Chapter 33: Symphony of Wind and Thunder

Witnessing the comical and darkly humorous scene before her, the corners of Bai Chenxiang’s mouth lifted, just the slightest bit, in an almost imperceptible smile.

She walked up to Bai He and tugged at the corner of his sleeve.

"Grandfather, I’m hungry."

"Ah? Oh... oh!"

Bai He snapped out of his trance. He quickly wiped away his villainous expression and looked down at his granddaughter, his eyes filled with a complexity that could fill a million-word novel.

"Hungry, are you? Then let’s go home and have a meal."

He felt as though his brain couldn't quite keep up. One moment, she was that little monster, strategizing, winning from a thousand miles away, and toying with a group of Soul Kings and Soul Sects in the palm of her hand. The next, she was just an ordinary six-year-old girl, pulling at his sleeve and complaining of hunger. These two vastly different images switched back and forth in his mind, leaving him with a surreal, disorienting sensation.

He rubbed his temples and watched the disciples of the Purple Lightning Family, under the roaring commands of Zi Dianxiong, finally hoist the carcass of the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf with incredibly awkward posture. They looked like a line of ants at a funeral, stumbling step by step toward the edge of the marsh.

Bai He suddenly felt that this trip had been the most thrilling and mind-boggling day of his entire life. Looking at his granddaughter’s calm little face, it took him a long time to squeeze out a single sentence.

"Xiangxiang..."

"Yes?"

"In the future, if our family runs out of money, how about you go out and bet against people?"

Bai Chenxiang: "..."

The journey home was a long, arduous trek filled with humiliation and despair for some. Zi Dianxiong, a dignified five-ring Soul King and a power-wielding elder of the Purple Lightning Family, was currently gritting his teeth, carrying a thick, roughly hewn tree trunk on his shoulder. At the other end of the trunk was his nephew, Zi Dianchen, who had just experienced the darkest moment of his life. Between them, the massive corpse of the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf was bound tightly with sturdy vines, swaying heavily with every step they took.

What was even worse was the torment in their hearts. Every step they took, the weight of the wolf’s carcass served as a reminder of the disgrace they had just suffered. Every time a passing soul master cast a curious glance their way, their faces burned hotter than the midday sun.

Zi Dianxiong didn’t even dare to look at the grandfather and granddaughter walking at the front. The old man, hands clasped behind his back, walked with a leisurely, square-stepped gait. From time to time, he would even stop to point at some plant by the roadside, commenting on it to the little girl as if they were strolling through their own back garden rather than the treacherous Sunset Forest.

In sharp contrast to the suffering of that group was the internal turmoil raging within Bai He. Outwardly, he appeared calm and detached, but in reality, the soul power within him was circulating in a way he found entirely unfamiliar. It felt as though a red-hot iron ball had been dropped into a pool of stagnant water that had been silent for years; the entire pool was being stirred, heated, and even beginning to emit faint wisps of steam.

The bottleneck at level eighty-two—the barrier that had plagued him for years and left him convinced he would never make another inch of progress—was showing signs of loosening because of today’s repeated shocks. From being stunned by his granddaughter’s tactics to being terrified by her high-stakes gamble, to witnessing her create a miracle, and finally, personally directing that humiliation of a Soul King—all these events had caused a faint but undeniably real shift!

This discovery made Bai He’s heart race. He forcibly suppressed his wild joy, not daring to show the slightest hint of it, and only used the corner of his eye to sneak a glance at his granddaughter.

Bai Chenxiang was unaware of her grandfather’s internal monologue. She was immersed in a marvelous state. Having absorbed the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf’s soul ring and integrated the medicinal power of the Thunder-Saliva Grass, her body had undergone a earth-shattering transformation. Right now, she didn’t even need to consciously circulate her soul power; that power, a fusion of wind and thunder, flowed spontaneously through her meridians with a mysterious rhythm.

Her first soul skill, Wings of Wind and Thunder, was a passive ability. This meant it was in effect at all times. Every step she took was several times lighter than before, as if the wind were beneath her feet. Every breath she drew carried a rhythmic pulse of lightning, keeping her mind in a state of high concentration.

