Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 97: All grass and trees are soldiers
……

After waiting in the hall for a while, a beautiful woman who looked to be in her late twenties, dressed in a silver-white palace dress, came down from upstairs.

"Aunt Yuehua." Xue Qinghe stepped forward and bowed.

"Your Highness," Tang Yuehua bowed slightly.

“Aunt Yuehua, he is the child I told you about. I’ll leave the rest to you.” Xue Qinghe looked at Xuanming.

Tang Yuehua also looked over. Like the others, she was immediately drawn to Xuanming's peculiar martial soul. However, she didn't find it particularly novel; after a brief look, she became somewhat serious.

After a moment's thought, a gentle ripple emanated from her, elegant and natural, so gentle it seemed capable of soothing all the sorrows of the world.

However, the fluctuation did not react at all after it touched Xuanming.

Tang Yuehua frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then withdrew her domain.

"What's wrong?" Xue Qinghe asked, puzzled.

Tang Yuehua paused, then turned and gestured for Xue Qinghe to follow her to the side hall. "This child's condition is much more serious than His Highness the Crown Prince described."

"Your Highness, does he always maintain the same attitude—neither too close nor too distant—regardless of how you treat him or how his friends treat him?"

Xue Qinghe was taken aback. "That's true."

Even Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling weren't actually that close to Xuanming.

“If that’s the case, I…I’m not sure,” Tang Yuehua said.

This is a person who has completely sealed his heart in a cage, refusing to let anyone get close, whether good or evil.

This apparent coldness is just an illusion; beneath the surface lies deep-seated suspicion and disgust!

Because of doubt and aversion, they resist and are unwilling to accept it.

"If we were to describe him using symptoms, he would be terminally ill," Tang Yuehua said.

What has he been through?

"Experience..." Xue Qinghe hesitated for a moment before giving Tang Yuehua a general explanation of Xuanming's situation.

“No, not only that,” Tang Yuehua said.

"There's definitely more than that."

"I don't know anything else," Xue Qinghe said.

Tang Yuehua sighed, "All I can say is, I'll do my best."

She could only guide those closed-off areas that still had a chance of recovery, but this complete lockdown, refusing all access, was like a patient who was terminally ill but even the doctor refused to believe it.

No matter how skilled a doctor is, it's meaningless if the patient is unwilling to believe or cooperate.

“But I feel like he’s just a bit cold,” Xue Qinghe said.

“If His Highness the Crown Prince can also see his problems, then he is not far from collapsing,” Tang Yuehua said.

She met Ye Lan, a woman who had lost her husband and son, almost everything, and had lost all hope in the world.

The child's indifference was very similar to Ye Lan's, which is why she thought of giving it a try. But after trying, she found that the child's condition was even more serious than Ye Lan's.

Although Ye Lan had no expectations, she could distinguish between goodwill and malice, and her refusal was more because she didn't want to have any more contact with him.

But the child's resistance stemmed from his inability to discern the purpose of the visitor, and his unwillingness to gamble, so he simply shut everything out!
“He must have encountered too much malice disguised as kindness in the past, and he can no longer trust others,” Tang Yuehua said.

"Keeping his distance is how he protects himself. If someone tries to get too close to him, it will trigger his defensive instincts, and he will resist their approach."

"Moreover, I see that he is very sensitive, and he must be constantly being provoked. Your Highness, does he usually... come into contact with any dangerous people?" According to what Xue Qinghe said, this child should have reached the point of being paranoid.

However, in her test just now, Xuanming was indeed very sensitive and did not accept her goodwill. But he did not have any subsequent stress reaction. He was just vigilant and did not show any hostility towards the outside world. Obviously, this child has a very strong ability to control himself.

If his self-defense instinct is triggered, it must be because he senses danger.

The person he was facing made him feel threatened!
Xue Qinghe paused for a moment, then said, "There is indeed some misunderstanding."

Seeing that Xue Qinghe was trying to cover it up, Tang Yuehua didn't ask any more questions. "Your Highness, whether it's a misunderstanding or not, I think it's best to avoid things that might upset him. He's already very sensitive, and I can feel that he's under a lot of psychological pressure. If this continues, he might really have a problem."

An eight-year-old child should still be innocent and carefree, but this child showed no signs of innocence at all; instead, he was tense and defensive all over.

……

After giving some instructions, Xue Qinghe left, saying he would come to pick him up in three days.

Since the students in the hall were all attracted by Xuanming's peculiar appearance and were discussing it, Tang Yuehua simply led him to a private room on the second floor.

“Next, I will teach you about etiquette and music theory. Of course, you are not a formal student of Yuexuan. His Highness the Crown Prince should have told you that you only need to come three days a month. This is not in accordance with the rules of Yuexuan. I did not agree to it at first, but now seeing your condition, I think this method may be more appropriate,” Tang Yuehua said.

"Now, my first request is that you stop your cultivation."

“It won’t affect anything,” Xuanming said.

“Impact,” Tang Yuehua said.

“Your mind is constantly in a state of high tension, which is a good thing for cultivation because you are more engaged and focused than others. However, this tension is contradictory to what I am about to teach.”

"What I want to teach you is not those complicated etiquettes, but calmness and relaxation."

"Being calm and relaxed does not conflict with being focused."

Xuanming hesitated for a moment, and the fluctuations of soul power around him slowly dissipated.

Tang Yuehua lit incense. "For the next hour, you don't need to do anything or think about anything. Just relax."

"Will it work?" Xuanming asked.

“If you listen to me and do as I say, it will work,” Tang Yuehua said.

"You can sit, you can lie down, it's up to you, as long as you can relax."

"This incense will last for an hour, then I will come over."

With that, Tang Yuehua got up and left the room.

"By the way, don't secretly start practicing again. When you attend my class, just do as I say."

“If you disobey, I will tell His Highness the Crown Prince that you don’t need to come anymore.”

"No matter how skilled a doctor is, it's meaningless if the patient doesn't cooperate."

"..."

Xuanming sighed and slumped onto the table.

"Go to sleep. I'm here. Everything will be alright," said the Ice Dragon King.

"You really should take a rest."

Xuanming alternates between his two brains, keeping himself constantly in a highly tense state to maximize the efficiency of his meditation. This is good for cultivation, but the problem is that he doesn't relax on his own; he puts too much pressure on himself.

He used to be all alone, but now he can relax and rest.

(End of this chapter)