I'll Come Clean, I Just Love Eating Blue Silver Grass!

Lu Ming had not expected her to ask that. Looking into Xiao Wu's clear eyes, tinged with a hint of nervousness, he fell silent for a moment.

"Soul Beasts?" Lu Ming smiled, though his smile carried an indescribably complicated emotion.

"In my eyes, Soul Beasts and humans are not fundamentally different."

"They can both think. They have their own joys, sorrows, families, and friends."

"They also long to survive, to grow stronger, to... not be treated as prey."

Xiao Wu was completely stunned.

She had imagined many possible answers from Lu Ming.

He might have said that Soul Beasts were powerful creatures worthy of respect.

He might also have said that Soul Beasts were precious resources that should be properly utilized.

But she had never imagined that Lu Ming would say something like this.

He... he actually placed Soul Beasts and humans on equal footing?

He actually... sympathized with Soul Beasts?

For a human soul master, this was simply unimaginable!

On the Douluo Continent, soul masters hunting Soul Beasts to obtain soul rings was only natural.

In the eyes of the vast majority of humans, Soul Beasts were walking soul rings and soul bones, stepping stones for their own growth.

The weak were prey to the strong; natural selection prevailed.

This was a law written into the genes of both races.

Yet Lu Ming, as a human, as a soul master, had actually... taken the side of the Soul Beasts?

"I have always felt that the laws of this world are far too unfair to Soul Beasts." Lu Ming's voice pulled Xiao Wu from her thoughts.

"Human soul masters can hunt Soul Beasts without restraint to increase their own strength."

"But what about Soul Beasts? Even after cultivating for a hundred thousand years and finally gaining the chance to take human form and start over, they still have to live in fear of being hunted."

"Because a hundred-thousand-year soul ring is an irresistible temptation to any soul master."

Lu Ming's words reminded Xiao Wu of her mother. Her mother had been hunted down by Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo after her identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was exposed...

That was an eternal pain in her heart!

Before she knew it, Xiao Wu's eyes had reddened.

She had never expected that the first person in this world to articulate the sorrow of Soul Beasts so profoundly would be a "human."

"So..." Lu Ming looked at her. "That is why I want to change all this."

"I want to establish a nation that belongs solely to the Arrancar."

"In this nation, we will no longer be Soul Beasts, nor will we be humans. We will be entirely new, more powerful beings."

"We will have enough strength to protect ourselves and our companions, no longer at the mercy of others."

"We will make everyone on this continent see us anew and fear us!"

His voice rang with force and conviction, filled with infectious fervor.

As a transmigrator and a Soul Beast, Lu Ming naturally would not side with the soul masters!

But neither would he limit himself to the identity of a Soul Beast. What he wanted to establish was a brand-new order, a brand-new order centered around himself...

Xiao Wu looked at him, at his eyes that shone startlingly bright in the night, and the last trace of wariness in her heart completely vanished.

She believed him.

She believed that Lu Ming truly wanted to carve out an entirely new path for Soul Beasts!

He... perhaps he really can do it... even if Lu Ming is a human!

That thought had never been clearer.

"I... I believe you!" Xiao Wu nodded forcefully, her voice carrying a slight tremor.

"Haha, winning your trust really wasn't easy." Lu Ming joked, and the atmosphere immediately became much lighter.

Xiao Wu smiled somewhat sheepishly.

Then a trace of conflict flashed across Xiao Wu's face, and she spoke softly.

"Lu Ming, I know this secret of yours is extremely important! I promised before that I would help you keep it secret, but now, I want to ask for your opinion on something!"

Lu Ming raised his brows slightly. "Go ahead."

"Regarding your ability to transform Soul Beasts, I want to tell my... well, 'elders'... This matter is also very important to them! I know this request puts you in a difficult position, but I hope you can agree..."

Xiao Wu's little face had scrunched up completely with inner conflict!

Lu Ming's sincerity made it impossible for her to disregard his wishes. Although she would still tell Da Ming and Er Ming even if Lu Ming refused, before doing so, she still wanted Lu Ming to know that she intended to tell others.

Even if he refused, at least she would not be taking something without asking...

That way, the guilt in her heart would lessen somewhat.

However, to Xiao Wu's surprise, Lu Ming answered decisively, without a hint of hesitation.

"You can!"

How could Lu Ming not know that the "elders" Xiao Wu spoke of were Da Ming and Er Ming...

"Really?"

A delighted light flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes. She had never expected Lu Ming to agree so readily!

"Mm, Xiao Wu, I trust you! Since they are your elders, they must be people of great virtue and prestige..."

"I imagine you would not harm me either!"

Knowing full well what was going on, Lu Ming naturally showed Xiao Wu absolute trust.

Xiao Wu also sensed the trust in Lu Ming's words, and her heart became even more determined to make Da Ming and Er Ming accept him as well.

Lu Ming was absolutely not an evil soul master!

The two chatted for quite some time longer.

They spoke of the strange tales and curious happenings of the Star Dou Great Forest, then of the customs and sights of the human world.

Xiao Wu discovered in amazement that Lu Ming knew an incredible number of things. There were many matters that even she, a hundred-thousand-year-old "old monster," had never heard of.

As they talked animatedly, Xiao Wu suddenly remembered another matter, a mystery that had been bothering her for some time.

Blue Silver Emperor.

She asked casually, "By the way, Lu Ming, I seem to have smelled a very pleasant grassy fragrance on you before. What was that?"

"Oh? You mean that?" Lu Ming's expression became somewhat strange.

"It is a kind of grass called Blue Silver Grass."

"Blue Silver Grass?" Xiao Wu's heart stirred. "Do you like that grass very much?"

"Like it?" Lu Ming stroked his chin and thought about it very seriously before giving an answer that nearly turned Xiao Wu to stone on the spot.

"I wouldn't say I like it that much. It is just... pretty tasty."

"T-Tasty?" Xiao Wu felt as if her tongue had tied itself into knots.

Blue Silver Grass—was that not the most ordinary, most common useless weed?

What was tasty about it?

"Of course." Lu Ming nodded as though it were perfectly natural. "Especially the older ones, the ones that grow particularly lush. They taste amazing—crisp and sweet, with a fresh fragrance. They are full of energy too, a great tonic!"

As he spoke, he smacked his lips, looking as though he were savoring the memory.

Xiao Wu: "..."

She was utterly speechless.

She had considered countless possibilities. Perhaps Lu Ming had some connection to the Blue Silver Emperor, or perhaps the cultivation technique he practiced was related to Blue Silver Grass.

But she had never imagined that the truth was... he liked eating it!

What kind of weirdo is this guy?!

Looking at Lu Ming's solemn expression, Xiao Wu suddenly felt that she still had a very long way to go before she could truly understand this world.

Just as the strange yet harmonious atmosphere settled in, a dull impact and an angry roar suddenly came from the other side of the valley!

Boom!

"Zhu Mao! You're courting death!"

It was Giant Fang's voice!

Lu Ming and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, their expressions changing slightly as they immediately rushed toward the source of the sound.