Bab 295: Crossroads (4)
It was clear to the group, both humans and bestial that interacting with one another, to a certain extent, revealed a few shortcomings amongst themselves. Of course, they could choose to ignore it like Ja Sun would and just spend his day doing something he likes, but they were different in many ways. A few days was all it needed to ascertain these changes.
First, Ja Yin... actually grew sincere when learning alongside Violet. It was a welcomed change indeed, especially when Ja Sun taught array. Due to the versatility in arrays, finally, Bibi Dong wanted to try and persuade him to teach this to others, herself, too. Yet, he won't be a master for free when it comes to others including Ah Yin and Bibi Dong... and the 'price' he wanted made their urge to learn receded at a breakneck pace. Again, it was no longer a material transaction... and this is why his price was so tricky to tackle.
On the other hand, Yuehua asked two individuals for constant sparring. She didn't have anything remotely expensive to trade for Ja Sun's techniques so she had to overcome her current dilemma with experience alone. Liu Erlong wasn't the surprising candidate but when Yuehua sought Zi Ji... things changed. Zi Ji was just like Erlong but on steroids. Of course, this wasn't the aptest analysis but... it is what it is.
While Erlong was close with Yuehua naturally over their constant cooperation where one acted as the brains and the other as the brawn, Zi Ji was a game-changer. She agreed, of course. She wouldn't have denied the request of her god's friends and it would help to interact with the humans to learn more about their god... just to understand him better. But again, Zi Ji was tough. And blunt.
"Is this how you will take care of a pack of beasts?" Zi Ji, in her human form, casually smacked the Clear Phoenix out of her way and released the full force of her killing intent that rammed into Yuehua alone. The spread of a golden circle— Yuehua's domain, couldn't even suppress Zi Ji's killing intent when its main purpose was to suppress any and every form of intent and spirit attack, making everything calm. The difference was just too much.
Erlong frowned from the side, gripping the hem of her black robes nervously. She wasn't worried about Yuehua getting physically injured but having her will broken. Zi Ji's words were geared just to do that and not out of malice... everything she said was what Zi Ji and Erlong herself believed in.
Groaning, Yuehua clutched her head as her domain disappeared. The only thing she heard before losing her consciousness was— "Killing intent can be as calm as a still lake... Don't you go on confusing your weakness with a semblance of peace and kindness... these are the emotions only reserved for the strong. What kindness of the weak cannot be snuffed out by the mighty?"
Erlong silently walked over to Yuehua and sat down beside her in the clearing. While Yuehua would only have one spar a day with Zi Ji, Erlong had a few more training sessions to go.
"Was I... too harsh?" Zi Ji inquired only after she was sure that Yuehua had passed out.
Liu Erlong's lips twitched. Why the heck are you acting shy now?!
"Yeah, and what about it? She should have expected nothing else," Erlong huffed while Zi Ji continued to gaze at her.
"What?"
"Your martial soul... the Infernal Dragon King has great potential. Similar to Di Tian... in a way. Only king-level dragons get to have ultimate attributes."
"And you're suddenly concerned about me?" Erlong scoffed. She'd had more than enough confrontations, verbally, to assess that the Abyss Demon Bitch in front of her was simply a pain in the ass.
"Concern?" As expected, Zi Ji sneered, "Oh, I am waiting for you to reach the rank of a Titled Douluo to break you into pieces and that's during while I am being suppressed by your martial soul... and then I will challenge Di Tian eventually, and then him!"
Erlong looked at Zi Ji for a moment... and wondered, did she herself look like that when claiming stupid claims like defeating Ja Sun?
She did... didn't she?
"Same time tomorrow," The lack of response was all that the dragon needed to turn on her heels and walk away.
These interactions and instances were slowly becoming common. Oh, the Spirit Beasts still didn't welcome humans, they simply stopped considering Ja Sun's team a human in the first place. Why would they?
The moment Bibi Dong poisoned the first of her victims and had him bowing before her, the perception of many beasts changed. This was only solidified when Bibi Dong's poison couldn't be healed by Bi Ji and needed Bibi Dong to retract it.
But not every interaction had to end in violence or conflict.
"Stop pouting, Petals... you've lived longer than both her and me combined," Ah Yin silently stroked the hair of the sleeping girl on her lap as she stared off into the Emerald Lake while a young girl with her hair divided in white and black wearing a white robe with black polka dots continued to keep her cheeks inflated in a terrible pout, "But this girl is opportunistic! She caught your lap the moment she found you alone!"
Petals, Ah Yin's million-year-old spirit soul pointed at Xiao Wu snoring softly. There was little to nothing to do in the wilds after some period and while people like Bibi Dong, Erlong, and even Yuehua were having a time of their life accomplishing their goals, Ah Yin felt bored. She gazed at Ja Sun teaching Ja Yin and Violet before commenting, "Everyone should be opportunistic. Or they would end up like you, whining like little wimps."
The damage was enough as Petals dramatically clutched her chest and sunk to the ground as Ah Yin smirked at the display.
"But to think she would say my lap is the best... feels weird," Ah Yin entirely avoided Xiao Bei's glare as she continued to huff and puff and cook lunch, something made of carrots, Ah Yin had an educated guess.
