At this point, Huo Yuhao was just a brand-new, one-ring Soul Master. His spiritual defenses were non-existent. For Jiang Qingtong, imprinting his Martial Soul and its single ability was almost laughably easy. The crystal lotus behind her pulsed once, and it was done.
After watching Jiang Qingtong's rings fade, Elder Hong stroked his beard, his curiosity piqued. "So? What'd you get, girl? What's his Martial Soul and ability?"
"You wanna see it in action, Elder Hong?" Jiang Qingtong said, a spark in her eye. "Just lower your mental defenses. Don't fight me, and I'll show you."
She spread her hands, and the second purple spirit ring in front of her glowed brightly. Her eyes, normally dark, shifted to a stunning, clear sky blue.
Here it comes, Elder Hong thought. He immediately felt a mental probe, a gentle push against his own spiritual sea of consciousness. He fought his instincts as a Titled Douluo, which were all screaming at him to block and counter-attack. He forced himself to relax, opening the gates.
The moment he did, his entire perception of the world flipped.
It wasn't vision. It was... more. A perfect, three-dimensional projection of their surroundings appeared inside his head. He could see everything in a fifty-meter radius. He saw the carriage he'd left by the road. He saw the individual leaves on the trees above them. He could even see, in mind-boggling detail, a line of ants crawling over a root three feet to his left.
Every movement, every hidden detail, all of it was laid bare.
"This is his Martial Soul, the Spirit Eyes," Jiang Qingtong's voice said, echoing slightly in the shared mental space. "And this is his first soul ability, Spirit Detection Sharing."
"That's..." Elder Hong's voice was rough with astonishment. "That's a good skill. A really good skill! The kind of thing that wins fights before they even start! The tactical advantage is... it's unpredictable!" He said "good" three times, his mind already racing through a dozen combat applications.
But just as quickly, he pulled back, the mental projection vanishing. He looked at Jiang Qingtong, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait a minute, girl. How did you know what his ability was? And what it was called?"
Can't exactly tell him I'm a transmigrator who's read the book, Jiang Shengyu thought.
"That's a secret," Jiang Qingtong said with a wink.
Elder Hong's eyebrow shot up, but he let it go. Years ago, Kong Deming himself had given a direct order to all of Mingde Hall's elders: Do not pry into the secrets of Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong. Whatever they're willing to tell you, fine. Whatever they're not, you leave it alone.
He just grunted and nodded slightly. "Fine. That's good! With a spirit ability like this in your pocket, your safety at Shrek Academy will be much more secure!"
Jiang Qingtong hummed in agreement and put away her Martial Soul.
Just then, Huo Yuhao, who was unconscious on the ground, let out a low groan. He woke up shortly, his eyes blurry. When his vision cleared, he saw Jiang Qingtong and Elder Hong standing over him. He flinched, scrambling backward on the ground, his eyes wide with fear.
"Who... who are you?" he asked, his voice cracking.
A frantic, high-pitched voice was screaming inside his spiritual sea. "Yuhao! Kid, wake up! Be careful, that girl just stole your soul skill! She copied it! And the old guy? He's a Titled Douluo! These people are not normal!"
Hearing the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's warning, Huo Yuhao's expression went from scared to ice-cold, his body tensing for a fight he couldn't possibly win.
Jiang Qingtong saw the shift instantly. Ah. Tianmeng must have told him. This makes things easier... and harder. Time for Plan B. The 'long-lost cousin' routine.
"Hey, easy," she said, holding her hands up in a non-threatening gesture. "We're not bad people, don't be afraid. This is Elder Hong, and my name is Jiang Qingtong."
Seeing that the sharp vigilance in Huo Yuhao's eyes hadn't faded one bit, she understood. This was a kid who had never known a kind hand. "Don't be nervous," she said, trying to sound gentle. "I don't even know your name yet."
"My name is Huo Yuhao." He stated it flatly. He looked right at Jiang Qingtong, his gaze far too intense for a boy his age. "Did you just... engrave my Spirit?"
"Kid, he..." Elder Hong frowned, stepping forward, clearly surprised. How the hell did he know that? He was out cold!
