Xiao Wu?
Su Mo's mind finally caught up.
Xiao Wu.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Soft Bone Rabbit, transformed into human form, the original story's heroine, and Tang San's future destined partner.
Not Lin Xiaowu.
She just looked like her.
A coincidence.
It had to be a coincidence.
Su Mo suppressed the shock in his heart and forced a smile. "Su Mo."
Xiao Wu nodded, her gaze sweeping around the dormitory before settling on a corner.
Big Black Ox was lying there, lazily swishing his tail.
Xiao Wu's eyes instantly lit up.
"Wow! A cow!" She bounced over. "What a big cow! Can we bring friends to school?"
Friends?
The others in the dormitory exchanged glances.
Wang Sheng looked at Big Black Ox, then at Xiao Wu, his face full of confusion.
Friends?
The others were just as baffled. They'd all assumed Big Black Ox was something like Su Mo's mount or bodyguard. It had never occurred to them that he was a friend.
Su Mo, however, understood what Xiao Wu meant.
He smiled. "This is Big Black Ox. We grew up together, and he's like a brother to me. But he needs a permit to come in."
"Oh..." Xiao Wu looked a little disappointed.
Big Black Ox raised his head and looked at the little girl in front of him.
He blinked.
"Moo." (This girl...)
He felt a little close to her.
He couldn't explain why. She just felt familiar.
Xiao Wu crouched down and met Big Black Ox's gaze.
A girl and a cow stared into each other's big eyes.
"Hello." Xiao Wu reached out and patted his head.
Big Black Ox didn't dodge.
"Moo." (Hello to you, too.)
Xiao Wu's smile grew even brighter.
Just then, Tang San looked up from Su Mo's luggage.
When he saw Xiao Wu, he froze for a moment.
Xiao Wu looked at him, too.
Their eyes met for a second.
Xiao Wu was the first to look away. She went back to petting Big Black Ox's head.
Tang San walked over to Su Mo and asked quietly, "Master, who's that?"
Su Mo took the bowl from him. "She's new. Her name's Xiao Wu."
Tang San nodded and didn't ask anything else.
After she'd had her fill of petting the cow, Xiao Wu stood up and curiously looked around at the people in the dorm.
"What are you all doing?"
Wang Sheng explained, "We're choosing a dorm leader. New arrivals have to take part in the selection. Whoever wins becomes the boss."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
"Dorm leader? So, the boss?"
Wang Sheng nodded. "More or less."
Xiao Wu perked up. "That sounds fun! Where we... where I'm from, becoming the clan leader is a great honor! My mother's the clan leader, and I want to follow in her footsteps!"
She clenched her little fist, brimming with fighting spirit.
"How do we choose?"
Wang Sheng pointed to himself. "Just beat us."
Xiao Wu nodded.
Then she moved.
Wang Sheng only saw a blur. The next second, he was flying through the air.
"Bang!"
He hit the wall and slowly slid down.
Gou Dan, Er Gou, San Wa, Tie Zhu, Shi Tou... One after another, they went flying.
In the blink of an eye, the veterans of Dorm Seven were lined up neatly against the wall.
Su Mo: "..."
Tang San: "..."
Big Black Ox: "Moo." (This girl's got some moves.)
Xiao Wu clapped her hands and looked at her handiwork with satisfaction.
Then she turned to Su Mo.
"You're the strongest, right? I noticed. They look at you differently."
Before Su Mo could say anything, Xiao Wu had already charged at him.
She was as fast as a shadow.
Tang San's expression changed, and he instantly stepped in front of Su Mo.
"If you want to lay a hand on Master, you'll have to get past me first!"
He crossed his hands, set the Mysterious Heaven Skill in motion, and charged at Xiao Wu.
The two clashed in an instant.
Fists and feet flew as their figures blurred together.
This time, Tang San held nothing back.
His Tang Sect battle instincts from his previous life were fully unleashed. Every move was aimed at bringing down his opponent.
Xiao Wu's movements were strange and nimble, her body as supple as if she had no bones. She attacked from angles no one could have imagined.
