Xu Xiao's words made the Blue Silver Emperor hesitate.
Yes, she hesitated.
The Blue Silver Emperor studied Xu Xiao with interest.
She had thought Xu Xiao would ask her something about cultivation. Never in a million years had she expected him to bring up something that offered her no benefit whatsoever.
He wanted her to take him somewhere when he reached level 50.
That was a rather nebulous promise. What if something happened to him before he reached level 50?
The Blue Silver Emperor considered it for a moment, then said, "Little guy, the favor you're asking of me is a little too uncertain."
"Putting aside how long it'll take you to reach level 50 Soul Power..."
"What if something happens to you in the meantime?"
"Even if everything goes smoothly, what am I supposed to do while I wait all that time?"
The Blue Silver Emperor's words left Xu Xiao stunned.
He was stunned. Wasn't the Blue Silver Emperor supposed to be gentle and kind?
How come the one he'd met was so sharp...
He understood what she meant. She was willing to help him because they were fated to meet, and she didn't mind doing a small favor.
But what about the condition he'd proposed? It would take a long time, and a lot could change in the meantime. Who knew what things would be like by then?
Put simply, he was asking her for a check with strings attached, but he wouldn't cash it for a long time. Would she still honor it when the time came?
In other words, she needed guarantees—and something in return.
If it were a small favor, she might do it for the sake of their connection. But this was different.
Xu Xiao had unconsciously assumed the Blue Silver Emperor would be easy to fool. He hadn't expected her to set any conditions.
After thinking it over, Xu Xiao accepted it. The Blue Silver Emperor had lived for so many years. She might be innocent, but she wasn't stupid.
She'd only become foolish because she'd fallen in love. Not every Soul Beast undergoing Spirit Beast Transformation was like Xiao Wu, with no brains at all.
The Blue Silver Emperor had lost her wits because she'd fallen into the river of love—though it wasn't certain that it really was a river of love. It could just as easily have been an abyss!
The Blue Silver Emperor hadn't fallen in love yet. She was still perfectly normal, her intelligence very much intact. She wasn't easy to fool.
It made sense. This was how a normal person acted. Not everyone was a fool.
This time, Xu Xiao had truly miscalculated. He'd taken things for granted.
Looks like I'll have to be extremely careful from now on. I can't act so impulsively before I have the strength to back it up.
Xu Xiao thought to himself. If he'd tried this with some other emperor, he might've had to pay dearly for it.
Helping someone was a kindness; refusing was simply their right.
They weren't close yet, so of course she wanted something in return.
That didn't faze Xu Xiao.
He just had to offer her what she wanted. What the Blue Silver Emperor cared about most right now was undergoing Spirit Beast Transformation and going to the human world.
So Xu Xiao naturally steered the conversation in that direction.
"Blue Silver Emperor, if you're willing to help me with this favor..."
"When you undergo Spirit Beast Transformation, come find me. I can protect you until you reach the Titled Douluo level!"
Xu Xiao was completely serious. He really could protect the Blue Silver Emperor until she reached the Titled Douluo level. All he had to do was toss her into the Spirit Ascension Platform's space.
How hard could that be?
At his words, the Blue Silver Emperor's delight was plain to see. This was exactly what she wanted. A Soul Beast undergoing Spirit Beast Transformation had to interact with humans, and Xu Xiao could protect her until she reached the Titled Douluo level.
Any way you looked at it, it was a good deal.
Just as the Blue Silver King beside them was about to speak, the Blue Silver Emperor stopped him. She said, "Little guy, if you can protect me until I reach the Titled Douluo level..."
"Then the forces behind you must be impressive."
"If they are, wouldn't I, a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, be delivering myself right to your door?"
"Even if I believe you when you say you can protect me, I'll take you at your word."
"But why would your people not take you to that place themselves? Why do you need me to take you there?"
Xu Xiao drew a deep breath. He really wanted to ask who had said Ah Yin had no brains. Her mind was sharp as a tack.
She didn't seem like someone without brains at all. She spoke with such confidence, and everything she said was logical and well-founded.
Sure enough, as long as a woman wasn't blinded by love, she saw through everything better than anyone.
Xu Xiao looked at the Blue Silver Emperor. No one with cultivation as high as hers could be a fool.
Xu Xiao spoke slowly. "Emperor, first, the three of us brothers have no backing and no faction. If we did, we wouldn't have come to find you on our own. You're mistaken about that."
"Second, I can protect you because I have a special method. I can tell you what it is after you undergo Spirit Beast Transformation."
"Third, the place I need to go is connected to you Soul Beasts. That's why I came looking for you. You're the only one who can take me there."
Xu Xiao was completely serious. His eyes were utterly calm, without the slightest ripple.
As Xu Xiao spoke, the Blue Silver Emperor examined him closely and saw no sign that he was lying.
The Blue Silver King suddenly chimed in, "Human hearts are treacherous. They scheme and plot without end..."
Well, Xu Xiao had ended up getting outplayed by these two today. He didn't mind.
The Blue Silver Emperor gave a light, clear laugh.
"All right, Xiao Lan. The little guy has been honest with us. There's no need to make those sarcastic remarks."
The Blue Silver Emperor quickly smoothed things over.
Xu Xiao grinned awkwardly. The boomerang had come right back and hit him.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei snickered quietly off to the side. Big brother, big brother, looks like you've been had.
Xu Xiao: If anyone ever says Ah Yin has no brains again, I'll have words with them.
Xu Xiao knew he'd underestimated the Blue Silver Emperor. She'd cultivated from Spirit Beast Transformation all the way to the point where she met Tang Hao. How could she not have a brain?
After meeting Tang Hao, it was as if she'd thrown hers away.
"You three little guys, how about staying in my Blue Silver Forest for a while?" the Blue Silver Emperor asked.
Xu Xiao's expression shifted slightly. At this point, whether he wanted to stay or not, he had to.
He didn't know what the Blue Silver Emperor had in mind, but he knew she definitely had her own reasons. Before, he might not have thought anything of it. But now that she'd shown what she was capable of, he couldn't help but wonder.
"Sure!"
Xu Xiao agreed at once. The Blue Silver Emperor was overjoyed. She wanted to use this time to learn all she could about the human world.
If she hadn't met Xu Xiao and the others, she might have kept this thought to herself for a while longer.
But now, she yearned for the human world more than ever.
And so the three of them settled in the Blue Silver Forest.
Only after they'd left did the Blue Silver King turn to the Blue Silver Emperor. "Emperor, you..."
He didn't know how to persuade his emperor anymore.
It was all that human's fault. Damn that guy. He was clearly up to no good.
The Blue Silver Emperor sighed. "Xiao Lan, you know I've been thinking about this for a long time."
"Ah Rou has been living in human form for a long time. She's doing quite well in the human world on her own. Now that these little guys can help me, I'm in a much better position than she was."
The Blue Silver King sighed. He could see that his emperor had already made up her mind. Once she'd decided, no amount of persuasion would change it.
"Emperor, do you really trust those three little guys that much?" The Blue Silver King felt humans couldn't be trusted, even if these ones were weak and young.