"Where are my men?" he demanded, axe raised threateningly.
I offered no response beyond a slight smile, my posture deliberately relaxed despite the weapon pointed in my direction. His eyes narrowed as he assessed me—a young girl, apparently unarmed, showing no fear despite his imposing presence. Confusion flickered across his features briefly before resolving into determination.
"Your mistake," he growled, advancing with the axe swinging in a horizontal arc intended to cleave me at waist level.
The attack was telegraphed, almost laughably slow to my enhanced perception. I stepped inside his swing radius, the hidden blade deploying in the same motion. Before he could register my movement, the blade had pierced his heart with surgical precision, sliding between ribs to puncture the vital organ.
His momentum carried him forward another half-step before reality caught up. The axe fell from nerveless fingers as he looked down in shock at the slender blade protruding from his chest. I retracted it with a smooth motion, stepping aside as he collapsed to his knees and then face-forward onto the forest floor.
Three down. Field test complete.
I cleaned both weapons methodically, evaluating their performance with clinical detachment. The phantom blade had operated with perfect precision for the ranged kill, the projectile penetrating with appropriate force and accuracy. The hidden blade had performed equally well, its deployment mechanism functioning flawlessly in both the stealth kill and direct combat scenarios.
The integration of both weapons into my combat style showed promise, though I noted several areas for potential improvement. The phantom blade's reload time could be optimized further, and the hidden blade's locking mechanism exhibited the slightest hesitation during the frontal deployment—nothing that had compromised effectiveness, but a potential point of failure under more extreme circumstances.
As I stepped over one of the prone figures, something unusual caught my attention. A large burlap sack rested against the base of a massive oak tree at the edge of the clearing. What made it remarkable was its subtle movement—rhythmic, determined movements that suggested something alive was trapped inside.
My Mystic Eye activated instinctively, its power coursing through my vision as I scanned for danger. The aura emanating from the sack was... peculiar. Not entirely human. Something else. Something rare.
I approached cautiously, hand hovering near my weapon. A trap seemed unlikely—these bandits lacked the sophistication for such tactics—but caution had kept me alive this long. The sack shifted more vigorously as I drew near, as if its occupant sensed my approach.
With practiced precision, I untied the crude knot at the top of the sack and peered inside.
What greeted me was perhaps the most bizarre sight I had encountered in all my travels.
There, curled in an impossibly flexible position, was a girl with jet-black hair that contrasted sharply against her porcelain-white skin. Her hair was styled in scorpion brain, and she wore a pink dress that somehow remained unwrinkled despite her confinement. Most peculiarly, a half-eaten carrot protruded from her mouth as she slumbered peacefully, as though being kidnapped by bandits and stuffed in a sack was merely an inconvenience to her nap schedule.
My breath caught. Recognition flashed through my mind instantly. This was no ordinary girl. The distinctive features, the unnatural flexibility, the carrot—it all matched the descriptions of Xiao Wu, the female protagonist from Soul Land. A spirit beast who had taken human form.
In that moment, a plan crystallized in my mind—a vicious, calculated scheme that could dramatically alter my path forward. Opportunity had quite literally fallen into my lap, and I would be a fool not to seize it.
I jostled the sack deliberately. "Hey, wake up. You're safe now."
She blinked several times, confusion clouding her large eyes as she spat out the carrot and stretched. Her limbs extended in ways that confirmed my suspicions about her non-human nature. No human could contort themselves so effortlessly.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked, voice surprisingly melodic despite her disorientation.
I crafted my expression carefully, allowing concern to show prominently. "You were kidnapped by bandits. I just defeated them and found you in this sack."
Xiao Wu looked around at the fallen bandits, then back to me with narrowed eyes. After a moment, her expression shifted to indignation rather than gratitude.
"I could have handled them perfectly well myself," she declared with childish pride. "I was just busy taking a nap."
