The sun dipped toward the west, but the cicadas kept chirping. The wooden houses before him were gilded with gold, as if soaking in the warm sunlight.
Chu Men stood at the crossroads with his arms folded. He tucked his wristband into his pocket and let his black bangs flutter in the breeze.
"The little white rabbit wants to play hide-and-seek, huh?" He stroked his chin, the mischievous grin of a big boy curling at his lips. "Today, the kindergarten hide-and-seek champion is going to play the big bad wolf!"
Bathed in the verdant, healing breath of nature, Chu Men felt his own childlike spirit spring back to life. He stared at the tightly closed doors of the wooden houses, itching to get started!
He deliberately stomped as he walked, humming the out-of-tune Childhood as he ambled toward the first house. Then he pulled out a giant toy carrot and knocked on the door.
"Anybody home? There are carrots to eat!"
The room was quiet. Only a shadow seemed to flicker behind a gap in the curtains.
Chu Men pretended not to see it. He tapped the carrot against his palm like a club. "Crisp and sweet, big juicy carrots~"
The livestream camera, from a blind spot in Chu Men's view, gave a close-up of the rabbit ears behind the curtain.
[Hahahaha, the streamer's so mean! Sister Xiao Wu, come out and grab the carrots!]
[Sister Xiao Wu's hiding skills aren't very good!]
[With such an obvious pair of rabbit ears sticking out, of course she'll get spotted!]
Chu Men didn't look at the comments. He was simply absorbed in the fun of hide-and-seek.
Especially with a pretty girl like Xiao Wu. It felt just like being a kid again!
"That girl from the class next door, why hasn't she~"
Humming as he played, Chu Men peeked around with nimble movements.
He was the very picture of what it meant to "come back and still be a boy"!
[The streamer's singing Childhood, right? That takes me back!]
[It just doesn't really match the weird uncle vibe. Forgive me, I have to laugh first!]
[That's an old song from the '80s, right? The streamer's identity as a time traveler is confirmed!]
For the online analysis threads that had already taken shape, a nursery rhyme was only a small piece of supporting evidence. But the shared feeling it stirred up was something no post could match!
The classic song Childhood returned to the top of the charts. Many viewers watching the livestream couldn't help humming along.
Meanwhile.
Chu Men came to a house and sniffed lightly. Amid the scents of sunshine, grass, and a faint trace of Liu Erlong, he caught the aroma of food.
Carrot sauce and stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and peppers!
It was a new style of cuisine Chu Men had come up with since arriving at Blue Tyrant Academy. He had combined it with the unique seasonings of the Douluo World and adjusted the recipe over and over, so he was especially sensitive to its smell.
"Sister Erlong's a bona fide carnivore, so who could be in this room? It's so hard to guess!"
With his hands on his hips, Chu Men studied the tightly shut windows and made sure there was no other way out. Then he rolled up his sleeves, laughed, and pushed the door open!
"Game over!"
His brazen voice echoed through the room, but it was completely empty!
There wasn't even a glimpse of anyone, and besides...
"Oh-ho!"
Chu Men suddenly slipped.
He staggered a few steps and caught his balance. Only then did he notice that someone had scattered a layer of carrot peels across the floor.
The livestream camera captured both Chu Men's comically stunned expression and a flash of pink in the background.
[Sister Xiao Wu's so clever!]
[With the streamer's IQ, he might as well give up hide-and-seek from now on. Hahaha!]
[This is clearly a big brother playing with his little sister. What a sweet family drama. I'm shipping it.]
"Tap, tap, tap~"
The rapid patter of little leather boots on stone!
Chu Men's ears twitched. He spun around at once and spotted Xiao Wu just before she darted into another wooden house.
Heh heh, little rabbit, losing your patience already?
He strode to the door and trapped Xiao Wu inside, flashing the fairy tale's signature wicked grin.
[Little Red Riding Hood, it's Grandma! Open the door!]
[Hahaha, whoever posted that, what did you gain from making me laugh this hard!]
Chu Men cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice, speaking in the raspy tone villains always used in TV dramas.
