Only half the opening move of the Eight-Stage Throw had been executed before the two burly men's ribs snapped with a teeth-grating crunch. They flew backward like curled shrimp and landed in the snow, howling in pain, unable to get up for a long while.
It all happened so fast that less than three seconds passed from start to finish.
The vendors and passersby on both sides of the street stared dumbfounded.
Xiong Shaoqing froze in the pose of someone about to raise his leg for a full two seconds before silently lowering his foot.
Holy shit, that critical damage... did he really have no choice but to live off a woman?
He ranted inwardly. Once this husband-protecting fanatic's instincts awakened, she was more dedicated than a bodyguard.
After dealing with the three scumbags, Xiao Wu immediately reined in her murderous air and turned around like a frightened little rabbit. She hurried over to Xiong Shaoqing and looked him up and down, her eyes full of anxiety.
"Big Brother, you weren't scared, were you?" Xiao Wu was so anxious that her eyes reddened. She gently caught his sleeve. "I'm sorry. I was too impulsive just now and didn't hold back my strength. Please don't be angry with me. They actually dared to disrespect you, and I couldn't help myself..."
Looking at the girl whose expression had changed in an instant, whose eyes practically said she was afraid he would dislike her, Xiong Shaoqing took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the wild twitching at the corners of his mouth.
Acting skills, don't fail me now.
He deliberately put on a stern face and looked at Xiao Wu with deep, complicated eyes, his tone carrying a measure of severity mixed with helplessness. "Do you know how dangerous that was? If they had been high-ranking Soul Masters, what would you have done if your rash attack exposed your secrets? I told you not to cause trouble."
Far from feeling wronged, Xiao Wu felt as though she had eaten honey.
Not only had Big Brother not blamed her for being violent, he was worried that exposing her identity would put her in danger. In the end, he was still protecting her.
Xiao Wu lowered her head and twisted the hem of her clothes in both hands, obediently admitting her mistake. "I know I was wrong, Big Brother. Next time... next time, I'll definitely wait until no one's around before beating them up."
Xiong Shaoqing let out a long sigh, shook his head, and reached out to rub her furry rabbit ears.
"Let's go. We'll browse another street."
With that, he turned and walked on.
Xiao Wu covered the rabbit ears he had rubbed, her pretty face instantly flushing scarlet. She could no longer even feel the chill of the snowy ground.
She happily followed in Xiong Shaoqing's footsteps and silently swore to herself.
Big Brother has no Divine Power now. He doesn't even have the strength to fight.
From now on, whoever dares provoke him will have their legs broken.
The two walked one behind the other, leaving a clear trail of footprints in the snow.
Xiong Shaoqing walked in front, but his mind had long since sunk into his Sea of Consciousness. Watching the Emotion Points and Soul Power Progress soar again on the panel filled him with satisfaction.
Still, strike while the iron is hot. Why wait until night to write the diary? That scene just now was perfect material.
He silently summoned the Destiny Diary in his heart. With a slight shift of thought, lines of writing rapidly formed in his Sea of Consciousness.
He knew he absolutely could not make it too cloying or Mary Sue-like now. He had to convey just the right complexity of a proud God King, a tiger brought low on the plains, whose heart had been touched by an innocent girl.
[We ran into a few blind fools of thugs on the street just now. I had intended to force this broken body to act, whatever the cost, but who could have imagined that this silly girl would step in front of me first?]
[A mighty God King, now reduced to needing a little girl's protection. How ironic. Yet as I watched her back as she recklessly defended me, fiercely kicking those men away, this long-frozen heart of mine actually felt a trace of warmth for the first time in ages.]
[Xiao Wu, with such wholehearted purity, how could I bear to push you away again? I must regain my strength as soon as possible. From now on, this girl can only be protected by me.]
Walking half a step behind him, Xiao Wu clearly "saw" these heartfelt words appear in her Sea of Consciousness.
Her steps faltered slightly. A hazy mist rose in her large, limpid eyes, and it felt as though the softest part of her heart had been firmly squeezed.
He... he was actually that moved.
Xiao Wu pressed her red lips tightly together, desperately suppressing the urge to smile and forcing her expression to look normal.
She secretly raised her eyes to the boy walking ahead, his back looking rather slender beneath his cloak, and grumbled inwardly.
Big Brother really says one thing and feels another. He's clearly so concerned and moved beyond words inside, yet he insists on acting icy and unapproachable.
Hmph, isn't it all because his strength hasn't recovered and he's afraid of dragging Xiao Wu down that he deliberately acts cold and pushes her away?
Xiao Wu felt both amused and helpless, but more than anything, she felt sweetness.
Oh well, being able to stay beside him like this is already enough.
