Making a Move on Xiao Wu

"What is it?"

Xiao Wu had given up struggling. Since she could not resist Shang An anyway, she might as well obey him for now.

"You don't need to do anything. Just sleep."

As Shang An spoke, his Psychic Power quietly activated.

"You're sleepy. You need to sleep."

Having just gone through such emotional turmoil, Xiao Wu's will was not particularly strong. She had virtually no power to resist.

"So sleepy~"

"Then go to sleep."

"Sleep, good girl."

Xiao Wu yawned and fell into a deep sleep.

Shang An smiled faintly as his Psychic Power entered Xiao Wu's heart. He did not have the patience to slowly train her, so he could only directly plant a Seed of Heart.

The process took even longer than Shang An had expected. Xiao Wu's guard against him was far too strong, making it difficult for his Psychic Power to break through. However, once he breached the first layer of her mental defenses, his progress became much faster.

He found the image of Xiao Wu's mother within her heart and imitated her mother's aura. As Xiao Wu gradually sensed that familiar maternal presence, a smile appeared on her lips. She seemed to be having a sweet dream and unconsciously lowered her mental defenses.

Suddenly, an overwhelming aura erupted from Nuoding Academy. Powerful spiritual force swept toward them, but Shang An calmly opened the Taiyi Dharma Domain, enveloping himself and Xiao Wu within it, while Ni Huang directly went to meet the intruder.

"Unknown Title Douluo, are you provoking Spirit Hall?"

Tang Hao was still dressed in black robes. He stared at Ni Huang for a long while, and only after finding no change in her expression did he slowly speak.

"My apologies. One of my juniors was abducted in Nuoding City. I was desperate to find my child for a moment."

After Tang Hao returned to Nuoding Academy, he saw Tang San and Yu Xiaogang in their miserable states. Furious, he questioned Yu Xiaogang, only to learn from him that Xiao Wu had been taken away by her fiancé.

What a joke. That useless Yu Xiaogang might not know, but could he, the mighty Clear Sky Douluo, not know? Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form. Where could she possibly have gotten a fiancé?

He suspected that Spirit Hall had discovered Xiao Wu's identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and taken her away. But if it had been Spirit Hall, there would have been no need to put on that whole act of her being Tang San's fiancée. With Spirit Hall's domineering style, they could have simply seized Xiao Wu directly. Why sneak around?

Another possibility was that she had been taken away by another Spirit Beast in human form. Thinking it over carefully, it did not seem impossible. Could another Spirit Beast truly have taken Xiao Wu away, with Xiao Wu putting on this act so Tang San would not worry about her?

After spinning out this whole theory, Tang Hao felt as though he had grasped the truth.

Still, he chose to investigate this place. The timing had been too much of a coincidence. He had happened to confront Lingyuan Douluo, and then his son had immediately suffered that humiliation from Xiao Wu's supposed fiancé. He could not be certain whether Spirit Hall was involved.

Now, seeing Lingyuan Douluo's expression, which did not seem fake, and finding no trace of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's aura with his spiritual scan, he relaxed. Before reaching maturity, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's aura was like a torch in the eyes of a Title Douluo. It could not be concealed.

Thus, he became certain of his other guess. Xiao Wu had definitely been taken away by another Spirit Beast. Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts! The thought made Tang Hao's eyes burn with greed.

"Do you suspect that Spirit Hall abducted your junior?"

Ni Huang naturally knew why Tang Hao was in such a hurry, but she still put on an angry expression. If she was going to act, she had to see it through.

"My apologies. I was merely too anxious."

Now that he had confirmed Xiao Wu was not there, Tang Hao naturally had no intention of tangling with Ni Huang any further. After offering an apology, he prepared to continue searching elsewhere. Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were an enormous treasure. At the very least, he had to find Xiao Wu again.

Unfortunately, he was destined to find nothing. Xiao Wu was inside a private room less than a hundred meters away from him, yet he remained utterly unaware.

Awake?

Shang An looked at the little girl in his arms, whose eyes had opened slightly.

"Where am I?"

Xiao Wu's bright, watery eyes surveyed the world around her and the man before her, carrying the same innocence she had possessed when she first took human form.

"In my arms, of course!"

The man's voice reached her ears, and Xiao Wu immediately woke up a great deal more, remembering her situation.

"Shang An."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Xiao Wu address him that way, Shang An frowned as if displeased.

"Master."