Jiang Qingtong motioned for Elder Hong to calm down. Then, she took a deep breath, and let her own expression change. Okay. Deep breath. And... action.
A look of sudden surprise, then pity, then dawning recognition filled her eyes as she stared at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao noticed the emotions and couldn't help but feel a spike of confusion. What? Why is she looking at me like that?
Jiang Qingtong didn't just walk over. She rushed forward, dropping to her knees in front of him. She grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand in both of hers, her eyes going wide. "Yuhao! It is you! I finally found you!"
Huo Yuhao was so startled by the sudden act he literally froze. Elder Hong, standing behind them, was just as baffled.
Jiang Qingtong, while still clutching Huo Yuhao's hand, wiped at the corners of her eyes, squeezing out a few genuine-looking tears.
"Who are you?" Huo Yuhao asked, his brows knitted together. The surprise in his gaze as he looked at her was obvious. She... she's crying? Because of me? What is happening?
"I'm your cousin!" Jiang Qingtong said, her voice thick with emotion. "Your older female cousin!"
Elder Hong raised an eyebrow, looking at her like she'd grown a second head.
Huo Yuhao was even more astonished. He tried to pull his hand back, but her grip was strong. "What are you talking about? I don't have a cousin..."
"Your name is Huo Yuhao, right?" Jiang Qingtong said, her voice dropping. "Is your mother's name Huo Yun? Are you the son of the Duke of White Tiger, Dai Hao, of the Star Luo Empire?"
Hearing her accurately state his hidden identity, every drop of blood drained from Huo Yuhao's face. He was beyond alarmed; he was terrified. That's... no. NO. Nobody knows that. Nobody. After Mom... I... how does she know that?
Even Elder Hong on the side couldn't help but give the kid a few more glances. The Duke of White Tiger's son? Here?
After the Duchess had... after his mother died... he had secretly left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. In this world, no one except that horrible woman knew his true identity!
Yet the person in front of him had just laid it all bare. Could she... could she really be his cousin? But... Mother never mentioned anyone. Not once.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao was still suspicious, Jiang Qingtong continued her act. "Okay, okay, look. We don't have any blood relation!"
"No?" Huo Yuhao frowned, looking at her with even more confusion.
"Back then," Jiang Qingtong said, spinning the tale, "my mother was in trouble in the Star Luo Empire. She was saved by Aunt Huo. They became sworn sisters, closer than real family. That's why... when the news of your mother's death reached the Sun Moon Empire... we were all so shocked. One of my missions in coming here was to find you!"
She fabricated a non-existent past in just a few sentences. And who's to say it's a lie? she thought. Huo Yun is dead. My 'mother' doesn't exist. There's no one left to verify it.
"Yuhao! She's lying! It's a trick!" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm shrieked in his head. "Don't fall for it!"
Of course, Huo Yuhao wouldn't believe someone so easily. His entire life in the Duke's Mansion had taught him one thing: trust no one.
He looked at Jiang Qingtong, his eyes cold. "If that's the case... when my mother and I were in the Duke's Mansion... when we were suffering... why did no one come to look for us? Did you have to wait until my mother died before you came? I thought you said they were 'sworn sisters'?"
It was a good question, a sharp one. But before Jiang Qingtong could even answer, Elder Hong stepped in, his voice a deep growl. "Kid! Watch your words! This little girl's parents passed away many years ago!"
Thank you, Elder Hong. Perfect.
Jiang Qingtong immediately seized the opening, her expression crumbling into one of apology and self-reproach. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down. "Our family... we went through a change back then. A bad one. It's just my brother and I who were left."
When Jiang Qingtong said this, even Huo Yuhao, in all his suspicion and bitterness, couldn't help but feel a pang of... something. Surprise. Awkwardness. He looked at her, then at the ground. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay!" Jiang Qingtong shook her head, but then she looked up, giving him a small, watery smile. "We're family."
"Family?" Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned when he heard this.
Did he... have family again?
Although Jiang Qingtong's words still seemed to have many loopholes, Huo Yuhao, for some reason, was willing to believe that she was indeed his Older Female Cousin.