Chapter 108: Winter
Deep winter.
The entire estate was covered in a blanket of snow, a vast expanse of white as far as the eye could see.
Inside a wooden house, deep within the estate.
Outside, the wind howled fiercely, rattling the windowpanes, but inside, the earth dragon burned brightly, making the entire room as warm as spring.
Thick blankets were spread over the sofa. Lin Rong sat comfortably, sipping ginger tea, his peripheral vision catching sight of the Nine Bend Vine Dragon playing in the snow outside.
"The banyan tree isn't cold-resistant, and my Martial Soul, apart from the Dragon Soul, isn't as cold-resistant as other top-tier Plant System Martial Souls."
"This makes me, as the Martial Soul's owner, also afraid of the cold. I couldn't bear it after just a short snowball fight with Xiao Qing."
Although he could use his Soul Power to shield himself from the external cold, playing a snowball fight without feeling any cold would completely ruin the fun.
If it weren't for the Blue Silver Grass Forest being in the central southern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, where the climate was relatively warm, Lin Rong would have waited until spring to obtain his sixth Spirit Ring.
The old butler sat beside Lin Rong, tending to the tea soup simmering on the stove. He asked gently, "Young master, the heavy snow has blocked the roads today, making it difficult for carriages to travel."
"Furthermore, according to the usual winter weather trends, this heavy snow is likely to continue for several days without stopping. We won't be able to travel by carriage out of the city for the next few days."
"So, should we wait for this heavy snow to end before departing by carriage, or should we just have the two of us, master and servant, depart alone?"
Lin Rong listened, finished his ginger tea, and handed the porcelain bowl to the old butler beside him. He said softly, "Grandpa Yu, it'll be just the two of us. It's the middle of winter, so it's good for the coachman to rest at home."
"If it's just the two of us, with Xiao Qing carrying us to fly, it will not only be convenient for the round trip but also much faster than traveling by carriage."
The old butler listened to his young master's words, filled the porcelain bowl in his hand with ginger tea soup to seven-tenths full, and then presented the bowl with both hands to Lin Rong sitting beside him, replying, "If that is the case, young master, then this old servant will first attend to some household matters. Once they are dealt with, we can depart at any time."
Lin Rong accepted the porcelain bowl filled with ginger tea and nodded, saying, "Mm, Grandpa Yu, you go ahead. I'll wait for you."
After watching the old butler's figure disappear into the heavy snow, Lin Rong stood by the window and shifted his gaze to the Nine Bend Vine Dragon, which was happily playing outdoors.
Outside, the Nine Bend Vine Dragon, engrossed in building a snowman, suddenly sensed its master's gaze upon it and turned its head to look.
The Nine Bend Vine Dragon and Lin Rong were of one mind, and it instantly understood the meaning behind its master's look:
"Alright, stop playing now and come back inside quickly."
Thus, with a reluctant expression, the Nine Bend Vine Dragon left the unfinished snowman and obediently returned to the house.
Back inside, the Nine Bend Vine Dragon shrank to its miniature form and coiled around Lin Rong's left wrist, its cool dragon scales a sudden sensation.
"Whoa, don't you know I'm afraid of the cold?"
Lin Rong quickly brought his left wrist closer to the stove to warm it up and instructed, "Next time you play in the snow, remember to warm yourself by the fire until you're thoroughly heated."
While the old butler was busy with household matters, Lin Rong held the porcelain bowl, sipping his ginger tea, and mentally reviewed the events of the past three months.
First, regarding Shrek Academy.
Flender, by some unknown means, had persuaded Yu Xiaogang to lead the teachers and students of Shrek Academy away from the Barak Kingdom. They had traveled thousands of miles to Heaven Dou City and found Blue Tyrant Academy.
According to the information sent back by Shi Nian, upon seeing Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang's longing for Bibi Dong in his nightmares had deepened for some unknown reason.
