I'm Your Father

The town the two entered was remote, located on the edge of the Heaven Dou Empire, but it was quite large and much more lively than they had imagined.

Aside from lacking city walls and Spirit Hall Branch, it looks almost like a small city. Shops line both sides of the street, and pedestrians come and go in an endless stream; all kinds of shops are available.

Compared to the solitude of the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest and the ordinariness of the journey so far, this place, though smaller in scale, is brimming with life.

Countless noisy shouts, calls, and arguments rose and fell, constantly reaching the ears of the two.

Su Cheng was alright; he wasn't greatly affected.

He had seen many cities that were countless times more prosperous than this place.

But the Silver Dragon King had never experienced such a sight before. He gently moved his eyes and immediately began to listen and receive various messages:

Among them were adventure teams composed of Soul Master, discussing their upcoming battle plans and future Soul Ring choices; ordinary merchants haggling with passing travelers over the prices of Gold Soul Coin and Silver Soul Coin; and even the sounds of couples arguing and Old Man scolding their sons...

"Why do you want to take my surname? What, do you want to be my daughter?"

As Su Cheng walked, he looked around at the scenery and casually joked.

However, this is just a joke; it seems that Dragon Clan do not have the custom of their offspring taking their father's surname.

"I am your father."

"?"

Su Cheng suddenly stopped in his tracks, looked down in astonishment at the petite girl beside him who now had black hair and black eyes.

Even though she followed Su Cheng's advice and changed her short silver hair and purple eyes to a relatively ordinary black, her youthful face was still as delicate as porcelain, possessing a beauty that transcended the mundane world.

But that doesn't matter.

The key point is, how could she possibly say such a thing!

"What did you just say?!" Su Cheng asked incredulously.

"I am your father."

"... Where did you learn that phrase?"

"That's exactly what he just said."

As she spoke, Su Yue pointed to the middle-aged man who was scolding his son not far away.

Su Cheng looked in the direction she pointed, still saying things like, "Old Man 'm your father, it's only natural that you listen to me."

Su Cheng twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.

Broken.

I haven't even started teaching him properly yet, and this kid has already started going astray.

"Don't talk like that. Don't you know how to use polite language? Besides, they're a father and son, is that the same situation as yours?!"

"Oh."

Su Yue nodded without refuting, then turned her dark eyes to look around.

"..."

Seeing this, Su Cheng's lips moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only continue walking into the town in silence.

But as he walked, he felt increasingly uneasy.

Even if this Silver Dragon King had never entered human society before, it had lived for quite a few years and had always interacted with Soul Beast like Di Tian. It had also seen some humans, so it wasn't really like the six-year-old child it appeared to be.

Whether in terms of memory or thought, Mingdu adults, so it's impossible for something like "children saying the darndest things" to actually happen.

"... You were deliberately insulting me just now, weren't you?"

This time, Su Yue did not respond, but continued to silently observe the scene in the town.

Her gaze lingered more on the shops selling tools, as if she were deep in thought.

Su Cheng shook his head helplessly and followed her as they surveyed the town.

"The situation with Soul Beast is really not optimistic." He sighed casually as he looked around. "Or rather, Soul Beast themselves are almost like livestock raised by humans, readily available and used, like a complete supply chain."

"..."

Su Yue remained calm upon hearing this.

Actually, she had just been thinking about a similar question.

Although this border town has many shops, apart from those catering and accommodation businesses that are essential for making a living, the vast majority of shops mainly deal with Soul Master, or rather, with hunting Soul Beast.

Weapons, armor, poisons, healing potions, and various special clothing items provided to the adventure team.

If that were all, one could say it might be related to internal struggles among Soul Master. However, those weapons or armors generally have special attack or special defense effects, such as anti-poison protective suits against insect attacks and fire-type weapons against plant-type defenses.

This situation is most likely aimed at Soul Beast.

Because low-level Soul Master mostly fight in teams, emphasizing cooperation and complementarity, they rarely create equipment with special attributes.

The fact that very little regular equipment is sold here speaks volumes.

"Next, we'll stay here for a while to help you adapt to the human society environment. Also, I need to verify some things here."

