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As night deepened, Tang Hao and his companion found a cave in the Spirit Beast Forest to settle down. They unpacked their belongings, clearly intending to stay and cultivate for an extended period.
During this time, Ye Wen also learned the name of this Thunder Prison Vine—Ah Yu.
It was hard not to feel exasperated. After living among humans for so long, couldn't she at least pick a more human-sounding name?
Ah Yin, Ah Rou, Xiao Wu, Xiao Bai, Da Ming, Er Ming…
{T/N: Valid point lol}
Ah Yu found a pond nearby. Deep within the uncharted regions of the Hunter's Soul Forest, there was no risk of prying eyes, so she planned to wash up.
Ye Wen and Ah Yin followed her.
As upright gentlemen (and lady), they weren't there to spy or engage in any peculiar antics.
Just as Ah Yu was about to undo the buttons on her clothes to enter the pond, a sudden surge of soul power fluctuation startled her. Her expression tightened as she quickly summoned her martial soul and retreated cautiously.
Dark purple vines covered in thorns crackled with flickering lightning. Ye Wen immediately recognized them as belonging to the pinnacle of plant-type spirit beasts—the Thunder Prison Vine.
The lore behind this spirit beast was somewhat absurd. Descended from the bloodline of the Thunder God, it ended up being struck down by lightning. Were its descendants blessings or curses?
Looking at the dignified and imposing figures of Ye Wen and Ah Yin, who didn't resemble the usual harassers from the Spirit Hall, Ah Yu asked warily,
"Who are you?!"
At this moment, Ye Wen spoke, "You don't need to be tense. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have the chance to resist."
With that, Ye Wen summoned his soul rings.
Red—Red—Red—Red—Red—Red-Gold—Red-Gold—Red-Gold—Gold-Blue—Gold-Blue!!!
Seeing the terrifying array of crimson soul rings and feeling the overwhelming pressure of soul power that left her in despair, Ah Yu retracted her martial soul and collapsed to the ground.
"A god?!"
But the next second, Ye Wen dismissed his soul rings.
"Relax, you don't need to be so afraid. I am indeed a god, but I harbor no ill intentions toward spirit beasts like you. My wife is also a transformed spirit beast. Today, I'm here simply to talk to you."
Hearing this, Ah Yu gradually regained some composure. She shook her head, still dazed from the overwhelming impact of what she had just witnessed, struggling to distinguish between reality and dreams.
At this point, Ah Yin stepped forward and helped Ah Yu to her feet.
"I'm sorry for startling you, Sister. My husband and I came here with no ill intent. We were just checking out the recent buzz around the three siblings of the Hao Tian Clan and happened to discover your identity as a spirit beast."
Ah Yu's gaze lingered on Ah Yin. Based on Ye Wen's earlier statement, this elegant and beautiful woman was also a transformed spirit beast.
A wave of envy washed over her. Both were transformed spirit beasts, yet this younger sister had such good fortune—a divine husband who ensured a life of comfort. Meanwhile, she herself wandered aimlessly, her cultivation seemingly weaker than Ah Yin's.
"So, may I ask what brings you two to me?" Ah Yu inquired.
Ye Wen studied the woman before him—the Thunder Prison Vine incarnate. Her pale green hair framed an oval face that, though slightly gaunt, radiated determination. Overall, she seemed to be a woman of strong self-will.
"Do you love Tang Hao? If you wish to leave him, I can arrange another place for you to stay, sparing you from the constant pursuit by the Spirit Hall."
Though unsure why Ye Wen was interfering in her relationship with Tang Hao, Ah Yu firmly replied,
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm very happy with Ah Hao."
"Is that so? Does he know you're a spirit beast?"
Ah Yu nodded. "I told him when we got married. He didn't reject me."
Her cheeks flushed with happiness as she spoke.
This left Ye Wen momentarily silent. Love truly made people blind.
'How could anyone reject you? Not only do they want to trick you into bearing children, but they'll also extract every last bit of your soul rings and soul bones.'
Still, things seemed to have spiraled a bit out of control now.
On a side note, it seemed that the elder guardian who once protected the Twin Stars of Hao Tian was no longer by their side. Perhaps the situation had escalated, forcing him to return to the sect for reinforcements.
"In that case, if you feel happy, I won't interfere further. However, I have an insurance policy for you. Would you like it?"
"Insurance policy?"
"Yes. On a future day when you face despair, this insurance will save your life—but only if you keep your soul within your original body," Ye Wen explained gently.
Even someone as inexperienced with social norms as the Thunder Prison Vine wasn't foolish enough to reject the kindness of a god.
However, there was no such thing as a free lunch, a lesson Ah Yu understood well. Cautiously, she asked,
"What price must I pay for this insurance?"
Ye Wen smiled meaningfully and slowly approached Ah Yu. As she trembled slightly, he leaned in and whispered softly into her ear, "Consider it a whim of mine. But, my lady, I believe there will come a day when you'll need this insurance. After all, you wouldn't want your future with Tang Hao to end in tragedy, would you?"
Silently, Ah Yu accepted the imprint of Ye Wen's Time Pearl.
Watching Ye Wen and Ah Yin leave without a trace of hesitation, Ah Yu's eyes reflected confusion. It felt as though she were still dreaming. Pinching her arm, she winced.
"Hiss! I'm not dreaming. I actually met a god just now, and he gave me a life-saving soul skill."
On the way back, Ah Yin looked at Ye Wen curiously.
It wasn't that she thought Ye Wen harbored any inappropriate feelings for Ah Yu, a married woman. Rather, his actions were strange. Leaving a life-saving resurrection skill with someone—a 100,000-year spirit beast he'd never met before—seemed odd no matter how you looked at it.
Ye Wen didn't plan to elaborate. At most, it was just a spare move on the chessboard.
In the future, if Tang Fozu were to face opposition from his own mother, who knew if he'd be able to bring himself to strike her down?
"How amusing, Asura God," Ye Wen thought with satisfaction.
In Ye Wen's view, even the Asura God couldn't monitor the Thunder Prison Vine 24/7. Moreover, his resurrection technique wasn't directly left with the beneficiary—it was recorded within his own martial soul, making it harder for others to detect any issues.
And if the Asura God had been observing earlier, Ye Wen, though not a particularly powerful god, should have sensed something by now.
Setting up a scheme? Who couldn't do that? Let's see how both sides play their moves.
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