A head-sized spherical object was ejected and rolled to a stop at Zhuge Lan's feet.
Covered in yellow, red, and white unknown fluids, Zhuge Lan instinctively took a step back.
Xiao Wu, drenched in sweat, mustered the strength to lift her head and look at her "child."
ヾ
[Emotion Points +11111]
What was this?! How could a rabbit, a soul beast transformed into human form, give birth to an egg?
Impossible! There was no way it was her doing!
Then, it had to be Zhuge Lan's fault!
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Zhuge Lan summoning his sword and preparing to strike the egg.
[Emotion Points +11111]
▄█〓█(╯●Д●)シ! Xiao Wu leaped forward, catching the blade and shielding the egg beneath her. No matter what, this was still her "child!"
But the attack didn't land.
Zhuge Lan retracted his sword, looking thoughtful.
—The "bare-handed block" skill didn't activate, so this egg wasn't alive?
Too bad.
He'd wanted to see Tang San's reaction to becoming a "dad without any joy."
Suddenly, a crack resounded.
The egg shattered beneath Xiao Wu, revealing something inside: a golden sphere of light.
Wow! A golden legend!
[Emotion Points +19999]
Xiao Wu was dumbfounded.
What was this? Where was her child?
She instinctively reached for it, but her hand passed through the light.
—This was Zhuge Lan's soul bone skill, protected by a "property right."
Zhuge Lan beckoned, and the sphere flew into his hand, displaying a series of messages.
[Longevity Orb: Consuming it increases lifespan by 10,000 years!]
Huh?
'System, do soul beasts still have this much lifespan after transforming?'
[Any abilities the target had in life can be randomly extracted through the Embryo Stare technique!]
Cause and effect… very system-like.
Zhuge Lan opened his mouth… then closed it.
Though this orb had emerged from Xiao Wu, consuming it directly felt awkward.
Sensing his hesitation, his Eye of the Demon manifested, pulling in the golden sphere with a gravitational force and swallowing it whole.
[Lifespan +1,000 years!]
[Soul bone age +5,000 years!]
Wait a second!
'System, what's with the middleman fee?'
[The ability generated by Weak Prey Deprivation is absorbed based on the host's compatibility, from 1% to 100%, with the remaining amount used to evolve the soul bone's age!]
—"Generated" indeed.
'Got it. Sorry for doubting you.'
The system remained silent, apparently unconcerned.
"What… what are you doing?!" Xiao Wu gasped, lowering her voice. "My child! Did you eat my child?!"
[Emotion Points +29999]
Well, that's something! Even in front of Tang San, she didn't accumulate that many emotion points.
It was clearly not a living thing, yet she was so concerned?
Maternal instinct was indeed powerful.
"What are you thinking?" Zhuge Lan shrugged.
"My Weak Prey Deprivation technique is used alongside the Strong Appraisal technique," he explained. "It extracts energy to help my external soul bone evolve."
"There's no way you'd actually give birth to a child."
[Emotion Points +11111]
Xiao Wu calmed down, her bunny ears drooping.
Oh, so… it was just that? She had thought…
Shaking her head quickly, she scolded herself for her thoughts.
Now, what should she do?
The process had been so intense that it had "broken her"—not in that way, but it still made her feel as if she had betrayed Tang San.
[Emotion Points +25555]
But life went on.
"Could you explain what happened before all this?" she asked, changing the subject.
Zhuge Lan watched as emotion points continuously popped above Xiao Wu's head.
Not minding at all, he gave a brief explanation.
As for the Eight Spider Lances… was there even such a thing?
[Emotion Points +11111]
[Emotion Points +8888]
[Emotion Points +9999]
Xiao Wu looked at Zhuge Lan in shock, emotion points bubbling above her.
The fusion technique of the peerless Dragon Serpent was formidable enough to rival a Title Douluo.
Yet Zhuge Lan had managed to repel them?
And he'd only used the secondary-grade fixed soul-guided missile?
Had she not held him back at that time, would Er Ming really have…
[Emotion Points +11111]
In the end, all of these emotions converged.
Zhuge Lan raised his hand, stopping her.
"Don't bother thanking me. I came because I wanted to," he said.
"I intended to hunt a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast to complete my soul bone set, anyway."
"Lucky for it, it escaped quickly."
[Emotion Points +19999]
So he really had come after Er Ming!
A flood of emotions—gratitude, admiration, annoyance, relief—all surged within Xiao Wu.
They poured out as emotion points, spilling uncontrollably.
Zhuge Lan's smile widened slightly, enjoying the points.
"I'll keep watch over there while you stay with Tang San," he said, sneaking away to hide his grin.
Xiao Wu also approached Tang San, quietly standing by him.
But her gaze kept drifting toward Zhuge Lan's direction.
The experience just now… it was something she'd never forget.
The soul ring absorption had been risky.
Even with the support of his twin martial souls, Tang San had struggled.
Sweat tinged with blood seeped from his skin as his capillaries ruptured.
But his determination to "save Xiao Wu" drove him forward.
After over an hour of gritting his teeth, he finally managed to absorb the 2,000-year soul ring.
A purple soul ring settled obediently on his Blue Silver Grass.
When Tang San opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Wu rushing toward him.
Thinking it was a dream, he instinctively held out his arms.
But when he felt her, he froze.
"Xiao Wu? Is it really you!" he said joyfully, "I'm so…"
Before he could finish, he collapsed in her arms.
—Zhuge Lan strongly suspected the kid intentionally leaned into Xiao Wu.
"Brother?" Xiao Wu exclaimed. "Brother, what's wrong? Zhuge, heal my brother, quickly!"
Zhuge Lan waved his hand. "I bless you!"
"Ah~"
[Emotion Points +4444]
Xiao Wu glared at him!
"Not me! Heal my brother!" she shouted. "You jerk!"
Unbothered, Zhuge Lan dismissed her.
"It's to help you calm down," he said.
"Tang San fought through the night, exhausting himself in battle with the Demon Spider. He overextended himself by absorbing a 2,000-year soul ring just to reach you faster."
"Though I healed his physical injuries, his mind was already on the brink."
"Seeing you safe and sound, he simply let go and fainted."
"What he needs most now is rest."
With that, Zhuge Lan yawned.
"Let's head back."
"If all goes well, Teacher Zhao should still be waiting at the campsite."
[Emotion Points +9999]
The anger in Xiao Wu's eyes faded into gratitude and remorse.
She finally realized—
Zhuge Lan had followed them?
Tang San's feelings for her explained why he would come no matter the risk.
But why had Zhuge Lan done so?
They'd only known each other for a few days, and their interactions were filled with friction; there was no bond between them.
In fact, Zhuge Lan could've severely injured or even killed Er Ming.
It was her interference that set off the subsequent chain of events.
Through it all, Zhuge Lan had done everything a teammate could.
—Even causing her to "lay an egg" was to protect Tang San during his soul ring absorption.
[Emotion Points +15555]
"I didn't want things to turn out like this," Xiao Wu said tearfully. "This is all because of…"
Zhuge Lan waved dismissively, cutting off her apology.
"Enough talk. Let's get back."
"It's nearly noon, and I'm falling asleep on my feet."
With that, he hoisted both of them up by the collar and shot off toward the way they'd come.
Seemingly unconcerned.
---
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