"Lu Yuan, you... are you trying to..."
Xiao Wu wept, but she did not immediately think of fleeing from Lu Yuan.
Not only had she secretly grown fond of Lu Yuan after eating his grass for so long, but she also knew that she was no longer a hundred-thousand-year Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit. The gap between their strength was enormous.
Even if Xiao Wu tried to run, Lu Yuan could catch her and bring her back.
"Xiao Wu, stop crying. If I really wanted to hunt you down and take your Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and soul bone, I would have done it long ago. The truth is, I've always thought of you as my little sister."
Nothing made Lu Yuan more helpless or was harder for him to bear than a girl crying. Eager to comfort Xiao Wu, he simply began repeating the words Tang San had used so effectively on her in the original timeline.
Take Tang San's path and leave him with nowhere to go.
"R-really?"
Xiao Wu was no longer quite so upset, and her voice grew much softer. Her large, watery eyes stayed fixed on Lu Yuan, as though waiting for what he would say next.
"Yes. If anyone dares to hurt you, they'll have to step over my corpse first."
The moment those sickeningly sweet words left his mouth, Lu Yuan's entire body stiffened. Fortunately, Xiao Wu was just as receptive to them as she had been in the original story. She quieted completely, a mysteriously sweet smile on her lips as she gazed at him, deeply moved.
After all, since her mother's death, few people besides Da Ming and Er Ming had cared about her like this.
"But why did you expose my identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Was it just so you could take advantage of me by making me your little sister?"
Once she realized Lu Yuan meant her no harm, Xiao Wu immediately reverted to her usual innocent, lively self.
"That little head of yours finally started working, huh? But what I wanted to warn you about is that Tang San's father is very likely Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao."
"What?! Tang San's dad is a Titled Douluo?!" Xiao Wu could not stop her entire body from trembling.
With a Titled Douluo like that nearby, wasn't her identity as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast very likely to be exposed?
"Yes. I asked a few roundabout questions, and Tang San's father really is named Tang Hao. On top of that, I happened to see Tang San use his second martial soul once. It was an exquisitely crafted hammer."
"After looking through some reference materials, I discovered that it was the Clear Sky Hammer, the signature martial soul of the Clear Sky Sect. Considering that Tang Hao's last public appearance was when he fought the Pontiff of Spirit Hall in Fasino Province, everything fell into place."
Lu Yuan could have won an award for his acting. Everything he had just said was something he had made up himself. Still, he had not deceived Xiao Wu about the facts; he had merely given the information he revealed a plausible explanation.
In truth, it was precisely because Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had nearly both been skewered by the Mandala Snake in the Soul Hunting Forest, yet Tang Hao had not appeared to rescue them, that Lu Yuan had confirmed Tang Hao was not currently near Nuoding City.
Otherwise, Lu Yuan would never have risked his life by exposing Xiao Wu's and Tang San's backgrounds.
"Lu Yuan, how do you know so much?" Xiao Wu finally voiced her confusion.
"Well..." Lu Yuan felt awkward for a moment. He really had not thought of how to explain that to Xiao Wu.
"Ah, I've got it!"
In a flash of inspiration, Lu Yuan came up with a good idea. He coughed, preparing to deceive... no, that wasn't right... tell Xiao Wu a kindhearted lie.
"Well, I'm from Douluo Village. Although it was only founded recently, rumor has it that a Soul Douluo emerged among its villagers. In fact, that's my grandfather, Old Tom."
Lu Yuan spouted nonsense without so much as pausing for breath.
"He traveled across the Douluo Continent in his younger years, then retired to Douluo Village over a decade ago. He knows plenty of the continent's secrets and told them to me like stories. That's how I learned about them."
So that was it.
Xiao Wu had never imagined that Lu Yuan was actually a hidden second-generation soul master. Then again, did Lu Yuan himself know that?
"Then, Lu Yuan, should I run away right now?"
Her identity could be discovered at any moment, and a powerful Titled Douluo could capture her and take her soul ring and soul bone. The mere thought terrified Xiao Wu.
"No."
