So he wants to gain the upper hand through address because he spoke first, Wu Ling thought.
Xue Qinghe wanted to press Wu Ling down by one step through form of address, but how could he know that Wu Ling did not care about such a thing at all?
Back when Wu Ling was in university, his martial training habit made him rise early every morning. Because of that, every time he went out, the entire dormitory would ring with waves of "big brother," "dad," and "ancestor" from the roommates begging him for help.
It was during that period that Wu Ling gradually shifted from a hot-blooded fool to a different state of mind. He slowly became accustomed to calling someone "brother" whenever help was needed.
"Haha. Then I will respectfully accept, Big Brother Xue."
Seeing Wu Ling wisely change the address, Xue Qinghe nodded in satisfaction inwardly.
Yet at the same time, he felt something strange. After Wu Ling called him "big brother," not only had Wu Ling failed to fall below him in bearing, but Xue Qinghe instead felt as if he had punched cotton.
This feeling of having nowhere to apply force. This person's presence can no longer be shaken by words alone. As expected of that woman's disciple. He truly cannot be underestimated.
Wu Ling never imagined that a habit from his past life would raise his importance in Xue Qinghe's mind by another level.
"It is nothing major, really. For the past few years, rumors about Brother Wu Ling have circulated constantly, but none have ever been confirmed. This time, I heard that Brother Wu Ling rarely came here, so naturally my curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to meet you.
"As the saying goes, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Now that I have seen you in person, your bearing is even more extraordinary. After meeting you, I feel those rumors about Brother Wu Ling were not exaggerated at all. If anything, they were too modest."
"Not at all. I have also long heard Big Brother Xue's great name. Meeting you now only fills me with even more admiration."
After the two praised each other for several rounds, they began discussing all kinds of topics. They moved from Soul Beasts, Spirit Masters, and cultivation to geography, culture, and politics. In the end, they seemed to get along so well that they regretted not knowing each other before they were born.
Of course, that was only surface-level courtesy. Still, Aurelia Cross, disguised as Xue Qinghe, was genuinely surprised by Wu Ling's breadth of knowledge.
Xue Qinghe, as the first prince of the Polaris Empire, had been studying ever since gaining awareness. Back then, to make her disguise flawless, Aurelia had occupied her own cultivation time and relied on her grandfather's help to master knowledge in so many fields.
Through observing some of Wu Ling's small movements, Aurelia confirmed that he was not the child of some great clan. Before awakening his Martial Soul, he had most likely been a commoner. Yet how could an ordinary commoner child, at an age when he should have been playing and causing trouble, study so seriously?
This was probably that woman's demand. After all, she has always valued theoretical talent, so she must have made her disciple study a great deal as well.
But if so, is she not afraid his cultivation speed will fall behind? Or is his talent so good that she has nothing to fear? No matter which it is, neither feels like something that woman would do.
Wu Ling. What an unreadable person.
After another exchange of verbal probing and knowledge testing, Xue Qinghe noticed the two emptied teacups and four plates of tea snacks that had been swept clean.
"Ah, look at this. Brother Wu Ling and I were enjoying the conversation so much that I only just noticed the tea and snacks are gone."
After saying this, Xue Qinghe opened a small panel in the floor beside the table and pulled a rope hidden underneath.
As he pulled it, he happened to see curiosity in Wu Ling's eyes, so he explained.
"The rooms here are very well insulated from sound. Sometimes, if we call from inside, the maids outside may not hear. Besides, shouting that way is rather inelegant.
"So they found someone to design this. As long as the rope inside the room is pulled, a bell outside the door rings at the same time, and the maids come in to serve."
Just as Xue Qinghe said, the door opened as soon as he finished speaking.
The two pairs of twin sisters entered, took away the teacups and snacks, and returned in less than three minutes with new tea and fresh snacks. The two cups of tea and the snacks were completely different from the previous set.
The previous table had floral tea and savory tea snacks. This time it was green tea, along with two plates of sweet snacks and two plates of savory snacks.
The tea and snacks were excellent, but Xue Qinghe's attention remained fixed on Wu Ling.
Once the four maids left, Xue Qinghe asked with interest, "Brother Wu Ling, are you interested in those maids? If you want them, tell me. I can have them sent back with you. Although this place sells art and not bodies, once they are taken back, it would no longer count as selling themselves."
Wu Ling looked at Xue Qinghe's youthful appearance, then thought about his own age of ten. Yet the two of them discussed matters between men and women without the slightest avoidance.
It seemed that people on Soul Land matured earlier because of Martial Souls. Take Ash Flynn Hawke from the original story. With that evil fire of his, he had probably become a regular in pleasure houses before he was ten.
In the end, Wu Ling smiled and shook his head. "Big Brother Xue is too kind. Right now, cultivation is still my priority. I looked at them earlier because I had not seen twins in a long time, so it brought back a few memories."
"Oh? Did Brother Wu Ling know twins before?"
"Sigh. Childhood matters. Not worth mentioning."
Yes, childhood matters. His childhood on Blue Star.
Before he had even entered primary school, the neighbor beside his old home had a pair of twin girls. The elder sister was gentle, and the younger sister was lively. Their ages had not been far from his.
He had once heard from his father that the two families had almost arranged a childhood engagement. Later, for various reasons, that family moved to a large city, and the matter was dropped.
When he had planned to return home and bury his father, he had received news that the sisters would also be going back. But now, it seemed they would not only attend his father's funeral. They would also attend his own.
Xue Qinghe seemed to sense Wu Ling's mood and did not speak again. He simply sat there and carefully tasted the green tea.
"Sorry, sorry. I lost myself in thought for a moment."
"No matter. But I do have one more question, and I hope Brother Wu Ling can give me an answer."
Wu Ling gestured for him to speak. "Big Brother Xue, please ask."
"Very well. Since Brother Wu Ling said that cultivation is your priority, I will be bold and ask: could you tell me your Martial Soul and current Spirit Power level?
"Of course, to show my sincerity, I will speak first. My Martial Soul is the orthodox swan Martial Soul of the Polaris imperial family. My current Spirit Power level is thirty-one."