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"Damn it!"
Gu Yuena's eyes were filled with fury as she panted heavily and gave Xiao Wu the middle finger:
凸(艹皿艹)!
This rabbit has really grown bold, daring to mock the Soul Beast Sovereign like this!
"Not being very nice, Nana." Xiao Wu, however, gleefully waved her index finger, seeming to want to continue "teaching a lesson," but was stopped by Tang San, who said, "Alright, let's go have dinner. The others should be coming back soon."
Gu Yuena wasn't truly angry yet, but if things got too extreme later, it would be troublesome; she would have to use a hundred candied haws to appease him.
At the dining table, Guang Ling, Ning Rongrong, and Huo Wu were delighted to see Zhu Zhuqing, asking about her well-being and showing concern. Zhu Zhuqing also talked more than usual, but a question lingered in her mind: Is the five-year appointment still considered a kind of agreement?
Members of the Tiandou Royal Team, aside from Yu Feng and Bai Chenxiang, who went to travel and explore the continent, and the Shi mo brothers, who went to coastal cities to develop new industries, were either in the Soul Master City's Soul Martial Manor or staying with Tang San. Even Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan had come to Soul Master City and visited often during their free time...
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt an impulse to stay behind but ultimately decided to return to the Star Luo Empire. The women who stayed by Tang San's side had achieved something in areas other than cultivation: Xiao Wu was skilled in medicine; Guang Ling specialized in soul guide devices; Huo Wu excelled in forging; and Ning Rongrong was adept in commerce and possessed exceptional talent in treasure appraisal, besides being a master in fashion design.
They were not just Tang San's subordinates; their status was on par with him, and besides cultivation, they each had their own careers of interest and dedication.
Lan Yinzi and Gu Yuena were not Tang San's women but had their own side pursuits:
One was researching formations based on soul power and soul guide patterns;
The other, only nine years old, was exceptionally talented in cultivation and nearly proficient in everything. Although not surpassing Tang San and others, she was still impressive compared to others.
Compared to them, what did she have besides cultivation?
Playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting?
These were elegant but could only be considered hobbies, enriching the spirit but nothing more... To truly stand by Tang San's side, she needed a career beyond cultivation.
What should she do?
Apart from being a soul master, her greatest skill was combat, but isn't that one of a soul master's primary duties?
Zhu Zhuqing became anxious and even considered abandoning everything, waiting until she was stronger, then taking the Star Luo throne by force and waging war on the Spirit Hall to demand a marriage alliance with Tang San...
"Zhuqing, how has life been in the Star Luo Empire?" Huo Wu interrupted Zhu Zhuqing's daydreaming, asking about her life in the Star Luo Empire.
"Just cultivating, teaching the younger generation of the Zhu family, refining my skills, and occasionally checking with the local Spirit Hall for tasks like eliminating fallen souls or capturing dangerous soul masters." Zhu Zhuqing briefly described her life, noting that, in terms of practical experience, she was far superior to everyone present, including Tang San.
However, in a real fight, she couldn't compete with anyone present because they far exceeded her in physical fitness, soul power quality, and mental strength, relying solely on their innate talent.
It was a case of dimensionality reduction.
Moreover, Tang San believed that as the coverage of the Blue Silver Network expanded, it could record soul masters' information, simulate various combat scenarios for training. As long as the real effect reached over ninety percent, it wouldn't be much different from actual battlefield combat.
Hmm—
It might be a hindrance for those with abilities like the God of Slaughter field that absorbs killing intent and blood energy to advance.
"Your life seems quite fulfilling," Huo Wu said with a smile. "It's similar to ours; every day is packed. Only Gu Yuena has a more leisurely pace."
Gu Yuena, munching on a Blue Feather Chicken drumstick, complained when she heard Huo Wu's comment: "I'm only nine; I don't need to work, and I'm the one who washes all the dishes at home."
Sometimes, Gu Yuena even wondered if she had become the designated dishwasher for the entire family... Her role as the Silver Dragon King seemed quite demeaning.
Well, who told her she owed Tang San money?