Xiao Wu hurriedly changed her words. For some reason, she was no longer as resistant to calling Shang An master as before. She even felt that his scent had become more pleasant. Staying by his side felt like being in her mother's embrace.

Only when Xiao Wu changed how she addressed him did Shang An nod in satisfaction.

"Since you're awake, it's time for us to leave."

"Ah, where are we going?"

Hearing that they were leaving, Xiao Wu felt at a loss. It was uncertainty about the future.

"Wherever I go, you go. Remember, you are my pet now."

"Oh, got it."

Xiao Wu did not know why she answered so naturally. She was supposed to hate this person.

"How much longer are you planning to stay in my arms?"

"Ah!"

Xiao Wu suddenly became shy and quickly fled Shang An's embrace, though she felt a strange reluctance in her heart.

"Let's go."

Xiao Wu followed Shang An outside and found that the sky was only just beginning to brighten, with a hazy mist all around. Wait, had he held me all night? Xiao Wu secretly glanced at Shang An walking ahead of her, and warmth unexpectedly stirred in her heart.

This bad master liked bullying people sometimes, but he was actually quite gentle.

After leaving Nuoding City, Ni Huang had already prepared a carriage.

Once they got inside, Shang An took out a handkerchief with specks of blood still on it.

Shang An closed his eyes, holding the handkerchief in his left hand while calculating with the fingers of his right. He could now barely make use of the divination ability of the Taiyi Divine Calculation, but to determine the exact location of a person or object, he still needed something connected to them.

Xiao Wu could not understand what Shang An was doing inside the carriage, but she did not dare disturb him.

After a while, Shang An opened his eyes, exhaustion visible in them, and stopped his movements.

Found it.

"Big Sister Ni Huang, head about a hundred kilometers in this direction. What I need is there."

Shang An raised a hand and pointed east.

Ni Huang, who was driving the carriage outside, responded and turned toward the direction Shang An had indicated.

Since there was no urgent need, Shang An did not have Ni Huang fly them over. Resting in the carriage was just as well. Shang An directly lay down with his head on Xiao Wu's jade-like thighs, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing Shang An so completely defenseless before her, Xiao Wu struggled inwardly. If she struck now, she might have a chance... No, I can't. The ones who killed Mother were other people from Spirit Hall, not him. Besides, he's actually a good person. I can't do this.

That's right. Spirit Hall was Spirit Hall, and Shang An was Shang An.

With that thought, Xiao Wu felt much better. She did not know that Lingyuan Douluo outside was watching her closely with spiritual force. The slightest sign that she intended to attack would have resulted in her being blasted to pieces.

After letting go of her killing intent, looking at Shang An felt different.

A dreamy look flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes. Why was this bad master so handsome? And his aura felt so much like Mother's.

Xiao Wu shifted slightly, allowing Shang An to lie more comfortably.

The carriage traveled for more than five hours, going from Nuoding City to the back mountain of a small village. Beyond it lay a valley that the carriage could not enter.

Shang An was called awake from his sleep and stretched lazily.

"Let's go. Find a cave with a waterfall."

It had to be said that Tang Hao had hidden himself well. He simply had not expected someone to be able to divine his location.

The valley was not large. Under Ni Huang's spiritual force coverage, they quickly found the cave behind the waterfall.

Ni Huang used Soul Power to hold up the waterfall's flow and entered first. Shang An then followed with the curious Xiao Wu.

"This is... Blue Silver Grass?"

Xiao Wu curiously looked at the only plant in the cave, a somewhat withered stalk of Blue Silver Grass. Wasn't this a common plant found everywhere? Right, Tang... Tang San's Martial Soul was this too.

The cave was small and bare. The only thing inside was this Blue Silver Grass, which appeared to have been planted there by someone.

"Why would someone plant Blue Silver Grass here? Blue Silver Grass may have strong vitality, but this environment is far too poor."

"This is no ordinary Blue Silver Grass. It is the emperor among Blue Silver Grass, the Blue Silver Emperor."

"Blue Silver Emperor?"

Lingyuan Douluo fell into thought. There was only one known Blue Silver Emperor in the world: the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor that had once taken human form.

"Could it be that Spirit Beast from nine years ago?"

"That's right."

Shang An nodded.

"This was once Tang Hao's wife, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor—Ah Yin."

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!"

Xiao Wu was surprised. She had not expected that aside from her and her mother, another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had chosen to take human form.