Chapter 92

Chapter Twelve: Water-Borne Vitality

　　Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but look at him, even Yuan Xiaoling herself was momentarily stunned.

　　What’s with this strange title?

　　The eldest person present, Yuan Ye, pinched the bridge of his nose, unsure why his younger brother had turned out like this.

　　”Let’s rest for a moment,” he said. “Check on Xiao Sheng’s condition.”

　　Yuan Sheng, the last member of the quintet, was a cheerful and sunny big guy who collapsed from poisoning right at the start of the fight. He was still foaming at the mouth and twitching as he lay there.

　　They crouched down to check on their teammate’s condition while Yuan Xiaoling walked over to inspect the mission rewards.

　　[Ding dong, congratulations on completing the sudden task: The Boss Arrives. Reward: A new skill set—Water-Borne Vitality.

　　Passive: Greatly enhances the regeneration ability of the Water Dragon LORD and water constructs.

　　Active: Summon a water construct imbued with vitality that continuously restores health and a small amount of spiritual power within a small radius.

　　Subsequent derivative skills will be rewarded upon completion of other tasks.]

　　A skill set that boosts endurance, Yuan Xiaoling was satisfied. After unlocking “Tide Agreement” at Fourth-tier, she no longer lacked burst power. The water dragon from True Dragon Manifestation could crush Third-tier late-stage monsters just by relying on the pressure of the underlying water layer. Her output was evident.

　　Getting a skill that increases combat endurance was perfect.

　　Yuan Xiaoling looked at the few people sitting on the ground resting and lightly waved her hand.

　　Water-Borne Vitality!

　　A soft and squishy water sphere appeared in the air, gently “popping” every few seconds and sprinkling little droplets around. Under the nourishment of the droplets, everything got better; the grass on the ground that had been destroyed during the battle showed signs of regrowth.

　　Looking at the small water mass, Yuan Xiaoling thought for a moment and decided it should adjust its appearance somewhat. All her other water constructs were animal friends, and this one should be too, otherwise it would look lifeless and lack energy.

　　Thus…

　　”My stamina and spiritual power are recovering,” Yuan Ye felt the changes within himself. He had expended the most effort in the previous battle and thus sensed the effects most clearly.

　　The others also noticed, glancing at each other before looking up to see a translucent jellyfish floating in front of Yuan Xiaoling.

　　Pupa~, pupa~

　　”I think you guys are recuperating too slowly,” Yuan Xiaoling crossed her arms. “Let me speed things up for you.”

　　With the help of the jellyfish, everyone quickly regained enough strength to walk, and even Yuan Sheng, who had fallen unconscious from poisoning, stopped foaming.

　　”Thanks, Cousin Xiaolin,” Yuan Ye slung Yuan Sheng over his shoulder and said, “Now let’s head back.”

　　He was six years older than Yuan Xiaoling and was almost married, so calling her “older cousin sister” was simply out of the question.

　　The group headed back, with Yuan Ye carrying Yuan Sheng walking ahead with Yuan Ying, while Yuan Xiaoling, Yuan Tong, and Yuan Lingling trailed behind.

　　”Today’s been weird. Even if something went wrong,” Yuan Ye whispered to Yuan Ying, “why didn’t Grandfather intervene?”

　　There had been times before when things spiraled out of control, but Grandfather always managed to step in no matter where he was. But today, even with someone poisoned and close to death, there was no sign of Grandfather’s intervention.

　　”I don’t know,” Yuan Ying hesitantly replied, “maybe he was busy with something else?”

　　Yuan Ye frowned slightly, “But…”

　　What could possibly be more important than saving the future of the Yuan family?

　　”But I never expected,” he glanced back stealthily, “Cousin Xiaolin to be so powerful.”

　　He had heard of Yuan Xiaoling’s name, mainly because many cousins had been talking about her recently, even posting pictures in the group chat, claiming she was the best girl on the internet.

　　Yuan Ye had passed the stage of being interested in cute girls, but he still found the pictures stunning.

　　”Who wouldn’t?” Yuan Ying sighed.

　　The videos those cousins posted in the family group showed Yuan Xiaoling in cheerleader outfits hopping around cutely, making everyone assume she was a well-endowed yet brainless mascot.

　　At this point, Yuan Xiaoling was walking behind with two others, chatting casually.

　　”So, your name is Yuan Tong, and you’re Yuan Lingling, right? Nice names.”

　　Yuan Tong and Yuan Lingling exchanged looks, not quite understanding.

　　”Why are they nice names?” Little Yuan Lingling asked; she always thought her name was rather ordinary.

　　”Because we three make up ‘Little Smart’!” Yuan Xiaoling stated matter-of-factly.

　　Individually, the names might seem ordinary, but together they formed a bond.

