If Yu Tianheng's feelings for me were genuine, then how could he have abandoned me when my life was in danger!
After a while, the female protagonists noticed that the diary had stopped updating and figured Su Ming was probably on the road.
In reality, Su Ming was on the move, but he was also mentally sparring with the system.
Su Ming thought to the system, "So, you're not planning on giving me an explanation?"
[The system replied calmly: "Explain what? This system doesn't understand what you mean."]
Su Ming knew the system was playing dumb. He pressed on, "I'm talking about Liu Erlong. I wrote about her in my diary, so don't tell me you don't know what's going on. Care to explain?"
[The system remained composed: "What's the problem? Isn't this outcome ideal? Liu Erlong found out about Yu Xiaogang's true nature—how he toyed with her emotions. With her temper, it's only natural that she would beat him up!"
[If Flender hadn't been there to hold her back, Yu Xiaogang might've been killed by her!"]
Su Ming frowned. "So you admit that you were the one behind all this?"
[The system admitted: "Yes, this system gave Liu Erlong a little something. After all, Yu Xiaogang is a scumbag who plays with women's emotions and shirks responsibility. I know you despise him, but you didn't have a proper excuse to deal with him. So, I acted on your behalf!"]
Su Ming grew interested. "Tell me, what exactly did you give her?"
[Ding! It wasn't anything special—just a small book detailing Yu Xiaogang's life, with some insights and theories about his actions. Whether she believes it or not is up to her."]
[As long as she isn't completely brainless, she'll figure things out and do a little investigating herself."]
[As a result, Liu Erlong broke free from her lovesick tendencies and started focusing more on improving her strength instead of pining over Yu Xiaogang. Her strength has improved considerably as well!"]
[In fact, this system has done her a favor!]
Su Ming: …
Su Ming felt a bit speechless. "System, I don't necessarily mind what you did, but don't you think you should have informed me first? I would've liked a heads-up so I could be prepared."
[The system replied: "Understood. In fact, there's something else I need to tell you."]
Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"
[The system responded: "I also gave Bibi Dong a similar little book. So, you know... be prepared!"]
Su Ming was stunned for a moment. Goodness, Bibi Dong's strength is far beyond Liu Erlong's! I can already imagine what might happen once she confirms all the details. Yu Xiaogang could be in real trouble!
If Su Ming remembered correctly, in the original story, Yu Xiaogang shamelessly went to Spirit Hall to ask Bibi Dong for help regarding dual martial soul cultivation. At that time, Bibi Dong let him go because of her lingering feelings for him.
But this time, even if Bibi Dong didn't kill Yu Xiaogang, she certainly wouldn't let him off easily!
After all, Yu Xiaogang had been her first love—the man she deeply loved. Yet, despite the book from the system, Su Ming doubted Bibi Dong would be able to bring herself to harm him immediately.
Su Ming hadn't forgotten that Bibi Dong was under the influence of the Rakshasa God's trials, which fed her negative emotions. Her feelings for Yu Xiaogang had long since turned into a twisted obsession, detached from love. Under this influence, Yu Xiaogang might be nearly as important to Bibi Dong as Qian Renxue.
Seeing that Su Ming seemed to buy into the explanation, the system heaved a mental sigh of relief. Luckily, it was good at tricking him—this was the classic strategy of "sacrificing a pawn to save the queen."
Rather than risk Su Ming discovering that someone else could read his diary and tracing Liu Erlong's strange behavior back to the system, it chose to minimize the damage by feeding him this story. Clever, clever system!
Su Ming, thinking he was being savvy, had been completely misled by the system.
Of course, I'm a bit suspicious of the system, but I don't have any concrete evidence, he thought. And the system's explanation does make sense…
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's diary entry. You have been awarded one divine soul ring (direction can be specified).]
Su Ming nodded in satisfaction. A divine soul ring that can be customized—nice!
I'm already at level 48. It won't be long before I need my fifth soul ring. My Wood Release ability now has both durability and life attributes. Should I add more life essence or something else for the next ring?
After a moment of thought, Su Ming made a decision. He would put off adding more life essence for now. He decided to add a poison attribute to his Wood Release!
Even though it seems like poison and wood don't really match, I haven't forgotten that one of Wood Release's big ultimate moves requires poison. The poison doesn't need to be too high-level, and placing it in the fifth ring would be just right.
As for the next few soul rings, they'd be dedicated to durability and life essence, stacking buffs as much as possible!
[Ding! The female lead mentioned the most in today's diary is Dugu Yan, followed by Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong.]
[The female lead mentioned the most is Dugu Yan. She has received one divine soul ring as a reward!]
When Dugu Yan saw this reward, she was ecstatic—a divine soul ring!
She hesitated, unsure whether to use it immediately or save it for later.
Dugu Yan had reached level 40 recently but had yet to acquire a new soul ring. Originally, she had planned to wait for her grandfather's return so he could help her. However, she wasn't sure how long that would take.
After a bit of thinking, Dugu Yan decided to hold onto the divine soul ring for now. It felt wasteful to use it right away—perhaps she should save it for her seventh soul ring or, if nothing else, her ninth soul ring.
Besides, she already had a rough idea of what she wanted for her fourth soul skill. As Su Ming had mentioned, her martial soul's poison would only grow stronger over time. Why not choose a speed-boosting soul skill?
Her grandfather no longer had the ability to boost his speed, but she could still find a way through her soul skills.
At that moment, a message from the system appeared in everyone's diary.
[Ding! The host has been successfully mis—uh, I mean, reassured. Due to the current circumstances, every female lead has been rewarded with a new skill: 'Acting Mastery'!]
[I've handled things on my end. Don't let me down—don't give the host any reason to suspect anything! Keep up the act!]