"Verify what?" Su Yue glanced at him. "Aren't you from outer space, completely ignorant of this world?"

"Although the worlds are different, the essence of their operation will always have similarities. Since there are Auspicious Beast among your Soul Beast Clan, there are also likely extraordinary people with extraordinary destiny in the human world."

"Oh." Su Yue nodded, then asked with some doubt, "How do you know that waiting here will lead to the appearance of that kind of person?"

"That's why I said we need to verify it and wait a while to see. If we really encounter it, it's not too late to talk about it then."

In the month or so that Su Cheng and his companion entered this remote town outside the Star Dou Great Forest, many more Soul Master settled down here.

As for their ultimate goal, it was clear that they all wanted to go to that vast forest to hunt Soul Beast and improve their cultivation level.

On this day, Zhao Wuji, the vice dean of the Shrek Academy, also led seven students from his academy—four men and three women—into the town.

Looking around the town, Oscar couldn't help but sigh, "They say you live off the land and water. This town is built quite well, relying on the Star Dou Great Forest. There are probably quite a few similar towns around here."

Tang San, who was walking beside him, was somewhat surprised when he heard this. "Isn't it nearly a hundred kilometers away from here to the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Oscar laughed and said, "You must have gotten used to the forests where the state raises Soul Beast. Most of the Soul Beast raised in captivity are relatively docile and Young Master attack humans. Wild Soul Beast habitats like the Star Dou Great Forest are different. The Soul Beast there are not only exceptionally fierce, but some of Soul Beast even frequently venture out of the forest, which could potentially lead to attacks on humans."

At this moment, Zhao Wuji pointed to a two-story hotel in front of them that combined dining and lodging and said, "Let's stay here. Rest for one night and set off tomorrow morning. You'll have to pay for your own accommodation and meals."

After saying that, he led everyone inside, got himself a single room, and went straight upstairs.

The students found a table in the corner, sat down, and started ordering food.

However, none of them, including Zhao Wuji, the Soul Saint, noticed that two figures were following them into the hotel and sitting at another empty table not far from them.

"You're waiting for these few people?"

Su Yue glanced at Tang San and the others, then asked Su Cheng.

Apart from the burly middle-aged man who was leading the group, the others all looked like teenagers in their early teens.

Several of them were around the same age as Su Cheng now, though a few years older.

But she didn't sense anything special about these people, which made her a little puzzled.

"Um."

Su Cheng nodded, not paying attention to the other person's wild thoughts at this moment.

He was indeed waiting for Tang San and the others.

Judging from the timing, these genius Soul Master from the Shrek Academy should be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest around this time to hunt Soul Beast and advance in their cultivation.

The small town where he was currently staying was the most convenient place to stay between the Shrek Academy and the Star Dou Great Forest.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the assumption that no other unforeseen events occur during this Simulation, in which case we can wait for them.

Su Cheng was also unsure about this, so he had previously only said to try and wait.

Anyway, Su Yue has only just entered human society and needs some time to observe and adapt. A year or two is perfectly acceptable.

"Keep a close eye on Tang San and Xiao Wu."

While observing the Shrek students, Su Cheng whispered to the girl beside him.

The conversation of those people could not escape the notice of the two, and Su Yue quickly identified them one by one.

"Oh." She nodded, then shifted her gaze to the two people Su Cheng had specifically mentioned.

"Huh?" Su Yue's eyes flickered slightly, instantly realizing Xiao Wu's special identity, "Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit..."

She immediately turned to look at Su Cheng, "That Xiao Wu is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Transformation."

"Oh, really? Then you should keep a close eye on her."

Su Cheng responded absentmindedly.

His eyes were fixed on the pretty girl with a stunning figure, and his heart was in turmoil.

Hell White Tiger!

Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul is not the original Hell Spirit Cat, but the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul after being fused with the White Tiger Martial Soul!

Moreover, it is not an ordinary Hell White Tiger, but Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul with pure and perfect bloodline, potential comparable to God-level, and almost identical to Zhu Zhuqing in reality!

"How is that possible?"

Su Cheng was filled with doubt and unease.

He scrutinized the black-clad girl's expression, demeanor, and speech, but his doubts only grew stronger. "No, she's not the real Zhu Zhuqing..."

