As soon as Xiao Wu woke up, she noticed something was wrong with Luo Yan.
Luo Yan's blood essence hadn't been replenished in time, and after traveling day and night for so long, his face was extremely pale.
He looked utterly drained.
"Xiao Wu, after you passed out..."
Luo Yan gave her a brief account of what had happened after she fell unconscious seven days earlier.
However, he didn't tell her that Xiao Ran and the others had come to kill him. Instead, he said that after learning who she was, they had come coveting her Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
Finally, Luo Yan also embellished the story about Tang Hao.
"I met the Blue Silver Emperor back then. I never thought she would end up dying because of humanity's schemes!"
After reincarnating, Xiao Wu had become very innocent and kindhearted. When she heard that Tang Hao had made Ah Yin sacrifice herself for her Soul Ring after she had given birth to his child, Xiao Wu's big eyes instantly filled with tears.
It seems Xiao Wu wasn't bad by nature. Her unruly personality later on must have been gradually influenced by Little Scumbag.
Seeing Xiao Wu's reaction, Luo Yan fell into thought.
"Alright, don't cry. This time, we need to find somewhere safe to recover for a while. If Tang Hao catches up with us, we'll both die!"
"The safest place on the whole continent right now is the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Xiao Wu, I'm badly injured. I'll have to leave things to you from here on!"
Luo Yan gently wiped the tears from Xiao Wu's face, then slumped into her arms.
Normally, when his blood essence fell below thirty percent, he would fall asleep and recover in that state.
But with Tang Hao still posing a threat and Xiao Wu unconscious, he'd had no choice but to push himself. All he wanted now was a good, deep sleep.
Luo Yan wasn't worried about whether Xiao Wu could get him back to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xiao Wu had made it safely to Nuoding City on her own, and they now had less than half the journey left. As long as they took a carriage to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, they would be safe.
Xiao Wu stared blankly at Luo Yan in her arms.
Because of their contract, and because Luo Yan had rescued her from a Super Douluo, she no longer minded him touching her.
Xiao Wu even adjusted her position so he could sleep more comfortably.
"Tang San, I can't believe you're that kind of person!"
She pulled her gaze from Luo Yan's face and looked up at the carriage roof. For the first time, she felt murderous hatred toward someone other than the person who had killed her mother.
Luo Yan had told her that Tang San had learned she was a Soul Beast from Tang Hao and spread the news.
That was what had made the people from the City Lord's Mansion and the academy covet her Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
In the dormitory of Yu Xiaogang at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.
Achoo!
Tang San, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed and cultivating, suddenly stopped and sneezed three times in a row.
"Xiao Wu, are you thinking of me...?"
"Don't worry, Xiao Wu. One day, when I'm strong enough, I'll kill Luo Yan!"
Looking at Yu Xiaogang, still unconscious on the bed, Tang San clenched both fists, his eyes full of killing intent.
[Seeing Xiao Wu taken away by you drove Tang San into a rage. Resentment Points +900!]
The system notification sounded, but Luo Yan was unconscious and didn't hear it.
After a while, Tang San sighed. "It's a shame Father couldn't catch up with Luo Yan. Otherwise, I could've rescued Xiao Wu that day!"
Tang Hao had wanted to stop Luo Yan, but with the Demon King Phantom there, he couldn't risk the lives of Tang San and the others.
By the time he dealt with the Demon King Phantom, Luo Yan had already been gone for half a day. Tang Hao couldn't find a trace of him.
Just as Tang San finished speaking, Yu Xiaogang suddenly sat up in bed and spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes bloodshot, he stared ahead and shouted:
"Luo Yan, I admit I was useless. I let your reputation fade all these years. Come back! Wouldn't it be better if we stood together at the pinnacle of the continent?!"
"I admit I'm useless! You're the strongest Martial Soul!"
The room had been quiet, so Yu Xiaogang's sudden outburst came as a complete shock.
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, stunned.
But after mulling over what Yu Xiaogang had said, his expression changed.
After a long pause, Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, who had come to his senses, and asked slowly, "Teacher, didn't you say that Luo Yan was an Evil Soul Master?"
"Why did you just call him your Martial Soul?"
Tang San suddenly realized that Yu Xiaogang seemed to have been hiding something all along.
Hearing Tang San's question, Yu Xiaogang sighed deeply. "Little San, to be honest, I'm not sure about this myself."
"I don't know if my senses were wrong back then, but I felt some kind of connection between myself and Luo Yan."
"I keep feeling that Luo Yan is actually my Martial Soul, Sanpao. But I'm also worried that Luo Yan merely refined Sanpao, and that's what made me feel this way."
"That's why I never explained it in detail to you."
Though Yu Xiaogang said this, whenever he thought about it, he could still hear Luo Yan's words from before he left.
And he truly couldn't understand Luo Yan's methods, so he could only chalk them up to him being an Evil Soul Master.
Thinking about Luo Yan's terrifying rate of growth filled Yu Xiaogang with apprehension.
After all, at first Luo Yan had needed to use him to threaten Tang San. Now he could defeat Tang San with a single move and even use strange methods to hold his own against Tang Hao.
It probably wouldn't take long for him to surpass Tang Hao.
"I see!"
Tang San nodded, accepting Yu Xiaogang's explanation.
The main reason was that Tang San knew even less about this than Yu Xiaogang did. Naturally, he had no idea how to explain Luo Yan.
"By the way, Teacher, before my father left, he asked me to give you this token."
Tang San suddenly remembered the task his strange father had given him before leaving. He reached into his clothes, took out a token, and handed it to Yu Xiaogang.
The token was black, and its design featured a sword, a hammer, and a strange beast.
An Elder Token from Spirit Hall?
Yu Xiaogang was startled when he saw it.
During the time he'd spent in Spirit City, he'd become very familiar with Spirit Hall's belongings. He recognized the token at a glance.
"I understand His Excellency's intentions!"
"Little San, don't worry. With my guidance, you'll definitely achieve more than your father and stand at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent!"
Taking the token, Yu Xiaogang spoke with certainty.
"Luo Yan..."
Thinking of Luo Yan, Tang San dug his fingernails into his palms without even noticing.
Another week passed. Yu Xiaogang's injuries finally stabilized, and he began guiding Tang San in his cultivation.
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Since Luo Yan had passed out, Xiao Wu and the coachman had encountered no trouble on the way. They reached a town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest without incident.
It was just as they entered the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest that Xiao Wu, carrying the unconscious Luo Yan on her back, ran into bandits.
Four Soul Ancestors and two Spirit Kings.
Faced with that lineup, Xiao Wu stalled them for half a breath until help arrived, and only then did she manage to deal with the enemies.
Before you continue