Meanwhile, books about Yu Xiaogang's life and various speculations about his actions appeared before both Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong, along with an explanation from the system about its plan.
When Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong saw the small booklet in front of them, they were both a bit surprised. Not only did they gain an extra skill due to this situation, but they also received a booklet detailing Yu Xiaogang's life.
However, they both knew that the system essentially sold them out.
But neither of them cared too much about it. After all, Su Ming didn't know they had copies of his diary, so they could still continue receiving rewards. It was a win-win!
Liu Erlong, in particular, felt relieved. She thought that her impulsive personality really needed to be tempered.
One could only say: this system is truly crafty. Its ability to deceive is truly top-notch.
A few days later, Su Ming and Dugu Bo finally arrived at Holy Soul Village.
Su Ming didn't immediately go to see Grandpa Jack but first went to the back mountain to investigate something. As he thought, the location where the soul bone was stored had already been moved.
Seeing Su Ming's strange actions, Dugu Bo didn't ask any questions, trusting that Su Ming had his reasons for doing things.
Afterward, the two of them entered the village, and it just so happened that Grandpa Jack was at home.
Su Ming cheerfully called out, "Grandpa Jack, I'm back! Did you miss me?"
Hearing this voice, Grandpa Jack immediately recognized who it was. Turning around, he saw Su Ming, and noticing how much Su Ming had grown, a broad smile spread across his face.
"It's Su Ming! You've come back. The year's not over yet—did your academy give you an early break?"
Su Ming hadn't seen Grandpa Jack in a while, so he ran up to him for a hug, and they caught up, talking about what had happened over the past few months.
Of course, Su Ming knew which details he should share and which ones he shouldn't.
Dugu Bo, meanwhile, stood outside. Since Su Ming was chatting with family, he didn't want to intrude. Instead, he quietly sensed the village's dynamics, trying to figure out how many people lived there.
As Su Ming talked about his experiences, Grandpa Jack played the role of a good listener. He smiled when Su Ming mentioned his progress in strength, but when Su Ming spoke of his conflicts with stronger opponents, Grandpa Jack frowned with concern.
When Su Ming felt the timing was right, he said, "Grandpa Jack, the reason I came back this time is to take you and the villagers away from here, to settle near Heaven Dou City."
After saying this, Su Ming waited for Grandpa Jack's response. He knew how much Holy Soul Village meant to Grandpa Jack, but for their safety, he had to convince him.
Grandpa Jack fell silent, clearly taken aback by Su Ming's proposal. He didn't immediately argue because he understood Su Ming's personality.
After a moment, Grandpa Jack finally spoke, "Su Ming, I know you wouldn't say something like this for no reason. Can you tell me why we have to leave the village?"
He didn't believe it was merely for the village's development. After all, each time Su Ming returned, he brought plenty of goods and gold soul coins that had significantly improved the villagers' quality of life.
Su Ming then explained, "Grandpa Jack, I mentioned earlier that I've had a falling out with Tang San."
Grandpa Jack nodded, signaling for Su Ming to continue.
"And I've learned that Tang San's father, Tang Hao, is no ordinary man. He's a powerful Titled Douluo. I'm worried that you might be in danger."
Grandpa Jack was stunned. "What? You're saying Tang San's father, Tang Hao—the scruffy man—is a Titled Douluo? But just because you've had a falling out with Tang San, does that mean he'll come after us simple villagers? I've scolded him plenty before, and he never bothered with me."
Su Ming shook his head. "Grandpa, you're overestimating him. Back then, he was just pretending or didn't care to argue with you. At that time, Tang San hadn't even awakened his martial soul yet. Now, Tang San is one of the rare dual martial soul possessors on the continent. There's no telling what Tang Hao might do for his son."
"Every time Tang San sought me out, I defeated him. Now that we've completely fallen out, who knows what Tang Hao will do? Oh, and by the way, Tang Hao is from one of the three great sects, the Clear Sky Sect. He's basically nobility, and we're just common folk."
"You know how most nobles are, don't you, Grandpa?"
"And there's something else, even more important."
Grandpa Jack asked, "What is it?"
Su Ming took a deep breath and said, "Tang San also has feelings for Xiao Wu, but now Xiao Wu is my girlfriend. You remember her, right? The little girl I bring to visit you every year?"
Grandpa Jack smiled. "Of course, I remember her! I was wondering why you didn't bring her this time. I knew you two would end up together. Grandpa's intuition was spot on!"
"Now, what do we do? Tang San couldn't win her over, and his father is a Titled Douluo. Won't that put you in danger?"
Su Ming laughed, "Don't worry about me, Grandpa. I've been fortunate enough to befriend a powerful Titled Douluo during my travels. Even if he can't defeat Tang Hao, he'll have no problem getting me to safety."
"My only concern is your safety and the villagers'. That's why I've come back to take you all away."
Grandpa Jack was astonished to hear that the person outside was a Titled Douluo. How could he possibly let someone like that wait outside? After all, Su Ming had come to ask for his help!
Without saying a word to Su Ming, Grandpa Jack hurried outside and respectfully said, "Dear Titled Douluo, please, come inside. I can't believe Su Ming left you out here—please don't be offended."
Dugu Bo, seeing Grandpa Jack being so respectful, glanced inside at Su Ming and tried to appear kind. "You don't need to be so formal, old man. Su Ming and I have a relationship that's more like mentor and friend. Treat me as you would anyone else. I chose to wait outside on my own."
"Su Ming already told me the reason for our visit. Have you had a chance to discuss it? I hope you don't dismiss his words as trivial matters. We're doing this to be cautious."
"Su Ming can't always be close by, and if something were to happen to you because of him, he'd feel terrible. After all, you're his only family. By moving you closer to him, it would ease his mind."
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