No wonder everyone called her an idiot in the stories. Her naivety would make my plan even easier to execute. I suppressed a smile at the thought of how perfectly this encounter aligned with my needs.
"Of course," I replied with a polite nod. "I'm Qingxue. Let me help you to the nearest city. You must be hungry after your... interrupted nap."
Her eyes lit up at the mention of food, and she eagerly accepted my offer. "I'm Xiao Wu," she replied, confirming my suspicions entirely.
As we began walking, I deliberately chose a route that veered away from the path to Nuoding. According to the knowledge that had come to me through inexplicable means—visions of future events in this world—Tang San would arrive in approximately one month. He was destined to meet Xiao Wu, a meeting that would ultimately lead to her sacrificing herself for his advancement. But destiny was about to take an unexpected turn.
The forest grew denser around us as we walked, sunlight filtering through the canopy in dappled patterns. I waited patiently, allowing her to become comfortable in my presence before proceeding with the next phase of my plan.
"Do you know Yu Xiaogang?" I asked casually after we'd been walking for some time.
She tilted her head, ponytail swinging with the movement. "Who's that?"
Perfect. I concealed my satisfaction behind a thoughtful expression. "He's an elder from Spirit Hall. I've heard that only a Titled Douluo can become an elder there. I've never seen him myself, but I know he's currently teaching at Nuoding Academy."
The effect was immediate and exactly as I'd anticipated. Though she tried to maintain her carefree demeanor, I noticed the cold sweat forming on her brow, the slight stiffening of her shoulders.
I continued, craftily weaving truth with speculation, "I recently learned he accepted a disciple named Tang San, who carries Blue-Silver Grass as his martial spirit. He supposedly has full innate soul power, though I seriously doubt that claim. The Tang surname typically belongs only to the Clear Sky Hammer sect."
The girl's pace slowed marginally, her attention focused entirely on my words now. I pressed on, driving the knife deeper.
"I believe Yu Xiaogang only accepted him because his father might be the hidden Haotian Douluo who escaped after tricking his wife—who was actually a Blue-Silver Grass soul beast he forced to sacrifice herself to him. That's probably why his son ended up with Blue-Silver Grass as his martial spirit."
Now hatred and fear radiated from her in palpable waves. I had successfully planted the seeds of doubt about Tang San, the very person she was destined to meet and eventually sacrifice herself for. According to my knowledge of future events, their meeting would ultimately lead to her becoming nothing more than a tool for Tang San's ascension.
"Sister Qingxue," she said, voice suddenly small, "do you know any academy better than Nuoding Academy?"
"Do you have a problem with Nuoding Academy?" I asked, feigning innocence while inwardly relishing her predictable response.
"No, not really," she replied, fidgeting with the hem of her pink dress. "I'm just a little scared of Titled Douluo. You never know when you might get caught in the crossfire of their battles."
I smiled inwardly. How naive she was, but her reaction was exactly as I had anticipated. I pretended to consider her request, making a show of deep thought before answering.
"You make a good point. I know a merchant city nearby. From there, we can find another academy for you."
Her face brightened immediately. "Yes, that sounds good!"
I led her deeper into the forest, away from any traveled paths, until we reached a particularly remote clearing. Tall grass swayed gently in the breeze, and wildflowers dotted the perimeter. The moment was perfect—no witnesses, no interruptions. The isolation would serve my purposes well.
With practiced precision, I launched a surprise attack, striking key pressure points that rendered her unconscious before she could even register what was happening. Her body went limp, and I caught her before she hit the ground. The transition from trusted guide to captor had taken less than a second.
While she was still unconscious, I bound her thoroughly—rope around her mouth, hands, and feet. I even suspended her from a tree branch, rendering her extraordinary flexibility useless. The precautions might seem excessive, but I knew better than to underestimate a spirit beast, even one as seemingly naive as Xiao Wu.
