Morning.
Outside Shrek City, in front of a small grove.
"You're fifteen minutes late."
Zhang Lexuan wore a light-colored dress, its hem fluttering gently in the breeze. A few strands of hair had blown against her smooth forehead, and she casually tucked them behind her ear,
a faint smile on her face.
Lu Ran pressed his palms together, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry, sorry, Sister Lexuan."
"Something unexpected came up."
They had agreed to set off today, and he hadn't meant to be late. But Ma Xiaotao had been training hard lately, and her Evil Fire had been giving her trouble more often,
so she'd suddenly asked Lu Ran to help release it.
That was nothing; he only needed to help her resolve it. But when she learned that Lu Ran was in a hurry because he was going to meet Zhang Lexuan, the usually straightforward girl got jealous and deliberately slowed down the release of her Evil Fire,
so it still hadn't been dealt with by the time they were supposed to meet.
Lu Ran had thought they'd be back in a couple of days and could continue then.
He didn't mind waiting a day or two.
Ma Xiaotao had said, "Fine, go on. You can't let me hold you up," but even so,
Lu Ran hadn't even made it out the door before she lay in a chair looking miserable, eyes half-closed, a faint red flush rising over her body,
as if her Evil Fire were about to run out of control.
With no choice, he had turned back, losing fifteen minutes.
"Xiaotao's been training hard lately, so she asked me to help resolve her Evil Fire."
He spoke with an apologetic air.
Zhang Lexuan's pretty face still wore a smile. "It's fine."
"Let's go. After all, I did promise you."
I kept my promise to you,
but you didn't keep yours to me. You were late on our first trip alone together. Who knows what else you'll do?
Lu Ran caught the meaning behind her words.
He thought, How could that be? and immediately playfully pounded her pink shoulder with his fist. "Sister Lexuan, you must be tired from waiting so long. How about I massage your shoulders to help you relax..."
The corners of Zhang Lexuan's lips curved up slightly. She turned around, her voice laced with amusement.
"Let's get going."
Seeing that,
Lu Ran dropped his playful expression and took out a green map made from Millennium Green Vine. It felt soft and smooth to the touch.
The map was flexible and hard to damage. It could be folded over and over, didn't fear being soaked, and could even withstand a brief exposure to fire. It was perfectly suited to the environment of the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was just a little expensive—not something every Soul Master could afford.
Unfolded, it showed the shape of the Star Dou Great Forest, with scattered markings in various colors.
Lu Ran pointed to one of them. "Sister Lexuan, let's go here first. There are suitable Mango Tree Soul Beasts there."
Zhang Lexuan leaned over to glance at the map and nodded lightly. "All right. I'll follow your lead."
Lu Ran promptly put the map away and pointed in the direction they needed to go.
Let's set off!
They were still entering the Star Dou Great Forest, but Zhang Lexuan was more than enough protection. They were only looking for fruit-tree Soul Beasts to transplant, so the risks were manageable.
As for what they'd do if they ran into another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast,
Lu Ran had his Small World. They could duck inside if they encountered one,
or he could send the Rock Crystal Dragon and the others out into the open, trap the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast inside, and transport it all the way to Shrek before letting it out
for a righteous group beatdown.
As they stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, a damp breath washed over them. Dense layers of treetops blotted out the sky, and tangled roots and vines sprawled across the ground beneath heaps of rotting leaves. Centipedes, woodlice, and other little creatures scuttled by from time to time.
No wonder the Star Dou Great Forest was called a Soul Beast forbidden zone. They were almost ready to turn back before they'd even met a Soul Beast.
But it didn't bother Lu Ran and Zhang Lexuan much. Lu Ran had made his living gathering herbs since he was little and was very familiar with this kind of environment. The two of them weaved between the branches without the slightest difficulty,
making swift progress.
Lu Ran was searching for one foothold after another when, suddenly,
a wolf's howl rang out in the distance, sharp and shrill, shattering the silence.
