You Call Me Father-in-Law, I Call You Second Brother

Xiao Wu's cry rang out, clear and bright, among the group, piercing their ears.

Tang Xiao had already taken two steps toward Tang Hao, intending to ask about his injuries, when he froze on the spot.

"Second Brother, it's been years since..."

The rest of his words lodged in his throat, neither swallowed nor spoken.

Tang Hao had been planning how to exchange a few cool words with his elder brother without compromising his dignity. But the moment that "Mom" reached his ears, his scalp went numb.

How could they reminisce now? The air around them was practically freezing.

After shouting, Xiao Wu's own brain short-circuited.

The woman before her wore a luxurious silk robe, and every gesture carried the grand airs of a sect master's wife. Wasn't this her own mother, Ah Rou, whom she hadn't seen in years?

She caught the same rabbit musk on Tang Xiao that clung to Ah Rou. Even she wasn't stupid enough to miss what that meant about their relationship.

So this was the elder brother her Brother Hao cursed through gritted teeth every day, the one who had used his power to steal his love?

And the wicked sister-in-law she had always called vain and promiscuous was actually her own mother?

Xiao Wu's walnut-sized brain simply couldn't cope.

Across from her, Ah Rou didn't know what to say.

She hadn't returned to the Star Dou Great Forest in years, devoting herself entirely to training her loyal dog Tang Xiao. How could she have known her daughter had gone and taken human form?

Using the same keen sense of smell as Xiao Wu, Ah Rou caught the rabbit musk on Tang Hao and immediately understood their relationship too.

Back then, she had looked down on Tang Hao for being all brawn and no brains. He could only ever be number two and would never win the position of Clear Sky Sect master, so she had promptly chosen Tang Xiao.

How many years had it been? Of all her rabbit children and grandchildren, the daughter she valued most had been snatched up-and by the very same loser she had kicked aside back then.

Mother and daughter's eyes met in midair, sparks crackling between them.

Ah Rou swiftly shot a dagger-like glance at her.

You wretched girl, are your eyes on the soles of your feet? You picked up the trash I threw away and treated it like treasure? Do you even know who he is?

Xiao Wu glared right back, not intimidated in the slightest.

You've got the nerve to criticize me? The human you bragged was your true love is a bully who stole his second brother's woman? So you're the vain, faithless bad woman Brother Hao was talking about!

Glares aside, she had already called her "Mom" in front of everyone, and there was no taking it back. After all, the two looked as though they had been cast from the same mold.

A somewhat dazed Tang Xiao looked at Ah Rou, then at Xiao Wu, and couldn't help asking:

"Third Sister... back then, didn't you say it broke when you were young, from strenuous farm work outdoors? What... where did such a grown-up daughter suddenly come from?"

Ah Rou was instantly drenched in sweat.

But as a master dog trainer and veteran of the battlefield of love, she quickly regained her composure.

Her slender brows shot up. Seizing the upper hand, she raised a hand and slapped Tang Xiao across the face, then opened fire:

"What do you mean by that? What's with that look? Are you looking down on me because I have a daughter?"

"Where on the continent does it say a single mother can't pursue true love? Women have children for themselves, not to please you men. Do you have any idea how hard it is for an independent woman to raise a daughter alone? And you actually dragged up the past in front of the younger generation? You're such a turnoff!"

Tang Xiao, who had long since been trained into a dog, looked utterly panicked after the slap and the scolding that rained down on him. He rubbed his big hands together and forced an apologetic smile.

"No, no, I meant nothing of the sort! I just, just..."

Ah Rou gave him no chance to explain. She slapped him on the other cheek, her voice rising again.

"That's exactly what you meant."

"I deliberately didn't tell you beforehand to test whether your love for me was pure enough. True love means accepting and embracing all of me unconditionally. Not only do you feel no sympathy for how hard I worked to raise a child alone, you're actually dwelling on where she came from? This is domestic abuse!"

Cold sweat streamed down Tang Xiao's back as he listened, and he begged for mercy incoherently.

"No, no, absolutely not. Please calm down. How would I dare dwell on it? Whatever went wrong, it was all my fault..."

Ah Rou glanced at Tang Xiao, then folded her arms and turned her head away coldly.