When she finally regained consciousness, her eyes widened in confusion and betrayal, struggling uselessly against her bonds. The realization of her predicament dawned slowly, then all at once, panic replacing confusion in her expressive eyes.
I approached her calmly, savoring the moment of revelation. "Your name is Xiao Wu, a reconstructed rabbit soul beast. You have two brothers named Er Ming and Da Ming. Your mother was hunted by a high-ranking member of Spirit Hall. You reconstructed yourself in hopes of avenging her death." I smiled coldly. "How pitiful that you fell for this trap."
I removed the cloth from her mouth, allowing her to speak. She gasped for breath before demanding, "Why?! How do you know so much about me? Was everything you told me a lie?"
"I never lie," I corrected her, circling beneath her suspended form. "I merely provided incomplete information. Yu Xiaogang is indeed an elder from Spirit Hall, and I did hear that only a Titled Douluo can become an elder there. I just never explicitly stated he was a Titled Douluo. As for Tang San, I told you the complete truth—just before it could happen in your timeline."
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do you know so much?"
I stepped closer, lowering my voice mysteriously. "Well, you should have heard of gods, just like the one beneath the Lake of Life."
Her pupils contracted in shock. her mother have told something about the god beneath the Lake of Life. My knowledge clearly unsettled her, as I had intended.
"According to the future I know," I continued, watching her reaction carefully, "you would have been targeted by Tang Hao and even the gods themselves so you could serve as a vessel for Tang San to access and control godhood. Tang San would have manipulated all of Soul Land and ended the entire race of soul beasts. And you, having been sacrificed once, would be resurrected as nothing more than a puppet for him—an ornament with no will of your own."
I could see the horror dawning on her face as I spoke. The seeds of doubt I had planted earlier now bloomed into full-fledged fear and uncertainty.
"This information was revealed to me by someone who knows the future of Soul Land. I swear on my martial spirit that I'm not lying—if I were, my martial spirit would shatter here and now." It was a clever misdirection—I wasn't technically lying, merely presenting possibilities as according to the original soul land series, a distinction my martial spirit apparently accepted.
"Consider Tang Hao's actions," I pressed, pacing slowly around the tree from which she hung. "Even when soul beasts transform completely into humans, they still produce a soul beast aura during pregnancy. If Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Empress, became pregnant, why didn't she hide? Why didn't Tang Hao help her hide? Or did Tang Hao want something else—perhaps to force Ah Yin to sacrifice herself to him so he could become the youngest Titled Douluo?"
I could see her mind working, struggling to process this revelation amid her current predicament. She hadn't even had time to fully comprehend her situation before I delivered the final push.
"And here's the most interesting part," I said with a laugh. "The Dragon God himself placed a restriction on soul beasts that prevents them from ever becoming gods. Even if you reconstruct yourself and cultivate diligently, you'll remain mortal forever. The only way for you to achieve godhood is to become a soul ring and be resurrected in the god realm. This path could even bring your mother back to life."
Her attention snapped fully to me at the mention of her mother, just as I had intended. The spiritual bonds between soul beasts and their kin ran deep, and I had calculated this vulnerability precisely.
"I should mention that your mother, Ah Rou, has likely been absorbed by a god candidate. Resurrecting your mother wouldn't affect her negatively, so she might be willing to compromise. However, a god candidate can only compromise with someone of comparable power." I paused for effect, allowing tension to build in the clearing. "So, will you become my soul ring? If you do, I promise not only to resurrect you in the future but also to help retrieve your mother. I even have a way for your consciousness to remain aware, allowing you to monitor everything I do."
Now, everything depended on how Xiao Wu would choose. If she refused, it would be a pity to obtain only a soul bone from her—such wasted potential. But I had planted the seeds carefully, nurtured her fears and hopes with precision. The trap had been set with meticulous care.
I waited for her response, already knowing what her answer would be. After all, when facing oblivion or the chance to save one's mother, what choice did a naive spirit beast really have?