It doesn't matter if he won't admit it. The rest can come slowly. One day, I'll make him drop his disguise completely and accept Xiao Wu wholeheartedly.
Each harboring their own thoughts, they continued strolling along the snow-covered street.
After they rounded two street corners, a luxurious building appeared ahead, its decor brimming with romantic charm and its exterior carved with vast rose motifs: the Rose Hotel.
Just then, a figure entered Xiong Shaoqing's sight.
It was a tall, blond young man with an extremely rare pair of sinister double-pupiled eyes.
At that moment, the young man had a woman on either arm, his hands wandering as he embraced a pair of stunningly beautiful, voluptuous twin sisters. Laughing and chatting, they headed toward the Rose Hotel's entrance in intimate poses.
Chapter 11: Xiao Wu's Way of Thinking Was Dangerous
Holy shit, blond hair, strange pupils, twin sisters... isn't that Dai Mubai, that horny tiger? I actually stumbled into this famous scene.
Xiong Shaoqing's heart raced. This was perfect material. He immediately began writing furiously in his Sea of Consciousness:
[What a narrow road for enemies. I was just strolling past the Rose Hotel when I actually ran into that coward Dai Mubai.]
[This Evil Eye White Tiger was actually taking a pair of twin sisters to get a room in broad daylight, one on each arm, enjoying himself immensely. Judging by those practiced movements and that debauched smile, he has probably long since become a womanizing rake here in Suotuo City.]
[Judging by the timing, if fate's course hasn't deviated, that silly girl Zhu Zhuqing is probably braving a sky full of wind and snow right now, risking her life to reach this filthy city.]
[With her family's pursuers at her back, Zhu Zhuqing is giving everything she has for that so-called engagement, searching for a fiancé who turns out to be this disgusting creature who can't control his lower half. How could a man like this deserve Zhu Zhuqing's solitary courage?]
On the Snowbound Ancient Road, far from Suotuo City.
Zhu Zhuqing, who had been running desperately with her head down, suddenly stopped and gasped for breath.
She stared fixedly at the latest diary entry in her Sea of Consciousness. "Judging by the timing," "braving a sky full of wind and snow," "Rose Hotel"...
Those words were like ruthless icicles stabbing deep into her heart.
This so-called God King actually remembered even the precise timeline of her current journey through the snow.
Zhu Zhuqing's cool, exquisite face was now dark and still as water, her chest heaving with extreme anger and humiliation.
This man she had never met had pinpointed her current circumstances solely through memories of his previous life, making her trust the diary's authenticity a little more.
The Rose Hotel. There was even a specific location.
She raised her head and gazed toward Suotuo City, her eyes utterly conflicted, holding icy killing intent and an indescribable sorrow.
At her current speed, even if she went full throttle and traveled day and night, she would need at least five more days to reach Suotuo City.
Five days later, that damned tiger in heat would surely have left the Rose Hotel long ago.
But so what? As long as he's still in Suotuo City, as long as he's left traces of such outrageous behavior, finding out the truth will be as easy as turning over a hand.
If what's written in this diary is true, I, Zhu Zhuqing, will sever every bond with Dai Mubai.
Elsewhere, Bibi Dong, who was skimming low over a sea of forest, also noticed the diary update.
Reading the passage about the "Evil Eye White Tiger with a woman on either arm," not a ripple disturbed Bibi Dong's exquisite face. She merely gave a contemptuous snort.
Men. Nothing more than this.
In her eyes, men in this world were animals who thought with their lower halves to begin with. Coveting beauty and holding a woman on either arm were inherent male failings, perfectly ordinary things.
What's so surprising about a prince of the Star Luo Empire indulging in romantic pleasures?
Yet this Xiong Shaoqing is actually indignant over such utterly predictable nonsense, protesting on that Star Luo Empire girl's behalf.
Heh. How laughably naive.
Disdain filled Bibi Dong's eyes as she continued toward Suotuo City without slowing in the slightest.
Meanwhile, outside the Rose Hotel.
Xiong Shaoqing had just finished condemning Dai Mubai in his diary and was preparing to maintain his aloof persona when he noticed Xiao Wu suddenly stop beside him.
Xiao Wu stared fixedly at Dai Mubai's retreating figure as he walked into the hotel with the twins in his arms. Her beautiful, large eyes were full of undisguised contempt, and even the rabbit ears on her head stood upright in anger.
"So disgusting." Xiao Wu could not help spitting, her voice full of revulsion. "A man like that is simply the scum of the continent. Holding two girls at once-shameless."
Hearing this, Xiong Shaoqing's heart stirred slightly. Deliberately adopting a seemingly casual, conversational tone, he probed, "It's fairly common for sons of the rich and powerful out there to have three wives and four concubines. Perhaps he likes them both?"
"Impossible."
