Watching Tang San begin to absorb his spirit ring, Master added a few more logs to the weak fire and looked at Tang Sui. He said gently, "Sui Sui, you just called your spirit 'Fox Mask', but I remember your spirit's name is 'Ling Mian'. What's going on?"
Tang Sui froze. Meeting Master's confused gaze, she blinked and said softly, "Fox Mask is Fox Mask. It told me itself that it's called Fox Mask now. Is something wrong, Teacher?"
What did the mask telling her itself have to do with her accidentally saying it?
Master looked at the girl's thin, pale face and timid eyes. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped short.
"It's nothing. I just feel that this spirit... seems a bit unsettling. If your spirit changes or acts abnormally in the future, you must tell me immediately, okay?"
He worried that this strange spirit would put more burden on Sui Sui's already frail body and have negative effects.
A soft smile appeared on Tang Sui's small face, enhancing her dark eyes that were a little moist with sleepiness. It made one want to pat her head.
"I know, Teacher. But you don't need to worry, my intuition tells me it won't harm me."
The mask was her other half.
Or rather, it was the本体 (tǐ) of the mask spirit.
It was like in the spirit tales of Onmyoji, even if the mask spirit split into black and white, both were protecting each other.
Master reached out and stroked Tang Sui's soft hair. He sighed inwardly.
He hoped he was just overthinking.
...
As night gave way to dawn and the first sliver of light graced the horizon, Tang San opened his eyes, having successfully absorbed the century-old spirit ring.
"Brother, you're awake?"
Receiving the system notification of Tang San waking up, Tang Sui rubbed her eyes and instinctively wanted to stand up and run to Tang San.
But as soon as she moved her legs, her calves went numb from maintaining a sitting posture all night, and she stumbled forward.
"Sui Sui!"
Tang San quickly pushed himself up from the ground, catching the back of her clothes before her face hit the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief.
After absorbing the spirit ring, he had also been cultivating all night along with the surging spirit power within him. His meridians were constantly nourished by the spirit power and the circulating Mysterious Heaven Skill, so he naturally didn't experience the numbness from holding a posture for too long.
"Why are you so careless?" Tang San carefully turned Tang Sui over, only to see that she had already closed her eyes.
"Brother... sleepy..."
Tang Sui, with her eyes closed, skillfully snuggled into Tang San's embrace. Her slender hand lifted and wrapped around Tang San's neck. She found a comfortable position and fell into a deep sleep.
"You." Tang San helplessly shifted to a more comfortable position for Tang Sui to sleep, then looked at Master on the other side, who was also overcome with fatigue after more than a day of vigilance, had accidentally fallen asleep with his head propped up in the middle of the night, and was now groggily waking up to the commotion of the siblings.
"Xiao San, how was your spirit ring absorption?" Master rubbed his temples, which still ached faintly, and said in a slightly hoarse voice.
Tang San nodded, a smile appearing on his small face. "Teacher, I succeeded."
Master's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but excitedly stand up from the ground, taking Tang Sui from Tang San's arms. Even though he deliberately lowered his voice, he couldn't suppress his excitement. "Quick, let me see."
Tang San raised his right hand. A faint white light appeared on his skin. Immediately, deep blue Silver Grass gushed out from his palm, and a yellow ring symbolizing the century-old level rose from his feet, circling him.
The Silver Grass in his hand had transformed from a small seedling into something resembling a young vine. The stems had thickened considerably, adorned with peculiar patterns. The tips of the waving leaves swayed like mandrake snakes, exuding a dangerously intoxicating fragrance.
Master's eyes shone with intense excitement. He anxiously asked, "How is its toughness?"
"Hush..."
Tang Sui, nestled in Master's arms, let out a sleepy little cry and turned over, sleeping soundly.
Tang San couldn't help but find it amusing, but also felt a pang of sympathy.
Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he knew that Sui Sui had truly stayed up all night with Teacher.
However, he hadn't let Sui Sui and Teacher's efforts go to waste.
Now, he too could possess the strength to protect those he cared about.
He smiled at Master, retracted his spirit, reached out and took Tang Sui from Master's arms, and said softly, "Its toughness is comparable to the thickness of a mandrake snake's skin. The rest, I'll tell you in detail when we return to the academy. Let's leave here now."
Master glanced at Tang Sui, whose small eyebrows were furrowed by the sound, and nodded silently.