[God of Destruction of Douluo I]: "What are Soul Beasts?"
[Sea God of Douluo I]: "They're a kind of nonhuman intelligent life on the Douluo Continent, evolved from beasts."
[God of Destruction of Douluo I]: "Oh, right, I remember now. They're those things the Dragon God made back then, aren't they?"
[God of Destruction of Douluo I]: "It takes these Soul Beasts a whole hundred thousand years just to become human."
[God of Destruction of Douluo I]: "Might as well see what this Light Screen has to say first."
[Bibi Dong of Douluo I]: "I don't care how many thousands of years it takes her to become human. When the time comes, I'll wipe them all out!"
Bibi Dong hadn't expected that she'd just brought back Oscar, a food-type Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power.
And now, another piece of good news had come her way.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring—something she'd overlooked all this time.
If she could get her hands on it, and kill the Titan Giant Ape and the others while she was at it, she'd have three more Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
At the thought of that, Bibi Dong didn't hesitate for a moment. She immediately prepared to summon her people.
The Douluo Era.
Spirit Hall.
"Idiot."
Bibi Dong stared at the Light Screen and spat out the word, her red lips barely moving.
"When a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast transforms into a human, the first thing she should do is keep her head down."
"But no, she had to go and grab the crown prince of Notting City and toss him around, then laugh with her chin tipped up, as if she wanted the whole city to know she was special."
"She's a hundred thousand years old, and she calls a seven-year-old child her big brother. What does she get out of that?"
"She's lived for a hundred thousand years, yet she's not as clever as a chick fresh out of its shell."
"And the most ridiculous part is, she keeps saying she came to the human world to get stronger and avenge her mother. But when it comes to training her Soul Power, she's all talk and no action, and spends every day eating, drinking, and playing with that child."
"If her mother's spirit is watching over her, she'll be so angry she'll come back to life."
Bibi Dong turned, her long robe trailing across the floor.
"Summon Ghost Leopard and Demon Bear. Gather at once. I'll lead the team myself and intercept them outside the Star Dou Forest."
"All the better if Tang Hao is there. A hundred-thousand-year rabbit and a Titled Douluo—either way, we come out ahead."
"Chrysanthemum and Ghost, cover us. Ghost Leopard will keep Tang Hao busy. Demon Bear just has to stand there, and that rabbit's legs will go weak."
"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring has never been her glory. It's the mark of her death."
The Douluo Era.
High above the ground.
Xiao Wu curled up in Tang Hao's arms, her shoulders shaking so hard they seemed about to come apart.
The Light Screen kept replaying its mockery, and her tears fell one by one onto his clothes.
"Xiao Wu, don't listen to it." Tang San was held in Tang Hao's other arm. He hurriedly turned his head. "It's doing it on purpose—"
"It's right."
Xiao Wu jerked her head up, her face drenched in tears.
"I was showing off. I couldn't stop myself from bragging, thinking humans were all beneath me..."
"I've lived a hundred thousand years, and I still called you my big brother. What right did I have?"
"I've lived a hundred thousand years, and I'm not as clear-headed as a child!"
She gripped the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white.
"I left the Star Dou Forest saying I'd avenge my mother. But all these years, have I even trained?"
"Have I even tried? All I ever think about is eating, going to class, and going out to play with you. You're the one who helped raise my Soul Power!"
"Like this, do I really love my mom?"
Tang San opened his mouth, but his throat had closed up.
Xiao Wu wiped at her tears again, hard, but the more she wiped, the more they fell.
"The Light Screen called me stupid. Can I even deny it?"
"I came to the human world saying I'd grow stronger and avenge my mother, but I haven't accomplished a thing. I even foolishly sent Er Ming a message about how wonderful humans were..."
"I'm a joke. A complete and utter joke!"
"Can someone like me really avenge my mother?"
"If my mom saw me like this now... would she regret sending me away?"
Tang Hao had remained silent all along, his broad palm resting motionless against her back.
Only then did he speak, his voice low:
"Revenge isn't something you can rush."
"But I haven't even tried!"
Xiao Wu tipped her head back, tears rolling down her cheeks, her voice hoarse.
"It's been so long! Six years, and I haven't accomplished anything. What right do I have to say the word 'revenge' again?"
Tang San reached out with his other hand and took hold of Xiao Wu's clenched fist.
His hand was small; he couldn't cover hers. But he gripped it tightly, until his knuckles turned white.
"Xiao Wu, look at me."
Xiao Wu turned her face away.
"Look at me!"
Tang San's voice rose, rare for him, carrying all the reckless ferocity of a boy who refused to back down:
"You're stupid, and so am I. You're impulsive, and so am I."
"But you're my little sister. Whether you're a hundred thousand years old or ten thousand, whether you can beat the crown prince or not, whether you slack off in your training or not—you're my Xiao Wu. That will never change."
Xiao Wu's shoulders were still shaking, but at last, she slowly turned her face back toward him.
"As for revenge..." Tang San stared into her eyes, each word deliberate. "I'll be with you."
"If you can't do it alone, I'll do it with you."
"If you don't think you're strong enough, I'll help you get stronger."
"If you think you're stupid..."
He paused, the corners of his mouth pulling into a stubborn smile.
"I'm even stupider than you. Put the two of us together, and we're bound to be smart at least once."
Xiao Wu's lips moved, but no words came out. More tears fell, but this time, she didn't turn away.
Tang Hao drew both arms in, pulling the two children closer against his chest.
The wind howled past them high above the ground. The Light Screen still glimmered coldly overhead.
But Xiao Wu's sobs gradually quieted. At last, all that remained were muffled sniffles against his chest.
In the distance, the outline of the Star Dou Forest was just visible below the horizon, a swath of dark green, ancient and silent.
The wind blew from that direction, carrying the scent of soil and plants.
After a long while, Xiao Wu sniffed. Her voice was muffled. "Third Brother..."
"Mm?"
"I... I'm still scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
Xiao Wu fell silent for a long time. The Light Screen moved on to another old scene: when she had first arrived in Notting City, grinning up at everyone without a care in the world.
Looking at her past self, she spoke so softly the wind nearly carried her words away:
"I'm afraid my mom really will regret giving birth to me..."
Tang San tightened his grip on her hand until his knuckles cracked.
"Then we'll make sure she doesn't regret it!"
The two of them kept watching the Light Screen. Neither knew what it would say next.
On the Light Screen.
The Sharp Critique continued. Xiao Wu really wasn't a character with much of a brain.
[Xiao Wu? Isn't she just a useless little hanger-on who has to cling to a genius to stay alive?]
[According to the setting, after a Soul Beast transforms into a human, it has to stay with a human genius to speed up its cultivation.]
[Of course, in the actual story, that setting doesn't seem to do anything at all.]
[Xiao Wu spent some time cultivating in the forest later on, and she didn't seem to progress much more slowly.]
[And Tang San just happened to need a prop who'd kneel and call him "husband," propping up that pitiful little monument to his chauvinism!]
[Ever since Notting Academy, you've been using the "brother and sister" label, while doing everything couples do. What kind of trashy drama are you two acting out?]
[After they got to Shrek, Tang San kept playing the dutiful son for Yu Xiaogang's worthless theories, and Xiao Wu went right down the drain with him. A perfect match!]
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