　　”Cousin Sister,” Yuan Tong excitedly said, “I’ve missed you for so long. So have many others at home; we’ve all been waiting for your return.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling’s expression turned cold, “Oh, so you’re one of those people with ideas about me?”

　　”Not, not at all! From today onward, Cousin, you’re my real sister!” Yuan Tong hastily pledged loyalty, “Those people are delusional, and I’ll have nothing to do with them!”

　　Yuan Lingling stared at her cousin in surprise; yesterday he was still fraternizing with them in the group chat, now he sold them out without hesitation.

　　”So what will you do when they come tomorrow?” Yuan Xiaoling asked.

　　”Anyone who disrespects my sister, I’ll slap them directly,” Yuan Tong declared firmly, “Even if they’re far away, I’ll go slap them!”

　　If they were sitting across the table, he’d specially walk over just to slap them!

　　Yuan Xiaoling nodded in satisfaction and decided to clarify things: “It’s good that you understand. Actually, I don’t care much about blood relations anyway. The thing is, I already have a girlfriend, and this time, I brought her along. Stopping them is saving them from themselves, you get it?”

　　Yuan Lingling was so shocked she nearly tripped, left foot stepping on her right.

　　Wait, wasn’t Cousin Xiaolin a girl? And she has a girlfriend?

　　Yuan Tong was equally shocked, but his expressions were richer—he was first surprised, then skeptical, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he became delighted.

　　”That’s great!”

　　Yuan Xiaoling’s eyelid twitched, “Great? Could it be you…?”

　　”No, I’m just thinking that instead of seeing Cousin Sister with another man, it’s better for her to be with a woman,” Yuan Tong seriously said, “That way, I won’t feel so bad.”

　　”…I think you have some issues,” Yuan Xiaoling quietly moved a bit away, “And what’s with this weird title ‘Cousin Sister’? Change it.”

　　”Change the title…”

　　Yuan Tong thought carefully, his eyes lighting up, “Cousin Sister looks like a goddess, beautiful and powerful like a divine figure, worthy of the title ‘god.’ And Cousin Sister will surely be our family’s pride in the future, so how about calling her Yuan God?”

　　”…You can keep the old title.”

　　…

　　After returning from the forest path to the courtyard, Yuan Xiaoling parted ways with them and went back to her room.

　　The five of them carried the unconscious Yuan Sheng to find the elders. When the people in the hall saw the situation, they were immediately startled.

　　”What happened?”

　　Yuan Ye’s expression was complicated, “We encountered some unexpected situations…”

　　On the other side, Yuan Xiaoling was on her way back to her room when ivy hanging on the wall fell towards her.

　　’Your use of spiritual power is very proficient, your self-created techniques are almost perfect, as if they’ve been adjusted countless times. Every bit of spiritual power is perfectly allocated, and they can even complement each other.’

　　An unknown elder was commenting on her skills.

　　’As far as I know, you haven’t practiced in the Spring Sea Forest or similar places before. How did you achieve this?’

　　”What’s there to ask?” Yuan Xiaoling justified herself, “Of course, it’s through my efforts and wisdom.”

　　Effort refers to completing every task, and wisdom means finding ways to complete tasks through inspiration.

　　’You truly are talented. Despite not using these places for training, you completely surpass others in terms of spiritual energy level and usage.’

　　The other party actually believed her.

　　The way people in the Yuan family practiced was by staying in dense forests with abundant spiritual energy and occasionally sparring with wood spirits to familiarize themselves with their spiritual power through practice.

　　Techniques, or skills, were a manifestation of one’s mastery of their own spiritual power.

　　Thus, he advised:

　　’Someone with such potential shouldn’t waste their talent. Don’t stay cooped up playing games all day. Go into the forest more often when you have time.’

　　Yuan Xiaoling pouted, “Bother.”

　　’I only said a couple of things, and you call me bothersome? I just hope you focus on practicing and don’t spend all day playing video games.’

　　Yuan Xiaoling snorted softly and turned to enter Bai Ling’s room.

　　”I’m back! Bai Ling, you won’t believe how amazing something I encountered today was.”

　　Bai Ling had just woken up from her nap, half-reclining on the bedhead, her pajama collar unbuttoned. Seeing Yuan Xiaoling enter, she instinctively fiddled with her collar.

　　She really is Nagisa’s petite and mysterious woman!

　　”What did you encounter?” she asked.

　　Yuan Xiaoling sat by the bed, drank half a glass of water, and described the wood spirits and fungi she encountered in the forest.

　　”I never knew such things existed before. Plants and fungi have become spirits, taking all sorts of bizarre forms, giving our family members a hard time. Of course, they’re useless against me. I just used a set of skills and took them out instantly.”

　　Bai Ling patiently listened to her finish and said cryptically, “Actually, this isn’t the first time you’ve known about them.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling blinked her eyes, “Not the first time?”

