Looking at the silent and contemplative Tang Hao, Ye Qiu knew he had clearly seen the writing on the letter and probably already believed most of what Ye Qiu had told him.
After chatting for so long, Ye Qiu was also certain that Tang Hao didn't hold much hostility toward him—at least for now. So, he threw out another question, pretending not to know the answer.
"Uncle Haozi, what's the matter with you? Do you know Sister Yanyan and Senior Dugu? Oh right... Senior Dugu is also a Titled Douluo. Maybe..."
"Hmph!"
Tang Hao's cold snort cut Ye Qiu off.
"Who told you I'm a Titled Douluo?"
Tang Hao still held a bit of disdain for Dugu Bo. In his eyes, Dugu Bo was nothing more than a bottom-feeder among Titled Douluos.
"I never said you were," Ye Qiu said, curling his lips and lying with his eyes wide open. Then, with a serious expression, he carefully put away the marriage contract in his hand.
"I didn't expect you to be so lucky. You actually managed to score the granddaughter of a Titled Douluo..."
Tang Hao looked at Ye Qiu, feeling more and more that this kid could become a decent support for his son. At least, before the soul beast matter was resolved, he had his uses.
"Well, I can't help it—I'm just that charming."
"Charming? I'd say you've just got a thick skin," Tang Hao said bluntly, smirking. He narrowed his eyes and continued, "You already have a fiancée, yet you still go after other girls. And you even gave her such precious medicinal herbs without hesitation."
Ye Qiu cursed silently in his heart. The conversation had come all the way here, yet Tang Hao still wouldn't let go of the topic of the immortal herbs. Scratching his head awkwardly, he said with a sheepish grin, "You know what they say, no pain, no gain."
Tang Hao sneered inwardly.
Still just a kid. So what if he's strong? In the world of soul masters, it's survival of the fittest—he knew that well. Seeing Ye Qiu look slightly guilty, Tang Hao mocked him:
"You sure made your lust sound noble. I don't see you helping out that little guy from your village—Xiao San."
"Hahaha, come on, everyone has their interests. Especially men, right?"
Ye Qiu laughed heartily, brushing off the mention of helping Tang San.
Indeed, he was quite the womanizer—he didn't deny it. In fact, he already had a mental list of the girls he planned to win over after graduation.
"Hmph!"
Tang Hao snorted again, not bothering to say more.
Desire wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, it could be useful in certain situations.
But seeing how Ye Qiu still didn't seem to get the point, Tang Hao lost his patience. He took a swig of wine and asked seriously:
"By the way, are you sure you don't have any more of those herbs? If you do, I can trade you something for them."
Ye Qiu's smile dropped immediately.
He sighed. "Uncle Haozi, if I had more, I would've already shoved them down Xiao San's throat. But I had to save them for wooing girls. And don't even mention trading me anything—you still owe me money."
Talking about girls made Ye Qiu look a bit shy, but the topic of money made him look bitter.
Tang Hao didn't give up. Ignoring Ye Qiu's mention of the debt, he pressed on: "Really nothing left? Don't worry, I'll make sure it's worth your while."
Ye Qiu straightened up, turning his pockets inside out. "Uncle Haozi, look for yourself—I really don't have a single bit left. You can search all you want."
As he spoke, he even handed over his soul tool for Tang Hao to inspect.
"Get that thing away from me. If you don't have it, then fine," Tang Hao said, glancing at Ye Qiu for a moment before waving him off with distaste. As the mighty Clear Sky Douluo, he had no interest in rummaging through a junior's pockets.
Besides, if Ye Qiu dared to let him inspect so freely, then there was probably nothing to find.
Just as Ye Qiu was about to take back his soul tool and was feeling relieved, Tang Hao suddenly asked another question.
"By the way, we've talked so much about Xiao San, but I forgot to ask you something interesting."
Ye Qiu's heart skipped a beat. Is this ever going to end?!
But his face remained all smiles.
"Uncle Haozi, go ahead. What interesting thing? If I know the answer, I'll definitely tell you."
Tang Hao rubbed his chin, looking at Ye Qiu curiously. "These past few days, I've seen you training with that little girl. I'm really curious—what's so special about your martial soul?"
"Huh?" Ye Qiu was stunned. He didn't expect that after all these years, Tang Hao was only now asking this. But this wasn't something he needed to hide, so he smiled and said, "Uncle Haozi, you asked the right person."
"..."
"Oh? So your martial soul actually helps speed up cultivation?"
Tang Hao pretended to be surprised, even though he already knew.
Ye Qiu saw right through it. If Tang Hao knew about the immortal herbs, he definitely went to Yu Xiaogang first, and probably already knew all about Ye Qiu's martial soul too.
"Then why aren't you training with Xiao San?"
Tang Hao frowned. Forget the herbs—but even for something like this, Ye Qiu hadn't included Xiao San?
"How could I!" Ye Qiu said, looking wronged. "I did try asking him, but... hehe, you know how it is. Two men pressed up together like that—it's just too awkward!"
Just thinking about it made Ye Qiu shudder. Especially with Tang Hao, that stinky old man, nearby—the smell alone was enough to knock him out.
"You actually asked him?" Tang Hao paused, then decided not to dwell on it. Real or fake, he could confirm with Yu Xiaogang later. Acting as though he was asking casually, a glint of anticipation flashed in his murky eyes.
"Say, do you know if your martial soul has any effect on soul beasts?"
"Soul beasts?"
Ye Qiu froze for a moment.
You old hammer freak—what are you planning? Do you want to see me... do something with a soul beast? Could it be that you actually have... a special fetish?
Now Ye Qiu was seriously suspicious. Had Tang Hao figured out A Yin's true identity all those years ago? And was it because of some weird taste that he ended up with her?
Wait... A Yin?!
As that thought crossed his mind, Ye Qiu froze. His black eyes blinked, and he stared at Tang Hao with a weird expression.
Could this guy be asking all this... because of A Yin?!
Thinking of that, Ye Qiu's heartbeat picked up.
"Kid, what kind of look is that?" Tang Hao frowned, feeling like Ye Qiu was imagining all sorts of weird things about him. "Hurry up and answer me!"
"Ahem..."
Ye Qiu coughed a couple times, scratched his head awkwardly, shrugged, and said, "Uncle Haozi, I really can't answer that question. I've never tried doing... that kind of thing with a soul beast."
Looking at Ye Qiu's horrified, embarrassed, and creeped-out expression, Tang Hao instantly understood why the kid had stared at him like that.
If Ye Qiu wouldn't even partner with another man, how could he possibly go near those monstrous, brutal soul beasts?