Yi Yun stayed in Nuoding City for three days.
During those three days, he went to Nuoding Academy every day to deliberately "bump into" Tang San and show him all sorts of futuristic technology.
On the first day, he used Soul Power to simulate a Gatling Gun and shredded the training dummies into strips of cloth.
On the second day, he pulled out a Soul Power version of an RPG and blasted a swimming-pool-sized crater into the hill behind the academy.
On the third day, he went even further, demonstrating a human missile right in front of Tang San. He flew into the sky, then crashed down like a meteor, leaving a crater fifty meters across in the ground.
The dean of Nuoding Academy nearly had a heart attack.
Tang San's worldview shattered over and over until it had been ground to dust.
"Have you made up your mind? Want to become my disciple?" Yi Yun asked after every demonstration.
Every time, Tang San gritted his teeth and said, "Let me think about it some more."
Yi Yun was in no hurry.
He knew someone like Tang San was far too proud to bow his head easily.
But he had patience to spare.
After all, when a cat caught a mouse, the most entertaining part wasn't eating it, but toying with it slowly.
Today, however, Yi Yun wasn't planning to look for Tang San.
He was going to Star Dou Great Forest.
"If I remember correctly, Xiao Wu came from Star Dou Great Forest, didn't she?"
Yi Yun rubbed his chin, the image of that lively, adorable girl with the scorpion-tail braid from the animation surfacing in his mind.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit who had taken human form, Tang San's future wife.
But the future could be changed.
Yi Yun smiled, and with a flicker, he flew toward Star Dou Great Forest.
Star Dou Great Forest was the continent's largest gathering place for Soul Beasts, covering a vast area and home to countless varieties.
The deeper one went, the higher the Soul Beasts' cultivation and the greater the danger.
But Yi Yun was a level 99 Peerless Douluo. To him, this place was as safe as his own backyard.
He landed in a grove, concealed his aura, and wandered aimlessly.
"Little bunny, be good, open the door..." Yi Yun hummed, looking around.
After walking for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, he suddenly stopped.
Twenty meters ahead, an entirely pink rabbit crouched behind a bush, furtively nibbling on a carrot.
The rabbit looked no different from an ordinary rabbit, but Yi Yun's Chaos Sacred Dragon Martial Soul was trembling faintly.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in the human-transformation stage.
The corners of Yi Yun's mouth slowly rose.
Found her.
He didn't rush forward, instead watching with interest.
The pink rabbit finished her carrot and licked her paws. Then she suddenly stood upright. A flash of pink light swept over her, and the rabbit vanished, replaced by a young girl with a scorpion-tail braid and a pink dress.
The girl looked eleven or twelve, with fair skin, delicate features, and large eyes that sparkled with vivacity and cunning.
She dusted the dirt off her hands and stretched contentedly.
"Carrots are so delicious..."
Her voice was clear and sweet, like the tinkling of a mountain spring.
"They certainly are," a voice came from behind her. "But I prefer spicy rabbit heads."
Xiao Wu went rigid.
She whirled around and saw a young man in white leaning against a large tree, his arms folded as he watched her with a smile.
When did he get here?
She hadn't noticed him at all.
Xiao Wu's heart leaped into her throat.
She instinctively retreated two steps, her hands unconsciously taking a defensive stance.
"Y-you... who are you?"
Yi Yun didn't answer, instead strolling toward her.
Xiao Wu's heart beat faster and faster.
She hadn't taken human form long ago, and her strength had yet to recover fully. If she encountered a powerful Soul Master, the consequences would be unthinkable.
And this person's aura...
She couldn't see through it at all!
It was as though what stood before her wasn't a person, but a bottomless ocean.
"Stay back!" Xiao Wu's voice rose out of pitch. "Take another step and I won't hold back!"
Yi Yun stopped and tilted his head, that same inscrutable smile still on his face.
"Little girl, what are you so nervous about?"
"I... I'm not nervous!" Xiao Wu insisted, but even her voice was trembling.
"Oh? Then why are you shaking?"
"I'm cold!"
"It's the middle of summer."
"I... I have a cold constitution!"
Yi Yun couldn't help laughing.
This little rabbit was quite good at making things up.
He stopped teasing her and held out his hand. A golden carrot appeared in it out of thin air, radiating faint fluctuations of Soul Power.
"This is a ten-thousand-year Golden Jade Carrot. It grows by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, tastes crisp and sweet, and is rich in nutrients." Yi Yun waved the carrot in his hand. "Want some?"
Xiao Wu's eyes instantly lit up.
But she quickly grew wary again. "H-how do you know I like carrots?"
"Just a guess." Yi Yun's smile looked utterly harmless.
Xiao Wu swallowed.
She told herself she couldn't fall for it, couldn't expose her identity over a single carrot.
But... a ten-thousand-year Golden Jade Carrot!
She had seen one once deep in Star Dou Great Forest, but a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had been guarding it, so she hadn't dared go near it.
Now, the carrot she had dreamed of was right before her eyes, giving off an enticing fragrance...
Xiao Wu's reason screamed frantically: Don't take it! It's a trap!
