You Rogue Rabbit

In a secluded grove on the hill behind Nuoding Academy.

Few people ever came here. The only sound was the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Xuan Hao released Xiao Wu's hand. Without wasting words, he channeled his soul power, and a gentle pink light instantly enveloped her.

"Dream's Other Shore."

Xiao Wu's vision blurred, and her consciousness was instantly drawn into a dream filled with warmth and a familiar presence.

In the dream, she saw Ah Rou.

Not the blood-soaked Ah Rou whom a Titled Douluo had hunted into a corner, but her mother beside the lake in the Star Dou Great Forest, gently braiding her hair and telling her stories about the human world.

Ah Rou told her the whole truth. She told her how Xuan Hao had risked his life to save them, how he had used Golden Dragon Roar to trigger a beast tide, and how he had tried to give them a chance to survive at the very last moment.

"Xiao Wu, don't blame him."

At the end of the dream, Ah Rou gently stroked her daughter's face, her eyes brimming with love. "If it weren't for him, Mommy might have died at that Pope's hands long ago, and you wouldn't have escaped either. He did everything he could."

"Even though Mommy is gone, I'll always be with you, inside this Soul Bone, beside this big brother..."

"You're out there on your own now. You must learn to protect yourself, and you must also learn to... trust him."

"..."

Half an hour later.

Xiao Wu slowly woke. Her already swollen, red eyes had now been cried into two ripe peaches.

But when she looked at Xuan Hao again, the hatred and hostility in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by complicated feelings and dependence.

"Thank you..."

Xiao Wu's voice choked as she lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers. "Mommy told me everything. If it weren't for you... I might never have seen her again."

"No need to thank me."

Xuan Hao leaned against a tree. "I owed your mother this. I don't like owing favors, especially ones like this... bought with someone's life."

"All right, stop crying. Since I'm here to be your big brother, I should at least act like one."

"Come on. I'll take you shopping."

With that, he took Xiao Wu's hand again and led her straight out of the academy to browse around Nuoding City.

Although he was now a "fugitive," that didn't stop him from being filthy rich.

Over his two-plus years at the Spirit Academy, he had saved more than fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins after expenses—a staggering fortune in this remote little city.

In a single afternoon, Xuan Hao bought bedding, toiletries, and even little accessories for a girl. Like a parent looking after a child, he took care of every last detail.

Whatever Xiao Wu wanted, he bought it for her.

By the time they returned to Nuoding Academy, dusk had fallen.

Instead of taking Xiao Wu back to the chaotic Dorm Seven, Xuan Hao led her straight to the Academic Affairs Office again.

Bang!

Before Director Su, who was drinking tea, could ask anything, a heavy bag of Gold Soul Coins slammed onto his desk, making his teacup jump.

"Director Su."

Xuan Hao looked at the dumbfounded Director Su and spoke calmly. "There are five hundred Gold Soul Coins here."

"I want my little sister moved to another dorm room. A single room, with good surroundings, preferably somewhere quiet."

"Well..." Director Su hadn't quite caught up. "That's against the rules... All work-study students live in Dorm Seven..."

"Rules are dead. People are alive."

Xuan Hao took out an even larger money pouch and gently placed it beside the five hundred Gold Soul Coins. "There are another thousand Gold Soul Coins here."

"Sorry for the trouble, but please take extra care of Xiao Wu while she's at the academy. Don't let anyone bully her or bother her without reason."

"Also, our family circumstances are a little unusual... Her mother recently passed away, and because of some disputes within the family, she didn't want to stay at home. That's why she ran away."

"I don't want any gossip spreading from here, and I certainly don't want people who shouldn't know about her learning anything."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Director Su looked at the fifteen hundred Gold Soul Coins on his desk, then at Xuan Hao's unmistakably aristocratic bearing and Xiao Wu's proud demeanor, which clearly belonged to no commoner's household. An entire drama of wealthy family feuds instantly unfolded in his head.

An illegitimate daughter of a great family? Oppression by the lawful wife? Her mother's unexpected death? An elder brother secretly protecting her?

No wonder this little girl had a village's work-study certificate, yet possessed innate full soul power! Now it all made sense! It was a cover to keep prying eyes away!

"Understood! I understand! Perfectly!"

Director Su planted his hands on the two bags of Gold Soul Coins. With a solemn, knowing expression, he thumped his chest and promised:

"Rest assured! Here at Nuoding Academy, this little girl is as good as my own niece! If anyone dares bully her, they'll have to get past me first! As for her background, my lips are sealed. I guarantee I'll keep it locked up tight!"

