Zheng Li's pose, suspended in midair, wasn't very dignified. He looked like he was crawling like a dog.
Before he could react, a gentle force pulled him upright, allowing him to see who had saved him.
She was a beautiful young woman of eighteen or nineteen, with bright, lively eyes. The moment Zheng Li saw her, he felt a strong sense of familiarity.
Zheng Li blinked and couldn't help saying, "Big sis, you're so pretty."
The Scary "Big Sis"
The young woman of eighteen or nineteen was slightly taken aback by Zheng Li's compliment, then smiled kindly at him. "You've got a good eye, little fellow."
Little fellow?
The way she addressed him left Zheng Li stunned for a moment.
Was he that young? His face might have made him look younger than his age, but he wasn't that young...
Before he could dwell on it, the emerald-green light behind the young woman caught his attention.
Five pairs of wings had spread out behind her. They were all emerald green, like enlarged swan wings. Visible emerald-green light radiated around them, and irregular ripples of the same color spread outward in rings.
The light made the young woman look like the Goddess of Life.
Of course, Zheng Li had never seen the Goddess of Life. It was just an impression.
The light fell on Zheng Li, making him feel incredibly comfortable, as if all his fatigue had been swept away!
Seeing Zheng Li stare blankly at the wings behind her, the young woman wasn't annoyed. She smiled kindly and said, "Little fellow, come back down to the ground with me first."
At the same time, she felt a little puzzled. She had just quietly probed the young man's body with her Soul Power. He was human—an ordinary human—with not the slightest trace of Soul Power in him. He wasn't a Spirit Beast reincarnated as a human, either. If he were, he couldn't possibly have hidden it from her, a Super Douluo.
That raised the question:
Why was an ordinary person in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest? Forget one person—even a hundred ordinary people entering the Star Dou Great Forest together probably wouldn't make it past the outer region!
As she thought, the young woman didn't wait for Zheng Li's consent. She used her Soul Power to carry him back in the direction she had come from.
The scenery shifted as the young woman sped along. After just a few seconds, they landed, and Zheng Li felt solid ground beneath his feet again.
Only then did Zheng Li react. He looked at the young woman and said, "Big sis, thank you for saving... saving..."
The next moment, Zheng Li, who had been about to thank her, was stunned. He even began to stutter.
The young woman withdrew the emerald wings from her back, one pair after another, until all five pairs were gone. At the same time, her face rapidly aged. In the blink of an eye, she changed from a young woman of eighteen or nineteen into a white-haired old woman, her face covered in wrinkles...
The difference was staggering.
Seeing Zheng Li standing there in a daze, the "young woman" smiled kindly. "Little fellow, I don't quite understand what you mean by 'big sis,' but I'm nearly two hundred years old..."
When Zheng Li heard that, he felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. The words "nearly two hundred years old" echoed in his mind...
He didn't dwell on the age itself. Since he had accepted that he'd been transported to another world, he couldn't keep applying his old understanding of things.
But still... that was terrifying!
At that moment, Zheng Li could almost understand how his friend must have felt when he met his petite, adorable online girlfriend in person and discovered she was a chubby girl who looked a little old.
It was simply...
Indescribable!
Seeing how shaken Zheng Li was, the "young woman" shook her head and smiled. "Young people these days. My name is Wang Xian'er. Just call me Wang Lao."
"Oh, okay..." Zheng Li gave an awkward smile. "Thank you for saving my life, Wang Lao."
Wang Xian'er waved her hand. "Don't mention it. But why would an ordinary person like you be in the Star Dou Great Forest? And in such a dangerous mixed zone?"
"Well..." Zheng Li frowned. What excuse should he make?
"Wait!"
Zheng Li's eyes widened. "The Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Yes. You didn't know?" Wang Xian'er asked in confusion.
Zheng Li: "..."
He barely understood how he'd crossed into this world in the first place, so how could he know where he was? Come to think of it, the Star Dou Great Forest... Wasn't that the largest gathering place for Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent?