But her body was honest. Before she knew it, she had already walked up to Yi Yun.
"You're really... giving it to me?"
"Really."
Xiao Wu hesitated, but still reached out and accepted the carrot.
She cautiously took a bite.
The crisp crunch rang especially loudly in the quiet forest.
Xiao Wu's eyes instantly curved into crescents, happiness spreading across her face.
"So... so delicious!"
Watching Xiao Wu wolf it down, Yi Yun couldn't help smiling.
This rabbit was even cuter than he had imagined.
"Eat slowly. Nobody's going to fight you for it."
Xiao Wu finished the whole carrot in a few bites, then licked her fingers, still craving more.
Only after licking them did she realize how embarrassing her behavior had been, and she flushed all the way to her ears.
"Um... thank you," Xiao Wu said softly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
"You're welcome." Yi Yun shrugged. "But shouldn't you explain why a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is here nibbling on carrots?"
Xiao Wu's expression instantly froze.
He knew?
He actually knew?
Xiao Wu's face went from red to white, then from white to ashen, before finally settling into terror.
"H-how did you know?" she stammered.
Yi Yun pointed at his eyes. "These eyes of mine can see through any disguise."
Xiao Wu's heart sank to the bottom of a valley.
It's over. I've been exposed.
She instinctively tried to flee, but Yi Yun was a step faster and blocked her path.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. I'm not going to hurt you."
Xiao Wu didn't believe him.
When human Soul Masters encountered Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, they either killed them for their Soul Rings or captured them as pets. Not one had good intentions.
"Get out of my way!" A sob crept into Xiao Wu's voice. "If you dare hurt me, my mother won't let you get away with it!"
"Your mother?" Yi Yun raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't your mother already..."
He abruptly stopped.
In the original story, Xiao Wu's mother had indeed been killed by Bibi Dong, but the plot hadn't reached that point yet.
Xiao Wu's eyes reddened, but she fought back her tears and stared stubbornly at Yi Yun.
Looking at this little rabbit who was forcing herself to remain calm, Yi Yun suddenly felt a surge of tenderness.
He sighed, his tone becoming much gentler.
"I told you, I won't hurt you."
He pulled another Golden Jade Carrot from inside his clothes and pressed it into Xiao Wu's hand.
"Don't be afraid. I only eat carrots, not rabbits."
Xiao Wu: "???"
She looked down at the carrot in her hand, then up at Yi Yun's sincere eyes, completely bewildered.
"You... really won't eat me?"
"No. I'm not a meat eater."
"Then what do you want?"
"Me?" Yi Yun crouched down to meet Xiao Wu's eyes and said with a smile, "I just want to treat you to a meal and make a friend."
Xiao Wu: "..."
In her hundred thousand years of life, this was the first time she had met such a strange human.
He wouldn't kill her or eat her, just treat her to carrots?
"Are you sure?" Xiao Wu looked at Yi Yun suspiciously. "You're not lying to me?"
"If I'm lying, I'm a puppy."
Xiao Wu fell silent.
She looked into Yi Yun's eyes. They were clear, without greed or malice, holding only a faint... tenderness?
"All right." Xiao Wu finally lowered her guard a little. "Then I'll help myself."
She took another bite of the carrot, and a smile returned to her face.
Yi Yun stood up and looked at this silly rabbit who had been won over with a single carrot, unable to resist shaking his head.
In the original story, Xiao Wu had gone with Tang San because he treated her well.
Now, he, Yi Yun, was ten thousand times better than Tang San.
"By the way, what's your name?" Yi Yun asked.
"Xiao Wu," Xiao Wu said indistinctly through a mouthful of carrot. "Wu as in dancing."
"Xiao Wu. Nice name." Yi Yun nodded. "I'm Yi Yun. I look forward to getting along with you."
"Yi Yun? What a strange name."
"Your name's the strange one. Xiao Wu sounds like Little Five."
"You're Little Five! Your whole family's Little Five!"
"All right, all right, my whole family's Little Five."
"Hmph!"
As they bickered, the distance between them shrank considerably without either noticing.
Xiao Wu didn't realize that she was no longer afraid of this mysterious young man in white.
She simply felt comfortable being with him.
Yi Yun looked at Xiao Wu's puffed-up cheeks and silently worked through his plans.
Step one: build goodwill. Complete.
Step two: deepen our bond. In progress.
Step three: leave Tang San with no chance whatsoever. Awaiting activation.
Tang San, oh, Tang San, Yi Yun chuckled inwardly. I'll take care of your Xiao Wu for you first.
Deep in Star Dou Great Forest, an enormous Titan Giant Ape suddenly opened its eyes.
It had sensed Xiao Wu's aura, along with another, utterly terrifying aura.
That aura was stronger than any Soul Beast it had ever encountered, even stronger than the master of Star Dou Great Forest.
A trace of worry flashed through the Titan Giant Ape's eyes.
Was that human friend or foe?
It decided to keep watching for a while.
If that person dared hurt Xiao Wu, it would protect her even at the cost of its life.
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