Tang San chuckled and said, "Alright, the meal is over. Time to do the dishes."
"You really know how to delegate," Gu Yuena rolled her eyes but obediently cleaned up the dishes and cutlery, joining Blue Silver to clean up and head to the kitchen with the waiting servants.
The servants at the Soul Martial Manor had once been aristocratic children or low-level soul masters. They weren't at fault themselves but were caught up in their previous family's misfortune, losing their freedom.
Unlike the Silver Blue Manor, these servants had not been granted freedom by Tang San. Besides their original status differing from actual slaves, Tang San also needed to consider the environment of the Spirit Hall's inner city. If he, the Holy Son, acted like this, would other families follow suit?
While innovations and popularization of living soul guide devices could be quickly accepted, changing deep-seated views required time. Eradicating such "slavery" concepts might require replacing everyone in the Spirit Hall, so efforts must focus on training the new generation to gradually dissolve the "slave" mindset.
As for the Tiandou City...
Although Tang San was the Count of Blue Silver, as a count, he only held a formal noble title within the Tiandou Empire. How to treat his own servants didn't require him to consider others' feelings, as he wasn't involved in Tiandou Empire's political affairs.
The Spirit Hall, as a force predominantly composed of soul masters, was different. Even though discerning individuals could see that, as Saint Son, he would likely not become the Spirit Hall's Pope, both from a leadership perspective and personal intent.
Yet, as the Holy Son, his status was second only to one in the Spirit Hall, with numerous admirers. No soul master would ignore his every move.
Therefore, things couldn't be as casual as at the Silver Blue Manor.
However, when Tang San and Xiao Wu had meals together, they weren't used to having someone watching them, so they made sure to stay outside.
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Bai," Gu Yuena addressed the two maids dressed in green and white, respectively. "Help me with the dishes."
"Certainly, Miss Na'er." Xiao Bai took the dish tray, and Xiao Qing gathered the cutlery. They followed Gu Yuena and Blue Silver to the kitchen. Gu Yuena was going to wash the dishes, while Blue Silver, as the Soul Martial Manor's steward, needed to arrange for tomorrow's meals. Although Tang San could now go without food, he still joined the women for breakfast and dinner. Xiao Wu and the others hadn't reached the level where they could survive on ambient energy alone.
Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai were the highest-ranked servants in the Soul Martial Manor, both Great Soul Masters, and had been taken on as Gu Yuena's personal attendants.
After finishing the dishwashing, Blue Silver left after arranging the ingredients needed for the next day.
Xiao Qing said, "Miss Na'er, are you still upset? Did the Holy Son do something to make you unhappy?"
"Why would he make me happy?" Gu Yuena opened a nearby soul guide refrigeration cabinet and took out a glass of chilled juice, drinking it with gusto. "Besides, he's a womanizer and has taken on another partner."
Xiao Bai chuckled awkwardly, "Partners are not like animals, Miss Na'er. Aren't you being a bit too mature for your age?"
"Mature? I've seen villagers getting married and having children by twelve when I wasn't with Tang San," Gu Yuena said indifferently, "By the way, don't you nobles get involved with these matters earlier?"
Xiao Qing responded, "I'm different from my sister; our family faced a crisis when I was six..."
"Oh." Gu Yuena showed no sympathy, merely nodding slightly. She suddenly asked, "By the way, do you two also have feelings for Tang San? I've seen you trying to take advantage of him while serving him tea and water... Admiring strong people is understandable; all the women in the Soul Martial Manor are like that. But you two seem a bit bold. Even if Tang San is easygoing, others avoid getting too close due to their status."
According to Tang San, his cautious nature was influenced by his past experiences.
If you had become a servant at six, you should be even more cautious.
But the reality was different."
This was another reason Gu Yuena had chosen these two as her attendants—to observe and make sure.
Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing shivered, looking at each other with disbelief. They hadn't expected that a nine-year-old girl could have such sharp insight. If they couldn't find a suitable explanation, wouldn't she harm them?
They had watched plenty of palace dramas in their previous lives.
Not to mention that this world had extraordinary powers; the nine-year-old girl in front of them was a soul master genius who could kill them with a flick of her finger.
