"Who's there!"
Lan Yu gave a sharp, low shout. His Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and the dragon scales on his neck glimmered in the moonlight as killing intent spread through the air.
His heart sank. Ah Yin was in even greater danger now than Tang Hao had been in the original story.
If word got out, forget a Titled Douluo—even a Soul Douluo would be more than they could handle.
What worried Lan Yu even more was Ah Yin's kind nature. She was surely not as decisive in killing as Tang Hao. If she showed mercy at a critical moment, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Come out!"
Lan Yu turned around, his hands transforming into dragon claws, their tips flashing with cold light. He took a step forward, his gaze fixed on a thicket.
Hopefully it wasn't a Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor.
Otherwise, Lan Yu would really have to make Ah Yin fight. Although she was an auxiliary-type Titled Douluo, her Martial Soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, not a purely auxiliary Martial Soul like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda or the Nine Heart Begonia. She still had the basic ability to control opponents with Entanglement.
Oh no... What do I do?!
Hidden in the thicket, Xiao Wu trembled all over, her mind completely blank.
What had she just seen?! Floating in midair! A Titled Douluo! Lan Yu's mother was actually a Titled Douluo!
I'm done for! I'm really done for! What do I do? Sob... I haven't avenged Mom yet! Sob...
Xiao Wu buried her face between her knees, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed quietly.
Only after Lan Yu's sharp rebuke did she finally crawl out of the thicket, her face ashen, and walk step by step toward Ah Yin.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought of running away. But she had only just transformed into human form—how could she possibly escape a Titled Douluo's grasp?
And what if she angered the Titled Douluo and got killed for her spirit bone?!
At that moment, only one thought remained in her mind: as long as she could stay alive, she would accept even being imprisoned and kept for Lan Yu's Ninth Soul Ring in the future!
As long as she lived, there was hope!
"Xiao Wu?!"
Lan Yu froze. His killing intent vanished in an instant, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it was Xiao Wu, then it was fine. At least she wouldn't leak the information.
"Your Holiness! Please spare my life!" Xiao Wu dropped to her knees at Ah Yin's feet with a thud, her voice trembling and choked with sobs.
"Stand up, child." Ah Yin's gaze was compassionate, her voice gentle.
"I... Hm?" Kneeling on the ground, Xiao Wu suddenly froze. She even forgot to cry, looking up in confusion.
Why was this Titled Douluo so different from what she had imagined?
"Stupid rabbit, what are you standing there for? Get up!" Lan Yu stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Wu by the back of her collar, and lifted her right off the ground.
"Ah! Ah..." Xiao Wu cried out twice. When her feet touched the ground, she nearly lost her balance.
"Do all you Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have rocks for brains?!"
"Are you curious about everything? If someone sells you off one day, I bet you'd even help them count the money!"
Lan Yu pointed at Xiao Wu's nose and scolded her irritably.
"Ahem."
Lan Yu caught sight of Ah Yin's dark expression out of the corner of his eye and quickly shut his mouth.
Right, Haozi was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast too. He'd just gone and scolded his adoptive father!
He cleared his throat and sheepishly turned his face away, saying nothing more.
"Don't be afraid, child. Tell Auntie, what's your name? Where did you come from?"
Ah Yin stepped forward. A circle of soft, pale-blue light rippled beneath her feet, enveloping the three of them like waves.
Was this the Blue Silver Domain?
Feeling the warm sensation around him, Lan Yu couldn't help but marvel.
The successive shocks had long since gone beyond Xiao Wu's understanding. She stood there stunned, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
"Tsk!"
Watching Xiao Wu stand there dumbly, Lan Yu smacked his lips in exasperation.
"I... My name is Xiao Wu." Xiao Wu finally came around, her rabbit ears drooping limply as she timidly looked up at Ah Yin.
"Hello, Xiao Wu. Could you tell Auntie where you came from?"
Ah Yin smiled gently and reached out to softly rub Xiao Wu's head.
Xiao Wu's nose twitched. She caught the scent on Ah Yin's hand, and her body relaxed without her realizing it.
It smelled just like Mom!