Lin Rong could roughly guess some of the reasons for this.
Although Liu Erlong loved Yu Xiaogang deeply, she displayed a strong possessiveness, and her fiery temper often led to arguments with Yu Xiaogang.
Bibi Dong, however, was different. Before the incident in the secret chamber, her heart was as pure as a blank piece of paper. She was gentle and quiet, and also more understanding.
It could be said that during Yu Xiaogang's first love, Bibi Dong was the perfect confidante in his heart, always centering her thoughts and actions around him and considering his well-being.
Shi Nian's nightmare had stirred Yu Xiaogang's deep-seated longing for Bibi Dong.
Therefore, after seeing Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but compare the current Liu Erlong with the Bibi Dong in his memory.
This comparison instantly revealed the vast difference, further intensifying Yu Xiaogang's yearning for Bibi Dong.
If things continued at this rate, In another year or so, Yu Xiaogang would likely be unable to suppress his feelings for Bibi Dong and would travel to Spirit City to question his former first love about the truth of what happened back then.
At that time, the deeper Bibi Dong's love for Yu Xiaogang was, the higher the difficulty of her Rakshasa Nine Trials would be.
As for how long her path to godhood would be delayed, it would depend on how deeply Bibi Dong loved Yu Xiaogang.
In addition, after arriving in Heaven Dou City, Yu Xiaogang learned that not only was his idol's son, Tang San, also here, but he also possessed Innate Full Soul Power. This immediately sparked his desire to take him as a disciple.
Blue Silver Grass plus Innate Full Soul Power, in his understanding, Tang San must have dual Martial Souls. As Tang Hao's son, the other Martial Soul would undoubtedly be the Clear Sky Hammer.
Such talent made his current disciple, Dai Mubai, who had previously satisfied him, suddenly look completely displeasing in his eyes.
Yu Xiaogang felt that Dai Mubai's talent was simply too low. How could he have accepted such a mediocre talent as a disciple back then?
Especially after learning from some unknown source that Tang San had broken through to level thirty before the age of eleven, his thoughts on this matter reached their peak.
And so, Yu Xiaogang visited the Tang Sect in his capacity as the chief teacher of Blue Tyrant Academy. Leveraging the fact that Tailong was a student at Blue Tyrant Academy, he successfully used this connection to meet Tang San, the sect master of the Tang Sect.
Yu Xiaogang had initially believed that impressing an eleven-year-old child with his unbeatable theories would be an easy task. However, things did not proceed as he had anticipated.
The Tang San of today was no longer the novice Spirit Master from the original story, who knew nothing and could be easily fooled with a few seemingly profound words when he was just six years old.
For reasons unknown, Tang San patiently listened to Yu Xiaogang's lengthy discourse. When Yu Xiaogang proposed taking him as a disciple, Tang San unceremoniously refused and expelled him from the gates of the Tang Sect.
The matter of Yu Xiaogang attempting to take the Tang Sect master as his disciple spread throughout Heaven Dou City in just a few days, fueled by those with ulterior motives. It became a topic of casual conversation for both commoners and nobles alike.
Upon learning of this, Dai Mubai had a heated argument with Yu Xiaogang. Ultimately, due to various unavoidable reasons, the two teacher and student reached a reconciliation.
The most direct and important reason was that Yu Xiaogang had no better options, and Dai Mubai's status did not permit him to fail.
Although animosity grew between the teacher and student, they were, for their own respective reasons, forced to continue their pretense of friendly teacher-student relations.
Meanwhile, on the Tang Sect's side.
After various events, especially what transpired at the funeral, the Tang Sect's status was far from what it used to be.
Aside from the unchanging order for Hidden Weapons from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the scattered orders from other nobles in Heaven Dou City had decreased by nearly eighty percent.
Tang San himself once again recognized the importance of his own strength.
Because of this, Tang San, determined to improve, handed over all Tang Sect affairs and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
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