Chapter 100: Tempering the Spirit

Lu Yao and Li Hao failed to get an answer from Lin Xueyou. Driven by curiosity, they decided to find out for themselves.

Li Hao pondered, "Could it be that Youxue's influence is rooted in the sea of consciousness, and it functions differently than it does on the outside?"

Thinking this, Li Hao turned to Youxue and said, "Sister Youxue, let me test this!"

Youxue responded respectfully, "As you command, Young Master!"

She turned her incredibly beautiful phoenix eyes toward Li Hao. Li Hao scrutinized her for a moment, muttering to himself, "Aside from these eyes being rather pretty, there isn't anything particularly special about her. Could they have been so mesmerized by her beauty that they lost their wits?"

Although Li Hao was speaking to himself, the others heard him clearly and felt a mix of laughter and frustration at his words.

Li Hao looked for a while longer, still finding nothing unusual, and asked curiously, "Sister Youxue’s eyes aren't anything special other than being quite pretty. Why were you all so afraid?"

As he spoke, he suddenly wore an expression of surprise, as if he had realized something. His words left everyone feeling baffled, and if they dared, they would have loved to give him a sound thrashing.

Li Hao continued, "Oh! You wouldn't have been so captivated by Sister Youxue's beautiful eyes that you couldn't extricate yourselves, would you?"

No sooner had he said this than Lin Xueyou kicked him in the backside, snapping, "Get lost!"

Li Hao was left dazed by the kick. Kui Hu and the others felt a sense of relief seeing Lin Xueyou vent their frustration for them, and they secretly gave her a thumbs-up.

Lu Yao, hearing Li Hao suggest they were merely attracted by Youxue's beauty, also engaged in a gaze with her. However, the moment their eyes met, Lu Yao felt as if she had been betrayed by Li Hao. Struck by the sword intent and killing aura hidden within Youxue’s gaze, she quickly looked away. Just as Li Hao was lost in thought about why Lin Xueyou had kicked him, he was stomped on hard by Lu Yao.

As Lu Yao stepped on him, she didn't forget to scold, "Brother Li Hao, you are just awful."

Unaware of the truth, Lu Yao assumed Li Hao had deliberately tricked her, leading to her mistake. Seeing this, the others also believed Li Hao was intentionally antagonizing them. They felt even more satisfied and couldn't help but laugh, while Youxue remained calm, her expression unchanged.

Li Hao felt helpless, having been kicked twice for no apparent reason. Finally, Xiao Jiu revealed the truth: "The Young Master did not deceive you; what you said was also true."

Hearing this, Li Hao’s temper flared. He spun around and gave Xiao Jiu two swift kicks, leaving the latter dazed as well. Having been sent flying a few yards, Xiao Jiu asked indignantly, "Young Master! Why did you kick me?"

Li Hao replied righteously, "Who told you not to say so sooner? You made Sister Xueyou and Little Sister Lu Yao kick me, and it hurts!"

Their exchange made everyone burst into laughter. Only then did Lin Xueyou and Lu Yao realize they had misunderstood Li Hao, feeling quite guilty. However, neither seemed inclined to apologize.

Zhen Ba and the others heard Xiao Jiu’s explanation; though they didn't fully grasp the underlying cause, they realized they had misjudged Li Hao. Fortunately, they hadn't voiced their suspicions, so they pretended they hadn't known anything, acting with performances more masterful than the last.

Xiao Jiu had meant well for Li Hao’s friends, only to be treated like a dog by them. He felt a sense of grievance, but as a sworn servant, he could only sigh to himself, "Under someone else’s roof, one must bow their head. Oh, how difficult it is for me."

However, to maintain his dignity, he didn't complain and simply walked back. Seeing him return, Li Hao asked, "Aren't you going to explain yourself?"

With a bitter expression, Xiao Jiu said unwillingly, "Lady Youxue’s eyes contain the sword intent and killing aura of the God-Devil World-Extinguishing Sword. Her spiritual soul impact is also incomparably powerful. The Young Master’s friends could barely withstand her spiritual impact alone, let alone the added weight of that sword intent and killing aura. The reason the Young Master was unaffected is that he is the master of the God-Devil World-Extinguishing Sword. In front of the Young Master, Lady Youxue is just like me—without the slightest power to resist, entirely at your mercy."

