"Damn Yali, what kind of secret is so big you won't even tell me? Hmph! If something really goes wrong later, don't blame me for not helping you." Leng Yaozhu muttered angrily as she returned to the Spirit Pagoda.
She knew Yali was hiding something important from her.
Leng Yaozhu understood Yali well. If Yali really didn't want to say something, nothing could force it out of her—not even beating her to death.
That was the only reason she backed off.
Leng Yaozhu thought that in the current Douluo plane, there wasn't anything that could threaten them.
But Yali was hiding something like this, so it definitely wasn't a small matter. Maybe it was something she knew even Leng Yaozhu couldn't handle—and that's why she kept quiet.
"Hmph, acting all pure when she's more seductive than a fox. You ought to be tamed. Let's see if you still dare keep secrets." The more she thought about it, the more frustrated Leng Yaozhu became. The less Yali said, the more worried she got.
"Ahem ahem, you can curse all you want, but don't ruin the reputation of foxes," Xia Yi said with a dark expression in protest.
"If you don't want the name of foxes ruined, maybe rein yourself in a little," Leng Yaozhu said flirtatiously, glancing at Xia Yi as she sat down beside him. "Yali already knows your identity. In the entire Douluo plane, the ones who could have told her are probably either the plane master, Long Yeyue in secret, or someone else we don't even know about."
"So what you're saying is, there might be forces in the Douluo plane that we can't see, and this force might even know us very well?" Xia Yi asked seriously.
"Exactly," Leng Yaozhu nodded. "Yali probably didn't tell me because she believes we can't deal with them."
"Have you considered the possibility that she's cooperating with the enemy? That's why she didn't tell you anything?" Xia Yi chuckled.
"Don't use your petty heart to judge a noble soul," Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at him. "I want you to help me think of a solution, not sit here talking nonsense."
"A solution? What kind of solution? I can't exactly just drag Yali over and hang her up for interrogation, can I?" Xia Yi said, still grinning.
"If you say the word, I'll head to Yulai right now and do just that." Leng Yaozhu smiled as brightly as a flower.
"Why Yulai and not you yourself?" Xia Yi said, speechless.
"Because I might not be able to hold back," Leng Yaozhu giggled. "And besides, I might not be able to resist throwing her onto your bed."
"I still prefer the serious version of you, Zhu'er." Looking at her dazzling smile, Xia Yi sighed.
"Alright, no more joking. What do you think? Should we get involved in this matter or not?" Leng Yaozhu's expression turned serious.
"If Yali doesn't want to tell us, then let her be. She has her reasons," Xia Yi sighed lightly. "Whoever told Yali about my identity probably wanted to use my spirit beast origins to win her over. But the fact that she warned you today means she hasn't been turned. Since she trusts us, we should trust her too."
"If the one who told her is the plane master, I'm not afraid. If it's someone we can stand against, then making a move now would only backfire. If they're not our match, we have nothing to fear. When it comes to growth speed, we're not afraid of anyone."
"Alright, then we'll leave it alone for now." Leng Yaozhu nodded. Xia Yi was right—when it came to growth speed, she feared no one.
Whoever told Yali about Xia Yi's identity—if they couldn't defeat her before—would never be able to now.
Even if it was Tang Hao himself, the Sea God Poseidon, Leng Yaozhu wasn't afraid of being surpassed.
Her concern now was for Yali—Yali clearly hadn't been turned.
If she had been turned, Leng Yaozhu wouldn't be worried. But since she hadn't, their enemy might act in desperation.
But with Yali's cultivation at the quasi-god level and her four-word battle armor, even Chen Xinjie would need time to subdue her.
The only real threat in the entire Douluo plane was the plane master, Tang Hao.
But Leng Yulai had been using her spiritual power to track the plane master all along.
Leng Yulai's spiritual power was no weaker than the plane master's. It wouldn't be easy for him to bypass her and make a move on Yali.
Back on Devil Island, when the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction awakened, the reason the plane master didn't contact them immediately was because Leng Yulai's spiritual pressure blocked him.
