Douluo: When the piano sounds, the hidden weapon returns to the factory

Chapter 87 Absorbing Soul Bones
On the cobblestone streets of Nottingham, Feng Yao's figure, carrying a crystal jade basin, attracted countless stares. The golden veins of the Blue Silver Emperor arowana shimmered in the sunlight, and its leaves swayed gently with his steps, like a living work of art.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a young master who grows flowers before?" Feng Yao deliberately raised his voice, his fingertip flicking the most vibrant leaf mischievously. The Blue Silver Emperor immediately curled up its leaf tip, its golden veins flashing rapidly, like a small beast with its fur standing on end.

Qian Renxue followed half a step behind, her snow-white veil unable to conceal the twitching corners of her mouth. Along the way, she witnessed the entire process of this proud plant's transformation from fierce resistance to utter despair—at first, it would angrily slap the back of Feng Yao's hand, then it would use its leaves to curl around his fingers in protest, and finally, all its leaves would droop down, even the golden veins would dim a bit.

"Playing dead like that?" Feng Yao poked the drooping tender leaf, and seeing that it really didn't react, he finally withdrew his mischievous finger in frustration. "No fun."

The leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor trembled almost imperceptibly, as if to say, "Finally, it's quiet." Qian Renxue finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Let's go, let's find an inn and absorb this soul bone first," he said to Qian Renxue, a sly glint in his eyes.

Before he finished speaking, the previously listless Blue Silver Emperor suddenly "came to life," its leaves suddenly rising up and lightly patting Feng Yao's hand, the golden patterns flashing rapidly as if expressing a strong protest.

"Hey, it's quite lively here." Feng Yao raised an eyebrow and chuckled, deliberately poking the most active leaf with his fingertip. "You were quite good at playing dead earlier."

Qian Renxue sighed and rubbed her forehead, her snow-white veil swaying gently as she shook her head: "How old are you? Still arguing with a blade of grass?"

Feng Yao's gaze lingered on the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor, recalling the gentle and moving Blue Silver Emperor's transformed form in the original story, and he smiled meaningfully, "Xue'er, you don't understand."

Qian Renxue naturally didn't understand the deeper meaning behind his words, taking it as another joke, and rolled her eyes at him irritably: "Stop fooling around, there's a ton of government affairs waiting to be dealt with in Tiandou City."

"Alright, alright." Feng Yao knew when to stop, and said seriously, "After I absorb the soul bone, I'll visit Manager Ning, and then we'll set off back to Tian Dou."

Upon hearing the name "Manager Ning," a hint of interest flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes: "I'm also quite curious about this Manager Ning."

The two found a secluded inn on the west street of Nottingham. Feng Yao locked the door behind him before taking out the soul bone from his soul tool.

In an instant, the entire room was engulfed in azure light. The soul bone was crystal clear, with gold and blue patterns flowing across its surface as if alive, each pattern containing a vast, ocean-like life force. Most strangely, this immense soul power, enough to cause an ordinary soul master to explode and die, was now as gentle as a spring stream, even condensing into specks of blue-gold light in the air.

“Woo—”

Suddenly, the jade basin in Qian Renxue's arms emitted a strange buzzing sound. All the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor rose up, and the golden patterns flashed at an astonishing frequency, causing the jade basin to tremble slightly in her hands.

“It seems she’s even more anxious than you are.” Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly, her golden eyes reflecting the blue light filling the room. “I’ll go stand guard outside the door.”

Feng Yao nodded slightly and sat cross-legged, his soul bone floating three inches from his palm.

"let's start."

Feng Yao held the soul bone in his hands, and his soul power surged out like a tide. When the first wisp of soul power touched the surface of the soul bone, the entire soul bone suddenly turned into a liquid, flowing into his meridians like melting blue crystal.

"Well!"

As soon as the soul bone approached his right leg, a clear buzzing sound rang out, and a cool aura surged into his right leg from all directions. It then seeped into his flesh and bones, and finally flowed into his meridians. It circulated through his body's meridians at an extremely fast speed, without any discomfort or obstruction. The cool and comfortable feeling made Feng Yao tremble slightly.

Unlike the violent impact of absorbing ordinary soul bones, the energy of this Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone was extremely gentle, like a spring stream, slowly seeping into his meridians. Feng Yao felt a warm life force spreading within his body, as if he were soaking in a spring of just the right temperature, every inch of his flesh and blood rejoicing.

The energy of the soul bone flowed through his body, gently nourishing and widening his meridians wherever it passed, yet he felt no pain whatsoever. The blue-gold soul power seeped into his bones like a fine rain, perfectly merging with his own soul power.