Xiao Wu whipped her head around and stared seriously into Xiong Shaoqing's eyes, declaring with absolute conviction, "Love is exclusive. If you truly love someone, you should give them your whole heart. True love absolutely cannot be divided."
She paused, an unquestionable stubbornness entering her tone. "Big Brother, look at the character for 'love.' Isn't there a 'heart' in the middle? If you cut that heart into pieces and give them to different people, the heart shatters, and the person dies."
"What I, Xiao Wu, despise most are rotten people like that, fickle and overflowing with indiscriminate affection."
"Hiss."
Hearing this ringing declaration of love, Xiong Shaoqing outwardly nodded slightly without betraying anything, but inwardly he could not help sucking in a cold breath. A hair-raising chill instantly crawled up his spine to the back of his head.
Holy shit, isn't this possessiveness way too terrifying?
Xiong Shaoqing roared inwardly, his mind a complete mess.
If things keep developing like this, how could that end well?
He worked so hard writing his diary, and this Destiny Diary would be distributed to stunning goddesses across the entire continent.
Zhu Zhuqing was cool and stubborn, Bibi Dong noble and imposing, Qian Renxue holy and proud, Ning Rongrong mischievous and clever...
Each had her own merits, a hundred flowers blooming together.
He, Xiong Shaoqing, was a man of expansive love who appreciated and liked every girl equally.
Was he supposed to give up the entire forest for one tree? Lose all the other peerless beauties for this one kind of beauty?
What kind of ridiculous joke was that? Only children make choices. As an adult, as an ambitious transmigrator, naturally his answer was: I want them all.
No. Absolutely not. This girl's thinking is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
Outwardly, Xiong Shaoqing watched the wind and snow, but inwardly, the beads of his abacus were clicking so fast they nearly threw sparks. He needed a foolproof plan. In their everyday interactions and his diary from now on, he had to subtly brainwash her.
No, slowly change her thinking.
Otherwise, when Zhu Zhuqing, Bibi Dong, and the others came knocking, this husband-protecting fanatic might unleash the Eight-Stage Throw and physically demolish his harem.
The wind and snow of Suotuo City were kept outside by the restaurant's thick, padded door curtain.
In an elegant window-side booth on the second floor, a charcoal brazier burned brightly. Several steaming signature dishes sat on the table, their rich fragrance dispelling the bitter winter chill.
Xiong Shaoqing picked up a tender piece of red-braised pork and placed it in Xiao Wu's bowl. Outwardly, he was calm and unruffled, but his brain was working at high speed.
No, this rabbit's ideological stamp is too dangerous.
Cut the heart apart, and the person dies.
Just hearing that sends a chill down my neck.
His grand plan for a harem of goddesses absolutely could not break its spear at the starting line.
He needed to give Xiao Wu a mental massage right away and soften that black-and-white view of love.
Chapter 12: The First Signs of Success
Xiong Shaoqing lifted his teacup and moistened his throat. His gaze turned deep and distant, as though he had fallen into some ancient memory.
"Xiao Wu, what you said outside the hotel reminded me of a very old, very poignant story." He deliberately lowered his voice, his tone carrying a sigh weathered by life's vicissitudes.
Xiao Wu, who had been chewing red-braised pork, immediately stopped her chopsticks, her rabbit ears perking up curiously. "Big Brother, what story?"
"A story about fate, sacrifice, and three ill-fated people."
Xiong Shaoqing leaned back slightly in his chair and drew on the experience of shedding a liter of tears while watching Chinese Paladin in his previous life, beginning his tale in a gentle, captivating voice.
He told her of a young commoner named Li Xiaoyao, who stumbled onto Fairy Spirit Island, fell in love at first sight with Zhao Ling'er, a pure and ethereal descendant of Nüwa, and privately pledged himself to her for life. Yet through an unfortunate twist of events, he took the Forget Worry Gu and completely forgot that love etched into his very bones.
Next, he portrayed Lin Yueru, the proud yet devoted eldest young lady of the Lin Family.
The two went from bickering sweethearts to pledging their lives to each other. Beneath dandelions dancing across the sky, they made the romantic vow to "eat until we're old, play until we're old."
"But fate toys with people." Xiong Shaoqing's voice gradually sank, laden with sorrow. "In the dark depths beneath the Demon Locking Tower, while trying to rescue the trapped Ling'er, Li Xiaoyao finally regained his memories. He remembered his wedding night on Fairy Spirit Island. He remembered that he was already a married man."
"And Yueru, standing beside him, instantly dissolved into tears upon hearing it all. She knew she was the one who didn't belong. But she knew even more clearly that she loved this man, loved him to her very bones."
Looking at Xiao Wu's utterly stunned eyes, Xiong Shaoqing dropped his final, ultimate tearjerker:
Before you continue