Chapter 58: Does Tang Hao Have a Special Fetish?

Looking at Tang Hao, who remained silent and contemplative, Ye Qiu knew he must have seen the words written on the marriage contract and was now mostly convinced by what he'd said.

After chatting for so long, Ye Qiu was also sure that Tang Hao didn't harbor much hostility toward him at the moment. So, he decided to ask again—this time knowingly playing dumb.

"Uncle Hao, what's wrong? Don't tell me… you actually know Sister Yan Yan and Senior Dugu? Oh right, Senior Dugu is a Titled Douluo too. Maybe…"

"Hmph!"

Tang Hao snorted coldly, cutting Ye Qiu off.

"Who told you I was a Titled Douluo?"

He still had some disdain for Dugu Bo. In his eyes, Dugu Bo was just a bottom-feeder among Titled Douluos.

"I never said you were," Ye Qiu replied, pouting and blatantly lying with a straight face, then solemnly put the marriage contract away.

"Didn't expect you to be so lucky, brat… managing to win over a Titled Douluo's granddaughter," Tang Hao said, looking at Ye Qiu more and more like someone who could become a useful ally to his son—at least until that spirit beast problem was resolved.

"What can I say? I'm just that charming."

"Charming? More like shameless," Tang Hao said with a smirk. Squinting his eyes, he continued, "Already engaged to one girl, and now you're going after another. And you even gave her such a rare herb—so generous."

Ye Qiu cursed inwardly. Even after all this, Tang Hao was still trying to steer the conversation back to those immortal herbs.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Ye Qiu chuckled. "Well, you gotta risk something to get the prize, right?"

Tang Hao sneered in his heart.

Still just a kid. No matter how strong you are, this world still runs on survival of the fittest—something he knew all too well. Seeing Ye Qiu's slightly guilty expression, Tang Hao mocked:

"You sure make your womanizing sound noble. Not a word about helping that village kid, San."

"Haha, hey, everyone's got their own hobbies, right? Especially men," Ye Qiu said with a big laugh.

He didn't respond to the jab about supporting Tang San.

He really was a bit of a flirt—that wasn't something he was going to deny. In fact, he already had a list of girls in mind and was just waiting to graduate before making his move.

"Hmph."

Tang Hao snorted again but didn't say more.

Desire wasn't a bad thing. At least it meant Ye Qiu would be motivated when needed.

Seeing that Ye Qiu wasn't getting to the point, Tang Hao lost patience, took a swig of wine, and said seriously, "So… you really don't have any more of that herb? If you do, I'm willing to trade something for it."

Ye Qiu's smile instantly dropped.

With a helpless expression, he replied, "Uncle Hao, if I had any left, I would've already shoved it into San's mouth. But I used it to woo a girl. And don't talk about trading—I'm still waiting for you to pay me back."

When he mentioned girls, Ye Qiu looked a little shy. But when he brought up money, he seemed more bitter.

Still not giving up, Tang Hao ignored the debt comment and asked again, "Are you sure? I won't let you suffer a loss."

Ye Qiu's face turned serious. He turned out all his pockets and said solemnly, "Uncle Hao, look for yourself—I really don't have anything left. You can search me."

He even handed over his spirit tool, signaling Tang Hao to check it if he wanted.

"Get that away from me. If you don't have it, then fine," Tang Hao said, waving dismissively after staring at Ye Qiu for a moment. As the mighty Clear Sky Douluo, he wasn't going to stoop so low as to rummage through a junior's belongings.

And since Ye Qiu was so eager to let him check, it probably meant there really was nothing left.

Just as Ye Qiu was putting away his spirit tool and sighing in relief, Tang Hao spoke up again.

"Oh, right—after all that talk about San, I forgot to ask you something interesting."

Ye Qiu's heart skipped a beat. Seriously? He's still not done?!

But he kept his smile.

"Go ahead, Uncle Hao. If it's something I know, I'll definitely tell you."

Tang Hao stroked his chin, eyeing Ye Qiu curiously. "I saw you training with that girl these past few days. I'm curious—what's so special about your martial soul?"

"Huh?" Ye Qiu blinked, surprised that Tang Hao was only now asking about this. Not that it was a big secret, so he smiled and answered, "Uncle Hao, now that's a good question…"

"… Oh? Your martial soul actually boosts cultivation speed?" Tang Hao feigned surprise, even though he already knew this from Yu Xiaogang.

Ye Qiu understood perfectly. If Tang Hao knew about the immortal herbs, then he definitely went to Yu Xiaogang first, meaning he also learned about Ye Qiu's martial soul.

"Then why don't you train with San?" Tang Hao frowned. Forget the herbs—but not even sharing this benefit with Tang San?

"How could I?" Ye Qiu said with an aggrieved look. "I tried once! But, haha, you know… two guys pressed together, kind of awkward. Wouldn't that just be weird?"

Just imagining it gave Ye Qiu the creeps. Especially with Tang Hao, this smelly old man, nearby—the stench alone was enough to kill.

"You asked San already?" Tang Hao was briefly surprised, but didn't dwell on it. Whether it was true or not, he could just ask Yu Xiaogang to verify. He then casually added, though with a glint of anticipation in his cloudy eyes, "Do you think your martial soul works on spirit beasts too?"

"Spirit beasts?"

Ye Qiu paused for a moment.

Oh, you sneaky old hammer… What are you planning? Are you trying to see if I can… with a spirit beast?

Wait… does this guy have a fetish or something?

Ye Qiu suddenly had a disturbing thought—what if Tang Hao had seen through A-Yin's identity from the beginning, and because of his special tastes, decided to pursue her?

…A-Yin!?

Thinking of her, Ye Qiu froze and blinked. Then he looked at Tang Hao with a strange expression.

Could it be… he's asking this for A-Yin's sake?!

The thought made his heart race a little.

"What's with that look, kid?" Tang Hao frowned, sensing that Ye Qiu was clearly imagining something ridiculous. "Answer me already!"

"Ahem…"

Ye Qiu coughed and scratched his head awkwardly. He shrugged and said, "Uncle Hao, I really can't answer that. I've never, uh, done anything like that with a spirit beast…"

Seeing Ye Qiu's mix of disgust, awkwardness, and fear, Tang Hao immediately understood why the boy had looked at him like that.

If Ye Qiu was unwilling to even be pressed up against San, there's no way he'd want to get close to some giant, vicious spirit beast.