They fought from the doorway to the window, then from the window to the corner.
The table overturned, chairs toppled, and luggage scattered everywhere.
Wang Sheng and the others huddled in a corner, trembling.
"T-They're way too fierce..."
"Brother Tang San can fight like that?"
"That girl's even scarier. Her body's so soft it's like she has no bones..."
"Are we even going to survive this...?"
Gou Dan asked timidly, "Brother Wang Sheng, maybe we shouldn't have picked a dorm leader?"
Wang Sheng glared at him. "Shut up!"
Big Black Ox stayed where he was, calmly watching the fight.
Every so often, he even swished his tail and offered a few comments.
"Moo." (That kid's footwork is pretty interesting.)
"Moo." (That girl's flexibility is impressive.)
"Moo." (That table's going to break.)
"Crash!"
The table shattered just as he'd predicted.
Big Black Ox nodded.
"Moo." (What did I tell you?)
Su Mo stood to the side, watching the increasingly fierce fight, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Tang San struck toward Xiao Wu's shoulder with his palm.
Xiao Wu twisted her body and narrowly dodged. Then she swung a leg at Tang San's lower body.
Tang San leaped into the air and kicked three times in a row.
Xiao Wu crossed her arms to block and was forced back two steps. Her foot landed right on a broken bowl—
"Scrrrape—"
A shard dragged across the floor with an ear-piercing sound.
Xiao Wu stumbled.
Tang San seized the chance and rushed forward, striking toward her back with his palm.
If that blow landed, Xiao Wu would be flat on her face.
Su Mo sighed.
Enough.
Golden light surged.
His bones cracked.
One meter twenty, one meter fifty, one meter eighty, two meters, two meters twenty.
The next moment, Su Mo appeared between them.
He reached out with his left hand and grabbed Tang San's wrist.
With his right hand, he caught Xiao Wu by the nape.
Both of them froze.
Su Mo's expressionless face remained unchanged as he brought his hands together.
"Thump."
Their heads collided.
Tang San and Xiao Wu saw stars. Little birds seemed to be flying all around them.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Xiao Wu clutched her forehead, tears almost welling in her eyes.
Tang San was no better. He grimaced and rubbed his head.
He regarded Xiao Wu warily. Her movements were strange, she hit hard, and... there was an indescribable aura about her.
Did Master know her?
No, the way Master looked at her was as if he were seeing someone else through her. Something was going on here!
Su Mo let go and looked down at them.
"Had enough?"
Tang San immediately lowered his head. "Master, this disciple was wrong."
Xiao Wu clutched her forehead and looked up at the two-meter-twenty mountain of muscle before her.
Her eyes widened more and more.
"Y-You're a Soul Beast, too?"
Su Mo: "..."
What was she talking about?
Xiao Wu excitedly continued on her own. "You must be! How else could you suddenly get bigger? This is your beast spirit true form, right? I've heard about it from my clan!"
She turned to Big Black Ox, and as if something had just occurred to her, her eyes shone even brighter.
A muscular ape and a cow together—could it be...?
"Da Ming! Er Ming! Is that you?!"
Big Black Ox looked completely bewildered.
"Moo?" (Huh?)
Xiao Wu rushed over and wrapped her arms around Big Black Ox's neck.
"Da Ming! Er Ming! I missed you so much!"
Big Black Ox was nearly strangled, his eyes rolling back.
"Moo, moo, moo!" (Let go! I'm not them! You've got the wrong cow!)
After hugging him for a while, Xiao Wu finally let go and examined Big Black Ox carefully.
Then her expression fell.
"You're not... You're not Da Ming, and you're not Er Ming."
She looked at Su Mo, her eyes full of hope and confusion.
"Then you're a Soul Beast, too, right? You have to be! How else could you be so big? And you have this cow with you, so he's a Soul Beast, too, right?"
Su Mo looked down at the little girl.
She tilted her face up, eyes shining with anticipation.
She looked so much like the girl who'd confessed to him in his previous life.
But I really am not a Soul Beast...