Queen's Steward and a Jealous Xiao Wu

Li Hao's Soul Grand Master ego, which had just begun to swell, was instantly doused by a bucket of ice-cold water.

A fly?

What kind of fly could beat a powerhouse at the level of a Dou Emperor to the brink of death?

A fighter-jet-grade fly?

His scalp tingled, and he instinctively shoved Xiao Wu further behind him.

Run!

Must run!

"Um... Your Majesty the Queen."

Li Hao cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound as steady as possible.

"As the saying goes, a gentleman takes his revenge even ten years later. How about... we make a strategic withdrawal first?"

He was kidding himself; he had only just reached level twenty-nine and wasn't even a Soul Elder yet.

The enemy was a ruthless character capable of hunting down Medusa. Charging in now wouldn't be bravery; it would be handing over his head on a platter.

And a buy-one-get-two-free deal at that.

The second rule of a slacker's self-cultivation: never participate in a battle you cannot control.

"Master, please call me Cailin."

Medusa corrected him.

"In front of you, I am no Queen."

Having said that, she turned her gaze toward the distance.

Her perfect side profile was as cold and hard as ten-thousand-year black ice.

"The Master's dignity brooks no provocation."

"Whoever dares to offend the Master is going against me!"

Li Hao was speechless.

"Big sister, have you gotten something wrong?"

"They aren't here to offend me; they're here to hunt you down!"

"I'm a six-and-a-half-year-old fisherman; what kind of dignity could I possibly have? My dignity is just being able to lie by the river for one more day!"

"Besides, you were the one beaten to the brink of death just now, not me!"

Just as he was about to persuade her further, Medusa suddenly turned slightly, shielding him and Xiao Wu completely behind her.

A massive surge of Dou Qi erupted from her body.

Purple energy swirled around her, making her appear like a god of slaughter descended upon the world.

"They're here."

She spat out the two words coldly.

Li Hao's heart jumped into his throat, and he grabbed Xiao Wu, ready to dive into the nearby bushes.

However, one second passed.

Ten seconds passed.

A minute passed.

In the forest, apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, there wasn't even a ghost in sight.

The earth-shattering battle he had anticipated simply did not happen.

Li Hao: "..."

Xiao Wu: "..."

Even Medusa's cold, beautiful face showed a rare trace of confusion.

She closed her golden vertical pupils, sensed the area carefully for a moment, and then slowly dissipated the energy around her.

"They... are lingering in the distance, not daring to approach."

"It seems they were scared off by the anomaly from earlier."

Li Hao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling almost completely drained.

Thank goodness.

At least these villains had some brains and knew how to avoid harm.

It seemed the commotion he had caused earlier made them think some peerless powerhouse had arrived.

A false alarm.

"Let's go, let's go, hurry home!"

Li Hao didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second.

He picked up Xiao Wu and turned to leave.

Medusa followed silently, taking the lead to clear the path for him.

The journey home became exceptionally smooth.

"Hiss..."

A ten-year Datura Snake lurking in the grass had just poked its head out, not even getting the chance to bare its fangs.

A flash of purple light streaked by.

It instantly turned into a lifelike stone sculpture.

Medusa didn't even glance at it, continuing forward.

Li Hao followed behind, holding Xiao Wu, his eyelid twitching.

"Roar!"

A blind hundred-year Nether Wolf lunged from the side of the forest, blocking their path.

Medusa stopped, her golden vertical pupils casting a cold glance at it.

The Nether Wolf's fur stood on end instantly; it let out a whimper, tucked its tail, and scrambled away into the depths of the forest.

Li Hao: "..."

Is this the strength of a queen-level bodyguard?

Terrifying!

The rest of the journey was silent.

With Medusa's clearing-the-field approach, they quickly walked out of the Star Dou Forest.

Looking at the curling smoke from the distant Holy Soul Village, Li Hao finally felt the peace of returning home.

Just then, Xiao Wu in his arms suddenly twisted her body and began to act spoiled.

