"Xie Xie, why's your voice gone hoarse?"
"Your brother did it!"
"My brother? Is he nearby, secretly beating you up?" Tang Wuyue asked, puzzled, looking around. She didn't see Lu Chuan anywhere.
Looking at Tang Wuyue, who seemed like a silly sweetheart, Xie Xie sighed helplessly.
"Is your head full of Blue Silver Grass? My voice went hoarse because your brother's so amazing! I was shocked, shocked, understand?"
"Oh, that's what happened!" Tang Wuyue exclaimed, enlightened.
Then she lifted her chin with a little smugness.
"Then you'd better get used to it.
"Last week, an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman who called himself the Blazing Dragon Douluo, and claimed to be the president of the Blacksmith Association Branch at Shrek Academy, wanted to take my brother as his disciple and bring him to Shrek. But my brother turned him down without even thinking about it."
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
At that, Xie Xie nearly choked.
"Say that again?! An eighth-rank Saint Craftsman?! The Blazing Dragon Douluo?! Your brother turned him down?! Tang Wuyue, have you been reading too many novels?!"
"It's true! My brother said he'd barged into his private cultivation and didn't know how to respect people, so he refused!"
Tang Wuyue blinked.
Xie Xie was utterly petrified.
After a long moment,
she finally came around.
At the same time,
the way she looked at Tang Wuyue changed.
The girl in front of her wasn't some poor little thing, as she'd called herself.
She was standing on a mountain of gold packed with rich mineral deposits!
"Wuyue, does your brother need another little sister?" Xie Xie asked wistfully.
Tang Wuyue shook her head. "No, but he does need a wife."
"A wife? Tang Wuyue, what are you getting at?" Xie Xie's pretty face flushed.
"I'm not getting at anything." Tang Wuyue giggled. "I'm just asking you: your brother's so amazing, aren't you at all tempted?"
At that, Xie Xie's heart gave a sudden leap.
If Tang Wuyue hadn't said anything, it might have been fine.
But now,
it was as if something had gently nudged her heart.
Her vague fondness for Lu Chuan
was now like a pebble dropped into a lake,
sending ripples spreading one after another.
Images of Lu Chuan began appearing in her mind, one by one:
the boy's tall, slender figure,
his handsome face,
his invincible bearing in battle.
Now, they came rushing in beyond her control,
stirring her heart into turmoil!
Seeing that Xie Xie was a little tempted, Tang Wuyue's eyes flashed with mischief. She seized the chance to add fuel to the fire.
"Besides, I can secretly let you in on something—
the main reason I got stronger wasn't the Spirit Fruit at all."
"What was it?" Xie Xie asked, momentarily taken aback. She'd taken the bait, just as expected.
Seeing this,
Tang Wuyue straightened up.
The playful smile gradually faded from her face,
replaced by a rare seriousness.
"It was because of my brother!"
"Your brother? Lu Chuan!"
"That's right."
Tang Wuyue lowered her voice,
as if sharing some earth-shattering secret.
"I can quietly tell you that my Soul Power improved so quickly because my brother personally taught me a couple of meditation methods."
That last gambit struck right at Xie Xie's weak spot.
Without even realizing it,
she seemed to have... started wavering a little!
Seeing that she'd found an opening, Tang Wuyue didn't give her a chance to catch her breath. She pressed on relentlessly:
"If you want him to teach you, you'll have to offer something in return, right?"
"But my brother's a sixth-level blacksmith and knows several Titled Douluo. What could you possibly offer that would move him?"
"The only way he'd tell you is if you became one of his own!"
"Xie Xie, don't you want to get stronger? Don't you want to watch me leave you further and further behind?"
Tang Wuyue's voice was like a demon's whisper, burrowing little by little into Xie Xie's ears.
"I..."
Xie Xie opened her mouth, but her throat felt dry.
Reason told her
Tang Wuyue was definitely digging a pit and waiting for her to jump in.
But she really had gotten stronger!
And she felt Tang Wuyue wasn't lying—
she was just laying out the facts and making a reasonable argument!
Most importantly,
whenever she pictured Lu Chuan looking completely at ease no matter what he did,
whenever she thought of Lu Chuan as the prodigy even the Blazing Dragon Douluo couldn't get his hands on,
she just...
"Tempted..."
Xie Xie lowered her head,
her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's. "I am a little tempted. So what?"
Tang Wuyue's eyes immediately lit up.
But before she could say anything,
Xie Xie suddenly lifted her head and explained:
"Don't get the wrong idea. When I said I was tempted, I meant by the metals your brother forges. Not by your brother! I've met plenty of outstanding people, and he doesn't even make the list!"
"Of course, of course. Our Miss Xie Xie has high standards."
Tang Wuyue held back a laugh and nodded solemnly.
"But although my brother's standards are high too, he likes people who listen to him best."
"Who wants to be someone who listens to him?!"
Xie Xie's cheeks turned bright red, like ripe apples.
"So you don't want my brother to think of you as one of his own?"
"..."
At that, Xie Xie fell silent at once.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves, falling across her face,
light and shadow shifting.
After a long moment,
she suddenly raised her head,
her eyes holding a hint of defiance,
a hint of stubbornness,
and a hint of anticipation even she hadn't noticed.
"Tang Wuyue, stop trying to lead me into a trap."
"Why would I dare to trick you?"
Tang Wuyue leaned closer with a smile.
"I just think that if you really became my sister-in-law, we'd be family."
"When that happens, forget meditation methods—even the Battle Armor metal you'll need in the future will be taken care of by my brother!"
"Who—who wants to be your sister-in-law?!"
Xie Xie instinctively denied it, but though her words were defiant, her heart was completely out of rhythm.
Seeing this, Tang Wuyue knew the moment had come. She just had to rile Xie Xie up a little more,
and this red thread would be tied.
"Oh, weren't you just saying you were tempted?"
"I was worked up because you annoyed me!" Xie Xie gritted her teeth.
"All right, all right. Worked up, then."
Tang Wuyue readily went along with her, though her eyes were full of amusement.
"But I could've sworn someone said she was tempted by the metals my brother forged, not that she was worked up!"
"Both... Both can be true, can't they?" Xie Xie's voice dropped a little without her realizing it.
"Sure." Tang Wuyue propped her chin on her hand and leaned closer, smiling brightly. "Anyway, I just think you like my brother!"
"Y-you're talking nonsense!" Xie Xie retorted, blushing.
But Tang Wuyue looked utterly certain. "How am I talking nonsense? Unless you prove you don't like my brother, I'm going to keep believing it!"
"How do I prove it?" Xie Xie gritted her teeth and asked, steeling herself.
"Easy."
Tang Wuyue moved a little closer, scheming light in her eyes.
"Come with me to see my brother tonight. How about it? Do you dare?"
Xie Xie gave a cold laugh. "I'll go! What's there to be afraid of?"
But the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Because Tang Wuyue was already smiling so hard her eyes had curved into crescents,
like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
"Great! Then it's a deal. You can't run away at the last minute!"
"Whoever backs out is a little puppy!"
Tang Wuyue grinned slyly.
Xie Xie wished she could slap herself.
Only then did she suddenly realize
she'd been tricked.
But the deal was done,
and besides,
she really was just a tiny bit tempted!
Before you continue