Chapter 69: The Cautious Liu Erlong
Ye Wen frowned, his expression darkening it seemed Ah Yin had picked up a flair for dramatic persuasion.
He gave her a light swat. "I gave you those books to pass the time, not so you'd get into mischief!"
Ah Yin blushed, rubbing where she'd been smacked. "Alright, alright, but go on and help her, won't you, Brother? She's just a young girl out here by herself, trying to find a spirit ring. That's so sad! Besides, you always tell me it's wise to form good connections. With our strength, helping her is hardly any effort at all, and if it leads to her repaying the favor one day, then it's worth it. It'll only take a little of your time."
Ye Wen was silent for a moment. He had never thought of himself as a pure hearted altruist; his actions always had purpose.
"Kindness... how long has it been since that mattered to me?" he thought. "Perhaps that's why I felt compelled to protect Ah Yin the first time I saw her. She has something I lost a long time ago. She was once more like an ethereal forest sprite than a person, self contained and indifferent to everything else. And now she's here, asking me to help another person… maybe that's the true meaning of what it is for a soul beast to become human."
Ye Wen finally gave in. With a wave of his hand, he cast his fifth soul skill, Barrier of Space.
The woman, who had been locked in a perilous struggle with her opponent, suddenly found the beast before her faltering, its movements momentarily sluggish. Without hesitation, she unleashed her soul skill, striking down her opponent with a single, decisive blow.
Panting heavily, she stared in shock at the defeated soul beast. Just moments ago, she'd been on the brink of losing, yet somehow, victory had fallen into her lap.
"Rest and recover for a moment before absorbing the soul ring. We'll stand guard," a voice echoed from above.
Startled, she spun toward the source of the voice, catching sight of Ye Wen and Ah Yin as they descended gracefully to the forest floor.
With his scholarly appearance and dignified air, Ye Wen struck a striking figure next to Ah Yin, whose poise was both noble and kind. The two of them together were an image of serene beauty, and the woman found herself momentarily stunned before she cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
Her wariness was apparent. Ye Wen was somewhat annoyed. He had no desire to deal with random strangers who haphazardly appeared in his path. Yet he couldn't deny that she was striking, with fiery red hair and a graceful figure.
Stepping forward, Ah Yin spoke first, her voice warm. "Hello, I'm Ye Yin you can also call me Ah Yin. My husband and I saw you were in danger and came over to help. Don't be alarmed; we mean no harm."
Ah Yin's aura seemed naturally soothing, and the woman visibly relaxed. After a moment, she introduced herself. "Sister, my name is Liu Erlong. You can just call me Erlong."
Ye Wen was surprised to find that the stranger was a well known character from the original story. He held little sympathy for Liu Erlong, a woman whose loyalty to Yu Xiaogang had repeatedly led her to make misguided sacrifices. She was a prime example of the type who loved so deeply that it clouded her judgment, to her own detriment and that of others.
In the original story, Liu Erlong had even criticized Bibi Dong for refusing to reveal the secret of cultivating dual martial souls to Yu Xiaogang, despite it being a fundamental, carefully guarded knowledge of the Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong was already aware that Yu Xiaogang would take that knowledge directly to Tang San, Spirit Hall's sworn enemy, so it was absurd to expect her to betray her organization for his sake.
Ye Wen's thoughts wandered to the messiness of Yu Xiaogang's storyline, undoubtedly one of the least appealing aspects of the original tale, particularly the twist that Liu Erlong would eventually bear his child despite their family ties. The whole affair only added to the tangled web of obligations binding Tang San's circle and history to himself, casting a shadow of complexity that would ultimately serve him.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Ye Wen was reluctant to engage much further. He said curtly, "I'm Ye Wen. If you've read the recent martial soul publications that have been circulating across the continent, you may have heard of me. We're not interested in you or your affairs; we only stepped in because my wife insisted. We wish you no harm."
Liu Erlong remained cautious. "What proof do you have of that? A lot of frauds have been impersonating Master Ye Wen lately, especially to scam people out here in the wilderness."
Ye Wen raised an eyebrow, amused at the idea of scammers on the loose in Douluo. But it seemed Liu Erlong's skeptical outlook was rooted in experience. With her background her mother a courtesan, and her own life spent on the fringes before her innate soul power was discovered she was no stranger to Douluo's shadows.
To reassure her, Ye Wen displayed his soul ring configuration, showing the distinctive yellow purple purple purple arrangement that was uniquely his.
Liu Erlong's guard lowered, her eyes wide with recognition. The soul ring combination was irrefutable proof; no one else on the continent had such a configuration. Immediately, she lowered her head in apology.
Ye Wen merely waved it off, telling her to start the absorption of her soul ring. Grateful for his leniency, Liu Erlong composed herself and began absorbing the newly won ring.
With Ye Wen's guidance widely disseminated, the number of soul masters who perished from absorbing incompatible rings had significantly decreased. Moreover, he'd even proposed a preliminary framework for absorbing ten thousand year rings, suggesting that with a total of 8,000 years spread across the first four rings and a body strength of at least 10,000 jin, the mental impact of absorbing a ten thousand year ring would be manageable.
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