Whenever a soul beast without eyes targeted them, Tang Yin would swiftly end it, siphoning its soul power into his Soul Bone collection. By now, his storage ring held more than four soul bones, each over a hundred thousand years.
The Netherworld Civet Cat, sacrificed for Zhu Zhuqing's fifth soul ring, had left behind a right leg soul bone, while the Iron-Claw Skyhawk, sacrificed for Xiao Mei's sixth soul ring, had yielded a left hand soul bone.
The Crimson Inferno Raptor, sacrificed for Huo Wu's sixth soul ring, had produced a right leg soul bone, while the Flaming Gorilla, sacrificed for her fifth soul ring, had dropped a left hand soul bone.
A day later—
As they exited the Star Duo Forest, Tang Yin suddenly halted in his tracks. Xiao Wu, walking beside him, stopped as well & glanced at him.
"Xiao Wu, there's something that I need to confess," Tang Yin said, avoiding her gaze.
"What? Is it about your father? Or that little brother of yours?" she asked, firing question after question in curious anticipation.
"Neither… it's about my love life. I've been unfaithful to you," he admitted, finally meeting her eyes for a fleeting moment before looking away, nervous under her gaze.
"Huh?!"
Xiao Wu darted in front of Tang Yin's face, eyes blazing with anger, as if some thief had dared to steal her favorite carrot.
"What?! Which vixen was it? Hmph! It can't be Zhuqing, right? Or… was it Rongrong? It must be Rongrong!" Xiao Wu's mind spun, flitting back to the way Rongrong used to look at him, and a surge of jealousy boiled inside her.
She bared her fangs and lunged. He didn't resist, letting her tackle him to the ground, sink her teeth in as she pleased, and even straddle him. Her gaze burned into his, fierce enough to make him break out in a nervous sweat.
After sometime of ranting,
"Xiao Wu?" he looked up at her, expecting grief or heartbreak. Instead, he was met with pure anger, her gaze piercing him like a blade.
"Then tell me, who is it? I don't mind at all," she said, but Tang Yin didn't believe her. Still, he decided to come clean, silently blaming his own lustful nature inwardly.
Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow as she watched him count on his ten fingers, but when the number exceeded ten, his lips twitched in embarrassment, and he coughed to hide it.
"Well… there are fourteen lovers of mine in total, including you. It's all because of my lustful heart. I'm sorry for being unfaithful to you, but I promise that I'll never stop loving you," Tang Yin confessed, hugging her waist.
His fingers wandered around her waist almost rebelliously, tracing paths as if they had a mind of their own. Tang Yin tried to control them, but her allure was nearly overbearing, especially with them in such an intimate position.
Xiao Wu was almost convinced by him, and her anger had died down considerably… until she bit down on the fingers that were wandering over her, startling Tang Yin and abruptly halting their closeness.
"Hmph! Don't think I'm that easy. I won't let you touch me until I'm convinced. Now, tell me everything—about your lovers and how you fell in love with them. Tell even one more lie, and you'll wish you were dead," The rogue bunny grabbed his collar as she threatened.
Tang Yin didn't dare lie. He began recounting his lovers and the moments he had shared with them as they headed toward the lodging where the girls stayed.
Xiao Wu felt exasperated as she listened to him confess his love for two women who were more than fifteen and twenty years older than him. "Tell me—do you have a thing for older women?" she asked, curiously.
"Nope. It's the person I love, not the age," Tang Yin replied painting himself righteous, though a chill ran down his spine as she smiled at him.
"Didn't I just tell you never to lie to me? Do you want to confess, or shall I—" she threatened, a harmless smile on her lips as Xiao Wu made a chopping motion toward his little brother.
"I do," Tang Yin confessed immediately, and in an instant, his face shifted—righteousness melting into honesty, as effortlessly as flipping a switch.
Xiao Wu blinked, momentarily taken aback by how easily he could change his expression. A small, exasperated smile tugged at her lips as she realized just how cunning he could be.
'See just how I deal with you,' she thought inwardly as they entered the lodging, while Tang Yin wiped the sweat glistening on his brow every time she caught his lies red-handed. Just how was this rabbit so good at catching lies? His future was looking bleak.
Creak—
As Xiao Wu opened the front door and stepped inside with Tang Yin, she saw a group of beauties lounging together at a table, chatting harmoniously.
Rongrong's eyes snapped to the door when she spotted a familiar figure dressed entirely in pink. "Huh? Xiao Wu! Is that really you?" She shot to her feet, taking in the mature yet cute appearance of her friend in bunny ears.
Zhuqing also turned toward the door, her gaze landing on the girl she had once been envious of. But now, no such feeling arose; instead, she smiled warmly and welcomed Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, welcome back," Zhu Zhuqing said, hugging her tenderly. Xiao Wu felt dazed at the warmth in her voice. Having been a soul beast before, she could sense others' emotions, and her gut rarely steered her wrong.
Everyone turned their attention to the new girl, breathtakingly beautiful, as they introduced themselves and welcomed her warmly.
Xiao Wu couldn't understand how this group of beauties could maintain such harmonious relationships. Didn't they all want Tang Yin for themselves? Were they really that generous?
Yet she didn't behave rudely; instead, she felt their warmth toward her and even thought that having friends like these would be genuinely fun. Tang Yin smiled, watching her get along with everyone.
How could they have such a harmonious bond? Even he didn't know—he could only attribute it to their gentle personalities and their willingness to accept his flaws.
Afterwards—
Tang Yin presented the left-hand soul bone from the Iron-Claw Skyhawk beast to Xiao Mei and the right-leg soul bone from the Crimson Inferno Raptor to Huo Wu, explaining:
"These soul bones will help you increase your future potential. The place we're going to will give us a chance to absorb a soul ring that best suits us. The limit depends on how much pressure we can endure."
"Really? Such a place exists?" Xiao Wu asked in wonder, while the others also turned to him as he continued recounting the benefits.
"It's true. You'll also have a chance to raise the age of your soul ring. That place can even raise your soul level if you complete the test of the Sea God." Tang Yin shifted his gaze toward the Shui sisters and Yuehua.
"I'll also help you three gain a suitable soul bone later, since you're the only remaining ones. But before that… Zhuqing!" he suddenly called, taking her by surprise.
"Eh—"
Zhuqing was startled by the sudden mention of her name. Hearing her soft yelp, Tang Yin chuckled. "It's time I fulfill my promise," he said with a smile.
Zhuqing's mind clicked at once—Tang yin had indeed promised her something back during the Continental Elite Tournament.
"Alright, everyone, we'll be taking a slight detour to the Star Luo Empire. We still have to save Zhuqing's dear sister," Tang Yin informed them, recounting his earlier promise.
He also explained her sister's plight, trapped under the cruel tradition of the tyrannical Dai Royal Family. The group nodded in agreement, ready to stand with Zhuqing in the rescue.
Zhuqing bowed her head in gratitude, her heart swelling with emotion. Before meeting Tang Yin, she had no one—no hope of saving herself, let alone her sister. Yet now, she had companions willing to risk their lives, even daring to defy the royal family, all for her sake.
Tang Yin was smiling at the heartwarming moment when Xiao Wu suddenly scurried closer, leaning in as she asked, "Is she round and big like Zhuqing?"
Tang Yin subconsciously nodded. "Maybe even bigger," he admitted—only to be startled as Xiao Wu caught him red-handed once again and gave him an earful.
Everyone chuckled at their antics, and the rest of the evening grew even livelier.
The Next Day
Early in the morning, after completing their Purple Demon Eye practice, the group set out on the long journey to their next destination—the Star Luo Empire.