Douluo Continent: The True Body and Blood Soul, Starting from Blacksmithing

Chapter 117 continues, we're missing two teammates (my timing wasn't good, it's my fault).

The atmosphere in the private room shifted dramatically the moment Xiao Wu was pushed out, as if an invisible hand had twisted it hard.

As Xue Qinghe raised his right leg, the brocade fabric on his thigh stretched into a smooth arc, and his knee bounced upward at a precise angle.

His movement was small, even light: his knee bounced up slightly, by no more than half a foot, like a leaf being casually shaken off his knee.

But when that force was transmitted to Xiao Wu, it carried an irresistible decisiveness.

Xiao Wu's body flew up.

She was thrown off Xue Qinghe's knee by the force, her body tracing a short parabola in mid-air.

Her hem was rolled up, revealing a section of dazzlingly white calf, with ankles as slender as a jade handle.

She unconsciously waved her arm in the air, her fingers opening and closing as if trying to grab something!

But they caught nothing.

The air slipped through her fingers, cool and carrying the lingering scent of orchid incense.

Then she landed on the ground.

With a dull, heavy thud, it was the sound of flesh colliding directly with the hardwood floor.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet private room, like a wet cloth being slammed onto a stone slab. Xiao Wu's sternum hit the ground first, followed by her abdomen, hips, and knees, each piece striking the wooden board with a series of muffled thuds.

Upon landing, her body instinctively curled up to the side, her knees tucked towards her lower abdomen, her back arched into a taut curve, and she shrank into a small ball.

A cry of pain escaped from the corner of her mouth, short and wet, with a slight upward inflection at the end, accompanied by a noticeable tremor.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a thin cut in the air.

She lay on her side on the floor, one hand supporting her upper body, the other hand pressed against her chest. The fabric was crumpled under her knuckles, her fingertips white from the pressure, and the edges of her nails dug into the fabric fibers, leaving several fine creases.

Below the collarbone, where the impact with the ground was first felt, the skin was heaving violently with each rapid breath. The collar was askew, revealing a small section of the collarbone, and the skin above the bone was slightly red, a mark left by ruptured capillaries from the impact.

She raised her head and looked at Xue Qinghe.

A layer of water glistened in the red rabbit's eyes, and the edges were beginning to turn red.

But what's most striking is her ears. Her rabbit ears, which have been imbued with her martial spirit, are being pressed back flat against her hair, but the tips are trembling slightly, like two thin petals swept by a cold wind.

The left ear was pressed down slightly lower than the right ear, and the pinkish-white blood vessel network on the inner side of the auricle was faintly visible in the dim light.

Xue Qinghe didn't look at her. His gaze fell on Lin Yu, a "kind" smile playing on his lips. The smile lingered on his lips, neither too deep nor too shallow, like a thin layer of oil floating on water.

"Lin Yu, you're still young. You can't keep fighting with that dean forever. After all, there's a difference of more than thirty years between you. Outside of missions, trying out younger people will be better for your physical and mental health."

When he uttered the words "physical and mental health," his tone rose slightly, carrying the caring tone of someone who had been through it all.

As he spoke, his hand naturally rested on the armrest, and his slender fingers tapped lightly twice on the mahogany armrest, producing two crisp, short, and clear taps.

Lin Yu looked down at the curled-up body on the ground.

From his angle, he could see the curve of Xiao Wu's waist as she lay on her side.

Xiao Wu's spine extends down from the back of her neck, slightly sinks in at her lower back, and then curves up along the hip bone.

Her frame was surprisingly small, but her proportions were remarkably balanced, with each bone connecting in a natural, fluid way.

At this moment, it was curled up in a ball, its shoulders pulled inward, its legs together and slightly bent, its ankles crossed, its toes touching the carpet, and its toes turning slightly white from the effort.

Her entire body was as supple as if boneless. This description is not an exaggeration. After all, the Soft-Boned Rabbit's transformed body has a bone density and joint flexibility far exceeding that of humans. Just by looking at it, you can feel that what's wrapped under that layer of skin isn't a rigid skeleton, but a soft, supple...

A flexible structure that can be bent at will.

Lin Yu clicked her tongue lightly.

It would be interesting to study the physical structure of a 100,000-year-old transformed soul beast.

To be able to abandon 100,000 years of cultivation and transform into human form to rebuild one's body—from bones to meridians, from soul power nodes to spiritual hubs—it's impossible to say there's nothing special about it.

The dual cultivation of spirit and body—how this dual cultivation characteristic manifests in the human form—is worth a closer look.

He raised his eyes and met Xue Qinghe's gaze. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, a small curve, but enough for the other to see clearly.

"Since the Crown Prince has spoken, then I shall respectfully comply."

The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat awkward. The carriage swayed slightly, and the wheels made a rhythmic rumbling sound as they rolled over the cracks in the cobblestones.

The curtains on the carriage windows weren't fully drawn, and a narrow beam of light cut in through the gaps, sweeping back and forth across the four people's faces as the carriage swayed, flickering between light and shadow.

The air was filled with the unique scent of aged wood from the old mahogany carriage, the pungent smell of the leather cushions, and the orchid fragrance that the four people had brought from Yuexuan.

------

Tang San leaned back on the left side of the carriage, one hand resting on his knee, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the fabric of his trousers.

His gaze fell on Xiao Wu across from him. She was huddled next to Xue Qinghe, still in such a humble posture, but her eyes had lost some of their fear and gained more confusion.

Her rabbit ears drooped, the tips reaching her shoulders, occasionally twitching as if trying to catch what someone in the carriage hadn't said.

Xue Qinghe sat in the very center, his back ramrod straight.

His posture remained upright, a result of rigorous etiquette training, but his fingers were tapping lightly on the armrest, a few beats faster than usual.

Lin Yu sat diagonally opposite him, leaning against the car window. The light from the gap in the curtains fell directly on his chin, outlining a clean and sharp jawline at the boundary between light and shadow.

All four of them were thinking about their own things.

Xue Qinghe spoke first, his voice steady and composed, carrying a businesslike air. But before he spoke, the rhythm of his fingers tapping the armrest was interrupted, and that missed beat reached Lin Yu's ears.

"Lin Yu, that guy Xue Beng has now formed a team. Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Oslo, and those two Oscars from Shrek Academy and Ma Hongjun, there are already seven members."

97

He paused, his gaze sweeping across Lin Yu's face, then over Tang San and Xiao Wu in turn.

"We currently have five team members: you, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Yu Feng. We're still short two members. Do you have any other ideas?"

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