Hearing this, everyone finally understood the truth. Though Xiao Jiu’s words held deeper implications, they didn't dwell on them, choosing to understand his explanation at face value.

Li Hao still had a question: "Then why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, they wouldn't have been hit by Sister Youxue’s spiritual attack."

Xiao Jiu answered, "If I had said so, the effect on them wouldn't have been as profound."

Hearing this, the others felt their expressions darken. They felt indignant but didn't dare vent their anger on Xiao Jiu, thinking his reasoning sounded unreliable and disloyal. It seemed as if he had set them up to suffer.

Lin Xueyou understood Xiao Jiu’s intent and stepped forward to clarify. "Brother Xiao Jiu’s meaning wasn't what you thought."

As expected, a beauty’s words carried more weight. The group quieted down to listen. Seeing this, Xiao Jiu thought to himself, "If there is a next life, I want to be a woman, preferably a beautiful one. Being a man is just too hard."

Lin Xueyou said with an air of maturity, "Brothers, you are all still too young. You lack patience and are prone to impulse. You should always wait to understand the full picture before reaching a conclusion."

Li Hao, hearing this, muttered softly, "As if you aren't impulsive. You didn't understand anything earlier and still kicked me."

Lin Xueyou heard his muttering and pretended not to know, asking, "What did you say, Little Brother Li Hao? Speak up and share it with your sister!"

Feeling the weight of her authority, Li Hao quickly changed his tune: "I was saying that Sister Xueyou is so learned; I am truly in awe."

The others suppressed their laughter at Li Hao’s nonsensical flattery.

Lin Xueyou returned to the matter at hand: "Xiao Jiu knew that Lady Youxue’s spiritual impact would be beneficial to your souls, so he didn't tell you, intentionally letting you temper your spirits. If he had warned you that the impact was too powerful, you would have raised your defenses or avoided eye contact, and it would have had no effect at all."

Realizing they had misjudged Xiao Jiu’s good intentions, they felt deeply ashamed. Zhen Ba, being the most composed, was the first to speak: "I shall keep Young Master Xiao Jiu’s good intentions in my heart. Thank you!"

Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen also expressed their gratitude. Xiao Jiu replied politely, "Since you are the Young Master’s friends, you are my friends as well. Doing a small favor for friends is not worth mentioning."

Lin Xueyou interrupted their pleasantries: "Alright, now that everyone has achieved their goal, let us go find my brother and the others."

Li Hao called out, "Wait a few minutes; I have something to handle."

Though they didn't know what he was doing, they watched as he quickly formed hand seals. Within a few breaths, a formation was complete. A youth with the exact appearance and figure of Li Hao, dressed in red, walked out from the formation.

Li Hao had summoned his desire-avatar. The avatar wore a cynical, roguish expression. He smiled at Li Hao and said, "Greetings, Boss!"

The avatar then greeted the others: "Greetings, brothers. Greetings, Sister Xueyou, Little Sister Lu Yao!"

The group replied, "Greetings, Young Master!"

Lin Xueyou and Lu Yao didn't know how to address the avatar. Lin Xueyou nodded, while Lu Yao looked on in confusion, unsure of how to respond.

The desire-avatar, seeing Lu Yao ignore him, didn't take offense. He shamelessly reached out to pat Lu Yao’s head. Before he could make contact, Li Hao kicked him flying.

"Stay still! If you don't restrain yourself, do you believe I will imprison you within my body forever?"

The roguish avatar didn't seem afraid of the threat. He walked back, rambling, "Sigh, Boss, we are of the same root; why be so harsh? Think about it—if you imprison me, you’ll lose a head, two eyes, two noses, two ears, a mouth, two legs, two hands, a backside..."

The others found the mischievous avatar’s list rather amusing. Seeing him so restless, Li Hao prepared to form seals to imprison him. Lin Xueyou and the others felt embarrassed listening to the avatar’s increasingly crude remarks. Before he could continue, the avatar was cowed by Li Hao’s hand seals. He rushed to Li Hao, clutching his arm like a scoundrel.

Li Hao said, "Let go!"

The avatar replied, "I won't."