Lu Yuan stopped Xiao Wu from acting on that idea. What if Tang Hao came to visit Tang San and caught her on the road from Nuoding City to the Star Dou Great Forest? Wouldn't she be turned into fragrant roast rabbit on the spot?
Lu Yuan had gone to such lengths to tell Xiao Wu all this tonight both because he did not want her caught up in the scheming struggles of human society and because he wanted to weaken the support available to Tang San, who might become a god and a rival of his in the future.
If that scenario came to pass, wouldn't the losses outweigh the gains?
"Xiao Wu, do you trust me?" Lu Yuan met her eyes, his gaze suddenly turning solemn and serious.
Although Xiao Wu did not know what he was thinking, the words he had said to her earlier were still surging through her mind, giving her an inexplicable sense of safety around him.
"Yes, Lu Yuan. I trust you."
"Good." Lu Yuan nodded. "Then, for this school year, do as I say. Don't reveal your identity or the fact that you know about his background. Don't ruin your relationship with Tang San, either. Just get along with him like ordinary friends."
"At the end of the school year, the academy will give us a long vacation. Pretend you're curious and want to go with Tang San to see his hometown. When you're almost there, take the opportunity to say you've remembered something urgent at home, then immediately take a roundabout route back to the Star Dou Great Forest. All right?"
Lu Yuan kept talking without pause. With so much information to absorb, Xiao Wu did not even think to ask why he knew her home was in the Star Dou Great Forest rather than somewhere like the Sunset Forest.
In the original timeline, when Xiao Wu followed Tang San to Holy Soul Village and found the letter Tang Hao had left him, Tang Hao was meeting Yu Xiaogang at the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy a thousand miles away. He gave Yu Xiaogang the Spirit Hall Elder Token that had originally belonged to the Clear Sky Sect and told him to take good care of Tang San.
That would be the best moment for Xiao Wu to escape-and the best moment for Lu Yuan to carry out something major.
The reason Tang Hao had not exposed Xiao Wu after discovering that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form was that he had noticed Tang San seemed to be developing a different sort of innocent affection for her. It reminded him of himself and Ah Yin, and he wondered whether Tang San could follow his example and win over a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had transformed into a beautiful woman.
As for why he still had not acted in this timeline despite seeing that Xiao Wu was closer to Lu Yuan-hey, they were all only six or seven years old. There was plenty of time ahead.
Her head spinning, Xiao Wu agreed to Lu Yuan's plan.
Lu Yuan let out a long breath. He had finally accomplished this major task, saving Xiao Wu and severing one of the arms Tang San had relied on in the original story.
At the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, the sun shone brightly.
Having finished cultivating, Lu Yuan was about to head to the dining hall for a meal.
Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, he collided head-on with someone who had appeared without a sound.
"Ow! Who was that? Why don't your footsteps make any noise?"
Lu Yuan staggered and was about to lose his temper when he caught sight of a flamboyant golden figure.
"Chrys... Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan?"
Lu Yuan was shocked. Knowing the original story, how could he fail to recognize the man before him?
Thankfully, Yue Guan isn't carrying Xiao Wu. He probably hasn't discovered her yet.
Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He had never expected Yue Guan to appear in Nuoding City so suddenly. Fortunately, Xiao Wu had gone to play on the outskirts today, so Yue Guan probably had not encountered her.
"You're Lu Yuan?"
"Yes."
Faced with Chrysanthemum Douluo's question, Lu Yuan knew this probably was not a coincidence. Denying it would be pointless.
"I am here on the orders of His Holiness, the Pontiff of Spirit Hall, to invite a genius like you to pursue further studies at Spirit Hall Academy."
"What?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's words left Lu Yuan stunned, his mind churning in a relentless storm.
"What, you're unwilling?"
Seeing Lu Yuan remain frozen for so long, Chrysanthemum Douluo let fierce, surging yellow soul power well up in his hand. His eyes fixed on Lu Yuan with cold, deathly indifference.
He was about to trigger the inevitable death flag for common-born geniuses on the Douluo Continent: being killed after refusing recruitment by a major power.