He knew Zhu Zhuqing's personality and style very well.

The girl not far away was clearly not as shrewd as Zhu Zhuqing, whom he knew. Her thoughts and intentions could be discerned from the subtle changes in her eyes.

If it were her in real life, it would be almost impossible for Su Cheng to figure her out.

Not only that, her personality was also a bit off; she wasn't as quiet and aloof as she seemed.

Although his expression remained indifferent, it was more due to his introverted nature than a hard, protective shell formed by his long-term exposure to a repressive environment, an instinctive avoidance of all outsiders.

That's normal.

After all, if she and Zhu Zhuyun were not in a life-or-death competitive relationship, then given Zhu Zhuyun's personality and the close blood ties between the two sisters, they probably wouldn't have accumulated such deep conflicts.

"However, since she awakened the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul, why did she still appear in the Heaven Dou Empire? Was it because the Zhu Family was afraid? But Shrek Academy also a coincidence?"

Su Cheng's mind was in turmoil, and for a moment he even put aside the matter of the Silver Dragon King.

He originally came to see Tang San and Xiao Wu, but unexpectedly, he gained something else.

"Does this change in Zhu Zhuqing mean that she has obtained the 'Spirit Seed' mentioned in the Simulation's opening description? Is she one of the Life-Bound Child of Destiny? In any case, since Zhu Zhuqing has awakened the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul, we cannot turn a blind eye to her. At the very least, we cannot let her get too close to those people."

In ordinary Simulation, Su Cheng could treat most irrelevant characters as virtual roles unrelated to reality.

But it's hard for Zhu Zhuqing not to see the other person as the embodiment of a real-life partner.

Most importantly, if the other party is indeed Life-Bound Child of Destiny, they might also gain the relevant memories after returning to reality from the mission, so we must be wary.

After roughly clarifying his thoughts, Su Cheng calmed himself down and gradually regained his composure.

At that moment, he suddenly caught a faint, delicate fragrance wafting into his nostrils.

Turning his head, he saw that Su Yue was not observing Tang San and Xiao Wu as he had said, but was staring straight at him at close range.

A pair of jet-black eyes, deep and unfathomable, startled him.

Su Cheng subconsciously leaned back. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"..."

Su Yue didn't speak, but lowered her eyelids slightly and quietly scrutinized him with half-closed eyes.

After a while, he turned his head and looked at the group of teenagers who were about the same age as Su Cheng sitting at the table.

"You know them."

"As I said, these people are extraordinary. They are all chosen ones, favored by the world's destiny. In the future, they may become beings who can influence the future direction of humanity."

Su Cheng realized that his reaction just now was indeed a bit suspicious.

Although there were only slight fluctuations on the surface, they could not ultimately escape the keen intuition of this former Silver Dragon King.

Su Yue's pupils flickered slightly as she glanced at the group of people at another table.

Among these people, only Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar have decent talent.

Oscar, in particular, benefited from his extremely special Food Martial Soul. In terms of talent alone, he was far inferior to Tang San, who possessed Twin Martial Souls, and Zhu Zhuqing, who had God-level Martial Soul.

As for the others, she didn't think they were anything special.

However, Su Yue did not delve into it further, but carefully examined the black-clad girl with a beautiful face, extraordinary temperament, and an exaggeratedly good figure.

"Who is she."

"I'm not entirely sure either; we need to observe further."

Su Cheng frowned, his voice slightly questioning.

Su Yue was clearly not asking for Zhu Zhuqing's name; the names of these people had already been revealed in their respective conversations.

What she really wanted to ask was what made the other person special.

After all, Su Yue had clearly noticed that her attention had been almost entirely focused on Zhu Zhuqing.

However, Su Cheng really didn't know the specifics of Zhu Zhuqing's situation.

This was also his question.

"She's your friend too?"

"I've already said I don't know anything about her, so how could I be her friend? Besides, even if I wanted to be friends with her, she wouldn't know me."

"Oh."

Su Yue nodded, her gaze returning to Tang San and Xiao Wu.

After a long pause, she suddenly asked, "Do you humans make friends so casually?"