New Mission, Otherworldly Girls, and a Limit Douluo

[Key plot character 'Xiao Wu' detected. She is one of the most important companions and greatest opportunities in the growth of the child of fortune (false), Tang San.]

[Choice mission triggered:]

[Choice One: Love Is a Light.]

[Reward: One random permanent Level 99 Limit Douluo Summoning Card, and 50,000 system points.]

[Choice Two: See the other person first thing when you wake up in the morning.]

[Reward: Legend of Qin world—Yan Fei and Yue Shen of the Yin-Yang School, and 50,000 system points. Note: Their abilities will be adapted to the rules of Douluo Continent, while their talent and potential will be retained. Their initial loyalty will be locked in place, and maintaining it will be up to the host.]

The hand tucked into Zhao Linchuan's sleeve tightened almost imperceptibly.

These two options... were quite interesting.

Choice One offered a permanent Limit Douluo Summoning Card, meaning he could immediately gain a top-tier guardian who could practically do as he pleased on this continent.

His safety would be assured, and he could push many of his plans forward more boldly.

Choice Two offered two genius girls from another world. They were young, but extraordinarily talented, with immense potential for growth.

They would need time to grow and couldn't provide top-tier protection right away, but in a place like Nuoding City, they would be more than enough to ensure his safety.

And in the long run, from certain unspeakable perspectives...

As his thoughts raced, weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Wu saw that he wasn't answering and assumed she'd scared him. She hopped over to him, waved her fair little hand in front of his face, and raised her voice.

"Hey! I'm talking to you. Did you hear me...?"

Zhao Linchuan suddenly moved.

His left hand shot out and caught Xiao Wu by the wrist, stopping the hand she'd been waving in front of him.

Her skin felt soft and delicate, her wrist slender like any child's, yet it held a supple resilience that didn't belong to someone her age.

Xiao Wu clearly hadn't expected him to make a sudden move. She froze, a flicker of surprise crossing her big eyes before embarrassment and anger surged in. She twisted her wrist, trying to break free.

But Zhao Linchuan didn't let go.

He lowered his head slightly, gazing at the small, sculpted face so close to his. The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a playful, confident smile far beyond his years.

He had already made up his mind.

*I choose Two.*

[Choice confirmed. Mission "See the other person first thing when you wake up in the morning" accepted. The reward will be issued automatically upon completion.]

"Hey! Let go!"

With her wrist held, Xiao Wu was both embarrassed and annoyed. She struggled hard.

Zhao Linchuan let go, then asked with a puzzled look, "What are the rules in Dorm Seven? Let's hear them."

Xiao Wu rubbed her wrist and lifted her chin, doing her best to put on the airs of a "boss." She snorted. "The rules of Dorm Seven are simple. Whoever has the biggest fists is the boss!"

Zhao Linchuan's gaze swept over Wang Sheng's bruised face and the obedient work-study students, then returned to Xiao Wu's childish little face, which was trying hard to look fierce. His lips curved slightly.

"So you're the boss of this bunch?"

"And you're supposed to be..." He deliberately paused. "A little yellow-haired brat?"

"Who are you calling a yellow-haired brat?!" Xiao Wu was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She instantly flew into a rage, her big, dark eyes going round as she bared her teeth and glared at Zhao Linchuan, fierce as a kitten.

Zhao Linchuan's smile deepened. In an infuriatingly smug, drawn-out tone, he replied, "Whoever answers, I suppose."

"You—!!!" Xiao Wu stomped her feet in fury. The thin layer of dust on the ground puffed up beneath her steps. "You're asking for a beating!"

Before the words had even left her mouth, her petite figure darted forward, moving far faster than an ordinary child.

As she neared Zhao Linchuan, she twisted at the waist. Her right leg cracked out like a swift whip, sweeping toward his lower body with a gust of wind!

Zhao Linchuan's eyes sharpened. He turned slightly, and her fierce kick skimmed past the edge of his clothes.

At the instant her momentum had run out but her next move had yet to begin, while her right leg was still drawn back, Zhao Linchuan's left hand shot out like an iron clamp and seized her slender ankle!

"Ah!" Xiao Wu cried out in surprise and tried to pull her leg free, only to find her ankle locked tight and utterly immovable.

Zhao Linchuan's right hand struck next, fingers held together like a blade. As quick as lightning, he chopped the numb spot on the side of her right knee!

"Ah—!" A sharp, tingling pain shot through Xiao Wu. She cried out and went limp, barely keeping herself from falling by supporting herself on her trapped right leg and her left.

"Let me go!" she cried, furious and flustered.

"Sure." Zhao Linchuan readily agreed. His left hand released her with a sudden jerk, and he even "kindly" gave her a little push forward.

Xiao Wu had been straining to pull backward. The resistance suddenly vanished, and the shove sent her off balance. She staggered back several steps—

Her back slammed into the cold earthen wall with a bang, shaking dust loose from it.

Zhao Linchuan brushed the dust from his hands and calmly looked at Xiao Wu, who was baring her teeth as she rubbed her back. "So, should we have a new boss now?"

"Hmph! You want to be boss? Beat me first!"

Xiao Wu was clearly unconvinced. She rubbed her knee, a crafty glint flashing in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, pushed off with her feet, and charged at him again. This time she was even faster, but made no obvious move to attack.

Zhao Linchuan stood still, seemingly unable to react. He didn't dodge.

Xiao Wu was secretly delighted. With a nimble flick, she slid behind Zhao Linchuan, then whipped up her left leg like a spirit snake, hooking it toward his neck in a flash!

Once she locked him in her Soft Technique, no one with the same Soul Power could break free right away.

But just as her leg was about to hook over Zhao Linchuan's shoulder—

Instead of lunging forward to escape, Zhao Linchuan suddenly fell backward without warning, following the force of her pull!

His full weight, combined with the acceleration of his fall, crashed down on Xiao Wu behind him.

"Thud!"

The two of them hit the ground hard together.

At the last moment, Zhao Linchuan braced himself slightly with an elbow, absorbing most of the impact. But Xiao Wu, pinned beneath him and serving as a cushion, wasn't so lucky.

"Ugh... cough, cough..." Xiao Wu felt as though her insides had been knocked out of place. Her back and chest throbbed with pain. Her beautiful chokehold had failed, and she'd ended up paying dearly for it instead.

The pain and lack of air drained her strength in an instant. Her leg, hooked around Zhao Linchuan's neck, loosened involuntarily, and a few tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

She coughed weakly, patting Zhao Linchuan's back with one small hand. Her voice turned tearful. "G-get... off... cough, cough... You're crushing me..."

Knowing when to stop, Zhao Linchuan pushed off the ground and sprang neatly to his feet, then casually brushed the dust from his clothes.

He looked down at Xiao Wu, curled up on the ground with her face scrunched tight and tears in her eyes, and asked in a flat tone, "Are you okay?"