Douluo: Poisonous Tongue, Loves Telling the Truth

"Can't you knock a little softer?"

"Sorry! Sorry! Please calm down, guest. This is just my job."

"What job? I think you're doing it on purpose!"

The downstairs restaurant and guest rooms weren't far apart, so the commotion was perfectly heard by Xia Ran and Zhu Zhuqing.

Xia Ran gave Zhu Zhuqing a look; she understood and stood up to head upstairs.

Soon, Zhu Zhuqing brought the blushing Xiao Wu to the dining table.

The moment she sat down, Xiao Wu seemed like a completely different person—silent, head buried, just focused on eating.

This sight surprised both Xia Ran and Zhu Zhuqing. This girl had been so furious that morning; how did she suddenly go quiet?

Only now did Xiao Wu realize why Zhu Zhuqing hadn't been too keen on bringing her along yesterday.

It was just too embarrassing...

She had clearly listened the entire night, yet the next day they acted like nothing happened. How did they manage that!

After the meal, Xia Ran told the two girls about their destination and the matter of hunting soul rings.

Learning they would soon face ten-thousand-year soul beasts, the two girls inevitably felt some tension and unease in their hearts.

Unexpected that Xia Ran had grown to such strength—12 years old, rank 50!

And he planned to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts alone—no one would link those words to the same person.

Xiao Wu secretly felt fortunate in her heart. Good thing she chose to follow Xia Ran; he possessed such strength at a young age. As long as she received his guidance, there was hope for avenging her mother!

Having lived in the human world for so long, she also knew Martial Soul Hall's status across the entire continent. Wanting to avenge herself against Bibi Dong single-handedly was simply wishful thinking.

Before, she had pinned her hopes on Tang San, but he underwent a complete personality change.

Fortunately, Xia Ran appeared. This time, she had to seize the opportunity, even if it meant paying a price...

A few days later, Heaven Dou City.

The group walked along the bustling streets, vendors' calls resounding endlessly from both sides.

Sunset Forest lay to the east of Heaven Dou City. Entering the forest from Shrek Academy's direction passed right by Heaven Dou City, so Xia Ran simply chose to rest in the city for a night, adjust their condition, and restock food.

Over these few days, Xiao Wu had grown much closer to the two. Most of the time, Xia Ran walked ahead, with Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu following behind him.

During this period, Xiao Wu finally couldn't hold back and brought up that night, leaving Zhu Zhuqing's delicate little face flushed as if dripping blood.

With her lively personality, Xiao Wu kept pressing Zhu Zhuqing for her feelings once she got started...

"Xia Ran, how about we stay in Heaven Dou City and play a few more days? It's so lively here!"

Xiao Wu trailed behind hand-in-hand with Zhu Zhuqing, looking left and right, full of energy.

Hearing her suggestion, Xia Ran looked toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"Listen to your Zhuqing sis! Ask her!"

Seeing this, Xiao Wu pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Ah, listen to your Zhuqing sis~ Ask her~"

"..."

"You're getting more mischievous lately..."

Xia Ran was speechless, unsure what was going on with these two girls. Lately, their relationship seemed increasingly intimate, and Xiao Wu's favorability toward him had even risen to 10%.

Most importantly, Zhu Zhuqing had slept in Xiao Wu's room several times!

Women's thoughts were just too hard to guess...

What is the surname of this restaurant?

(Supplement one image of Zhu Zhuqing's backless dress)

Regarding Xiao Wu, Xia Ran didn't want to invest too much emotion and energy right now.

On one hand, things with Zhu Zhuqing had just begun; even if she accepted Xiao Wu's presence, they needed some buffer time.

On the other hand, Xiao Wu's identity was rather special. Until she fully trusted him, it was best not to beat the grass and startle the snake.

The group chatted and laughed as they arrived at a restaurant.

After days on the road, they had either eaten dry rations or simple inn fare.

Finally reaching Heaven Dou City, they definitely had to feast!

Entering the hall, a waiter greeted them enthusiastically. To avoid the two girls' beauty drawing attention, Xia Ran directly selected a private booth.

Xiao Wu clutched the menu and ordered a whole table of dishes; as the waiter left, she even added two carrots to whet her appetite!

"Zhuqing! You two stay in Heaven Dou City and enjoy yourselves for a few days. I can handle the soul hunt alone."

Tying into Xiao Wu's earlier idea, Xia Ran went ahead and brought up the soul hunting.

Xiao Wu was currently rank 32. Zhu Zhuqing had reached rank 40 after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, but with her soul power level rising so fast, Xia Ran didn't recommend she absorb a soul ring anytime soon.