"It's already been a week since we arrived here, Little Yin! I'm bored, give me some love~" A seductive figure was quick to take the chance and try and hug Ah Yin from behind only for a vine to tear out of the ground and jab at the figure.
"Then go bother someone else," Ah Yin scoffed as Hu Lana didn't mind the jab and soon snuck beside Ah Yin and let out a charming green figure with rose petals covering half its face— Charm Queen, and smiled, "Hey, Petals. Bored? Why don't you play with Charm Queen?"
Ah Yin and Hu Lana were already aware of each other's spirit souls and Petals nodded instantly with a grin.
As they left, Hu Lana groaned once again, "I'm super bored! Come on, Sister Dong and others are busy... we're the only ones who have nothing to do..."
Ah Yin could understand why she didn't have anything to do. After all, she had reached the level of the Titled Douluo, again, without a title to her name as of yet since she hadn't been 'coronated' publicly. Any further improvement came with untold time and determination. Even Ja Sun, after his initial burst of spirit energy, had fallen into a similar stagnation. But he had revealed that his evolved martial soul— the Three-eyed Silver Sage raises the speed of cultivation of all spirit beasts and humans by a 50℅ and raises the comprehension of those within this passive influence by 20℅. This was a major reason why Xie Xan and others had begun another bout of intense training and cultivation.
Not only that, even if Ja Yin didn't have the same passive influence when it came to comprehension, she did increase the cultivation of those around her by another 50℅. They were breaking records here!
So... again, improvement was still hard to come for Ah Yin but Hu Lana was just lazy.
"Oh... I miss my Yue'er~!" She mewled, acting like a coddled baby while moaning and hawing about her son as her hands gently brushed through Xiao Wu's hair. Hu Lana had to admit... of all the beasts and beast humans around him, Xiao Wu presented a certain innocent charm and if Ja Sun was anything like herself then corrupting such innocence is of the highest order of pleasure!
"Tch, you can be seriously annoying. Why don't you train... I mean, you can comprehend a skill on your own. Even my mind is working at an extra mile with how much his influence is affecting everyone," Ah Yin admitted. Even if improvement came hard, that didn't mean she had given up. If she gets remotely lazy... she knew there is a spider right behind her, waiting to assert her dominance, both, behind closed doors and in public.
And the truth of the matter was... Ja Sun and Bibi Dong had twin martial souls. Their improvement hadn't just come to a stop. Ja Sun hadn't started absorbing more spirit souls on his second martial soul for a reason but Bibi Dong wouldn't let go of this chance.
"All I've done is train!" Hu Lana stated somberly.
"Sure, if you call using the golden wardrobe ring to find more ways of dressing like a harlot..."
"It's called research! And I'll have you know that wardrobe is essential for my charm and Jun'er loves my designs!" Hu Lana scoffed, "And aren't I helping you and Sister Dong design a good wedding dress... and you know~... hehe, a little gratitude wouldn't be so bad!"
"Mh... what's a harlot?" Obviously, when beasts gain an overview of humanity, certain aspects of society are omitted and left for the beasts to learn on their own and like any curious kid, Xiao Wu decided to magically wake up the moment a critical term was uttered.
"It's a woman or a man in certain cases that enjoys mating with anyone for a cheap price." Ah Yin replied without batting an eyelid while Hu Lana gaped, "Are you out of your mind? Who tells that to a... wait, she's as old as you... damn, I still can't get used to the fact that Little Yin is a rotten hag..."
And then came a vine, dragging the apologizing Hu Lana away for a few whips on her butt for the transgression. Not that the guilty party minded THAT particularly.
"So... it's like those goblins but get paid?" Xiao Wu inquired while stretching her limbs with a groan while Ah Yin still reeled in her slight discomfort with how intimate Xiao Wu acted right off the bat... was she like this with everyone else? Then wouldn't the correct example of a harlot be Xiao Wu instead of Goblins who were just fucking crazy... or crazy at fucking?
"Well... you are a 100000-year-old beast, right? Why the heck are you acting like a spoiled child when you even accidentally grew older than necessary during your transformation?"
Ah Yin kept it concise now that she had time to ask about it. Heck, even Xiao Bei was normal compared to Xiao Wu.
"Eh..." Sticking her tongue out, she grinned, "I like sleeping on laps, and acting cutely gets me what I want. Didn't you say that being opportunistic is better~ anyway, I smell carrots~!"
And just like that, Xiao Wu hopped away and jumped into her mother's arms to be spoonfed and pampered even more, leaving Ah Yin dumbstruck.
Truly, Ah Yin was beginning to worry that maybe the two 'teams' of which her fiance was a part were about to be a bad impact on each other.
She looked toward Ja Sun who still taught something with an earnest expression while keeping a silent bubble around him. Whether he knew it or not, he enjoyed teaching the two beasts 'remotely' so... and Ah Yin found herself lacking to drain away his motivation just because she wanted some of his attention... maybe she could persuade him to use his clone to teach?
Indeed, a discussion may just be needed so that Ja Sun could attend to more of the responsibilities that he had gathered around him which could not be delegated without a thought.
***
Shoutout to Larry Alexender, Jjstone, Umbreon, Caleb Zimmerman, and Raju Logeshwar!!
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