"Hostage"

For a moment, Xiao Wu thought she was hallucinating. The timing was too coincidental: she had just thought of Zhou You when his voice appeared in her mind.

But she quickly realized the voice was real.

[Zhou... Zhou You?] Xiao Wu responded timidly.

Zhou You wasted no time and immediately transmitted his voice: [If you want to save your mother, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you...]

Xiao Wu held her breath and listened as Zhou You explained his plan, but turmoil gradually churned inside her, and she hesitated.

Zhou You seemed to see through her. His voice in her mind grew more serious. [If you want to save your mother, this is the only way. You need to move fast. The people over there should be getting suspicious soon.]

Unable to make up her mind, Xiao Wu could only pass what Zhou You had told her on to her mother.

He had not communicated mentally with Xiao Wu's mother directly because they were strangers. In such a tense situation, if an unfamiliar Mental Power rashly reached out to her, she was far more likely to react defensively than accept the conversation.

Fortunately, Zhou You's plan was not complicated, and Xiao Wu's mother quickly understood it. Surprised, she instinctively glanced toward a hidden corner out of the side of her eye.

When she deliberately extended her Mental Power in that direction, she discovered that someone was actually hiding there.

But like Xiao Wu, she hesitated.

Just then, an unfamiliar Mental Power suddenly reached out, attempting to connect with her.

Xiao Wu's mother instinctively wanted to reject it, but she quickly forced her instincts down and successfully established a connection.

[Hello, I'm Zhou You.]

The voice was calm, but it could not conceal its youthful quality. Xiao Wu's mother immediately formed an image of him in her mind.

When Xiao Wu had passed the information on to her earlier, she had also told her of her own guess: Zhou You was very likely from Spirit Hall.

Unlike the innocent Xiao Wu, her mother had seen the wickedness of human hearts, so she had reservations and struggled to decide.

She suspected that he might have ulterior motives, yet half believed that he genuinely wanted to help them.

For a lower-ranked Soul Master, connecting their Mental Power was a dangerous act. If she harbored ill intentions, Zhou You would inevitably suffer severe mental trauma.

Seen in that light, his willingness to establish a mental connection with her could be called entirely aboveboard. He had even shown some disregard for his own safety, taking the first step to demonstrate his sincerity.

This left the doubtful Xiao Wu's mother feeling somewhat guilty, but she truly had no choice. Her current situation forced her to question everything.

At this moment, the chain of suspicion between humans and Soul Beasts had nearly reached its peak.

With no foundation of trust between the two sides, whoever first offered trust might find that "trust" turned into a bullet fired at the enemy in the dark forest at any moment.

But the situation before her left her no time to waver.

Zhou You was so quick-witted that he understood her concerns almost immediately.

After the two established their mental connection, their specific thoughts could not be read, but changes in emotion could not be faked.

She was hesitating and harboring doubts, but she also held some hope that it was all true. In short, she was deeply conflicted.

Zhou You understood all of this, but time waited for no one. The current standoff could not last, and he had already seen that something was off about the look in Bibi Dong's eyes.

Since you can't make up your mind, let me give you a push!

Zhou You released his control over his presence, making it hundreds of times stronger in an instant. But that was not enough; he needed to expose himself.

So he stretched out his limbs, brushing his body against the surrounding plants and producing a faint rustle.

The sound was tiny, scarcely louder than a breeze blowing through leaves, but on the deathly silent battlefield, it stood out sharply and immediately drew everyone's attention.

Even the group of little tots standing behind Wei Lin, who were practically holding their breath, instinctively looked over.

Wei Lin immediately thought of something, and his face turned as white as paper. He was filled with regret; he never should have let Zhou You chase those damned Ghost Baboons alone!

Several powerful streams of Mental Power swept swiftly over the bushes, exposing Zhou You at once.

This is bad! Bibi Dong's expression changed drastically, and her dissatisfaction with Wei Lin reached its peak.

That bastard, how could he leave him over there?

She had no time to consider why the child was there. All she wanted was to get him out of that area quickly.

"Gui Mei!" Bibi Dong immediately shouted.

Of the three, Gui Mei was the fastest. No one could surpass him when it came to explosive bursts of speed.

Upon receiving the order, Gui Mei immediately charged out, heading straight for Zhou You.

But no matter how fast he was, how could he be faster than "Teleportation"?

At that moment, Xiao Wu's mother finally made up her mind. Without hesitation, she used Teleportation and reached Zhou You's position in an instant.

At the same time, a black umbrella appeared silently, like a black mushroom suddenly sprouting from the bushes, blocking her path.

Xiao Wu's mother hesitated for a moment, but Zhou You's voice rang in her ear.

[Smash it!]

As the "hostage" in the plan, Zhou You needed to put up the struggle expected of a "hostage." He could not let her capture him without doing anything.

That would be grinding the intelligence of the three Titled Douluo present into the dirt!

So not only did he materialize the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, he also immediately activated a Soul Skill. He confronted Xiao Wu's mother with outright hostility, going all out the moment he made his move!

Xiao Wu's mother hesitated no longer. She immediately struck, gathering immense Soul Power at her fingertip and slamming it against the umbrella's canopy.

The next moment, a violent impact erupted!

The spreading shock wave compressed the air, forming an expanding wall that radiated outward. Every bush within a five-meter radius, along with the turf, was torn away by the fierce air pressure, and countless broken branches, clods of earth, and pieces of stone pelted Xiao Wu's mother like buckshot.

They were firmly blocked by the protective Soul Power covering her body, but she had indeed been held up for an instant.

It was simply unbelievable!

A mere level-thirteen Soul Master had delayed an attack from a transformed Soul Beast with the strength of a Titled Douluo for an instant.

Having witnessed it all, Gui Mei was shocked by that fact and instinctively sped up.

His Martial Soul allowed him to disregard physical attacks and pass through solid obstacles like a real ghostly shadow.

Thus, during the instant Xiao Wu's mother was held up, his speed remained completely unaffected, and he rapidly closed the distance.

On the surface, it looked as though Zhou You were buying time for his rescue.

Just a little closer!

But at that moment, Xiao Wu's mother finally came to her senses. Gritting her teeth, she used even greater strength. Her delicate fist was like a sledgehammer, and the force of her blow instantly exceeded the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella's limit.

It shattered, as expected, finally dissolving into countless motes of light. But Zhou You was nowhere to be seen behind it.

He had already seized the chance to retreat, and he was actually holding a weapon.

Twin Martial Souls? Xiao Wu's mother was shocked.

But she did not know that it was merely the Umbrella Sword. Before the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella was destroyed, he had drawn the sword in time.

Taking advantage of Xiao Wu's mother's momentary distraction, he thrust without hesitation, the sword tip darting cunningly for her eye.

Good lad! Seeing this, Gui Mei felt admiration well up in his heart.

Against an enemy like that, merely managing a response was already remarkable. Yet the lad actually dared to counterattack; that kind of resolve was especially precious.

But...

Gui Mei sighed. The gap was too great.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Xiao Wu's mother vanished again. Her second Teleportation took her directly behind Zhou You.

She gripped Zhou You's shoulder with one hand and released a burst of Soul Power, making it difficult for him to exert any strength. The Umbrella Sword dissipated.

Zhou You seemed completely restrained, and she carried him like a puppet as she darted into the forest.

"After them!" Bibi Dong shouted. "Get that child back!"

With that, she, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei immediately chased after them at top speed.