He'd read quite a bit in his spare time.
Thinking of this, Zheng Li calmed himself and asked the system in his mind, "System, is this the Douluo World?"
Well, it was a system. Using his thoughts to communicate with it was normal. Don't tell him there was a system that couldn't do that!
Sure enough, it worked. The system immediately replied, "Yes, host. You are currently in the period of Douluo II. Huo Yuhao, whom you know, has already entered Shrek Academy with Tang Ya and Bei Bei. There are two days left until this year's enrollment ends."
Zheng Li: "..."
"Little fellow, what are you thinking about?" Wang Xian'er asked when Zheng Li remained silent.
"N-nothing. I was just surprised to find myself in the Star Dou Great Forest." Zheng Li smiled bitterly, still looking shaken.
That wasn't a lie. Although he wasn't good at thinking things through, he was good at staying calm in a crisis. It was incredible luck that an ordinary person like him had survived in the Star Dou Great Forest. Thinking of those vines just now, they must have been a Plant-type Soul Beast.
Not only that, he'd also met a powerful person—probably a Titled Douluo—who had saved him. Wasn't that even better luck?
He'd guessed as much because Wang Lao had said, "I'm nearly two hundred years old."
At that thought, Zheng Li's mouth twitched again.
"Oh?" The confusion on Wang Xian'er's face deepened.
Well, it looked like he had to come up with an explanation. Zheng Li couldn't exactly say he'd been transported here from another world.
After thinking for a moment, Zheng Li said, "Wang Lao, I'm not entirely sure myself. I was sleeping at home, and when I woke up, it was already daytime. Somehow, I'd ended up on that cliff, and then that Plant-type Soul Beast attacked me for no reason... If you hadn't been there, I might already be dead!"
"Wang Lao, you must be a powerful Soul Master, right? Do you know what happened?"
Zheng Li looked at Wang Xian'er in confusion.
"Hmm..." Wang Xian'er frowned. She felt that Zheng Li was lying, but her observations suggested otherwise. Apart from when he mentioned being attacked by the Plant-type Soul Beast, when his eyes had shown fear, he'd displayed little reaction at any other point. Even his heartbeat had remained steady.
Could something so strange really have happened?
Zheng Li: Yes!
After pondering for a while, Wang Xian'er shook her head. "I don't know what happened to you, either. But it isn't safe for an ordinary person to be in the Star Dou Great Forest. I'll take you out."
She didn't intend to press him, whether he was telling the truth or not.
Of course, that was also because of her personality.
"Then thank you, Wang Lao," Zheng Li said sincerely. An ordinary person like him certainly wouldn't be safe in the Star Dou Great Forest. The system was useless, too. Even if Wang Lao hadn't offered, he would have asked her for help.
"Come with me. I'll let the others know."
Wang Xian'er turned and walked behind her.
Zheng Li followed closely. He wasn't puzzled by what Wang Xian'er had said. He assumed she was protecting a younger member of her family while she obtained a Soul Ring.
And that was indeed the case.
After they walked a few hundred meters in one direction, Zheng Li saw several people.
Two men and two women.
The two men were middle-aged and stood beside the two women like guards.
Both women were young. One was only about ten years old, with pale blue hair that fell to her shoulders and green eyes. Though young, she was beautiful and adorable, and looked a little like Wang Lao had when she was younger. The other was sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a red outfit suited for combat. She had a spirited air, long golden hair neatly tied into a ponytail, and a pair of deep blue eyes. A faint smile rested on her pretty face as she chatted with the younger girl.
"Great-grandmother!" The younger girl spotted Wang Xian'er and immediately called out, ready to fling herself into her arms.
But when she saw Zheng Li, she let out a little cry and hurriedly turned around.
Zheng Li was wearing only two pieces of clothing, one of them a pair of shorts...