　　”There will be similar occurrences in Tianhai City later. They’re the result of an excessive concentration of certain attributes of spiritual energy,” Bai Ling explained, “Though they won’t be wood spirits, they’ll be more like ghosts from traditional stories.”

　　”Ghosts?!” Yuan Xiaoling’s face turned pale.

　　No way, is Tianhai City going to be haunted? She’s timid and fears ghosts.

　　”Just a collection of emotions, mostly resentment and other negative feelings,” Bai Ling explained indifferently, “Not powerful, about the same as the wood spirits you described.”

　　”Oh, that’s good, that’s good.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling relaxed a bit, and her sharp mind began working.

　　”But why is there such a difference?” she murmured.

　　”What?”

　　”I mean, why are there wood spirits here and ghosts in Tianhai City?” Yuan Xiaoling analyzed calmly, “Wood spirits are the accumulation of wood attribute energy, ghosts are… probably mental-type spirit attributes, but why is there such a regional difference?”

　　Bai Ling furrowed her brow slightly, lost in thought.

　　Most of her time in the previous life was spent in Tianhai City, and with too many personal matters and no reliable intelligence sources, she didn’t know much about this phenomenon.

　　”I think you might know more than me,” she said.

　　Yuan Xiaoling tilted her innocent and confused face upward, “Why?”

　　”I’ve been running around, no information channels. You’ve traveled everywhere, and as a member of a prestigious family, you must be more knowledgeable about certain things,” Bai Ling pointed to her head, “Just recall.”

　　Ah, that makes sense, but…

　　Yuan Xiaoling stiffened her face, “Emmmmm, then we can only wait slowly. It doesn’t seem like it’s time for me to remember again yet, ahaha…”

　　Bai Ling silently watched her, and after half a minute, softly said, “It’s been almost two weeks since the last time. If counted by time, you should have remembered by now. So, I think we should try another method.”

　　”What method?” The Blonde-haired Maiden hoped against hope.

　　Bai Ling didn’t say anything, just patted the bed.

　　”…”

　　How could you be like this? Can’t you start with something pure first? Why insist on doing something impure? If it’s not this way, how do you explain it to me!

　　Many thoughts flashed through Yuan Xiaoling’s mind in an instant, but when they reached her lips, she couldn’t utter them.

　　Because this method was indeed correct.

　　”Try, try it then.”

　　Every time she says this, it feels like she’s scared of Bai Ling or something about revenge. Too arrogant, Xiaolin will take off her skirt and challenge you.

　　At this moment, the moss in the corner of the room quietly retreated and helped close the door tightly.

　　Back in the main hall of the Yuan family, after listening to Yuan Ye’s report, everyone was astonished.

　　Some were amazed by Yuan Xiaoling’s power, while others, though also amazed, were more baffled as to why Grandfather hadn’t intervened.

　　”Did you hear any words at the time?” Uncle Yuan asked, “Why didn’t Grandfather come to rescue?”

　　The younger generation shook their heads together.

　　Didn’t hear anything at all.

　　Right at that moment, several people in the hall suddenly heard a voice:

　　”In broad daylight, indecent!”

　　Uncle Yuan and a few elders were momentarily stunned, then their faces changed drastically, furious and ready to interrogate what the young ones had done in the woods.

　　But soon, the voice added, “Not talking about you, continue your discussion.”

　　”…”

　　Uncle Yuan adjusted his emotions, looked at the few people in front of him, and sighed, “Go back and rest. Any incident in the forest ultimately stems from insufficient cultivation. Work harder in the future.”

　　”Yes, Father.” Yuan Ye led his younger siblings away.

　　Then, Uncle Yuan stepped out of the hall, approached a potted plant, and asked humbly, “Father, why didn’t you intervene in the forest today? Could it be that you wanted to toughen their wills through more realistic battles?”

　　Thinking about it, it made sense. Always practicing under the watchful eyes of elders creates a natural comfort zone psychologically, which prevents the extraction of one’s full potential.

　　”I was talking to Xiaolin at the time and didn’t notice.”

　　”…”

　　At this moment, inside Bai Ling’s room, Yuan Xiaoling made her final pre-battle preparations.

　　Water-Borne Vitality!

　　A cute little jellyfish floated above the bed, its head bobbing up and down, occasionally sprinkling some raindrops.

　　Pupa~~, Pupa~~

　　Bai Ling looked at her perplexedly.

　　”What? I think this counts as a competition, and competitions need cheerleaders,” Yuan Xiaoling justified herself, “So I summoned something to cheer us on. What’s wrong with that?”

　　”…Fine.”

　　Xiaolin huffed and puffed as she lay down, thinking, little brat, sister’s fighting with a fountain, you’ll tire yourself out.

　　The raindrops from the jellyfish sprinkled on Bai Ling, not wetting her clothes but instead restoring her stamina and spiritual power.

　　Bai Ling: “?”