Even more wondrous was her perception of the world. "Wind Whisper," an ability she had developed in conjunction with her martial soul, had also mutated after fusing with the power of lightning. In the past, the sound of the wind she heard was soft and continuous, like a flowing stream. Now, within that stream, there were countless tiny, jumping electric sparks. This complex stream of information had once made her dizzy, but as time passed, she began to adapt, learning how to filter and distinguish the sounds.

It was like a musician used to solo performances suddenly being thrown into a massive orchestra. At first, the noise of various instruments would leave him overwhelmed, but gradually, he could distinguish the melodious notes of the violins, the deep resonance of the cellos, the stirring calls of the trombones, and the heartbeat-like rhythm of the timpani.

Bai Chenxiang was doing exactly that. She tried sinking her consciousness into this symphony of wind and thunder.

"Grandfather," she suddenly spoke.

"Hmm? What is it?" Bai He snapped back to reality.

"Left-front, about three hundred and twenty paces away, inside the hollow of that crooked tree, there is a one-hundred-and-thirty-year-old Bone-Soft Rabbit." Bai Chenxiang tilted her little face up and said softly, "It’s very nervous; its heart is beating rapidly, and all its fur is standing on end."

Upon hearing this, Bai He subconsciously extended his spiritual power. A moment later, the corners of his eyes twitched violently.

Not a single detail was off! The result detected by his Spirit Douluo-level spiritual power was exactly the same as what his granddaughter had described!

If, during the battle, his granddaughter had shown combat wisdom and speed that defied common sense, then what she was showing now was a near-precognitive, god-like perception! Was this still the martial soul of the Swift Clan? In his memory, the Sharp-Tailed Swifts of the Swift Clan were defined by one thing: speed. While their perception was slightly better than that of ordinary soul masters, it was limited, relying mostly on their eyes. But his granddaughter? She wasn't just looking with her eyes; she was using the entire world as her eyes and ears!

"How did you know?" Bai He’s voice was somewhat dry.

"I heard it." Bai Chenxiang’s answer was simple and direct.

Heard it? Bai He fell completely silent. He felt that his worldview, his outlook on life, and his understanding of soul masters, all built up over eighty-plus years, had been completely demolished and needed to be rebuilt today. And what’s more, it was being haphazardly reconstructed by someone using materials he couldn't understand and blueprints he couldn't decipher.

He looked at his granddaughter, opened his mouth, and in the end, could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

Forget it, forget it. This girl could no longer be judged by common sense. She was a monster. A little monster that belonged to his Swift Clan—one that made him, as her grandfather, proud, headache-ridden, and a little bit afraid all at the same time.

"Cough, well... rabbit meat doesn't taste good, it’s too stringy," Bai He changed the subject dryly. "Let’s hurry home. Grandfather will stew a pot of meat soup for you. I guarantee that once you finish it, you’ll be asking for a second bowl."

"Okay." Bai Chenxiang nodded obediently and said nothing more. The tip of the iceberg she had revealed was already enough to shock her grandfather. Meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, and the road had to be walked one step at a time.

She submerged her consciousness back into the realization of the Wings of Wind and Thunder, trying to guide that power of wind and thunder flowing through her meridians toward her legs. Then, her gait changed ever so slightly. Her naturally light steps now carried an indescribable, flickering quality.

Zi Dianxiong, walking behind them, suddenly felt his eyes blur. He rubbed them and looked again. He saw that the little girl was keeping her pace perfectly in sync with her grandfather, neither fast nor slow. Yet, her figure left faint, ghostly afterimages on his retinas. It felt as if, with every step she took, her body was performing a high-speed flicker between her original position and her landing point, a movement too fast for the naked eye to capture.

Zi Dianxiong’s heart sank. She was growing stronger! This little monster, in the time it took to walk, during this journey home where they were suffering so much, was still growing stronger in a way he could not comprehend! The realization sent a chill deep into his bones. He had no doubt that if his nephew were to fight her again now, he wouldn't even last a third of a stick of incense.

"Keep moving, all of you! Stop dawdling! Do you want to spend the night out here?" The fear and humiliation in Zi Dianxiong’s heart eventually turned into raging fury, all of which he unleashed upon his clansmen, who were already on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.