As his soul power circulated, Feng Yao's soul power fluctuations gradually increased, and the blue-gold light surrounding his body became increasingly dazzling. The bottleneck of level sixty-four began to loosen.

The original bottleneck was quietly broken through under the gentle yet vast energy. However, the energy of the soul bone was not yet exhausted, continuing to nourish his body. Feng Yao could clearly sense that the purity of his soul power was increasing, and each strand of soul power was becoming more condensed and profound. His bones, flesh and blood, and even his spiritual sea were undergoing a silent transformation.

Finally, as the last wisp of soul bone energy merged into his body, the soul bone perfectly integrated into his right leg bone, and Feng Yao's aura surged once more—

Level 69!

He slowly opened his eyes, a blue-gold light seeming to flow within them before quickly returning to calm. Feng Yao gently exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the surging power within his body, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

This soul bone not only allowed his soul power to break through five levels, but also endowed him with an unprecedented vitality.

"As expected of a 100,000-year-old soul bone. It seems the harvest is even more abundant than anticipated." Feng Yao murmured, then got up and pushed open the door to go out.

Outside the door, Qian Renxue was leaning against the railing. When she saw him come out, her eyes flickered slightly: "You succeeded?"

Feng Yao smiled and nodded: "Level 69..."

Qian Renxue looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes, then snorted softly, "It seems this trip to Notting City wasn't a waste."

Feng Yao stared at Qian Renxue, a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "Xue'er, you'd better work harder. I, a mere mortal, have already reached level sixty-nine."

Qian Renxue was taken aback upon hearing this, a complex emotion flashing in her golden eyes. She suddenly remembered what she had said earlier, and Feng Yao's second martial soul, which he had not yet cultivated. If he truly began cultivating two martial souls simultaneously, surpassing her would probably only be a matter of time.

"Hmph!" She turned abruptly, her profile tense in the moonlight. "Even if your level surpasses mine, you'll have to beat me first." Seeing Qian Renxue's playful act, Feng Yao chuckled and pulled her into his arms. Qian Renxue struggled symbolically, but he tightened his embrace. "Just kidding," he whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her reddened earlobe. "How could I bear to beat you?"

Qian Renxue's lips unconsciously curled up, but she still stubbornly said, "I see you're always thinking about these things, no wonder you cultivate so hard."

“What Xue’er said isn’t untrue.” Feng Yao’s fingertips gently twirled a strand of her golden hair. “Cultivation always needs a goal, and you are mine.” His voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of ambiguity. “Of course, I also want to experience the feeling of taking the initiative with Xue’er. I can’t always let Xue’er take the initiative.”

"You!" Qian Renxue blushed instantly from her ears to her neck, and angrily punched his shoulder. "Nonsense! You little rascal!"

A night breeze swept by, causing her fragrant blonde hair to flutter wildly, with a few strands playfully clinging to Feng Yao's lips. He smiled and tucked the strand behind her ear, his eyes filled with doting affection.

A gentle night breeze stirred, and the two of them suddenly sensed a faint presence. Turning their heads, they saw that the Blue Silver Emperor plant placed by the window had curled up all its leaves, and even its golden patterns had dimmed, resembling a child covering its eyes, too ashamed to look.

"Pfft—" Feng Yao couldn't help but chuckle, his hearty laughter startling the nightingale perched outside the window. Qian Renxue playfully punched him, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears: "It's all your fault!"

Feng Yao loosened his embrace and walked with interest to the Blue Silver Emperor. He first gently touched the most tightly curled leaf with his fingertip, and seeing it shrink back even further, he couldn't help but chuckle: "I have both your soul bone and your bloodline." His slender fingers traced the golden patterns on the leaf that shared the same origin as his own soul power, "In that case, we can be considered connected by blood."

The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves suddenly stood up, their golden veins flashing rapidly, slapping against his fingers as if protesting this absurd claim.

Qian Renxue straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and walked over. Hearing this, she chuckled, "What you said isn't wrong. The Soul Master system optimizes the Soul Master's bloodline through Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Just within our Angel Clan alone, there are many different branches of Angel Martial Souls recorded, all because they absorbed various Soul Rings and Soul Bones, resulting in Angels with different abilities."

A night breeze drifted through the windowpanes, carrying a hint of coolness. Feng Yao gazed at the distant starry sky and murmured, "It seems we can't return to Tiandou City yet."

"Hmm?" Qian Renxue turned her head, her golden eyes reflecting the dim candlelight.

