"As for what I want… Simple. I want both of your soul rings and soul bones. How about it? Are you willing?" Salas said, shaking Xiao Wu in front of them. Meanwhile, he poisoned another soul beast lying on the ground and tossed it toward Da Ming.
Hearing Salas's words, Er Ming roared again, "Despicable human… I'll kill you!"
Only Da Ming, after seeing that he truly couldn't cure the poison inside the soul beast, felt dejected. Still, he tried reasoning:
"Human… Sister Xiao Wu isn't worth us losing our lives over. And what if you go back on your word and harm Sister Xiao Wu?" Da Ming said, clearly trying to stall. He could see Salas's motive, and though he wanted to crush Salas into pieces, the fear of something happening to Xiao Wu restrained him.
Hearing what Da Ming said, Salas could only sneer inwardly. Even though Da Ming was smarter than Er Ming, it wasn't by much.
It would've been fine if he had only said the first sentence, but the second one already exposed their weakness. Even if someone other than Salas were here, they'd see right through it—much less Salas, who knew everything.
"Oh? From your eyes, I couldn't tell that. I can only see love in both of your eyes. Hehe. We're all men here—who are you trying to fool? I also have someone I lovee. I am willing to do anything for her. I see the same kind of love in your eyes," Salas lied without a hint of shame. What love? What willingness to die?
"Don't worry… I won't harm her. It's my promise. I'm someone who keeps his word—until the day I die," Salas said righteously.
"Human, how can we believe you? You humans are despicable. You can't be trusted." Seeing everything laid bare by Salas, Da Ming and Er Ming's emotional defenses crumbled another level.
"Haa… What can I say? You only have two choices: believe me, or watch your sister die. Heh heh… If you choose the latter, I can only say your love isn't very pure," Salas replied with a mocking smile.
"Don't question our love for Sister Xiao Wu!" Er Ming roared.
"Cut the crap. Are you willing or not? Every minute you delay, your sister's life is in danger," Salas reminded them with a strangely kind tone.
But inwardly, he couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Whether humans or beasts, everyone in this world was love-brained.
After exchanging glances, Da Ming and Er Ming felt heartache. They didn't want Xiao Wu to die. Even if Salas ended up killing her after absorbing their soul rings, they still wanted to try. What if he really kept his word?
If they gambled that Salas would kill her anyway, and killed him first… then what?
Xiao Wu would still die.
"Human, I hope you will swear an oath on your lover that you will never harm Sister Xiao Wu. Only then will we believe you," Da Ming finally said after some thought.
Salas fell silent… then sighed and said, "I can swear not to harm her, but with conditions. What if your Xiao Wu tries to kill me? Am I supposed to just die? You beasts really are clever—trying to bind me with my beloved."
His last sentence came out cold, and a chill passed through the forest.
Da Ming sighed in relief. It seemed this human truly did intend to keep his promise, and cherished his lover. Otherwise, why would he care so much about the loopholes?
"Xiao Wu won't act against you. If she does, you can defend yourself. But we also have a condition—we hope you won't reveal her identity and will protect her until she matures," Da Ming added after more thought.
"Mmm. Acceptable. But what if your sister Xiao Wu thinks I killed you both for your soul rings and holds a grudge against me? Then she becomes my enemy, right? I won't need to keep my promise in that case, yes?" Salas asked with a smile.
"Don't worry, human. That situation won't arise. Sister Xiao Wu can sense our aura when you summon our soul rings. She'll know it was a willing sacrifice, not forced," Da Ming said hurriedly.
He didn't want Xiao Wu seeking revenge and ending up killed by this human. They wanted her to understand—this was their choice.
"But that's not enough… You two should also leave something—like a letter or spiritual imprint—saying I'm your savior, the most trustworthy human in the world, and that she should take me as her master…"
"While I'm willing to protect her, unless she becomes my disciple, I have no reason to fight for her if other powerful humans who can threaten my life discover her identity," Salas said calmly.
He hadn't planned this initially, but now that the opportunity was here—why not? In this world, the master-disciple bond was sacred. Xiao Wu, who stayed with Tang San, must know this better than anyone.
One day a teacher, a lifetime a father.
Right?
This would also make it easier for Salas to get close to Tang San.
Listening to Salas's conditions, Da Ming and Er Ming reluctantly agreed. But deep down, they also felt relief. By doing this, they could be fully assured nothing would happen to Xiao Wu.
Still, a doubt arose in their hearts—was this human truly strong enough to protect her?
And more importantly… how would he absorb two soul rings? Was he a Soul Douluo? Even if that were true, Soul Douluos couldn't absorb two rings at once. He'd need to reach level 90 first. Wouldn't only one of them need to sacrifice?
Unable to hold back their doubts, Da Ming voiced them openly.
To their inquiry, Salas simply summoned his Martial Soul.
A single black soul ring circled around him as a black hammer with golden carvings appeared.
"Human… You have twin Martial Souls… And you're a Soul Douluo…" Da Ming was shocked. Salas's cultivation was clear the moment he summoned his Martial Soul.
"Mmm. Hurry up and write your will. Blame your deaths on Bibi Dong—the Pope of the Spirit Hall. She's also a twin Martial Soul user. That detail will make it look more realistic," Salas instructed, not bothering to correct their assumptions. If they wanted to believe he had twin spirits, let them.
Soon, Da Ming wrote the will. He also created a spiritual imprint for Er Ming, since if both wrote one, it wouldn't seem believable. It wasn't a letter—it was a direct imprint, telling everything.
'If I remember right, in canon, Xiao Wu used something similar to tell them why she sacrificed herself for Tang San, and said many good things about him in the spiritual imprint', Salas mused as he reviewed the imprint.
But he wasn't satisfied with the content—so he directly told them what to include.
Finally, a heartbreaking and heartwarming story was crafted.
Satisfied, Salas stored the spiritual imprint away.