NOVEL WEB Chapter 22: Chapter 22: I don't believe it
"Wuu wuu... Teacher, I was bullied!" Na'er cried bitterly. The thought of herself, the distinguished split soul of the Soul Beast Sovereign, being forced to kneel and apologize to a mere "hundred-thousand-year-old transformed soul beast" in front of her subordinates filled her with overwhelming grievance.
"Alright, stop crying. It's my fault. I didn't even know you had a brother. If I had, I would never have let you go seek revenge on your own." Saint Spirit Douluo Yali comforted her gently. If she had known about Tang Wulin and Na'er's relationship earlier, she would have kept Na'er from running off alone.
"My brother… Ah!" The moment Yali mentioned Tang Wulin, Na'er stopped crying, her expression froze, and she suddenly screamed, "Teacher, is my brother okay?"
"He's fine. Don't you trust my abilities?" Yali smiled faintly, concealing the truth. Seeing Na'er so distressed, she couldn't bear to tell her what had really happened.
"But—"
"Na'er!" Before Na'er could say more, Tang Wulin's trembling voice called out from behind her.
Na'er turned and saw Tang Wulin standing there. With a muffled sob, she cried out again and leaped into his arms.
"I'm sorry, I made you worry." Tang Wulin's heart was heavy with guilt. Though he harbored resentment toward Xia Yi, he couldn't show it. After all, before the fight, Xia Yi had explicitly confirmed with Wu Zhangkong about the rules.
Moreover, Xia Yi's spirit power was only at level 10, and he was a support-type spirit master. From the start, the match had been unfair. Xia Yi using tactics to his advantage wasn't wrong.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have snuck away," Na'er sobbed harder, oblivious to her surroundings. She didn't even notice Xia Yi and Gu Yue standing nearby.
"Do you admit your mistake?" Just as Na'er was pouring out her grief, Xia Yi's cold voice suddenly cut through the air behind her.
Na'er froze instantly. Whether it was her body's instincts or the psychological trauma Xia Yi had inflicted earlier, she shuddered and instinctively replied, "I was wrong, I shouldn't have… Ah!"
The moment she started speaking, she remembered herself. As the split soul of the Soul Beast Sovereign, how could she show weakness again? Her body surged with silver light, and the Silver Dragon Spear shot toward Xia Yi like a streak of lightning.
The spear was as sharp and fast as ever, even shocking Tang Wulin. He hadn't realized Nale's power was so formidable.
But just as Yali prepared to intervene to protect Xia Yi, the Silver Dragon Spear stopped an inch before reaching Xia Yi.
Yali frowned. She couldn't understand how Xia Yi's simple gesture—a clenched fist—had stopped Na'er.
"Please, no more!" Na'er's petite frame trembled, her grip on the Silver Dragon Spear faltering. With a loud clang, the spear fell to the ground. She instinctively stepped in front of Tang Wulin but immediately realized it was futile.
Xia Yi remained silent, his cold gaze fixed on Na'er. He then pointed to the ground.
Na'er instinctively began to kneel but suddenly remembered that Tang Wulin and Yali were watching. She couldn't allow herself to lose face again.
"I know I was wrong. Please, let my brother and me go. I'll do whatever you want," Na'er pleaded tearfully, looking toward Gu Yue. She still believed Xia Yi was acting under Gu Yue's orders.
"What does this have to do with me?" Gu Yue shrugged. "If I hadn't reacted quickly earlier, I'd be the one kneeling before him now." Xia Yi had no idea about Na'er and Tang Wulin's relationship and couldn't have predicted Na'er's sudden appearance. If Xia Yi had prepared his threats in advance, they would have been directed at her.
Na'ee misunderstood Gu Yue's response as an unwillingness to forgive her.
Watching Xia Yi's fist tighten again, Na'er turned to Tang Wulin. She couldn't let him suffer. With tears streaming, she dropped to her knees, only for Tang Wulin to stop her.
"Gu Yue, what's going on here?" Tang Wulin asked sharply, raising his head to look at her. Although he didn't believe Gu Yue would conspire with Xia Yi to harm Na'er, Xia Yi had been with Gu Yue all along. And from Na'er's reaction, it seemed clear that Gu Yue was aligned with Xia Yi.
"I don't know. Ask your sister yourself!" Gu Yue muttered. Although she still harbored some feelings for Tang Wulin, seeing Na'er in such a state, she didn't dare show any attachment to him in front of Xia Yi. She had no desire to end up like Na'er.
Unbeknownst to her, Gu Yue was already subconsciously fearful of Xia Yi.
"What's going on here?" Holy Spirit Douluo Yali asked sternly, her gaze fixed coldly on Xia Yi. Whether or not Xia Yi had agreed to become her disciple, she wouldn't allow him to bully Na'er.
Xia Yi ignored Yali, keeping his eyes on Na'er as he coldly said, "How about this? Chop off one of your fingers, and I'll let you and your brother go."
"Are you serious?" Na'er raised her head sharply, staring at Xia Yi. To her, chopping off a finger was far more acceptable than kneeling publicly. She would rather lose an arm than endure the humiliation of kneeling in front of everyone.
"No!" Tang Wulin stopped Na'er again. He glared coldly at Xia Yi and said icily,
"How dare anyone bully my sister?" Tang Wulin's eyes blazed with fury as he confronted Xia Yi.
Looking at Na'er being so forced, although he didn't know what was going on, killing intent filled his eyes.
"A defeated man dares to threaten me?" Xia Yi smirked, his gaze cold as he looked back at Na'er. Without another word, he clenched his fist tighter.
"No, I'll do it!" Na'er unleashed her spirit power, knocking Tang Wulin aside effortlessly. Without hesitation, she infused spirit power into her right hand, transforming her palm into a blade.
With a sharp sound, she severed her left pinky.
To everyone's shock, Yali didn't intervene. Instead, she calmly caught Na'er's severed finger and handed it to Xia Yi.
"Go on," Yali said flatly. She had noticed Xia Yi's gaze and was curious.
"Fine." Xia Yi chuckled, pocketing the finger. He then placed two fingers on Na'er's wound. His first spirit ring glowed, emitting a gentle light.
Before their astonished eyes, Na'er's finger regrew, identical to before.
"Regeneration? So it's possible!" Yali's eyes sparkled with disbelief. She quickly thought of her own issues—her inability to conceive due to the life force she'd burned long ago. Xia Yi's ability seemed like a glimmer of hope.
But she quickly shook her head. "I'll worry about this later." After all, Xia Yi was only a Level 10 Spirit Master. It remained uncertain if he would ever reach the Title Douluo rank. Besides, with Na'er and Yun Ming in her life, her desire for a child wasn't as strong as before.
"This is impossible. You can't be a support-type spirit master!" Na'er stared at her regrown finger in disbelief. She fell to the ground, overwhelmed.
She couldn't reconcile the fact that she had lost to a mere level-10 support spirit master.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Na'er screamed and ran off, tears streaming down her face.
(End of Chapter)