So right now, the two girls' combat power was still too weak against a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

The Sunset Forest is fraught with danger. Xia Ran has his own means of self-preservation, and Zhu Zhuqing possesses two spirit bones, but Xiao Wu is merely an unremarkable Soul Elder with absolutely no ability to protect herself.

Moreover, there is a chance they might run into Dugu Bo on this trip, which would make things even more troublesome. It would be better to simply have the two of them wait for him in the city!

"Are you sure about this? Why not hire a spirit hunting squad?"

Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed slightly, her tone filled with worry.

Facing a ten-thousand-year spirit beast, she naturally lacked any confidence. Perhaps not becoming a burden to him was the best way she could help.

Xiao Wu was also hesitant on the side, taking a long time to squeeze out a sentence.

"Does it have to be the Sunset Forest? Why don't we go to the Star Dou Forest and look there instead!"

Hearing this, Xia Ran was slightly stunned.

"What? Do you have acquaintances in the Star Dou Forest?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Wu became visibly flustered, hurriedly avoiding Xia Ran's gaze.

"No... not at all, I was just asking!"

She had indeed been thinking that at least Da Ming and Er Ming were in the Star Dou Forest; if they encountered any particularly critical situation, she could ask them for help.

It must be said that, at this point, Xiao Wu already had some favorable feelings toward Xia Ran, even going so far as to consider having Da Ming and Er Ming help him.

Looking at Xiao Wu's guilty appearance, Xia Ran laughed out loud and stopped teasing the girl.

However, after her reminder, Xia Ran actually thought of something—perhaps Da Ming and Er Ming could be of help.

Presumably, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had already arrived at the Star Dou Forest by this timeline. If he could leverage that connection and stake out the area near the Lake of Life for a while, he might actually encounter the escaping Tian Meng.

Xia Ran remembered the Tian Meng once saying that when it was first captured by Xiong Jun, it could occasionally escape a few times.

His second martial soul had yet to have any spirit rings attached. If he could persuade the Tian Meng to sacrifice itself for him, and then head to the Far North to find the Ice Empress and the others...

Thinking of this, a smile couldn't help but curl the corners of Xia Ran's mouth.

"What are you smiling like a fool for?"

Just as he was fantasizing about his future, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly interrupted him.

"Ah? It's nothing!"

"Don't worry! You know my strength; even if I don't succeed, there won't be any danger!"

Hearing this, the two women felt slightly more at ease.

They had a general understanding of Xia Ran's strength, which could not be compared to that of ordinary people. They still remembered that when Flender unleashed his Soul Saint pressure, it hadn't been able to shake Xia Ran in the slightest.

Before long, a table full of delicacies was served.

With the food to distract them, the atmosphere among the group livened up again, and Xiao Wu began to wolf down her meal around the table.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, the faint sound of a commotion drifted in from outside.

Xia Ran had a vague, ominous premonition in his heart, as if something very unpleasant was about to happen.

Sure enough, the noise grew closer. It was clear that the person arguing with the waiter was a woman, and her voice sounded somewhat familiar to them.

"You bunch of trash, have you forgotten who owns this restaurant?"

"I want to see which blind fool dares to snatch this young lady's private room!"

Xiao Wu, who was stuffing food into her mouth, frowned slightly. She hadn't expected someone to come looking for trouble at a time like this; it was too much of a coincidence.

She had only taken a few bites of this table full of delicacies—what if the table got flipped over if a fight broke out later!

Zhu Zhuqing's brows furrowed as well. Along the way, many people had come looking for trouble because of her and Xiao Wu; even if they kept a low profile, it was unavoidable.

There was no helping it; the Douluo Continent was just like this. Some people always relied on their strength or background to bully others. If one wasn't strong enough, even hiding at home would lead to trouble.

Xia Ran felt even more helpless; he hated these meaningless conflicts the most.

Facing such people, killing them seemed too brutal, and beating them up felt unsatisfying—the main thing was that it wasted his time in the end.

But as the only male among the three, he still put down his bowl and chopsticks, intending to get up and see what was happening outside.

He had just walked to the door.

The next second! The wooden door of the private room was suddenly kicked open from the outside!

The immense force nearly slammed into Xia Ran, but fortunately, his reactions were fast enough to press against the door frame.

"Tsk~ How annoying!"

Xia Ran frowned, his eyes narrowing, his expression extremely impatient.

This was the most arrogant person he had encountered recently—kicking the door open right off the bat!

He calculated in his heart that if he didn't make the other party pay a price, his name wasn't Xia!

Holding the door frame to open it completely, the group saw, within their line of sight:

A woman in a green dress stood at the door, looking aggressive. Her pink hair was meticulously groomed, with exquisite hair accessories pinned into it.