Huo Yu'er watched Ye Wen's hand move quickly, then drop back down, feeling somewhat confused about what he was doing.
"Uncle, what are you doing?"
Ye Wen casually replied that it was nothing—his hand had just felt a bit itchy.
As for Huo Yun'er's soul, Ye Wen didn't plan to mention it now. After all, he hadn't yet revealed his identity as a god, and in this era where evil soul masters ran rampant, manipulating souls would surely make this young girl wary of him.
"Oh," Huo Yuer responded. Their relationship wasn't close enough for her to ask further questions, so she simply bowed slightly again.
"If Uncle has no other matters, I'll take my leave. I still have things to do."
With that, Huo Yuer turned around without hesitation, intending to leave immediately.
However, Ye Wen, who had already been calculating regarding Huo Yuer, couldn't possibly let this naive little girl wander off into such a chaotic world. If she weren't the destined protagonist, even if she hadn't been pursued by the Dai family, she might have long since been abducted and disappeared.
"Wait."
The sound of Ye Wen's voice caused Huo Yuer's body to stiffen. She grew tense and looked at him timidly.
"Uncle, do you still need something? I'm very sorry about earlier, but if you're asking for compensation, aside from this soul-guiding artifact, I don't have anything else of value."
Ye Wen carefully organized his words before speaking.
"Little one, your spirit is an eye, right?"
Huo Yuer, who hadn't received proper soul master education, only knew basic meditation techniques and how to hunt for spirit rings.
However, seeing that Ye Wen hadn't made any inappropriate moves, she nodded cooperatively.
A gentle smile appeared on Ye Wen's lips. "Just as I thought. Then, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
"Huh?"
Huo Yuer froze in astonishment. Though she had always hoped someone would teach her cultivation, Ye Wen's directness caught her off guard.
Finally, she pointed at herself with her pitifully thin fingers, disbelief evident in her voice.
"Me?"
Ye Wen nodded with his usual kind smile.
For the first time, Huo Yuer felt warmth in her heart from someone other than her mother.
But then, as if remembering something, she glanced at her mother's tombstone and her own emaciated, unappealing body. She shook her head sadly and declined.
"No need, Uncle. Thank you for your kindness. I know you're a good person, and you're offering to take me as your disciple out of pity. But I don't want to hold you back."
Huo Yuer truly was a thoughtful and sensitive person. Ye Wen silently marveled at her maturity.
But having already taken the initiative to approach her, Ye Wen certainly wasn't going to back down now. He stepped forward slowly and gently patted her head with his broad hand.
"Good child."
This warm, caring voice brought tears to Huo Yuer's eyes. Despite her resilience, she was still just an inexperienced young girl. Deep down, she longed for someone to protect her and shield her from life's storms. Unfortunately, her mother could no longer love or protect her, and now Ye Wen seemed to be taking on that role.
"It's alright now. From now on, you'll stay with me. Uncle will protect you," Ye Wen reassured her.
Huo Yuer took a step back, trying to refuse. She knew how powerful her enemies were, and she didn't want to involve such a kind-hearted person.
After tens of thousands of years, Ye Wen's perception had grown razor-sharp. In an instant, he understood her thoughts.
"Don't worry, little one. I'll protect you. Look."
With that, Ye Wen activated his mimicry spirit skill.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red—
Huo Yuer, who didn't possess a single spirit ring, was utterly stunned.
Even with her limited knowledge, she knew that red spirit rings represented the coveted hundred-thousand-year spirit rings that all soul masters dreamed of. And here was Ye Wen, displaying three of them, far surpassing her understanding of even titled Douluo-level masters.
At first, Huo Yuer thought they might be fake, so she hurriedly activated her Spiritual Eye spirit to verify. To her astonishment, the rings were indeed real.
Ye Wen's warm hand returned to gently stroke Huo Yuer's slightly coarse hair as he softly asked,
"How about it? Is Uncle's strength enough to protect you?"
Huo Yuer instinctively nodded, then quickly shook her head. While she desperately wanted a powerful soul master like Ye Wen to protect her, she truly didn't want to drag him into her troubles.
In her simplistic understanding, the White Tiger Duke's manor was far too powerful for even a titled Douluo to oppose.
"Uncle… r-really… n-no need," Huo Yuer stammered, struggling to decline.
Ye Wen sighed inwardly. What a stubborn yet endearing little girl.
But—
As a figure countless soul masters from the original timeline would dream of apprenticing under, could Ye Wen tolerate being rejected by such a young girl?
Reabsorbing his spirit rings, Ye Wen scooped the girl up directly.
"Eh!?" Huo Yuer instinctively struggled. "Uncle, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" A mischievous grin spread across Ye Wen's face.
"Obviously, I'm making you my disciple. If you won't accept willingly, then I'll force you. Call me Master, or you won't be set down today."
"Ahhhh—" Huo Yuer's mind went blank.
How had this once-gentle uncle suddenly turned so shameless?
Though she had been bullied in the Duke's manor, this level of physical contact with a strange man still made her incredibly flustered.
Her mother had always said that men and women shouldn't touch so intimately!
After struggling for a while, Huo Yuer finally realized the harsh truth—if she didn't agree to this uncle's demand to become his disciple, he probably wouldn't put her down.
While being taken as a disciple by a titled Douluo thrilled her, the situation was absurd!
"Master! Master! Master! Fine, I'll acknowledge you as my master! Just put me down, please stop holding me!"
Having already descended the mountain, Ye Wen nodded in satisfaction. Sometimes, a bit of coercion saved a lot of time.
Ye Wen carried Huo Yuer effortlessly without breaking a sweat, but after struggling for so long, Huo Yuer's face had turned pale.
*Click.* Ye Wen clicked his tongue. This poor girl had been worn out by the White Tiger Duke's manor—it was truly inhumane.
Ye Wen wanted to help her recover, but he remembered that he didn't carry mundane items on him. Using divine power might reveal his true nature, so for now, he let Huo Yuer sit on a large rock to gradually regain her strength.
Fortunately, despite her weakness, Huo Yuer was still a level-10 quasi-soul master. She quickly adjusted her physical state and looked at Ye Wen with exasperation.
"My aptitude is so poor—surely you can see that, Master. Why are you so insistent on taking me as your disciple?"
Ye Wen couldn't exactly say it was because she was the chosen one.
After some thought, he smiled and replied, "My first disciple also had a Body Spirit. You caught my eye, so I decided to take you in."
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