A Fleeting Glance, Xiao Wu Falls

"Er Ming, this is as far as you go. If you keep following me, you'll easily draw attention. That'll cause trouble."

"Go back now. I'll come visit you and Da Ming again in the future."

Under the starry night sky, faint starlight spilled down.

Deep within the Outer Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Wu concealed her aura, and her three soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple—slowly faded away.

She spoke faintly to the enormous black Titan Giant Ape behind her, signaling for it to leave.

After Snake Grandma had left the Star Dou Great Forest with Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, and the others, Zhao Wuji had taken Oscar hunting for other soul rings in the forest that night. Sensing Xiao Wu's aura, the Titan Giant Ape had come to find her and taken her away from the Shrek team.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Wu had also successfully condensed her Third Soul Ring.

The Titan Giant Ape was somewhat reluctant to part with her, but under Xiao Wu's urging, it slowly headed back into the depths of the forest.

"Phew... I wonder how Third Brother and the others are doing right now. They must be worried about me, right?"

"I need to hurry back and find them."

"No, if I go back looking this neat, they'll definitely suspect something. Third Brother is so smart..."

"Got it!"

Xiao Wu walked to the edge of a crystal-clear stream. The water babbled beneath the night sky, and the silver crescent moon reflected in the current, making it look like something out of a fairy tale.

She scooped up some mud from the streambank and smeared it over herself, making herself look filthy. Then, feeling that it still wasn't convincing enough, she tore her clothes in several places, untied the Scorpion Tail Braid on her head, and messed it up.

With her scorpion braid hanging loose, Xiao Wu examined her reflection in the clear stream. Only when she looked like someone who had fled for her life did she nod in satisfaction.

But the instant her disheveled Scorpion Tail Braid fell back, Xiao Wu froze, as though she had seen something incredible.

Unable to resist, she lowered her head and looked toward a spot upstream from the same angle.

Clear water flowed over bluestones beneath the faint silver moonlight. Two fierce Thousand Year Soul Beasts were tied up nearby, their gazes vacant, as though something had bewitched them.

And in the stream not far from those two Thousand Year Soul Beasts, an incomparably handsome young man with an extraordinary figure had just emerged from his bath. Every movement he made seemed to stir the very fortune of heaven and earth.

The young man's hair was still wet, and his toned, fair upper body was bare. His eight exquisitely defined abdominal muscles looked like a work of art, while white mist swirled around him as though he stood within a celestial realm.

"So... so exquisite... What a handsome man..."

"How could there be such a beautiful human in this world..."

Xiao Wu stood there in a daze, unable to make even the slightest movement. Her eyes were fixed on him, and she could no longer look away.

Drip~

Drip~

Drip—

In just a few seconds, Xiao Wu felt her entire face burn and her body grow hot as a warm rush surged through her.

Looking down, she saw drops of bright red blood falling from the tip of her nose into the stream, staining the clear water red.

She had a nosebleed!

Xiao Wu's eyes widened in panic.

It was the first time she had ever had a nosebleed, and she had no idea what was going on.

She could only tilt her head back to keep the blood from flowing out while using her other hand to scoop up stream water and wash herself.

But unexpectedly, the farther back she tilted her head, the worse she felt. Even breathing became difficult. Her entire nasal cavity felt blocked, and she accidentally choked, coughing nonstop.

"Am I going to die?"

Terror appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes.

"Lower your head and pinch both sides of your nose."

At that moment, a young man's voice, like a gentle breeze, sounded beside her ear—dreamlike and unreal.

At the same time, the back of her neck felt cool, as though a cold strip of cloth soaked in stream water had been placed there.

It was strange, but when she did as the voice instructed, the nosebleed really stopped quickly.

However, when she came back to her senses and looked again toward the moonlit stream, both the young man and the soul beasts had vanished, leaving only silence.

"Where did he go?"

"Who... was he? His voice sounded strangely familiar..."

"That man was far too handsome, wasn't he?"

Xiao Wu took the white cloth from the back of her neck. It turned out to be a towel. She sniffed it and caught a fresh masculine scent. It had most likely been used by that young man to dry himself after bathing.

She could not resist holding it to her nose and sniffing it several more times. The young man's face appeared in her mind again—his figure, his looks. He was simply unmatched, a rarity in this world, far too handsome.

For a moment, Xiao Wu was utterly captivated.

He used this towel to wipe his body, and I'm using it to wipe my face and mouth... does that mean we've sort of been close and kissed?

"I have to find him!"

Xiao Wu clenched the White Towel, her gaze more determined than ever.

Maybe this was the feeling Mother had spoken of—the human kind of love at first sight!!!

Just as Xiao Wu was still helplessly captivated by the young man's peerless immortal countenance, Su Ran had already led the two Thousand Year Soul Beasts away through the night, reaching the edge of the Outer Circle.

Only after making sure no one was pursuing him did Su Ran let out a sigh of relief.

He had spent quite some effort in the Star Dou Great Forest to find the two soul beasts he was now leading: a 2,800-year Blazing Blood King Tiger and a roughly 2,400-year Ghost Barrier Great Snake.

However, he had been busy these past few days hunting Soul Rings for Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and the others, leaving him no time for himself. This time, while searching alone for suitable soul beasts for Meng Yiran and Wang Sheng, he happened to pass by a Clear Stream and took the opportunity to wash himself, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

He had not expected Xiao Wu to stumble into him by sheer coincidence and disrupt Su Ran's peace and quiet.

The girl had even stared until her nose bled. Su Ran truly did not know what to say.

"I hope that girl didn't recognize me."

Su Ran shook his head, swung himself onto the Blazing Blood King Tiger's back, led the Ghost Barrier Great Snake, and raced toward the edge of the forest.

The two Thousand Year Soul Beasts Su Ran had selected for Wang Sheng and Meng Yiran were both extremely formidable, possessing bloodlines that could be called overlord-class among Thousand Year Soul Beasts.

Yet before Su Ran, they seemed to have lost their beastly nature. The shapes of Peach Blossom Petals appeared in their beast eyes.

This was Su Ran's First Soul Skill, Branching Dream, which could draw living beings' consciousness into an illusionary realm.

Moreover, after Branching Dream's age had risen to the thousand-year level, not only had the duration of its illusion increased, but it could also merge the illusion with reality. Su Ran could guide the target's actions, and soul beasts and Soul Masters with low cultivation and low Soul Power found it especially difficult to resist.

In the eyes of the Ghost Barrier Great Snake and the Blazing Blood King Tiger, their world had turned pink. The trees around them had all become Peach Blossom Trees, beautiful and dreamlike. They themselves were no longer vicious soul beasts, but a Rainbow Unicorn or a Wolf Dog protecting its master, while Su Ran was their master.

Naturally, Branching Dream was not permanent. As the color of the Peach Blossom Petals in their eyes gradually faded before finally disappearing, it meant they were recovering their beastly nature and becoming violent.