"Good."

Xuan Hao nodded in satisfaction.

With her accommodation and "protective umbrella" secured, Xuan Hao didn't linger. He led Xiao Wu out of the Academic Affairs Office and back to the secluded grove on the hill behind the academy.

The night breeze was cool, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

Xuan Hao stopped and turned to look at Xiao Wu, who had been following silently behind him.

"From now on, you can stay here without worrying. No one will dare bully you. Now that Director Su has taken the money, he'll worship you like an ancestor."

Holding her purchases against her chest, Xiao Wu looked up at Xuan Hao, reluctance shining in her eyes.

"What about you? Are you leaving?"

"I can't stay long," Xuan Hao said. "My identity is too sensitive, and I've just escaped from Spirit Hall. There'll definitely be plenty of people searching the whole world for me. If I stay beside you too long, I'll only put you in danger."

He pointed at the cloak and mask he hadn't yet had time to change out of.

"You saw it yourself. I kept myself wrapped up tight all afternoon because I didn't want anyone remembering my face. If Spirit Hall's spies spot me, we're both done for."

At that, the light in Xiao Wu's eyes dimmed. She lowered her head, anxiously twisting the hem of her clothes.

"But..."

Xuan Hao changed tack. "Once I'm sure it's safe, or I've found somewhere to settle down, I'll definitely come back to see you whenever I have time."

"Then I'll use that soul skill on you again. Whenever you miss your mother, I'll give you a good dream so you can visit her there."

Xiao Wu abruptly raised her head, a spark returning to her red eyes. As she looked at Xuan Hao, at this boy who seemed especially handsome beneath the moonlight yet still carried a hint of roguishness, an indescribable feeling welled up inside her.

It was gratitude, dependence, and the relief of having survived a calamity.

Suddenly.

Xiao Wu stepped forward, rose onto her tiptoes, and, before Xuan Hao could react, leaned in and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.

Xuan Hao froze completely.

He instinctively covered his cheek and stared wide-eyed at the little girl, who was only six years old, his face filled with disbelief.

"You... What are you doing?"

"You little brat! So young, and already learning to be a little hooligan and take advantage of me? Are you a Rogue Rabbit?"

"Y-you're the hooligan!" Xiao Wu's face instantly flushed as red as a ripe apple. She backed away two steps, clasping both hands behind her back, and protested in embarrassed irritation, "That was... That was to say thank you! It's etiquette! Etiquette, understand?"

"What kind of etiquette is that? How come I've never heard..."

Xuan Hao had just been about to tease her a little to ease the mood when his heart suddenly clenched.

An unprecedented sense of dread surged through him without warning, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Tang Hao?!

That drunk who only knew how to swing a giant hammer was coming this way!

"Listen!"

Speaking rapidly, Xuan Hao reached out and firmly ruffled Xiao Wu's hair, mussing her smooth scorpion braid.

"I have to go."

"Be happy at the academy. Don't overthink things. Eat properly and cultivate diligently."

"And... don't run too wild. Rein in that temper and stay out of trouble."

"Mm... I'll remember." Although Xiao Wu didn't know what had happened, she obediently nodded when she saw how suddenly serious Xuan Hao's expression had become.

"Hurry back! Director Su should already be arranging your room. Don't keep him waiting too long!"

With that, Xuan Hao didn't dare linger another moment. His figure flashed, and he swiftly darted into the dense woods.

"Big brother..."

Xiao Wu softly called toward the place where Xuan Hao had disappeared, then bit her lip, turned, and ran toward the dormitory building.

Elsewhere.

Xuan Hao raced through the shadows of the woods without using Teleportation, since such an abrupt fluctuation of soul power would attract the attention of someone that powerful. Relying purely on his physical strength and awareness of the terrain, he silently put distance between himself and Nuoding Academy.

Only after sprinting five or six li, when that suffocating sense of dread had completely disappeared, did Xuan Hao finally stop.

"Huff... huff..."

Xuan Hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked back toward Nuoding Academy.

Tang Hao had come to Nuoding Academy, and Tang San would be going to hunt a Soul Ring tomorrow. Tang Hao would definitely follow him in secret. That meant he certainly wouldn't return anywhere near Holy Spirit Village for the next few days.

When the tiger went out, its den stood empty.

"This time, the advantage is mine!"

Without any hesitation, Xuan Hao got his bearings, slipped into the darkness, and headed straight for Holy Spirit Village.