"Daddy, I can't walk anymore, hold me."

She wrapped her arms around Li Hao's neck, rubbing her little face against him.

Li Hao smiled, preparing to hold her more comfortably.

A slender, jade-like hand reached out without warning.

Then, under Li Hao's stunned gaze, Medusa expressionlessly lifted Xiao Wu from his arms with one hand.

Just like picking up a disobedient little rabbit.

"Children shouldn't be too pampered."

Cailin's voice was as cold as ever, carrying a tone of instruction.

"Over-reliance on being carried will affect skeletal development."

The air froze instantly.

Xiao Wu was dangled in mid-air, her four short legs kicking helplessly.

She was stunned for a moment.

Then, her delicate, porcelain-like face turned bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"You... you bad woman! Let me go!"

"This is my daddy! What right do you have to hold me!"

Xiao Wu was so angry her eyes turned red, and she clawed at the air toward Medusa.

Medusa, however, could not understand her anger at all.

She simply tilted her head, her golden vertical pupils filled with pure confusion.

"I am sharing the burden for Master."

"You are Master's... accessory, and I have a responsibility to ensure your health."

Accessory?

Boom!

These three words completely ignited Xiao Wu's fury.

"You're the accessory! Your whole family is an accessory!"

"Daddy is mine! You bad woman who popped out of nowhere, you aren't allowed to touch Daddy!"

Xiao Wu struggled violently in the air, even baring her little claws, which still lacked any real power.

Caught in the middle, Li Hao felt a massive headache coming on.

One is a newly adopted daughter, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, skilled in acting cute and emotional manipulation.

The other is a newly acquired subordinate, a projection of an otherworldly queen, decisive in killing but with zero emotional intelligence.

Putting these two together is like Mars colliding with Earth.

"Um... Cailin, put her down first."

Li Hao bit the bullet to smooth things over.

"Xiao Wu, don't be rude."

Upon hearing this, Medusa obediently let go.

Xiao Wu "whooshed" back into Li Hao's arms, clutching his neck tightly and burying her little head into his shoulder, sobbing aggrievedly while shooting a defiant glare at Medusa.

Li Hao felt like his CPU was about to fry.

What even was this?

The harem hadn't even started, yet a family drama was already playing out?

He held Xiao Wu, looking at the peerless queen beside him who wore an expression of "what did I do wrong," and felt that his life as a salted fish had a very bleak future ahead.

After much effort, he managed to coax and deceive his way back to the dilapidated wooden shack in the village.

When Medusa saw the dwelling before her, which leaked from all four sides and had a door that was barely hanging on its hinges.

For the first time, a crack appeared on her eternal iceberg face.

She scrutinized the environment, which was so primitive it could be called a slum, her beautiful brows knitting tightly together.

"Master."

She turned around, addressing Li Hao with utmost seriousness.

"Your residence has an excessively low safety rating, zero defensive capabilities, and negative comfort levels."

"This is severely inconsistent with your status."

"Immediate renovations are required."

Li Hao waved his hand, feeling listless.

"Alright, alright, it's good enough that we have a place to stay, don't have such high standards..."

He just wanted to lie flat right now and properly digest everything that had happened today.

However, he had clearly underestimated a queen's drive.

And her obsession with assisting her master.

The next day.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Hao was still in his dreams when he was woken up by a strange, rustling noise.

He opened his eyes groggily.

He saw Medusa standing at the entrance of the wooden shack, directing dozens of lifelike little snakes made of purple energy as they darted rapidly across the ground around the shack, setting something up.

Noticing he had woken up, Medusa immediately turned and walked to his bedside.

She respectfully handed a scroll fashioned from some kind of animal hide to Li Hao.

"Good morning, Master."

"This is the 24-hour comprehensive safety and quality-of-life assurance plan for the Master that your subordinate drafted overnight. Please have a look."

Li Hao took the still-warm animal hide scroll in a daze.

His life as a salted fish.

At this moment, was declared officially bankrupt.