"You get such a sensible, lovely grown daughter for nothing and become a father without any effort. Instead of being grateful, you stand here growing suspicious. Tang Xiao, you've really disappointed me. Let's break up."

"Huh? Break up? No, please, Third Sister, I was wrong. I was narrow-minded. I deserve to die."

Tang Xiao smacked himself across the face several times, then tried to make her stay with a broad smile.

"Please don't say things in anger. I couldn't be happier. From now on, she's my own daughter."

To win Ah Rou back, Tang Xiao did his utmost to present himself as a worthy stepfather, broad-minded and accepting. He hurriedly squeezed out an affectionate smile and beckoned to Xiao Wu.

"Good daughter, come over to your father. Sorry for all you've had to endure these past years."

Not just Xiao Wu and Tang Hao, but even Gu Yue, who was watching the drama through her divine sense, was stunned by the scene.

Her fists clenched.

Even if she was the one responsible for all this, what had she done wrong? She had merely fanned the flames behind the scenes a little, letting Xiao Wu approach Tang Hao.

And now look: this rabbit dared to throw feminist punches right in front of her divine sense today. Tomorrow, who knew if she would be sitting on Gu Yue's head, throwing her weight around? She was practically already...

Gu Yue, in the form of a little girl with silver hair and purple eyes, puffed out her pale cheeks, clenched a soft little fist, and punched the air before her-

Physical damage: zero.

Beside her, the Goddess of Life watched Gu Yue inexplicably acting mad at the air, utterly baffled. After all, her divine sense had also been sealed, leaving her unable to probe beyond this space.

But precisely because of this, Gu Yue fell into thought. In his era, Soul Beasts had yet to take shape.

If she followed Ah Rou's line of thinking and took it further, bringing knowledge from her previous life to this continent and implementing nine thousand years of compulsory education, five thousand years of mock exams, and thirty thousand years of college entrance exams for every Soul Beast that subsequently gained intelligence, perhaps it could fundamentally change the fate of a beast race that knew only how to eat and sleep and never sought to better itself.

Surely, generations of Soul Beasts in the future would never forget that it was Ah Rou who had given Gu Yue that flash of brilliant inspiration.

Looking at the man her own mother had trained to behave like a grandson, Xiao Wu guiltily shrank her neck. After all, she had talked trash about both of them before.

After holding it in for a long while, she finally said softly:

"Hello, Eldest Uncle."

Tang Xiao wasn't annoyed by how Xiao Wu addressed him. Seeing that Ah Rou's mood had improved somewhat, he prepared to change the subject. He looked at Tang Hao and laughed.

"Second Brother, back then I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get over it. Who would've thought you'd turn around and become Third Sister's son-in-law?"

The more Tang Xiao thought about it, the wider he grinned. Ignoring Tang Hao's injuries, he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

"Now we brothers need to sort out the rules. When we're out and about, you call me Big Brother, and I'll call you Second Brother."

"In private, you and Xiao Wu will obediently call me Father-in-Law. As for me, I'll reluctantly acknowledge you as my worthy son-in-law. How about it? Hahahaha!"

Tang Hao, meanwhile, had cold sweat all over his back.

The heartless sister-in-law he had spent years cursing to Xiao Wu was his mother-in-law, and the elder brother who had stolen his lover had become his father-in-law.

If the truth came out, what would his Little Sister Xiao Wu think of him?

The family hierarchy was a tangled mess too. He didn't even know how they would draw the family tree.

To avoid revealing that he had spent years talking trash about his elder brother and sister-in-law, Tang Hao could only brace himself and respond.

"Father-in-law, my ass."

The atmosphere had only just eased, and Tang Xiao was about to ask about Tang Hao's injuries.

Suddenly, a rough laugh rang out.

"Hahahaha! A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? My search for a Ninth Soul Ring was well worth it!"

In an instant, three figures appeared before them. Nine Soul Rings rose around each of the two elderly men in the lead: two yellow, two purple, and five black.

Behind them followed a burly, black-haired old man. Fire-attribute Soul Power swirled around him, but only eight Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

His Soul Power, however, had already reached Level 90. He needed only one more Soul Ring to become a Titled Douluo.

Tang Xiao and Tang Hao blurted out in unison:

"Second Elder? Third Elder? Seventh Elder?"