Full of Suspicions
Standing in front of the signboard of "Green Wood Trading Company", Ah Rou looked up at the four large blue-gold characters, lost in thought.
Although her strength after transforming and rebuilding is currently only at the Three-Ring Soul Elder level, the inherent power of her soul is in no way inferior to that of a human Titled Douluo.
Therefore, Ah Rou could clearly perceive the boundless vitality contained in those four large characters.
Standing in front of this plaque, Ah Rou almost thought she had returned to the "Star Dou Great Forest," surrounded by boundless forests and vast grasslands.
"My shop is newly opened, everything is very simple, please excuse my poor appearance—"
A gentle, warm voice rang in her ears, causing Ah Rou to dart back several meters like a startled rabbit.
When Ah Rou came to her senses and steadied herself, she looked in the direction from which the sound had come, and what she saw was a stunningly beautiful face that made one's heart flutter.
It's Ling Yi!
Looking at the incredibly handsome man before her, whose charm was so great, Ah Rou strongly suspected that he was the reincarnation of a 100,000-year-old "Phantom Demon Fox".
"Ling Yi, you..."
Looking the man up and down, Ah Rou's eyes revealed a hint of surprise and uncertainty.
She felt that Ling Yi, whom she hadn't seen for several days, had undergone an indescribable change since their last parting.
He's not just more handsome; Ling Yi was already at the pinnacle of human attractiveness a few days ago.
It seems to be... a change in temperament?
The Ling Yi of the past gave Ah Rou a feeling of gentleness, peace, nature, and freshness, like the spirit of plants and trees, making people subconsciously believe in him and feel close to him.
The current Ling Yi makes Ah Rou feel that he has a more sunny, stronger, and more energetic aura, which makes people unconsciously want to get closer to him.
Ah Rou is the human form of a 100,000-year-old "Soft Bone Rabbit". From the perspective of Soul Beast, Ling Yi has an added masculine charm, which makes her, as a female, have psychological and physiological impulses such as admiration for strength and dependence on Ling Yi at all levels, from mind and spirit to body and blood.
"What's wrong?"
Ling Yi observed the changes in Ah Rou's expression. Although his rich experience and powerful mental fortitude allowed him to easily decipher her thoughts, he still feigned ignorance, spreading his hands, looking at himself, and asking Ah Rou:
"Is there something wrong with me?"
"..." Ah Rou opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to answer the question.
Finally, looking at Ling Yi's alluring face, she suddenly had a flash of Charm and said, "No... nothing's wrong, it's just... you look even more handsome now!"
Ling Yi smiled at such straightforward praise, "Thank you."
As he spoke, he gestured and led Ah Rou to the reception area inside the shop. He then took out a large-mouthed bat statue from his Storage Soul Tool and placed it on the table in front of the two of them.
After gesturing to Ah Rou, he finally asked, "What are your plans after leaving 'there'? Going back to the academy?"
Like Ah Yin, Ah Rou, after transforming into human form, also found a human city and enrolled in a junior Soul Master Academy there. She learned the cultivation methods of human Soul Master and also used the human aura emanating from her classmates and teachers at the academy to cultivate.
"No, thank you."
Ah Rou glanced at the giant-mouthed bat statue that was absorbing sound, admiring Ling Yi's caution. She shook her head and said, "I can't learn anything more at the Junior Soul Master Academy now. This time I'm going back... well, back 'there' is to condense... to obtain Soul Ring..."
"I've done some research, and intermediate Soul Master Academy are just like junior Soul Master Academy; they can't teach me, Three-Ring Soul Elder, anything."
"As for the Advanced Soul Master Academy, I definitely can't go, you know that."
Of course, Ling Yi nodded. Although in most advanced Soul Master Academy, the strongest people, such as the dean, are only at the Soul Saint level, it is hard to guarantee that they will not have any dealings with those Soul Douluo level experts. Who knows how many genius graduates have come out of that academy, and how many genius students with powerful elders behind them have enrolled?
For a transformed Soul Beast like her, the best choice is to stay away from dangerous areas, whether it's hiding in a town or a county town. Only after she has silently cultivated to the Maturity Stage of Soul Emperor and possesses the power to protect herself, and no longer reveals her Soul Beast aura, can she walk safely on the Douluo.
"So," Ah Rou continued, "I don't know where to go right now."
"Maybe I should find a small county or town to settle down in and cultivate peacefully for a few years."
Ling Yi couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Ah Rou's plan. If Xiao Wu in the original timeline had this awareness, she probably wouldn't have revealed her Soul Beast identity by the end.
Of course, things are unpredictable. In the original story, since Ah Rou was cornered in the Star Dou Great Forest by Bibi Dong and her men and forcibly killed, with neither her Soul Ring nor her Soul Bone spared, it is clear that she did not know when her identity was exposed.
This is one of the reasons why Ling Yi felt resentful about the various plot holes in the original work after he transmigrated.
Whether it was Ah Yin's identity being exposed and being confronted at her door by Qian Xunji and his men, or Xiao Wu's mother Ah Rou being confronted at her door by Bibi Dong and her men, there was no specific description or information about how their identities were exposed.
Ah Yin's situation is that she was seen with the Tang Xiao Tang Hao, which caught the attention of the Spirit Hall's spies.
According to Tang Hao, Ah Yin was already at Maturity Stage 60 or above when she met the brothers, and even Titled Douluo couldn't tell that Ah Yin was Soul Beast.
The Weiyi possible reason for Ah Yin's exposure was the night Tang Xiao withdrew and returned to the Clear Sky Sect. Ah Yin, blinded by love, revealed her Soul Beast identity to Tang Hao...
Holy crap—!
Thinking of this, Ling Yi suddenly cursed in his mind.
"Hmm... I guess I'm overthinking it. After all, there are too many plot holes in the original story. Although, in retrospect, everything Tang Hao experienced after meeting Ah Yin can be quite terrifying, the official version of the story confirms that he truly loved Ah Yin— "
"It's like... Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu were also true love—???"
"Resurrection again, my love—!"
"Alas--!!!"
Forcibly pulling his racing mind back, Ling Yi to maintain a calm demeanor and affirmed Ah Rou's plan:
"That's good. We can find an ordinary county or town, a small place that no one would expect, and cultivate in peace. Before level 60, it's best not to run around outside. Safety first."
"I spent three months in the Spirit Hall's Archives Tower, and combined with the books I read in previous years, I never saw any record of a transformed Soul Beast cultivating to the Divine Transformation Stage above Level 90. Yet, the books clearly describe the relevant realms."
"To be honest, I have a feeling that something's not quite right here..."
"Something's not right?" Ah Rou was taken aback by the words, then realized, "Wait! The Spirit Hall? The Collection Tower?!"
To be continued tomorrow, goodnight everyone~
In addition, the second chapter yesterday was suddenly reviewed. Well, it's possible that because I corrected a typo, the system found something wrong with the content during a second check, so it was blocked because it was "risky".
Next time, if there are any typos, I might not correct them unless it's absolutely necessary.
After all, this is a strange system where the list of thank-you notes for monthly tickets and donations is inexplicably subject to review.
Finally, some chapters require further reading, and I, the author, cannot guarantee that what you read later will be the original version.