Chapter 38: The Parasitic Black Serpent, Soul Master

Night had fallen, covering the land in darkness.

Having finished dinner and washed up, Ye Qiu spread out his old, sun-dried bedding on the wooden bed.

Standing beside him, Xiao Wu watched with a slight blush on her face.

It had been a long time since she had slept next to Ye Qiu. Moreover, this was the bedding he had used since childhood, much smaller than the one he had at Nuoding Academy. If the two of them were to move even slightly apart, they would end up outside the covers.

As soon as Ye Qiu finished setting up the bed, he climbed under the blanket without hesitation. Xiao Wu hesitated, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and asked in confusion,

"Ye Qiu, do you not have any extra bedding at home?"

"Do you think there's any place in my house where I could hide another one?"

Ye Qiu's lazy voice drifted over as he opened his eyes again to glance at Xiao Wu. He reminded her, "If you're not sleepy, you can sit on the bed and cultivate, but don't disturb me. We walked so far today—I'm exhausted."

With that, Ye Qiu shut his eyes again, shifting onto his side, leaving Xiao Wu with a reasonable amount of space.

"Hmph! It's not like I was worried about you taking advantage of me or anything!"

Xiao Wu pouted, shaking her little fists at him. Seeing that he was no longer paying attention to her, she touched her still slightly damp hair and had no choice but to sit cross-legged on the bed to cultivate in silence.

About half an hour later, Xiao Wu opened her eyes again.

Ye Qiu's breathing had already steadied. Looking at his peaceful, fair-skinned face, she pursed her lips and leaned forward slightly, unable to resist the urge to reach out and touch his cheek.

But just as her fingertips were about to make contact, Ye Qiu's warning from earlier echoed in her ears.

Reluctantly, Xiao Wu retracted her mischievous hand, then blushed as she carefully slipped under the blanket.

Maybe it was because the bedding had been sun-dried, but despite its old and worn-out appearance, it was surprisingly warm.

With Ye Qiu less than ten centimeters away from her, Xiao Wu slowly inched closer. She only stopped when she could feel his breath on her face, inhaling his scent as an odd impulse arose within her—to curl up in his embrace.

—

The Next Morning

Purple light stretched across the eastern sky as dawn broke.

While Tang San was practicing his Purple Demon Eyes, Ye Qiu was still wrapped in warmth.

His breathing was a little restricted, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he found Xiao Wu sprawled on top of him. His eye twitched.

This rabbit still couldn't sleep properly!

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her ears were flushed red, and her small hands were tightly clenched. Ye Qiu had initially planned to push her off forcefully, but instead, he chuckled softly and gently pulled her aside.

Creak—

As the door opened, Ye Qiu stepped out.

On the bed, Xiao Wu suddenly opened her eyes. Pressing her hands against her burning cheeks, she burrowed under the blanket like a squirming caterpillar.

—

Time passed quickly.

The holiday at Nuoding Academy soon came to an end.

Ye Qiu, Xiao Wu, and Tang San returned to their familiar dormitory, Seven House, and resumed their cultivation. Even though new students had joined, no one could shake their status.

Xiao Wu remained the big sister of the entire Nuoding Academy.

Outside the quiet dormitory—

A clear and excited voice rang out.

"Ye Qiu! Ye Qiu! I'm back!"

A pink figure dashed inside, locking onto Ye Qiu with a pair of bright, crimson eyes filled with longing.

"You're back. No need to yell so loud—do you want to disrupt everyone's cultivation?"

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Ye Qiu opened his eyes, his face darkening as he looked at the now more mature Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu pouted. "I wasn't that loud! Look, no one else even reacted."

She smugly ran over and flopped onto Ye Qiu's bed, grinning as she handed him a small cloth bag. "Look, Ye Qiu! I've successfully broken through to Soul Master! There are 100 gold soul coins inside!"

"Oh."

Ye Qiu had expected this and merely responded with a casual hum, his expression unchanged.

"You—! What kind of reaction is that?! I broke through faster than Tang San! Shouldn't you praise me? And now, I'm stronger than you, so you better be careful!"

Xiao Wu sat up and glared at Ye Qiu, waving her fists threateningly.

"Stronger than me?" Ye Qiu smirked, turning to her. He reached out and pinched her chin playfully. "I'm also a Soul Master now. Are you sure you can beat me?"

"Hmph! Well, I can teleport now with my third soul skill! You definitely won't catch me!"

Blushing, Xiao Wu slapped his arm away and flicked her long scorpion braid.

"But you seem to enjoy letting me catch you," Ye Qiu quipped, glancing at her before silently pushing her shoe-clad feet off his bed.

"Wha—?! That's not true!"

Her body trembled slightly when Ye Qiu grabbed her ankle. Her face turned bright red, her eyes filled with shyness.

"If you put your shoes on my bed again, I'll throw you out," Ye Qiu warned, rolling his eyes at the cheeky rabbit. She was getting way too comfortable.

"I—I didn't do it on purpose! I was just too excited to notice. Besides, even if I did dirty your bed, I'd clean it up for you!"

Xiao Wu lowered her head, pressing her lips together as she patted the spot where her shoe had left a faint mark. Her face was flushed, and she looked unusually obedient.

Ye Qiu chuckled at her behavior.

Not bad. She was coming along nicely—still a little rebellious, but that was part of who she was.

Ever since they entered their second year, Xiao Wu's attitude toward Ye Qiu had grown increasingly affectionate. She often handed over her stipend for him to manage and would even do his laundry when he was feeling lazy—though she always asked for something in return, usually making him accompany her on walks.

Nuoding Academy had six grade levels, and Ye Qiu, Xiao Wu, and Tang San were now in the fifth year. That meant Ye Qiu was already eleven years old.

By cultivating alongside Xiao Wu, Ye Qiu's strength had steadily increased, surpassing Tang San. He had even reached Soul Master before Xiao Wu.

This progress was largely thanks to his second soul skill—The Black Serpent Parasite.

It came from a seven-hundred-year-old thread leech, capable of parasitizing a target's body and hiding within their meridians. It absorbed the host's soul power as sustenance.

Naturally, Ye Qiu chose Tang San as its target.

A debt from the father should be repaid by the son. Consider it compensation.

In just a few days, Ye Qiu had gained access to Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Technique and Purple Demon Eyes through the Black Serpent Parasite. Over time, he continued sparring with Tang San, mastering his Mysterious Jade Hand, Ghost Shadow Steps, and other techniques.

Notably, Xiao Wu had no idea about any of this.

Ye Qiu had already learned how to manipulate his martial soul, obscuring fragments of his memories.

The only thing he willingly passed on to Xiao Wu was the Mysterious Heaven Technique.