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Wei Yang’s gaze shifted slightly, turning toward the cave dwelling, sensing the familiar aura lingering within.
That aura... seemed a bit unstable.
Sensing this, he couldn’t help but smile.
"Not long ago, Sister Xian’er sent me a voice transmission," Qing Lin quickly explained. "She said she’s successfully broken through and is currently stabilizing her realm. She said it’ll take a few days."
"Mm. Excellent—double blessings." Wei Yang nodded with a smile, then withdrew his gaze and turned to the figure standing before him—Du Jiao, whose hollow and lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead. The rightful source is noveⅼfire.net
"His soul has been corroded by poison, and he’s lost all sense of awareness. Only primal instinct remains. Because of that, you should be able to subdue him."
Wei Yang continued, "I’ll extract the Ghostly Poison Flame from his body in a moment. While he’s unconscious, establish a contract with him right away."
"Okay." Qing Lin nodded, then hesitantly asked, "Young Master... I’m just a Dou Shi. Can I really subdue him?"
"It’s alright. He’s not conscious, so he won’t resist. It shouldn’t be too hard," Wei Yang reassured her. "Don’t stress about it. Just give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work right now, you can wait until you break through to Da Dou Shi and try again then."
"Alright." Qing Lin smiled and stepped in front of Du Jiao. After taking a light breath, she slowly closed her eyes.
"Alright then, here we go." Wei Yang said as he raised his hand.
Immediately, a palm-sized green flame emerged from within Du Jiao’s body, landing in Wei Yang’s palm, which was wreathed in black fire.
Prepared for this, Qing Lin snapped open her eyes.
In her pupils, two small, jade-green flowers bloomed faintly, emanating a dim, mystical glow.
The glow spilled over Du Jiao’s body.
At the same time, a subtle but strange fluctuation began to ripple out from Qing Lin.
Wei Yang quickly waved his hand, forming a soul barrier that sealed off the energy fluctuation from spreading.
He observed closely, then frowned slightly and shook his head.
Although the improved Soul Seal was significantly more effective than before, the moment Qing Lin fully activated her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, the strange fluctuations it emitted were still too difficult to fully suppress.
If Wei Yang hadn’t stopped the ripple from spreading, and someone from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion happened to be near the Ghostly Marsh right now, they would’ve definitely noticed it.
"No matter. I’ll lie low for another three years. By then, I won’t need to fear the Heavenly Serpent Mansion anymore," Wei Yang thought to himself, eyes narrowing.
Now that he had a mid-tier Dou Zong under his command, he felt far more confident. He no longer feared the Heavenly Serpent Mansion as much as before.
Three years from now, he’d be at least at the peak of Dou Huang, and Xian’er would be a mid to high-tier Dou Zong. By then, even if they had to face the Heavenly Serpent Mansion directly—so what?
As the ghostly glow finally faded, a jade-green flower seal appeared on Du Jiao’s forehead.
Qing Lin’s face had gone pale, a fine layer of sweat covering the tip of her nose. Her body swayed and nearly collapsed.
Wei Yang quickly caught her. "Qing Lin, how do you feel?"
Qing Lin leaned contentedly into Wei Yang’s arms, a joyful smile appearing on her face. "Young Master... I did it."
"I know, I saw it all." Wei Yang gently wiped the sweat from her nose. "I’m asking how you’re feeling right now."
"I’m fine, just a bit tired," Qing Lin replied, shaking her head slightly.
Wei Yang sat cross-legged on the ground and gently laid her across his lap. "Then don’t talk. Just close your eyes and get some rest."
"Mm." Qing Lin obediently shut her eyes. Not long after, her breathing grew steady, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
"Looks like... even though it had lost its self-awareness and was only acting on primal instinct, a Rank 7 serpent-type magic beast is still a bit much for Qing Lin to handle right now," Wei Yang thought to himself.
He gently brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek.
With a flick of his wrist, he took out a jade bottle and carefully stored the Ghostly Poison Flame that was still burning in his other hand.
After sealing the bottle and putting it away, Wei Yang looked up at Du Jiao again.
