Chapter 7: Soul-Sealing Seal
For two whole days, Zhao Ling had failed to approach Ah Yin's residence even once. His frustration grew, especially because of the persistent interference of the old woman named Shen, who thwarted his plans time and again.
Finally, he found an opportunity to vent his anger. After knocking out Aunt Shen's son, Zhao Ling blindfolded him, tied him to a tree, and gave him a thorough beating with a cane. Then, he left him there to bake in the sun for hours.
As if that wasn't enough, Zhao Ling unleashed a wild boar into Aunt Shen's chicken coop one night. Chaos ensued as the boar rampaged through the coop, leaving most of her chickens and ducks dead. The old woman's household was thrown into disarray, and she trembled with grief over the loss.
Although these were relatively minor punishments, Zhao Ling felt they were enough to teach Aunt Shen a lesson.
With his schedule otherwise empty, Zhao Ling calculated that in about five days, Bibi Dong would meet Yu Xiaogang. Based on the original work, the distance from the Star Dou Forest to Soto City was roughly 500 kilometers—a long journey for ordinary people or low-level soul masters without transportation. But for a Level 92 Titled Douluo like Zhao Ling, such distances were trivial.
He decided to stay in the village for two more days, hoping for a chance to approach Ah Yin. If fate didn't allow him to connect with her by then, Zhao Ling resolved to leave and focus on the more pressing matter of Bibi Dong's impending tragedy.
With that plan in mind, Zhao Ling updated his diary panel with a brief complaint:
[Two more days. I'll stay at most two more days. If I still can't get to know Ah Yin, then there's nothing I can do.]
[After all, Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang are about to meet in Soto City. If I don't act fast, I'm afraid they'll grow closer, fall in love, and ultimately descend into the endless abyss, just like in the original story.]
[No, I can't let that happen. I refuse to stand by while Bibi Dong—still so pure and innocent—makes the same devastating mistake. If I knew what awaited her and did nothing, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Watching her descend into darkness would be unbearable.]
[As for Ah Yin, I'll come back for her once Bibi Dong's issue is resolved. I just hope she'll still be in this small village by then, eh...]
After the upload, the system notified him:
[Diary uploaded successfully. Rating: B. Reward: Secret Soul-Sealing Seal. Host, please keep up the good work.]
Zhao Ling raised an eyebrow. 'The Soul-Sealing Seal' Could this be a technique specifically designed to target souls? If so, it might turn out to be a valuable trump card. Intrigued, he opened the explanation panel for the new ability:
[Soul-Sealing Seal: The user can cast this seal on anyone with a lower soul power level. The target will temporarily lose their soul power, effectively becoming an ordinary person. This state is irreversible without the user's intervention, and others cannot detect the target's sealed soul power.]
Disappointment flickered across Zhao Ling's face. He had hoped for a groundbreaking technique aimed at the soul, only to receive something that seemed situational at best. Why bother sealing the soul power of weaker enemies when he could simply kill or incapacitate them outright?
However, upon further reflection, Zhao Ling realized the potential utility of the Soul-Sealing Seal. 'Could it work on someone like Ah Yin or Xiao Wu?' If their soul power were sealed, would it prevent others from recognizing them as soul beasts?
His eyes lit up. If that were true, this technique could indeed have miraculous applications in the future.
---
Meanwhile, Ah Yin, who had been lost in thought in her room, noticed Zhao Ling's diary update. Excited, she quickly accessed the "Copy of Zhao Ling's Diary" with her consciousness.
However, as she read the new entries, her pink fists clenched in annoyance, and her cheeks puffed with indignation.
'So, he's already planning to leave in two days if nothing happens?' Ah Yin fumed. 'What's the big deal about this Bibi Dong woman? Is she really that much more attractive and important than me?'
Still, despite her frustration, Ah Yin couldn't help but feel sympathy for Bibi Dong. If what Zhao Ling wrote was true, Bibi Dong would face betrayal, heartbreak, and ultimately fall into darkness because of Yu Xiaogang.
Although her feelings were mixed, Ah Yin acknowledged that Bibi Dong's situation was more urgent. If Zhao Ling left to intervene, she could understand his decision. Perhaps, she thought, it was time to take the initiative and get to know him herself.
---
On the other side, in the carriage bound for Soto City, Bibi Dong noticed the illusory diary's golden exclamation mark flashing incessantly.
'He's updated the diary again,' she thought. With nothing else to occupy her, she opened the copy and scanned through its contents.
Her expression soured at the brevity of the update. "This Zhao Ling is so lazy! Just a few hundred words? Is he even trying? If I don't see thousands of words next time, I'll make him regret it."
She snorted. "When I surpass him in strength, I'll lock him in a room and make him write ten thousand words a day for me."
Still, as she read on, her brow furrowed.
"It seems this Yu Xiaogang will have an unusually large influence on me," Bibi Dong muttered. "To think that I'll fall into darkness because of him…"
Her gaze hardened. 'No matter what, I will stay vigilant. Whether I meet Yu Xiaogang or not, I'll never allow him to sway me.'
Bibi Dong's thoughts grew darker. She didn't just want to avoid Yu Xiaogang's influence—she wanted revenge. Killing him would be too easy. No, she wanted to see him fall in love with her, to crawl at her feet like a dog, only to deny him the love he craved.
The corners of her lips curled into a cruel smile as her narrowed eyes gleamed with icy resolve.
---
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(End of Chapter)
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