He didn't even have shoes. The path they'd just walked had made his feet sore, and he'd had to tread carefully in case there were thorns or something.
The older girl didn't seem to mind. She glanced at Zheng Li, took two steps forward to stand beside the younger girl, and turned around as well.
This left Zheng Li... incredibly embarrassed.
The two middle-aged men frowned, but said nothing. They walked over, bowed respectfully to Wang Xian'er, and called out, "Elder!"
"No need for formalities. Give him a clean robe and a pair of shoes."
"Yes."
After answering, the first middle-aged man took a black robe with red patterns and a pair of shoes from his Soul Guidance Ring, then handed them to Zheng Li.
"Thank you."
Zheng Li thanked him and took them, quickly putting on the robe. It was a little big, but that didn't matter. The shoes fit, though they were a bit large, too.
"Find somewhere to wait for me. I'll take this little fellow behind me out of the Star Dou Great Forest first," Wang Xian'er said.
At once, the two middle-aged men looked at Zheng Li. After studying him, the first man frowned. "An ordinary person?"
The other three looked puzzled, too.
Wang Xian'er explained, "Yes, an ordinary person. He wandered in here by accident."
She didn't explain further, and the first middle-aged man didn't dare ask. The second man said, "Elder, why don't I take him out? You can protect the young... the two young ladies."
The older girl clearly wanted to say something when she heard him, but she didn't get the chance. Wang Xian'er spoke first.
"I'll take him. It won't take long. Xin'er, stay with the young lady and don't run off, all right? I'll be back soon."
"All right, Great-grandmother," the girl who had turned around and was called Xin'er replied.
Without saying anything to Zheng Li, Wang Xian'er used her Soul Power to lift him up and flew toward the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
She wasn't worried about her great-granddaughter and the other girl. The two middle-aged men were a Soul Douluo and a Spirit Saint, after all. She was taking Zheng Li herself because of the difference in speed. There was no comparison between a Super Douluo's speed and theirs.
As she'd said, it wouldn't take long.
After she turned down the second middle-aged man's offer, Xin'er and the others didn't say anything. They knew Wang Lao's personality.
Age Regression and Martial Soul
High above the Star Dou Great Forest, an emerald-green streak shot through the sky.
Inside the streak, Zheng Li was unharmed. Wang Xian'er's Soul Power protected him, or he wouldn't have been able to withstand flying at such speed.
Soon, the streak descended.
Wang Xian'er looked at Zheng Li and reminded him, "Little fellow, this is outside the Star Dou Great Forest. The outer region is still some distance away. Xingluo City is to the south, and Shrek City is to the northwest. You should be able to find your way by using those two cities as landmarks. Here are some dry rations and a few Gold Soul Coins."
After pointing out the directions, Wang Xian'er took some dry rations and three Gold Soul Coins from her Soul Guidance Ring and handed them to Zheng Li.
Zheng Li didn't refuse. He needed them.
"Wang Lao, thank you again." As he spoke, he bowed deeply to her.
He didn't say anything about repaying her. A powerful person like Wang Xian'er wouldn't care about such a promise. He would keep her kindness in his heart.
An Elder... And from what the middle-aged man had started to say—"young lady"—there was little doubt that she was a princess. Wang Xian'er was probably an Elder of the royal family...
What a status.
As he was thinking this, Wang Xian'er said, "Don't mention it. Perhaps we'll meet again," and left.
Zheng Li couldn't help shaking his head.
"Where should I go now?"
"Host, would you like to open the World Gift Pack?"
"Holy crap!"
Zheng Li's body jolted.
"System! Can you stop speaking out of nowhere? You're scaring me!"
"That's your own fault, host. Don't blame this system. You're the one with poor nerves!"
Zheng Li was baffled. "What does that have to do with my nerves?"
System: "...Would you like to open the World Gift Pack? It will no longer be available if you don't open it within three days!"
"World Gift Pack? Explain it first." Zheng Li rubbed his brow.
Before you continue