Forest Overlords Turned Cowardly? You Have to Understand Sister Xiao Wu's Signals!

Just as Da Ming and Er Ming stood there, utterly confused and ready to question them, they saw Xiao Wu, who was being shielded behind them, desperately signaling with her eyes.

Xiao Wu blinked repeatedly while making tiny waving motions with her hand. Her lips seemed to be saying, "Leave! Hurry and leave!"

Da Ming: "?"

Er Ming: "??"

The two beasts exchanged a glance, their enormous eyes filled with identical question marks.

What does Sister Xiao Wu mean?

She wants us to leave? Why?

Could that brat have controlled her?

Er Ming's already none-too-sharp mind instantly concocted an elaborate drama about an "evil soul master using a secret technique to control people's minds," and the aura around him grew even more violent.

"Wait!"

Da Ming promptly stopped Er Ming, who was about to fly into a rage, through a mental transmission.

Look at Xiao Wu. Does she seem controlled? She's perfectly fine!

Hearing that, Er Ming looked more closely.

Sure enough, although Xiao Wu seemed a little nervous, her gaze was clear and her movements were natural. Her little face was flushed pink, with not the slightest sign of being controlled.

Then why did she want us to leave?

At that moment, seeing that they still did not understand, Xiao Wu grew frantic and simply turned a pleading gaze toward Yue Xi beside Lu Ming.

She pointed at Yue Xi, then at herself, before pressing her palms together in a pleading gesture.

Da Ming instantly understood Xiao Wu's intentions.

Xiao Wu doesn't want to reveal her identity!

She wants to remain by that young man's side as a human and investigate him!

Once he understood this, Da Ming was overwhelmed by mixed feelings.

He felt both relief and concern.

He was relieved that Xiao Wu had finally learned to think things through. She was no longer the Sister Xiao Wu who only knew how to charge blindly ahead.

But he was worried because that young man was far too mysterious. Leaving Xiao Wu alone at his side was simply too risky.

Yet, looking at Xiao Wu's resolute, pleading eyes, Da Ming ultimately chose to respect her decision...

Fine. Since she wants to play, we'll play along with her.

With our marks on her, if anything really happens, we can get there immediately.

Having made his decision, Da Ming told Er Ming through mental transmission, "Come on. We'll leave first."

"Huh? Big Brother, but..." Er Ming was still uneasy.

"Listen to me." Da Ming's tone allowed no argument.

Although Er Ming was deeply unwilling, he still obeyed his big brother's command.

He gave the black-haired youth one last deep look, as though trying to carve his appearance into his mind. Only then did he turn around, repeatedly looking back as he headed deeper into the forest...

Lu Ming, who had taken in all of this, let the corners of his lips rise ever so slightly without anyone noticing.

I didn't expect the plot to develop in this direction!

Looks like Xiao Wu's curiosity has been piqued. Is she planning to play an undercover game with me?

With the departure of the Azure Sky Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, the suffocating pressure in the valley finally vanished without a trace.

Lu Ming let out a long breath, turned around, and put on a perfectly timed expression of lingering fear.

"Whew... they finally left. How could such terrifying soul beasts appear on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest?"

He wiped away nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead and said to the still-dazed Xiao Wu, "Little girl, are you all right? That really scared me to death just now."

Looking at his "survivor of a catastrophe" act, Xiao Wu felt something strange in her heart.

He can stay so calm in front of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. He doesn't look remotely like someone who was scared to death...

Xiao Wu muttered inwardly, but she still cooperatively shook her head and said in a soft, timid voice, "I... I'm fine. Thank you for protecting me just now."

"Oh, don't be so formal." Lu Ming waved a hand casually, looking entirely at ease. "When you're out and about, it's only right to help each other! By the way, I still don't know your name."

"My name is Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing." Xiao Wu blinked her large eyes and gave him a sweet smile.

"Xiao Wu? Great name! It sounds lovely!" Lu Ming praised. "My name is Lu Ming. Lu as in continent, Ming as in making a name for oneself. These three are my companions: Zhu Mao, Feng Qie, and Yue Xi."

He pointed to the three beside him and introduced them one by one.

Zhu Mao merely nodded at Xiao Wu, remaining as taciturn as ever.

Feng Qie was much more enthusiastic. He whistled and greeted her with a grin. "Hey, Xiao Wu! You're really brave, coming to the Star Dou Great Forest all by yourself."

Yue Xi was still somewhat shy. She only poked half her little head out from behind Lu Ming, gave Xiao Wu a timid glance, and quickly hid again.

Xiao Wu's gaze passed over the three Arrancar one by one. Her heart was filled with curiosity, but outwardly, she still acted like an ordinary human girl.

She gave them a sweet smile in greeting.

"Lu Ming, did you... also come to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for soul rings?" Xiao Wu asked tentatively.

"Hunt for soul rings? More or less."

Lu Ming gave an ambiguous reply, then abruptly changed the subject, a troubled look appearing on his face.

"Sigh, don't mention it. We've had terrible luck too. We only wanted to find a suitable soul beast in the outer region, but who could have expected us to run into those two giants?"

He patted his chest with lingering fear. "Honestly, I'd never heard that the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest had such terrifying beings! That pressure was practically stronger than that of the legendary Titled Douluo! Miss Xiao Wu, do you know what kind of soul beasts they were?"

Lu Ming began his performance!

He wanted to use questions to create interaction, close the distance between them as much as possible, and lower Xiao Wu's guard.

"I... I don't know either." Xiao Wu shook her head, her little face full of "confusion" and "innocence."

"I only accidentally wandered here a few days ago, and I'm not familiar with this place at all. It was my first time seeing those two giants too. They were really terrifying..."

As she spoke, she patted her chest as well, looking like she had been thoroughly frightened.

Watching Xiao Wu's lifelike acting, Lu Ming almost laughed out loud.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a native of the Star Dou Great Forest, claiming that she did not know Da Ming and Er Ming?

Of course, he would not expose her. He was even happy to interact with Xiao Wu as though she were human.

"So you wandered in here by mistake too!" Lu Ming put on the expression of someone who had found a fellow sufferer and sighed. "Sigh, it looks like we're both unlucky."

"Yeah, yeah." Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly, having found some "resonance."

The two looked at each other and saw a trace of "sincerity" and "sympathy" in the other's eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere became remarkably harmonious.

Only Feng Qie scratched his head nearby, feeling utterly baffled.

Strange. Why did those two terrifying giants just leave on their own?

And the master doesn't seem afraid of them at all...

He could not figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it. In any case, following his master's lead could not be wrong.