"Do you still remember that forest covered with blue silver grass?" Feng Yao chuckled.

Before the words were finished, the Blue Silver Emperor suddenly trembled violently. All its leaves lay flat against the edge of the jade basin, their golden veins flashing rapidly, as if performing some kind of grand ceremony. The tenderest leaf at the very top gently tugged at Feng Yao's sleeve, revealing a pleading tone.

Feng Yao gently stroked its leaves, his voice gentle yet authoritative: "Rest assured, once I awaken my bloodline power, I will not harm your people."

The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves suddenly stood upright, their golden veins flashing wildly, as if accusing him of his shameless behavior. But they quickly withered again—it seemed to realize that if it didn't cooperate, this human might set his sights on something more important.
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of her teacup: "You seem to know far too much about this herb?"

Feng Yao's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "After all, he and Tang San were classmates." He calmly poured himself a cup of tea. "A Blue Silver Grass martial soul that can coexist with the Clear Sky Hammer is obviously no ordinary weapon."

The name "Tang San" seemed to have triggered something, and the Blue Silver Emperor suddenly shook wildly. Tiny roots emerged from the soil, tightly entwining Feng Yao's fingers, as if urgently asking something.

Qian Renxue suddenly reached out and pinched Feng Yao's cheeks, gently pulling them apart. Her golden eyes held a sly smile: "If I hadn't taken you to see Grandpa, I would have really suspected that you were a 100,000-year-old soul beast in human form." Her fingertips were warm and soft, leaving faint red marks on Feng Yao's face.

As she spoke, she suddenly turned to look at the Blue Silver Emperor tree by the window. Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting dappled patterns of light on its leaves. Qian Renxue stretched out her slender, jade-like fingers and gently stroked the slightly trembling leaf, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Little Wind... I suddenly understand Tang Hao a little."

Feng Yao gazed at her profile, outlined by the moonlight, and said softly, "Yes, when even a blade of grass has joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, what difference is there between it and a human?" He looked at the blue-gold soul power flowing in his palm, "It's just that the allure of soul rings and soul bones to soul masters is too great. A single soul ring can break through a bottleneck and gain powerful skills. Such temptation destined the two races to be unable to coexist."

Qian Renxue's gaze lingered on the Blue Silver Emperor, watching it sway gently in the night breeze. In a daze, she seemed to see the chaotic era shrouded in war and plague, as recorded in the ancient texts of the Spirit Hall.

“Xiao Feng,” she suddenly spoke, her voice filled with unprecedented determination, “I have an idea.”

Feng Yao watched her quietly, waiting for what would happen next.

"Our ancestors brought hope and light to humankind." Qian Renxue turned around, the moonlight gilding her with a silvery edge. "But I hope that this light can illuminate all living beings across the entire continent."

Feng Yao's pupils contracted slightly. The girl before him seemed to overlap with the angelic statue in the Spirit Hall at this moment. He saw the light dancing in her eyes, more dazzling than the true fire of the sun.

“We can definitely do it.” He took her hand, their fingers intertwined.

"Ah."

The Blue Silver Emperor bonsai by the window swayed gently, its delicate roots slowly unfurling from the wind's embrace. Golden veins rippled softly in the moonlight, as if silently blessing the loving couple.

"Madam~" Feng Yao suddenly pulled Qian Renxue closer to him, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice carrying a seductive undertone, "It's late, why don't we..."

"Nonsense!" Qian Renxue's ears instantly turned crimson, and she nudged him with her elbow. "You're being indecent. There's more here... there's more..." She glanced in embarrassment and annoyance at the direction of the Blue Silver Emperor, where the plant had somehow covered its "eyes" with its leaves.

Feng Yao turned to look at the Blue Silver Emperor, who was feigning "don't look at what you shouldn't see," and sighed dramatically, "I suddenly regret taking you with me." He pretended to reach for the jade basin, "Or should I just plant you back in that cave?"

The Blue Silver Emperor immediately raised all its leaves, its golden veins flashing rapidly, as if in strong protest. The tenderest leaves at the very top curled up in a wronged manner, trembling gently in the moonlight.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue couldn't help but chuckle, a wisp of warm soul energy gathering at her fingertips as she gently stroked its leaves: "Ignore this scoundrel." She looked up and glared at Feng Yao, "If you want to sleep, go sleep in the outer room yourself."

Seeing this, Feng Yao immediately put on a fawning smile, clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture: "Alright, alright, I'll cultivate, I'll cultivate right now~"

(End of this chapter)