"Huh? Your little sister?" Xiao Wu instantly turned bashful, blushing as she turned her head away. "Brother Ye, why are you suddenly saying something like that? Aren't we... aren't we classmates?"
Because of Tang San, the word "brother" held a special emotional significance for Xiao Wu. She had once dreamed of marrying Tang San someday. Although she had now broken with him, the weight that word carried in her heart had not changed.
What Qin Ye was doing might have seemed unremarkable to anyone else, but to Xiao Wu, it was no different from an open declaration of love.
"Oh, Xiao Wu, what are you getting so shy about?" Ning Rongrong wrapped her arms around Xiao Wu's delicate frame and said with a smile, "Brother Ye is such a good person. Wouldn't it be nice to be his little sister? Look, I'm his little sister. If you accept him as your big brother too, wouldn't that bring us even closer?"
"That's right, Xiao Wu." Zhu Zhuqing also sat beside Xiao Wu to persuade her. "Qin Ye is a good person. He isn't like that scoundrel Tang San. You'll definitely be happy with him as your brother."
"I... I..." Xiao Wu was deeply torn, stammering for a long time without managing to get a sentence out.
Seeing this, Qin Ye realized the moment had come and released the heart demon.
Bzzz!
With a buzz, Xiao Wu's consciousness plunged into a dark abyss. She could not see her hand in front of her face; all around her was an endless expanse of darkness.
"Where... where is this? Is anyone here?" Xiao Wu's rabbit ears folded down as she looked fearfully around the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Xiao Wu." A gentle voice sounded behind her. Xiao Wu turned toward it and saw someone she had longed for day and night.
Her mother.
"Mom!" Overcome with excitement, Xiao Wu ran over and threw herself into her mother's gentle embrace. "Mom, is it really you? I thought... I thought I'd never see you again." As she spoke, tears began streaming from the corners of her eyes.
Xiao Wu lifted her head and gazed at her mother through a haze of tears. "Mom, how did you find me? I missed you so much. Where have you been all these years? Did Da Ming and Er Ming bring you back?"
Even now, Xiao Wu could not accept her mother's death, just as she could never forgive Spirit Hall or forget the blood debt it owed.
Her reason kept telling her that the mother before her was not real, but her emotions took control, making her ignore that fact.
"Xiao Wu, my poor daughter. Mom missed you so much too." The heart demon's performance was flawless, portraying a loving mother so vividly that even if Xiao Wu noticed a flaw, she would not have been willing to leave her embrace.
"Xiao Wu, Mom hasn't actually come fully back to life, but I haven't completely died either."
"What? Then, Mom, how are you here?"
"Hehe, silly girl. My soul has come back to see you," the heart demon said softly. "My soul is in a place called the Divine Realm. The gods there saved it. Mom couldn't bear to leave you either, so I sneaked over to visit you." The heart demon tenderly stroked Xiao Wu's soft, beautiful hair, her movements exceedingly gentle.
"Then, Mom, what do I have to do to bring you back to life? I miss you so much. Will you come back to me again?" As she spoke, Xiao Wu tightened her hold on her mother's arm, terrified that her mother might suddenly leave her again.
"Of course I will, my sweet daughter," the heart demon said slowly. "But you'll have to become a god someday."
"Become a god? How do I become a god?"
"To become a god is to surpass your limits and reach level one hundred. It's a realm that countless soul beasts and soul masters can never touch. For so many years, no one on the Douluo Continent has become a god."
"Then how am I supposed to bring you back, Mom? I really don't want to lose you." As she spoke, Xiao Wu's tears began falling again.
"Hehe, don't cry, Xiao Wu. You'll succeed. Mom believes in you." The heart demon reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of Xiao Wu's eyes. "But you'll need someone's help."
"Who? Who can help me?"
"Qin Ye."
"Huh? Him?"
"That's right. Him," the heart demon said with absolute certainty. "I overheard it from the gods. Qin Ye has the greatest potential to become a god on the entire continent. He will definitely become one someday. If you follow him and work hard at your cultivation, sooner or later, you'll become a god too. Mom believes in you."
"R-really?" Xiao Wu asked excitedly. "Then I'll be able to bring you back to life?"
"Yes, you will. When that time comes, we'll bring Da Ming and Er Ming along, and our family will be reunited." The heart demon added, "So, Xiao Wu, you must be good and listen to Qin Ye. While Mom isn't here, you must treat him as your own big brother. Trust him. He is the person in this world least likely to betray you."
With that, the heart demon's body began turning to mist, gradually dissipating into the darkness.
"Mom, Mom! Mom, don't leave me! Mom!" Xiao Wu reached out to grab her, only to find that she could grasp nothing at all.
"Xiao Wu, my sweet daughter. Remember, trust Qin Ye. He's a good person. You must never let him down. Sooner or later, we will surely meet again. Take good care of yourself, Xiao Wu." The heart demon's figure vanished completely into thin air. After a wave of intense dizziness, Xiao Wu's consciousness returned to reality.
"Xiao Wu? Xiao Wu? What's wrong, Xiao Wu?" Ning Rongrong kept waving her hand in front of Xiao Wu's eyes. "Did you fall asleep, Xiao Wu? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Huh? Rongrong, I... I'm fine." Xiao Wu immediately reacted, putting a hand to her forehead. "Maybe I just haven't rested well these past few days. I'm fine. By the way, what were you all saying just now? Could you say it again?" She immediately changed the subject.
"Oh, Brother Ye asked if you wanted to be his little sister. Zhu Zhuqing and I called you so many times, but you didn't react. We thought you'd fallen asleep," Ning Rongrong replied.
"His little sister?" Xiao Wu lowered her head and pressed her lips together, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
Her mother's parting words kept replaying in Xiao Wu's mind. After repeated rounds of hypnosis, Xiao Wu finally made up her mind. She slowly raised her head and looked at Qin Ye with determination in her eyes.
"Brother Ye, I'm willing to be your little sister. From now on, you're my big brother." Xiao Wu spoke with utmost sincerity, as solemn as if she were committing herself to a romantic relationship.
Qin Ye smiled and nodded, murmuring his agreement. "Yes. Then from now on, we're all one family, as close as blood relatives. Whatever happens at Shrek from now on, we must help and support each other, and become the continent's strongest soul masters together someday."
Qin Ye held out his hand between them, and all three girls placed their hands on top in perfect unspoken agreement.
Xiao Wu said, "From now on, we'll be the closest of families, never abandoning each other, standing together through life and death."
Zhu Zhuqing said, "We'll become the continent's strongest soul masters and stand together at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent."
Ning Rongrong said, "Then it's a promise. For ten thousand years, it must never change."
Qin Ye said, "Yes."
They called out in unison, "Three, two, one!"
"Let's go!"
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