On the other side, after witnessing the entire pursuit of Tang Hao and his son by the Spirit Hall, Lin Yu was left feeling a bit frustrated. The Hall had come so close to succeeding, only for it to be thwarted by that useless Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, using his soul skill—an ability akin to emitting noxious gas.
It was hard to bear, but Lin Yu had to admit, that foul-smelling attack was something few could withstand. It was a biological weapon! While disappointed, he had to accept the situation and withdrew his Shangqing clone.
Despite the failure to capture or kill Tang Hao and his son, Lin Yu thought it would be a waste to return empty-handed. He figured he might as well test his luck and head to Holy Soul Village to search for any clues left behind.
Unfortunately, nothing came of that either. Although Tang Hao was unlikely to return, Lin Yu left the village feeling dissatisfied, certain that he had missed some opportunity.
Meanwhile, at Nuoding Academy, Lin Yu realized that although neither the Spirit Hall nor Tang Hao had come out on top, he might still gain something from all this.
Tang Hao and A'Yin had certainly gone their separate ways by now, but what if A'Yin was still in the Holy Soul Village?
Lin Yu hadn't initially thought much about it, figuring that even if A'Yin had broken with Tang Hao, convincing her to leave with him would be impossible. However, after mistakenly being identified as a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast by Xiao Wu, Lin Yu decided a trip to the Holy Soul Village was worth the effort.
With his newly acquired fake identity as a soul beast in human form, there was a chance he could coax A'Yin into leaving with him if she was still there.
Lin Yu couldn't help but fantasize about a future scenario: the next time he faced Tang Hao and his son, he would be seated on a throne with A'Yin on his left and Xiao Wu on his right. He'd flash them a smile, saying, "Your wives are quite sweet, aren't they?"
Just the thought of it filled Lin Yu with excitement.
It wasn't difficult to find the time. One afternoon, he cloaked himself in the misty aura from his Mirage Dragon Pearl (an attached soul bone), turned invisible, and then spread his Wind and Thunder Wings, flying straight for Holy Soul Village.
The wings carried him swiftly through the air, and alternating between the soul bone's flight ability and his "Water Without a Trace" movement technique, Lin Yu reached the village in less than an hour.
Upon arriving, he kept his invisibility active, cautiously exploring the village. After confirming that the Spirit Hall wasn't present, he ventured into the nearby mountains. According to the original story, Tang Hao had planted A'Yin in the waterfall forest behind the village, hidden atop a mountain peak.
Tang Hao had certainly been searching for A'Yin, but after being driven away by the Spirit Hall, there was little chance he'd return. Lin Yu figured A'Yin might have returned to the waterfall.
Navigating the dense forest, he found the mountain with the waterfall and landed. Disabling his invisibility, he called out, "Miss A'Yin, are you here? If so, please come out. You should be able to sense who I am."
He stood on the grassy field, waiting, eyes scanning the surroundings.
Soon, from the earth beneath him, a slender blue-gold vine began to rise. The grass twirled and twisted in the air, forming a string of words: Who are you? How do you know I'm here?
Lin Yu chuckled at the response and casually answered, "You wouldn't know me even if I told you. As for how I knew you were here, that's simple—I found out through the Spirit Hall. They've been keeping an eye on Holy Soul Village, and I sensed your presence here."
"I mean you no harm," he continued, his tone sincere. "Isn't it lonely being here all by yourself? Why not come with me? I promise you'll be safe. And I'm not the only one—you'll find another hundred-thousand-year soul beast-turned-human with me, someone you may already know."
"I also know what happened to you," Lin Yu said earnestly. "I've come to help. Who knows? I might even help you fully recover one day."
The blue vine swayed in the air, as if in thought.
Indeed, it was hard for A'Yin to endure the solitude. After spending so much time among humans, their warmth and bustle, returning to the isolated life of a plant was unbearable. Once, Tang Hao had been with her, but now she was alone.
Maybe following this young man won't be so bad, she thought.
In the end, A'Yin made up her mind.
Just like Xiao Wu, A'Yin mistook Lin Yu for a fellow soul beast in human form. And since soul beasts tend to trust each other more than humans, she believed his intentions were good.
Besides, in her current state, there wasn't much anyone could take from her.
"Alright," she finally wrote, "take me with you."
Guided by A'Yin, Lin Yu carefully dug up her roots and surrounding soil, then carried her back to Nuoding City.
He planted A'Yin in the peaceful hills behind Nuoding Academy, beneath a tall tree on a scenic patch of land. Afterward, he brought Xiao Wu to meet her.
Though the original story never mentioned whether they knew each other, Lin Yu had reason to believe they did. After all, both had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for tens of thousands of years.
As expected, upon seeing each other, the two recognized one another. A'Yin was not only acquainted with Xiao Wu but had also been close friends with her mother. It turned out Xiao Wu should be calling A'Yin "Auntie."
Over the next few days, Lin Yu entered a rigorous training regime. While his Shangqing clone handled his daily routine at the academy, Lin Yu focused on perfecting his martial techniques in the back mountains. Mornings were dedicated to mastering the Xuanwu Dragon Claw, Xuanwu Divine Palm, and Fiery Force Leg techniques, while afternoons were spent refining his spear techniques, specifically the World Destroyer.
In the evenings, he split his time between cultivating the Longevity Art and practicing the spear's accompanying energy cultivation technique, the Nirvana of Life and Death.
Before long, seven days had passed, and it was time for the ninth livestream to begin!