He saw that Du Jiao’s previously lifeless, vacant eyes were slowly beginning to focus—gradually regaining a faint trace of spirit.
He lowered his head, and in that no longer entirely empty, lifeless gaze, his eyes locked onto Qing Lin, who lay in Wei Yang’s arms. Within those pupils, a faint glimmer of emotion seemed to ripple through.
He appeared dazed—perhaps even as though he were thinking. After a few moments, he slowly dropped to one knee.
His expression was somewhat confused, and a trace of pain occasionally flickered across his face. He remained motionless in that kneeling posture, dumbly—almost foolishly—staring at the sleeping Qing Lin.
This sudden behavior from Du Jiao—
"Huh?" Wei Yang raised a brow in surprise. "Looks like... maybe a sliver of his consciousness has been awakened? He actually knows pain... knows how to think... and even knows to kneel?"
"Could it be that the poison didn’t completely corrode his soul? Or was it Qing Lin’s Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils that triggered a flicker of residual memory?"
Still cradling Qing Lin in one arm, Wei Yang rubbed his chin with his free hand, eyes locked on the kneeling Du Jiao.
"Or maybe it’s because he himself is a poison-attribute Rank 7 magic beast. The soul-corrosion wasn’t as severe as I initially thought, and his innate resistance and adaptability to toxins are much stronger than I expected?"
"Whatever the reason, this is a good sign. If there’s even a sliver of consciousness left, recovery down the line won’t be nearly as troublesome," Wei Yang mused.
It seemed that Du Jiao was worth investing a little more attention and effort in moving forward.
After all, a subordinate who could obey, think, and remain loyal was far more valuable than a mindless puppet who could only follow orders.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
With three days of recuperation behind him, Du Jiao’s eyes had grown noticeably more animated.
That lingering sliver of consciousness had gradually gained control and grown accustomed to his body, and his movements were now much more agile.
He’d even managed to call out "Master" to Qing Lin with a rough but obedient voice.
Wei Yang had fed him a fourth-tier healing pill, further rejuvenating his body and making his life force more vibrant than before.
A Dou Zong-level magic beast’s physique was innately vigorous. Its regenerative abilities far surpassed that of an ordinary human.
Once Xian’er finished refining the Ghostly Poison Flame, Wei Yang planned to extract the remaining excess toxins from Du Jiao’s body and smooth out his meridians. With that and some adjustments to his core energy, his recovery would progress even faster.
As for the matter of the soul...
That was a trickier problem, and one that Wei Yang couldn’t solve immediately. For now, Du Jiao would have to rely on himself for gradual healing.
Wei Yang didn’t even have a single fourth-tier Soul-Nourishing Lotus at the moment.
If he did, he could’ve refined a soul-nourishing liquid to aid Du Jiao’s mental recovery.
Another three days passed.
On this particular day, a sudden, powerful surge of Dou Huang-level aura burst from within the cave dwelling.
Moments later, the aura gradually receded.
Out by the cliff side, Wei Yang and Qing Lin—who had been playing a game of five-in-a-row—both turned their heads in surprise and joy toward the cave.
It seemed Xian’er had fully stabilized her cultivation and was ready to emerge.
Beside them, Du Jiao—who looked rather dull on the surface—was nimbly tying a butterfly knot with a thin string. As soon as he sensed the sudden spike in pressure, his hand trembled and the string snapped apart.
"Master... Young Master..." Du Jiao’s voice was rough and low as he looked toward Qing Lin and Wei Yang, speaking slowly.
His face still appeared somewhat wooden, but the aura within his body surged faintly. A trace of vigilance surfaced in his eyes as he stared toward the cave.
"Du Jiao, that’s Sister Xian’er. She’s one of us. No need to be tense," Qing Lin quickly waved her hand and called out.
Wei Yang, on the other hand, looked at Du Jiao with a bit of surprise, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He hadn’t expected that after just a few days of recovery, this guy had improved so much—not only learning how to skillfully tie a butterfly knot, but even developing a sense of vigilance and the instinct to protect his master.
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