Chapter 17: Absorbing Xiao Wu into His Body

Just as Xiao Wu was about to explain something, Ye Qiu suddenly burst into laughter. He slowly walked up to her and ruffled her hair.

"I was just joking. Why did you take it so seriously?"

"You… you bad guy! Why do you always bully me?"

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, her lips pouting as her large red eyes blinked rapidly, on the verge of tears.

"But haven't you always wanted to beat me up?" Ye Qiu chuckled.

"But you were the one who kicked my butt first! And you always call me 'Rabbit'!"

Xiao Wu protested pitifully, her voice growing softer toward the end. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Ye Qiu rolled his eyes helplessly. Why had he kicked her in the first place?

Wasn't it because she provoked him first?

If she hadn't, would he have fought with her?

Still, he sighed and consoled her.

"Alright, alright. Don't cry. How about I give you a carrot-flavored one later?"

"No way!"

Xiao Wu shook her head and sniffled. Under Ye Qiu's surprised gaze, she held up two fingers.

"I want two!"

Right after making her demand, she suddenly froze. Then, as if realizing something, she pouted again and glared at Ye Qiu angrily.

"Wait… No! You tricked me! You said there weren't any carrot-flavored ones left!"

"Alright, alright. Two it is! As long as you cooperate with me."

Ye Qiu shrugged, showing no intention of bargaining. He reached out and held Xiao Wu's soft little hand in his palm.

"Then… then I want three!"

Xiao Wu swallowed nervously and tentatively raised the stakes.

"No way! You wish."

Ye Qiu firmly shook his head. Seeing that she was about to argue again, he smirked and threw out a choice.

"Do you want two carrot-flavored ones or three roasted meat-flavored ones?"

"R-Roasted meat-flavored?"

Xiao Wu stared at him blankly.

Ye Qiu nodded teasingly. "Yep, roasted rabbit flavor."

"You!"

Xiao Wu fumed, her small face turning bright red.

She raised her other hand, about to swat him, but when she saw the sly smirk on his face, she hesitated and put her hand down obediently.

With a defeated sigh, she muttered under her breath.

"Hmph! Fine, two it is."

"Since that's settled, let's begin!"

Ye Qiu glanced at the sky, not wanting to waste any more time.

"What do I have to do?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"You just need to hold my hand and don't resist me."

Ye Qiu lifted their interlocked fingers.

His expression remained normal, but Xiao Wu blushed slightly.

"Got it?" Ye Qiu asked again.

"Mm-hmm~"

Xiao Wu nodded lightly.

For the sake of the sweet reward, she took a few deep breaths and relaxed her body.

"Here we go."

Seeing that she was ready, Ye Qiu immediately activated his limited soul power.

He was curious—what kind of boost would he receive after enveloping Xiao Wu?

Before he could finish speaking—

Under Xiao Wu's curious gaze, Ye Qiu's body was once again covered in that black, sleek, living armor. His entire form began to ripple and twist like liquid.

Plop!

Something suddenly splashed onto Xiao Wu's face.

It was cold.

"Ah!"

She yelped.

Before she could react, Ye Qiu's liquid-like body surged forward, pulling her into his embrace.

"Ah! W-What are you doing?!"

Xiao Wu felt multiple hands groping and pulling at her, trying to merge her into something.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine!"

Ye Qiu's voice reassured her.

Slowly, she calmed down as her body gradually fused with his.

Their limbs and torsos overlapped completely, leaving only her face visible on the outside.

"This is amazing! I feel so powerful!" Xiao Wu gasped in excitement.

Then—

Two rows of sharp teeth closed in from above and below her head—

It looked just like Ye Qiu was swallowing her whole!

Ye Qiu had completely absorbed Xiao Wu into his body, wrapping around her like a second skin, perfectly fitting her petite frame.

Unlike when Ye Qiu wore the suit himself, Xiao Wu's muscles were more delicate, making the transformation appear less exaggerated.

As their soul power intertwined and fused, the white patterns on the living armor shifted—turning pink.

The white eye patches on the suit twitched slightly—

They seemed more expressive now.

Fusion with Xiao Wu complete!

Ye Qiu noticed that his vision was now synced with Xiao Wu's. He could also feel her temperature, her heartbeat, and even the faint, sweet scent of her presence.

And then—

In the blink of an eye, before Ye Qiu could react—

A sudden wave of unease crashed over him.

It felt like his consciousness was being extracted and merged with another, like being forcibly intertwined with someone else's mind.

His head buzzed blankly.

Strange, unfamiliar images flashed through his mind.

At the same time—

Xiao Wu, who was just feeling thrilled about her newfound power, suddenly trembled.

She was seeing his memories.

This is bad!

Ye Qiu immediately snapped back to his senses.

He tried to control his martial soul, attempting to stop his memories from leaking to Xiao Wu.

If that failed—

He would have to end the fusion immediately. His knowledge of the story's events was his greatest advantage!

But it was too late.

However—

Ye Qiu quickly realized something.

Although he couldn't halt the process, his martial soul seemed to default to only revealing memories starting from when he awakened his powers.

In other words, Xiao Wu was only seeing what had happened after he got his martial soul.

With that in mind, Ye Qiu relaxed a little.

Suddenly, memories of various soul beasts filled his vision.

The misty, shimmering Lake of Life.

A towering Titan Giant Ape, as large as a small mountain.

A Sky Azure Bull Python, several times thicker than a water tank, its massive bull head dominating its form!

If he could fully absorb these memories, Ye Qiu was confident—

Even the most knowledgeable Grandmaster of Spirit Beasts, Yu Xiaogang, wouldn't compare to him in expertise!

But he could only retain so much from a single glance.

And yet—

Before Ye Qiu could even finish skimming through Xiao Wu's memories, an overwhelming wave of fear surged into his heart.

Ye Qiu froze.

He quickly realized—

The emotion wasn't his.

It was Xiao Wu's.

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Per 100 stones= 5 Bonus chapter's