"Xiao Wu, it's your Sister Erlong. Open the door!"
His exaggerated, lilting voice sent the livestream viewers into fits of laughter.
Xiao Wu didn't believe a single word of it. She covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she nearly burst out laughing. "So dumb! Who would fall for that?"
Chu Men was getting a little too into his role. He continued making a terrible imitation of Liu Erlong's voice.
"Your big sister brought you lots and lots of candy, and the most delicious carrots..."
"Ahem!"
"Who is it? How could you be so clueless? Can't you see I'm trying to lure a little ca—Oh! Sister Erlong, when did you get here?"
Chu Men executed a smooth, flawless change of expression as he looked at Liu Erlong standing in the sunlight, dazzling enough to sting the eyes!
She was like a righteous knight from a fairy tale!
The wind seemed to pick up. Liu Erlong's black outfit rippled and snapped in the breeze.
A cloud happened to drift across the sun, dimming the brightness of the world several shades.
"Looks like you're having fun!"
"Well, as a teacher, you have to get along with your students. It's all for their education!"
Chu Men spoke with righteous conviction, his reckless dedication so great he seemed ready to charge Tang Hao alone!
Liu Erlong got a headache just looking at how serious he was!
This guy always had one argument after another. She was the dean, yet somehow she couldn't talk him around. Every time, she had no choice but to make him see reason with her fists.
She'd just been discussing the Soul Tool course with the head of academic affairs, working out where to hold the practical lessons on repairing Soul Tools and how to schedule them. Meanwhile, the man at the heart of it all was slacking off!
And that villainous expression of his was exactly like those bad students she'd disciplined years ago!
Just then, the door opened, and Xiao Wu, a little white rabbit, darted behind Liu Erlong.
The same pitiful look from that morning was almost perfectly reproduced!
[Why does this scene feel so familiar?]
[It's exactly like what happened at the streamer's Star Soul Guidance Shop this morning!]
[I remember the streamer's ending wasn't all that great, was it?]
[It's fine. The scenery here is lovely, and it's secluded and quiet—a good place to recover.]
Liu Erlong was about to raise her fist, but then she noticed the watch on her wrist. She said crossly, "You're a teacher at this academy, at least! So many students are lining up to take your classes. You should pay attention to your image!"
She sounded just like someone scolding a child who refused to grow up!
Chu Men lowered his head and looked himself over.
His freshly changed robe was neat and clean, its black and gold fabric making him look every inch a powerful Soul Ancestor.
He'd had A-Zheng make him a Wei Zhuang-style outfit, then taken it to the best tailor in Heaven Dou City to have it altered. Aside from being hot, there wasn't a thing wrong with it!
Liu Erlong, for once, followed Chu Men's train of thought. She chided him, "I'm talking about your behavior! You're wasting a perfectly good outfit!"
"Oh, that! I was just excited by the prospect—no, inspired by talent. No, I mean, I'm eager to nurture talent! A clever child like Xiao Wu is the perfect one to inherit my great path of Soul Toolcraft!"
Chu Men launched straight into an impromptu speech!
As the saying went, education had to start with the little ones!
Liu Erlong scoffed and said coldly, "Inherit your path of Soul Toolcraft? I think you're just short a helper to run errands!"
She had to admit that Chu Men's Soul Tools were genuinely fascinating.
There was the White Glider that could fly, the Turtle Shell that could withstand sudden attacks, and the revolutionary Soul Guidance Battery!
There was no denying that Chu Men was a genius!
But on the Douluo Continent, strength reigned supreme!
All the flashy tricks in the world meant nothing in the face of the highest ranks and power levels!
Take Liu Erlong herself, for example. She'd changed her surname to Liu and held the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in contempt, yet the clan members still didn't dare slight her. Why?
Because she had earned the title of Soul Saint in her early thirties!
Given time, with her mutated Fire Dragon Martial Soul, she had a strong chance of reaching the rank of Titled Douluo!
The famous Upper Three Sects of the Douluo Continent could stand firm through the shifting winds because they had Titled Douluo guarding them!
Before you continue