Xiao Wu vs. Zhu Zhuqing

There were still seven days until the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy began its term.

The school was currently on summer break.

Zhu Zhuqing and her Third Sister, Zhu Zhulin, were helping the villagers pick fresh fruit in the orchard. Every year before school started, Douluo Village harvested a large batch of fresh fruit to sell in Nuoding City.

That was when Nuoding City was at its liveliest. From August to September, merchants from the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire exchanged goods.

Among the peach trees, Zhu Zhuqing leaped swiftly about, picking fresh, juicy peaches.

She moved incredibly fast, like an agile spirit cat. The other aunties in the village watched with their hearts in their throats, terrified that the little girl would fall.

With the two Zhu sisters helping, however, this year's peach harvest went countless times faster than before. In just a few days, nearly all the different fruits the village needed were ready.

Zhu Zhulin, meanwhile, wore a bamboo hat and washed fruit by the river with the village aunties, just like an ordinary person. She wanted to experience an ordinary person's life, and she had been very happy lately.

"Trouble! Old Jack from Holy Soul Village next door has brought two Soul Masters to attack us!"

Several village boys rushed into the peach grove to ask for help, their faces bruised and swollen.

Their reasoning was simple: Zhu Zhuqing had awakened her martial soul, so she had to be stronger than them. Besides, all the village children had recently accepted her as their boss.

Village Chief Grandma had instructed them to do so.

Zhu Zhuqing darted out of the peach grove, set down the peaches in her hands, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had been practicing the Hell Spirit Cat clan's exclusive footwork these past few days, so she was a little tired.

She had learned this footwork from a secret manual inside Zhu Zhuyun's Soul Tool bracelet. Since she had already obtained it, she might as well learn it.

"Were the two Soul Masters a boy and a girl?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with a smile.

The boys immediately froze, then nodded blankly.

A smile spread across Zhu Zhuqing's little face as she asked happily, "Was the girl a little taller and the boy a little shorter? Did the girl have a long braid?"

Zhu Zhuqing's smile left the boys so dazed that they started nodding. They stared foolishly at the pretty girl, completely forgetting to wonder how she knew.

"Come on, take me to meet them!"

And so, led by the boys, Zhu Zhuqing walked out of the peach grove.

At the entrance to Douluo Village, Old Jack was swaggering about and showing off. Several elderly aunties actually proved no match for him.

Village Chief Grandma was already hurrying out of her house with more than a dozen elderly aunties behind her. They had a tough battle to fight today, and they could not let their momentum falter.

The three groups soon converged at the village entrance.

Zhu Zhuqing went straight to Village Chief Grandma's side. After all, she belonged to Douluo Village now. If the two villages were having a shouting match, of course she would support her own.

Three people stood outside Douluo Village's gate.

An old man with his nose in the air, a boy whose looks and clothing were utterly ordinary, and a pretty little girl.

The girl had long black hair tied into a single scorpion braid that nearly reached her calves. Her large, watery eyes were glaring at everyone at Douluo Village's entrance, and her little face looked positively fierce.

The boy wore an ordinary, cheap, coarse-cloth outfit with short sleeves. He had short black hair and wheat-colored skin. Judging by his age, he was nothing more than a little brat of about six, except that sharp gleams occasionally flashed through his eyes, accompanied by a faint purple hue.

At that moment, the boy's expression looked a little odd. He was blushing slightly because Zhu Zhuqing was so cute.

"Are you the girl from Douluo Village who awakened her martial soul?" The girl looked at Zhu Zhuqing with curiosity, as though she could hardly believe this little beauty was Douluo Village's boss.

Since she was doing farmwork today, Zhu Zhuqing had dressed lightly in a loose, short-sleeved outfit that showed off her perfect figure. Simply standing there, she radiated an inexplicable charm.

"Yes. Have you come to our village to buy fruit?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with a smile.

The girl had already spotted Tang San blushing, so she was feeling rather angry. Her tone was hostile as she said, "Hmph, we're not here to buy fruit. I, Xiao Wu, came to challenge you today."

"I know you haven't obtained a Soul Ring yet, so I won't use mine today either. Let's have a match and see whether our Holy Soul Village or your Douluo Village is stronger!" As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Wu took up a fighting stance.

Watching Xiao Wu plant herself in a horse stance with her little fists extended slightly forward, her braid swishing behind her, and her large eyes fixed stubbornly on her, Zhu Zhuqing found it rather funny.

That smile infuriated Xiao Wu. Thinking Zhu Zhuqing was looking down on her, she wanted to charge forward and fight.

Little Tang San quickly stepped forward and held Xiao Wu back. He was a sensible child. How could he let his newly acknowledged little sister hit a pretty little girl from another village?

"Xiao Wu, why are you being so rude? Her soul power is only rank four, and she's a little girl. How could she possibly beat you?" Tang San hurriedly tried to reason with her.

He had only come today to back up Village Chief Old Jack, not to fight or trade insults. He was merely a little unhappy with Douluo Village's aunties.

Xiao Wu grew unhappy, and her temper flared. Pointing at Zhu Zhuqing, she taunted, "What, are you scared?"

Just then, the sound of the Time Gear turning echoed through Zhu Zhuqing's mind. It seemed to come from the depths of time and space, from distant eternal antiquity, or perhaps from right beside her.

Clack, creak-

"Ding! A fated encounter has begun. The host has met the two protagonists of the Douluo Continent. Fated mission activated!!!"

Option one: Refuse Xiao Wu's challenge and look at Tang San with pleading, resentful eyes, asking him to help resolve the matter. (Mission completion reward: Mysterious Footwork, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track)

Option two: Use a gentle tone and debate to resolve the conflict between Holy Soul Village and Douluo Village, bring harmony to Jack and Ruth's relationship, and ultimately get the two together, hand in hand. (Mission completion reward: one God-Given Soul Ring)

Option three: Accept Xiao Wu's challenge and have a friendly spar in the manner of strong women. Defeat Xiao Wu and have her acknowledge you as Big Sister. (Mission completion reward: 5 destiny points)

Zhu Zhuqing smiled. Of the three options, only the last suited her. Choosing the first would clearly mean breaking Xiao Wu and Tang San apart, and she would never do something like that.

The second option was a little troublesome. The two old village chiefs were adults, after all. Their romantic relationship was hardly something a little girl like her could easily sort out. If they could get together, they would not still be acting like mortal enemies at their ripe old ages.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing standing frozen in place, Xiao Wu perked up, pride spreading across her little face. The girl before her only had a slightly better figure than she did. Little San could never like such a delicate little girl.

Tang San's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He did not want the two girls to fight. It would not be pretty if either of them got bumped or bruised.

Even Old Jack, the chief of Holy Soul Village, began laughing heartily, casting a contemptuous little glance at the bunch of old women before him.

That contempt instantly set off the elderly aunties at Douluo Village's entrance. They glared ahead, looking ready for battle to erupt at the slightest spark.

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and looked at Xiao Wu with a confident smile.

"All right, I accept your challenge!"