"I came from the Star Dou Great Forest. I transformed from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Moonlight Jade Rabbit."
Even though she had changed from a Soft Bone Rabbit into a Moonlight Jade Rabbit, Xiao Wu's scatterbrained nature hadn't changed one bit.
Lan Yu glanced at Xiao Wu, who looked dazed from having her head petted, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Mom... I miss you so much!" Xiao Wu's eyes grew hazy, and she murmured softly without thinking.
Junior Sister Wa!
Watching Xiao Wu, Ah Yin couldn't help laughing softly.
"Y-You're going to imprison me?"
The sound of Ah Yin's laughter brought Xiao Wu back to her senses. She glanced at Lan Yu, who had turned his back, and asked Ah Yin in a trembling voice.
"Imprison you? No." Ah Yin gently shook her head, then looked up at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
"In my eyes, once a Soul Beast transforms into a human, it's no longer a Soul Beast, but a person in every sense of the word."
"Just like my husband..." Her eyes reddened, and she sighed softly.
"Could it be..." Xiao Wu suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
"My father transformed from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Clear Sky Divine Dragon." Seeing Ah Yin sink into her memories again, Lan Yu turned around and explained.
"The Clear Sky Divine Dragon! Was he from the Star Dou Great Forest too?"
"I'm not sure." Lan Yu shook his head. Even Ah Yin might not know the exact details.
Just a moment ago, she had been drowning in the terror of imminent death, as if she'd fallen into hell. The next moment, she learned that her life was safe and even felt a warmth she hadn't known in a long time. The sudden contrast left Xiao Wu dazed, unable to come to her senses for a while.
"All right, children." Ah Yin wiped the corner of her eye and turned to Xiao Wu, speaking gently. "I'm very happy to have met someone like A Hao today."
"Here, Xiao Yu." Ah Yin looked at the silent Lan Yu and took a key from her storage ring, handing it to him. "This is the key to my place in Nuoding City. If you ever need anything, come find me."
"Also, in a few days, I'll take you and Xiao Shan to hunt for your First Soul Rings."
She finished speaking and was about to leave. Just before going, she seemed to remember something and turned back to remind them, "Xiao Wu, if anything comes up, you can ask Xiao Yu to bring you to me too."
Xiao Wu opened her mouth, but said nothing. She obediently nodded.
Ah Yin's figure blurred, turning into a streak of pale-blue light that shot into the forest. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished without a trace.
Xiao Wu stared blankly in the direction where she had disappeared, rooted to the spot.
"Lan Yu."
Xiao Wu called softly. When there was no answer for a while, she turned her head and realized he had already walked far ahead.
"Wait for me!"
Xiao Wu hurried after him.
Hearing her, Lan Yu stopped helplessly and looked back.
The hair over Xiao Wu's forehead was damp with sweat, her cheeks faintly flushed. She was panting and glaring at Lan Yu with a resentful look.
"Why are you walking so fast?"
"You stood there like a block of wood, not moving an inch. If I didn't go ahead, was I supposed to wait until dawn? You may not need to sleep, but I do!" Lan Yu turned and kept walking.
"Hey, you!"
Xiao Wu stomped her foot, then hurried to catch up and walk beside Lan Yu.
"What do you want, anyway?" Along the way, Xiao Wu snuck several glances at him. When Lan Yu asked, she finally gathered the courage to speak. "Lan Yu, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"What exactly is your relationship with Tang Shan?"
Lan Yu abruptly stopped and turned to stare straight into Xiao Wu's eyes.
"You... You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Under Lan Yu's gaze, Xiao Wu's cheeks grew warm. She hurriedly looked away, rubbing the hem of her clothes between her fingers.
"I was adopted." Lan Yu looked away and started walking again, his voice as calm as water. "Xiao Shan is Mom's biological daughter."
"So Tang Shan is the daughter of Auntie and the Clear Sky Divine Dragon senior..." Xiao Wu froze, then hurried after him and asked.
"That's right!"
"So you're not blood siblings?"
"Not blood siblings, yet closer than blood." Lan Yu's shadow stretched long beneath the moonlight.