Zhang Lexuan furrowed her brows and looked toward the sound with her beautiful eyes. "Something's going on."
Lu Ran said, "Okay."
They immediately changed direction and headed toward the howling.
After passing through miles of dense forest, Lu Ran saw a pack of Nether Wolves chasing a young girl.
She had wavy golden hair and a well-proportioned figure, but was in a miserable state. Several streaks of blood marked her fair skin and plain clothes, which were also stained with grass and mud.
The most striking thing about her was the pair of pinkish-white rabbit ears atop her head, bouncing as she ran lightly but unsteadily.
"..."
The more Lu Ran looked, the more familiar she seemed.
Could it be...?
"Huff... huff!"
Jiang Nannan fled with all her strength. A sweet, metallic taste filled her mouth, her chest heaved violently, and her vision blurred for an instant. Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, so heavy she could barely lift them.
Even though she was exhausted and had long since lost her sense of direction, she didn't dare stop.
Because her mother was waiting for her at home.
She couldn't die here.
Her mother needed treatment!
Jiang Nannan was eleven years old. Her father had died early, and she had depended on her sick mother since childhood. Their family was poor, and life was hard.
But when she was six, she awakened a Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, along with eight levels of Innate Soul Power.
Just when all hope seemed lost, her life suddenly took a turn.
She saw hope, so she trained hard and worked part-time to support herself. During breaks in her training, she gathered herbs and sold them around Shrek Academy, where they fetched a better price.
She never spent the money on food or clothing.
Every coin she earned went toward treating her mother.
She had thought things would gradually get better, but fate played a cruel joke on her.
Her mother, already frail, had suddenly fallen seriously ill, her once-thin body growing thinner still.
Jiang Nannan had taken out all her savings to pay a doctor and buy expensive medicinal herbs, but it still wasn't enough. Her mother's illness couldn't be cured; it could only be kept at bay.
So she had searched desperately for herbs, and just when her mother had finally begun to improve,
her condition had worsened again in recent days.
With no other choice, Jiang Nannan had gone deeper into the more dangerous outer reaches to search for rarer medicinal herbs, only to be targeted by a pack of Nether Wolves.
The wolf king was extremely clever. Rather than swarming her and tearing her to pieces,
it chased and surrounded her,
but never blocked every escape route. It deliberately left a gap for her to see, giving her hope of escape and driving her to fight her way through.
Once she escaped, the wolves would chase and surround her again, leaving another gap on purpose.
That way, she would cling to the last thread of hope and wouldn't fight back to the death, minimizing the pack's casualties.
The plan had proven effective.
Jiang Nannan knew what the pack was trying to do, but fighting in place meant certain death. Breaking through offered a slim chance of survival.
She had no choice.
After breaking through and getting surrounded again and again, her strength gradually ran out. Several bloody streaks and claw marks now covered her body. She was at the end of her rope.
Now the pack was closing in once more.
It made no sound as it followed close behind, its eerie green pupils glinting between the trees.
The huge Nether Wolf King stood over two meters tall at the shoulder, its fur a deep purple and its aura chilling. Dozens of Nether Wolves followed behind it, varying in size, with more green ones than blue.
There were more ten-year Soul Beasts than hundred-year ones.
A rich purple glow gathered around the huge Nether Wolf King, and its speed surged. It opened its bloody maw and turned into a streak of shadow as it pounced at Jiang Nannan,
determined to run her through!
The sharp fangs reflected in Jiang Nannan's eyes grew rapidly larger. Death was rushing toward her, and she could already smell her own blood.
In that instant, time seemed to stand still, and the wind fell silent.
Scenes from her past surfaced one after another in her mind: the first time she'd done the laundry as a child... the wronged tears she'd shed when she was bullied... the tears she'd shed when she awakened...
And finally, her mother's smile...
Knowing she was doomed, Jiang Nannan felt a glistening tear slide from the corner of her eye. She closed her eyes in despair...
Goodbye... Mom...
"..."
Before you continue