Curiosity killed the cat.
This saying certainly applied to Ling Chang′e.
She followed Qian Junlin to a remote corner of the sacrificial hall. Deliberately, she slowed her breathing and tiptoed, intent on probing Qian Junlin's background.
Qian Junlin's martial soul had just awakened, and Ling Chang′e quietly activated her first soul skill—she wanted to read his thoughts.
Since his martial spirit had just awakened, Ling Chang′e held the advantage. Her current mind-reading ability was limited to opponents whose soul power was less than 30 levels above hers. Being at level 17, she could read the thoughts of anyone whose soul power was below level 47. Qian Junlin didn't even possess that much yet, making it the perfect opportunity for her to act.
Ling Chang′e suspected that Qian Junlin was a time traveler like herself. In both the original novel and the animation, no genius from the Angel Clan was mentioned who could match Qian Renxue; naturally, that meant no one in the clan was expected to possess a six-winged angel martial spirit.
So when Ling Chang′e learned that Qian Junlin's martial soul was indeed that of the six-winged angel, she was extremely shocked.
Curiosity arose from her inability to understand his sudden transformation. She felt that his appearance was far too abrupt—he was a time traveler like herself.
She wondered which world Qian Junlin came from. If he hailed from Blue Star, then they shared the same hometown. As the saying goes, when fellow villagers meet, their eyes brim with tears.
Ling Chang′e felt a pang of melancholy after traveling to another world. For the past six years, she had suppressed her emotions, never revealing to anyone that she was from another world—such a revelation would have put her in endless danger.
Yet, upon seeing this peculiar young man, she could no longer control her thoughts. Determined to follow her instincts, she trailed behind Qian Junlin.
It was very strange. Ling Chang′e frowned slightly; she couldn't pick up any inner voice from Qian Junlin. Her mind-reading ability worked only when the target's soul power was no more than 30 levels above hers. How could Qian Junlin—someone without an awakened martial spirit—possibly resist her mind reading? It seemed too unbelievable!
In a remote corner, as Qian Junlin walked forward, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to look behind him. Lost in thought and unaware, Ling Chang′e was discovered.
His pair of golden eyes—shining like the sun—glared at her coldly as he asked, "What's the matter?"
He regarded her with indifference, having discovered early on that someone was following him. He didn't alert anyone; instead, he wanted to see who was covertly tailing him. To his surprise, it turned out to be Ling Chang′e. His eyes narrowed slightly in a mix of surprise and reproach.
After a brief silence, their eyes met.
"Hello," he said.
Ling Chang′e offered an awkward smile, noticing the displeasure on his face. It wasn't that she was afraid of him—it was simply embarrassing to be caught following someone.
"I took the wrong road," she muttered, quickly turning around with her face slightly reddened. It was mortifying; she wished it had never happened. She was still too inexperienced.
Caught in the act of tracking someone without any notable soul power, she felt deeply embarrassed.
Then, Qian Junlin called out, his golden eyes flashing with complex emotion, "You followed me to investigate me."
His tone implied an understanding of her curiosity.
"Same here, I'm also very curious about you. I've never heard that Guangling Douluo even has a disciple."
After a brief pause, Qian Junlin said simply, "Forehead."
Ling Chang′e was momentarily stunned; she hadn't prepared a response yet. She planned to use some clever words to mislead him—to make him believe her story. In her mind, this young man was already doing better than she was!
As a member of the Angel Clan's branch, he also possessed the six-winged angel spirit. With that double advantage, he must be very popular in the Spirit Hall! After all, the angel family had few direct descendants, and the number of six-winged angel spirits was very small. For a collateral descendant to possess one was a sure way to bring down Qian Daoliu.
Almost instantly, in unison, they both spoke:
"Odd changes to even."
"Symbols look at the quadrants."
That single sentence confirmed Ling Chang′e's suspicions about his identity.
He truly was her fellow villager! When fellow villagers meet, tears fill their eyes. In just that one sentence, Ling Chang′e knew he was from Blue Star—only someone from Blue Star would understand those words.
Thinking of everything on Blue Star, a hint of melancholy flashed across her eyes, but she quickly composed herself. She knew she couldn't go back; it had been six years, and she had long accepted that reality.
"My name is Ling Chang′e," she declared, extending her hand to Qian Junlin. "Fellow countryman."
Her expression brightened with excitement—here was her fellow villager! Having confirmed his identity, she looked at Qian Junlin with a new, warm expression. In this strange world teeming with people, it was such good fortune to meet a fellow countryman. The melancholy of traveling to another world had lessened, and a faint joy filled her heart. Only fellow villagers could truly understand that homesickness.
Alas, Blue Star—my hometown that I can never return to.
"Qian Junlin," he said after a moment's hesitation, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm from Tianhe City on Blue Star."
"And you?" she asked, her tone brightening as his demeanor grew friendlier and his eyes no longer appeared hostile.
"Uh, what a coincidence—I'm from Tianhe City too."
Ling Chang′e was immediately surprised. "If I ever had a chance to go back…" she murmured.
"Talk later," Qian Junlin said calmly. "Are you following me to find out my background?"
He fixed his narrowed eyes on her, his expression complex.
"Yes," Ling Chang′e replied, overwhelmed with joy, not yet noticing any oddity in his tone. In that moment, she felt an immense happiness from deep within. Previously, she had been cautious and reserved around Guangling Douluo and Qingluan Douluo, not daring to say too much for fear of offending them. But Blue Star and Douluo Continent were different: in Douluo Continent, the strong prey on the weak, and the powerful always had the final word.
Hearing this, Qian Junlin's lips curled into a faint smile. "You are quite bold," he remarked.
"It's okay. Aren't you even more mischievous than I am? After all, you possess a six-winged angel spirit," Ling Chang′e said, unaware of his sarcasm and speaking her mind naïvely.
The six-winged angel spirit was known to be the strongest spirit on Douluo Continent—the innate spirit power would awaken to level 20, and after absorbing a spirit ring, its speed would surpass that of all other spirit masters of the same age. With the eventual support of a divine position, one could seamlessly transform from mortal to god. Truly, this martial spirit was astounding.
Ling Chang′e had always adored Qian Renxue, so she took great care to learn everything she could about the six-winged angel spirit. After all, the person who possessed such a martial spirit served as the spokesperson for Angel God Qian Yuhan on earth.
"Curiosity killed the cat," the old saying went—and it certainly applied here.