A Somewhat Nervous Xiao Wu

Niu Tian said nothing. He simply watched Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er recede down the corridor, his gaze deep and pensive.

The Divine Realm Core.

Tang San had been sitting motionless in front of the stone platform, watching for quite a while.

His expression had gone from gloomy at first, to blank, and now to... a complexity that defied description.

In the image, Wang Dong'er clung to Jiang Wu's arm, refusing to let go as she happily called him "Mommy" over and over.

Jiang Wu dragged her along with a helpless look on his face. Every now and then, he glanced down at her, his gaze carrying a resigned sort of indulgence.

Seeing that look, Tang San suddenly remembered how Xiao Wu had clung to his arm in just the same way many years ago.

Xiao Wu had liked to hold his arm like that too, tilting her face up to smile at him and call him "Third Brother."

Tang San fell silent.

He stared at Jiang Wu's face in the image, studying the boy seriously and without prejudice for the first time.

His brows and eyes did look like Xiao Wu's, especially when he smiled.

But that steady, composed manner was unlike Xiao Wu, and somewhat reminiscent of Tang San himself back in the day.

He was even beginning to suspect Jiang Wu was his and Xiao Wu's son.

Tang San frowned and shook the absurd thought out of his head.

"Third Brother?"

Xiao Wu's voice came from behind him.

Tang San turned around. Xiao Wu came over carrying a plate of fruit, sat down beside him, and leaned naturally against his shoulder.

"What's gotten into you today? You rushed back to ask me about some child, and now you're sitting here alone looking at something?"

Tang San hesitated, but in the end, he brought up the image for Xiao Wu to see.

Xiao Wu stared at Wang Dong'er and Jiang Wu clinging together in the image. She was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"That child Dong'er, how could she act like this the first time she met someone..."

"Look at that boy," Tang San interrupted, pointing at Jiang Wu. "Who does he look like to you?"

Xiao Wu leaned closer and took a careful look.

In the image, Jiang Wu had his head lowered and was saying something to Wang Dong'er. His profile was sharply defined, and there was an indescribable familiarity about his brows and eyes.

Xiao Wu's smile slowly faded.

She stared at Jiang Wu for a long time, then turned to Tang San, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Third Brother, this child... why does he look a little like me?"

Tang San nodded silently.

Xiao Wu took another look, then suddenly reached out and poked the image, right where the pair of invisible rabbit ears sat on Jiang Wu's head.

"A Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, he can use Soft Skill, and he looks like you," Tang San said beside her. "Don't you think he could be-"

"Could be your head." Xiao Wu rolled her eyes at him. "When would I have had a child? I even gave birth to Dong'er myself. If I'd had another child, wouldn't I know?"

Xiao Wu felt somewhat uncertain, unsure whether he was related to her.

Could he really be her son?

Xiao Wu knew that Soft Bone Rabbits had quite a few children. She didn't know whether she had had any children before she gained intelligence.

Although she had lived by her mother's side throughout her childhood, her mother had had a whole crowd of children around her and couldn't possibly have watched her twenty-four hours a day.

He could also be a younger brother or something. That was possible too.

Her mother had once told her that she had quite a few siblings, but she was the only one who had reached a hundred thousand years.

After all these years, it was possible for an older or younger brother to appear.

Tang San was at a loss for words. He awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Feeling guilty, Xiao Wu looked away. She picked a grape off the plate and popped it into her mouth, then mumbled, "The kid looks quite spirited. Dong'er has good taste."

Tang San: "..."

Who was it that just said he looked like me?

"Xiao Wu." Tang San stared at her. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No." Xiao Wu answered so quickly that even she thought it sounded a little fake. She cleared her throat, swallowed the grape, and tried to make her voice sound more natural. "I just think Dong'er is still young. She's only making friends, so don't stare at him all day. It's pretty scary."

Tang San was silent for two seconds. "I'm scary?"

"With that expression, you look like you're about to stab someone with the Sea God Trident." Xiao Wu reached out and pinched his cheek. "Relax. Dong'er is so young. Why are you thinking so far ahead?"

With his cheek pinched, Tang San mumbled, "That boy slept with Dong'er in his arms all night."

"Dong'er was the one holding on to him," Xiao Wu corrected.

"He even hummed a song."

"Dong'er asked him to."

"Dong'er called him Mommy."

Xiao Wu paused, then burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking. "Well, isn't that perfect? It means Dong'er sees him as family."

Tang San looked at her expressionlessly.

When Xiao Wu had laughed enough, she waved a hand. "All right, all right. I'll go take a look on the Douluo Continent later, will that do? I wanted to go back and see Da Ming and Er Ming anyway."

Only then did Tang San's brow relax slightly. "When are you going?"

"In a couple of days. Let's get Dong'er settled first." As Xiao Wu spoke, she glanced at the image again, her gaze lingering on Jiang Wu's face for an extra moment.

The child really did look like her.

That feeling of uncertainty welled up in Xiao Wu again.

Xiao Wu thought it over carefully, then shook her head inwardly. Probably not. Back then, she had devoted herself entirely to cultivation and had never even spared a second glance for a male rabbit.

But...

What if?

Xiao Wu pushed the thought down and decided to wait until she met Jiang Wu in person.

Douluo Continent, Dongxing City Academy.

Jiang Wu naturally had no idea that the couple in the Divine Realm were fretting over him.

He was concerned with only one thing right now-how to pull his arm out of Wang Dong'er's embrace.

"Wang Dong'er, we're at the dormitory."

"Mm."

"Let go."

"No."

"I have to go clean up."

Wang Dong'er lifted her head and blinked at him. "I'll go with you."

Jiang Wu looked at Wang Dong'er. "Don't you need to cultivate?"

"I'll cultivate when I come back tonight," Wang Dong'er said confidently. "My Soul Power is already at level eleven anyway, so there's no rush."

Jiang Wu was silent for a moment. He had forgotten that Wang Dong'er had Innate Full Soul Power.

"All right." He gave up struggling. "But don't cause trouble when we get to the smithy."

"When have I ever caused trouble?"

"If you're hanging on my arm, I can't swing a hammer."

Wang Dong'er thought about it and decided he had a point. She finally let go.

The two left the academy and headed for the smithy in the south of the city.

On the way, Wang Dong'er bought two skewers of candied hawthorn, one for herself and one for Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wu didn't like sweets, but Wang Dong'er held the skewer up to his mouth, so he had no choice but to bite one off.

"Is it sweet?"

"It's all right."

"I picked it, so of course it's sweet." Wang Dong'er tossed her head proudly.

When they reached the smithy, Wang Dong'er obediently sat in a corner, just as she had promised, gnawing on her candied hawthorn as she watched Jiang Wu work the iron.

The smithy's master was surnamed Zhao, and he taught Jiang Wu how to work iron.

Jiang Wu learned quickly, much to Master Zhao's satisfaction.

Toward evening, Jiang Wu finished work, and Master Zhao counted out thirty Copper Soul Coins for him.