In this world, slaves were considered less than human.
They had only begun to live as real people after being assigned to the Soul Martial Manor. The Holy Son treated all the slaves in the manor like employees, showing them respect.
But their ambitions had resurfaced. They wanted to rise through the ranks and get close to the Holy Son, especially since he shared a room with those four beautiful partners every day... In their past lives, they would have never accepted this, but growing up, they realized that they couldn't apply their past life's values here, or they would become outcasts.
Soul masters, nobles...
In this world, everyone is born unequal.
In their previous lives, there was also inequality, but at least their ID cards labeled them as "citizens." In this world, if there were IDs, there would likely be distinctions like "noble," "commoner," and "dusty commoner."
Thus, they wanted to completely escape their servant status, seeing the Saint Son as their stepping stone. They even thought that if they could catch his eye, they might use their experience from watching palace dramas to oust the four "main consorts."
They believed they only needed one opportunity!
However, the Holy Son was not as lecherous as they imagined. He always kept his distance from them. When they got close, they felt ashamed, realizing their dark thoughts in the face of his starry, profound eyes.
"So, who do you belong to?"
Gu Yuena finished her juice, tossed the cup casually into the trash bin, and scanned the two with a cold look. "Don't say you're spies for the Spirit Hall; I won't believe it."
Even the Pope of the Spirit Hall had been with Tang San, and with such strong spiritual power, why would they need spies?
As for the devout follower of the Angel God... even less likely. The soul power he exuded was clearly from someone extremely proud, completely disdainful of interacting with anyone below level ninety-five.
In reality, Gu Yueba didn't care which faction these two were from. If she could notice something amiss, Tang San would certainly notice it too.
However, she wouldn't tolerate them taking advantage of Tang San's easygoing nature. They needed to be taught a lesson to understand their place and avoid harboring inappropriate thoughts.
"Miss Na'er, you misunderstand. We only have feelings for the Holy Son. We don't belong to any faction. Our records are in the Spirit Hall; they're accurate," Xiao Bai said nervously, her voice trembling slightly as Gu Yuena's oppressive aura grew stronger, inducing fear.
"Is that so?"
As the invisible pressure lifted, Gu Yuena laughed heartily and then grinned. "Well then, tell me who you really are. I noticed from the start that your spiritual power is stronger than that of typical Great Soul Masters, even though you don't have a mental-type martial soul and your physical quality is worse than that of support-type soul masters."
Xiao Qing's eyes darted around. "Miss Na'er, we can't really perceive spiritual power..."
Smack!
Before she could finish, Xiao Qing was thrown backward, crashing into the kitchen's beam. A red mark appeared on her face, blood oozed from her mouth, her back ached, and her internal organs felt painful.
"Third time's the charm. This is your first warning." Gu Yuena's purple eyes revealed a hint of coldness as she withdrew her Silver Dragon tail from where it had struck Xiao Qing, then turned to Xiao Bai with a smile. "Indeed, you might not be able to apply spiritual power, but ordinary soul masters only perceive it at the Soul Douluo level. Yet I'm sure you know, so if there's any more deception, don't blame me for getting rough."
Gu Yuena's smile was charming, but to Xiao Bai, the nine-year-old girl seemed possessed by a demon. Her purple eyes seemed to see through the depths of their hearts.
At least, lying wouldn't work against her.
When people lie, they show clear emotional fluctuations. Gu Yuena could sense human emotional changes, but couldn't always tell if the words were true or false. However, after frequently being around Tang San and picking up some skills, she could use these to judge if someone was lying.
And in front of a soul master, it was even more evident.
After all, emotional fluctuations affect soul power, making it easier for Gu Yuena to detect lies from such individuals.
Of course, if someone had received rigorous training and could control their emotions well, it might not be accurate.
But these two were definitely not the "elite operatives" Tang San referred to.
"Tell me. You might think it sounds like a fairy tale, but my sister and I are not from this world. We are travelers..." Xiao Bai took a deep breath and prepared to reveal the truth to Gu Yuena...
(End of Chapter)