; my summoned spirits and ears vanished back to where they belonged. I still felt lingering fear from that encounter, and my whole body ached from such a cruel test.
Undoubtedly, this could be considered a crushing stroke of good fortune—especially if I managed to reach rank 30 and Tang San found a way to ease the absorption of half the ten-thousand-year glue and then, thanks to my second spirit being of mental type, which should protect against spiritual shock, I could attempt to obtain a ten-thousand-year third ring right away. But damn, it had been terrifying.
As I was still sitting on the floor, trying to pull my thoughts together, the door opened and a very pleased-with-life Xiao Wu appeared.
"Zhuqing, what's wrong with you?" the girl immediately rushed over to me.
"I just overtrained," I smiled stiffly. "Could you please help me get to bed?"
"Of course," without thinking twice, the rabbit girl helped me up, then, on still-trembling legs, I made it to my bed.
"Thanks, Xiao Wu. Tomorrow I'll definitely treat you to something."
"Hehe, then we'll go to the most expensive restaurant in the city and take little San with us."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want," I didn't argue, especially since a trip to a restaurant really meant nothing to me.
When Xiao Wu left me, I closed my eyes to focus on my body and assess what that meeting had cost me. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. But it seemed I'd have to forget about running for the next couple of days if I didn't want minor problems turning into something worse. This involuntarily made me remember Xiao Wu's carelessly tossed promise—she was far too hyperactive.
"Hm, no wonder she's a rabbit," I sighed and this time sank into cultivation—my time really wasn't that plentiful.
The next day Xiao Wu still failed to drag Tang San out anywhere. After receiving such desperately needed money at this stage, instead of taking smithy orders he rented himself a place and was busy making parts for his weapons. And I had to deal with the fact that I simultaneously liked going shopping with Xiao Wu and disliked how my body responded with pain to overly sharp movements. But in the end everything went quite well, and then I fully plunged into self-cultivation.
The clan's training had long since made me forget the time when I couldn't live an hour without reading or watching something. There I learned to devote all my time to training, which had long become a habit. I only interrupted myself for food, lessons, and sleep, which sometimes really annoyed Xiao Wu, who was always itching to drag me out for a walk. But I was unyielding, and in the end she either went to Tang San—who almost never refused her—or played "boss" over all the academy's students, a status she had earned by winning a bet with the city lord's son when she and Tang San were only six. The "bet" had basically just been a fight.
Things went on like this for three months, during which I managed to break through to rank 29. Which, in fact, was only possible because my meridians had been so greatly strengthened by the whale glue.
"Ah. I can just imagine what it'll be like when, at the Continental Tournament, in this era when the limit was Spirit Kings, Spirit Emperors show up," I sighed in anticipation. The appearance of Spirit Emperors at the All-Continent Tournament shouldn't have been possible until much later. "And now I'll definitely achieve this ten thousand years earlier. Hee-hee-hee."
I was indulging in my fantasies, sitting in the shade of a tree on the academy grounds, when Tang San arrived and caught me at that very awkward moment.
"Zhuqing?"
"Uh, forget that, I was just daydreaming a little," I said, embarrassed by the look he gave me.
"Looks like even you have an awkward side," the boy chuckled.
"…Why were you looking for me?" after a brief pause, I decided to let his words pass by.
"Teacher asked me to fetch you. It looks like we're going for my second ring."
"You already took the thousand-year glue?"
"Yes, and I already have some ideas on how to deal with the ten-thousand-year one, but for that we need to somehow get close to the Ice and Fire Well."
"Hmm, that won't be a problem," I said, getting to my feet and, brushing off my clothes, added with a mysterious smile, "By the way, you're in for a surprise."
"What kind of surprise?"
"If I tell you, would it still be a surprise?" I smirked, summoning my spirit.
"Try and catch me, Tang San!" As soon as I completed fusion, I immediately sprinted toward the main building.
"Hey, wait!" he shouted behind me, and, apparently carried away by the mood, used the Tang Clan's movement technique. His movements were very fast, clearly showing how much stronger his body had become, and he even began gradually catching up to me. But would I really be an agility-type master if he could keep up with me with an ordinary movement technique? I suddenly put all my strength into running and instantly pulled ahead, stopping only when I reached the door to Yu Xiaogang's office. There I waited for the boy. I still wasn't ready to face his father again, at least not alone.
I didn't have long to wait, since the academy grounds weren't that big. As soon as I saw he was almost there, I knocked.
"Come in," came Yu Xiaogang's excited voice.
When we entered, besides the Grandmaster—uncharacteristically agitated—there was also a man in the room, about the same age as Yu Xiaogang, in his fifties. But unlike the thin Grandmaster, his build all but screamed strength. A cloak thrown on carelessly hid his broad shoulders and stubbled face; a single glance from him was enough to make me flinch, remembering how he had caught me off guard in the dormitory.
"Father?" Tang San said in disbelief, staring at the man.
"You've become stronger, son," Tang Hao greeted him the only way he knew how. In the next moment the boy shot toward him like a blue rocket and hugged him.