The Tragic Story of Her Past

"Ever since I was little, my parents abandoned me in the Star Dou Great Forest, so I made the forest my home."

"I had no friends or relatives. The only ones who accompanied me as I grew up were Da Ming and Er Ming."

"They don't know how to take care of people either. I'm so pitiful."

Xiao Wu stammered as she introduced her background. Hu Jiu listened seriously from the side. Well, he had to listen seriously, or he might laugh out loud.

This Rabbit was really sly. She only knew how to trick him.

However, the more he listened, the more he genuinely felt sorry for her. She was a girl who had lived in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, where no humans lived, ever since she was little. How pitiful!

But one thing puzzled Hu Jiu, so he asked, "Then how did you come to Nuoding Academy?"

"Ah! That's another story." Xiao Wu took a bite of her Carrot and continued, "When I was almost six, a severely injured person came to my home. I saved him, and after he recovered, he asked if I wanted to go out with him and see the outside world."

"Then you followed him? Weren't you afraid of danger?" Hu Jiu picked up the thread.

"Hehe, no, I wasn't afraid! Da Ming said that because of his injuries, that person had lost all his cultivation and was even weaker than an ordinary person!"

"Later, I returned to his hometown with him. It was a Small Village not far from Nuoding City."

"Then how is that person doing now? I've never seen him come to visit you!" Hu Jiu believed that with Xiao Wu's adorable appearance, plus the fact that she had saved his life, that person should have treated her even better than his own daughter!

"Hehehehe!" Xiao Wu let out a string of mocking laughter.

Only after quite some time did she stop laughing. Expressionless, she said, "He's dead. I killed him."

After saying that, Xiao Wu looked at Hu Jiu with an unreadable expression. Deep in her eyes was a hint of unease, along with a trace of nervousness.

However, Hu Jiu's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.

He slapped his thigh. "Good riddance! Xiao Wu, remember this: some people are very bad. So, in the future, don't trust others so easily!"

As for the person Xiao Wu had mentioned, Hu Jiu believed he had truly existed. That also explained why Xiao Wu had entered Nuoding Academy as a Work-Study Student.

"Y-You don't think I'm a bad girl? I killed him!" Xiao Wu cried out in disbelief at Hu Jiu's reaction, though there was also a trace of relief deep in her eyes.

"Xiao Wu, there are all kinds of people in this world. There are good people and bad people. Even someone as adorable as you couldn't help killing him, so he must have deserved to die. I believe you." Hu Jiu didn't take Xiao Wu's reaction to heart. In his previous life, he had seen far too much of human nature. His heart had long since become immune to all kinds of poison.

As for Xiao Wu killing someone, what reaction could he have? This was the Douluo Continent. What was the big deal about killing one or two people?

"Then, then aren't you going to ask why?" Xiao Wu refused to let the matter go, as if she absolutely needed Hu Jiu to understand everything.

Hu Jiu was helpless. Spreading his hands, he said, "What's there to ask? They're all unpleasant memories anyway. The past is the past. Xiao Wu, let's look ahead and stop thinking about those upsetting things, okay?"

"No! I insist on telling you everything clearly. Because you're Xiao Jiu. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't care what they thought of me!" Xiao Wu glared angrily at Hu Jiu. Her mouth moved nonstop, and in just a few sentences, she explained the whole matter.

As it turned out, the reason the person who had taken Xiao Wu away had lost all his cultivation caused a tremendous change in his temperament. After returning to the Small Village, he drank constantly and completely neglected Xiao Wu. If not for the elderly neighbor who occasionally gave her food, she would have starved to death.

Later, that drunkard ran out of money. In order to buy alcohol, he actually set his sights on Xiao Wu. He wanted to sell her.

However, Xiao Wu accidentally found out about it. What happened afterward went without saying. When she saw that the drunkard showed no remorse and still insisted on selling her, Xiao Wu killed him in a fit of rage.

"See? I knew you must have suffered. Don't worry. With your big brother around from now on, no one will dare bully you." Hu Jiu patted his chest in assurance.

"Mm!" Xiao Wu nodded heavily.

After chatting for such a long time, the sky had already darkened. This was especially true in the forest.

With nightfall, some Soul Beasts that were active at night also began to appear. The entire forest became lively. Beside Hu Jiu's ears, it felt as if there were Soul Beasts everywhere—hunting, fighting, and revealing the forest's law of the jungle.

Just as Hu Jiu was about to ask why Er Ming still hadn't arrived, his ears twitched slightly. Five li away, he sensed an extremely massive aura advancing in their direction.

That aura was filled with savagery and violence. Its wild momentum seemed to crash straight into him, making Hu Jiu tremble involuntarily for an instant.

There was no need to guess. That aura definitely belonged to Er Ming.

Aside from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, no other existence could possess such a powerful aura. Moreover, it had appeared near the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Clearly, it had come for them.

"Xiao Wu, Er Ming seems to have arrived." Hu Jiu happily spoke to Xiao Wu.

The Star Dou Great Forest was simply too dangerous. If not for the purpose of meeting Er Ming, Hu Jiu absolutely wouldn't have come here.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Xiao Wu happily jumped up. With Er Ming around, she could strut around the Star Dou Great Forest without fear.

Er Ming was extremely fast. In just five minutes, he appeared before Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu.

"He's huge!" Er Ming suddenly appeared before him like a small mountain, and Hu Jiu couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.

This was Er Ming on all fours. If he stood upright, he would probably be even taller.

Er Ming's entire body was pitch-black. Since it was already late, Hu Jiu would almost have failed to notice him if not for his astonishing eyesight.

"Er Ming, what took you so long? We've been waiting for ages." Xiao Wu jumped up from the ground and complained to Er Ming.

"Phew..." Er Ming exhaled and gazed innocently at Xiao Wu with his lantern-sized eyes, clearly indicating that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Forget it. I'll introduce you. This is Xiao Jiu, the one I told you about. You're not allowed to hurt him." Xiao Wu pointed at Hu Jiu and spoke sternly to Er Ming.

She was afraid that Er Ming would get mischievous and accidentally hurt Hu Jiu, so she specifically warned him.

The Titan Giant Ape rolled his eyes. His yellowish eyes stared straight at Hu Jiu, causing the pressure on Hu Jiu to instantly increase. Cold sweat poured down his body, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Damn, this bastard is definitely doing it on purpose. Hu Jiu cursed inwardly. If he weren't weaker than him, Hu Jiu would absolutely have slapped him twice across the mouth and taught him some manners.

Transformation.

With a thought from Hu Jiu, his entire body began to shimmer with a deep-red glow. In Just an Instant, the muscles all over Hu Jiu's body knotted and bulged, stretching his clothes tight. In the blink of an eye, he changed from a refined young man into a nine-chi-tall giant more than two meters high.