It was the Goddess of Life who gave Leng Yulai, Leng Yaozhu, and Yali a share of the power of creation. When Leng Yulai entered a state of enlightenment, the plane master finally managed to transmit his message to the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction.
Even at the Fire Li Clan on the seventeenth floor of the War God Hall, the plane master had only dared to act once briefly, then fled quickly.
Tang Hao wasn't afraid to fight Leng Yulai.
What he feared was being entangled by her.
Even one or two seconds could land him in the same fate as the Abyssal Sage Emperor.
Even with Poseidon as a trump card, Tang Hao didn't want to die surrounded like a dog.
Unless there was no other choice, he wouldn't risk mutual destruction with Xia Yi's group.
"Be careful with Muxi, especially lately. Don't give our enemies any chances. If there's nothing urgent, let her stay in the Spirit Pagoda. As long as I'm there, she won't be in danger," Leng Yaozhu said, looking at Xia Yi. There was no need to worry about Gu Yue—she was the one the plane master feared most.
Xia Yi was also safe. In the worst case, he could always hide in the Origin of Creation.
The only one at risk was Muxi. If the plane master really wanted to take a hostage, she'd be the most likely target.
Now that Leng Yaozhu had even forged the God Realm Core, the plane master was likely to make a move in response.
Capturing Muxi wouldn't require the plane master to act personally—either Long Yeyue or Chen Xinjie alone could pose a threat.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Xia Yi nodded slightly. "Later, I'm taking her to Heaven Dou City. Once we return, I'll make sure she stays in the Spirit Pagoda."
"What are you two going to Heaven Dou City for?" Leng Yaozhu asked curiously.
"Muxi wants to visit her parents and her master's elder brother," Xia Yi replied. Last time in Heaven Dou City, when Muxi woke up, Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen had already returned to Shrek's Blacksmith Association.
Originally, Muxi planned to go with Xia Yi to the Spirit Pagoda first, then head to Shrek City to visit Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen.
She hadn't expected to end up in seclusion for so long.
If Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen didn't know Xia Yi wouldn't hurt Muxi, they probably would've already come looking for her.
Zhen Hua was the same. Last time Muxi left with Xia Yi out of spite, she hadn't even gone to say goodbye.
It had been a long time. The anger had probably faded by now.
Muxi missed him.
"Zhen Hua, hmph!" Leng Yaozhu snorted. The mere mention of him annoyed her.
Back then, when Zhen Hua refused to pass on the Heaven Forging Technique to Xia Yi, and even intended to give it to Tang Wulin instead—she hadn't forgotten.
She didn't hate Zhen Hua.
Zhen Hua had his reasons.
As humanity's only Divine Blacksmith, he had a duty to keep that title among humans.
Leng Yaozhu could understand that.
But she still couldn't let go of how she and Gu Yue lost their subtle competition with him.
"Ah, can't you guys just get along?" Xia Yi could immediately tell what Leng Yaozhu was thinking.
These two, master and disciple—
When it came to serious matters, they never held back.
But when it came to petty rivalry, they couldn't help but butt heads.Always secretly competing.
"Then let's see if you have the ability to make us get along." Leng Yaozhu rested her chin in her hands, her beautiful eyes blinking like water as she looked at Xia Yi.
Such a provocative look—how could Xia Yi possibly resist? He stood up and scooped Leng Yaozhu into his arms, turning to head straight for the cultivation room. "Alright, I'll show you just how capable I am."
"This direction—it's Yue'er's cultivation room!" Realizing Xia Yi's intention, Leng Yaozhu instantly struggled violently in his arms.
"Xia Yi, no—husband, I was wrong. Can we talk about this later? Let's go find Yulai, and us sisters will serve you well together, alright?" Leng Yaozhu finally started to panic. Though she'd known this day would come, she still found it hard to put aside her pride.
Gu Yue, no matter what, was still her disciple in name.
"Too late to beg now." Xia Yi chuckled, his heart heating up just thinking about what was coming next. He lowered his head and kissed Leng Yaozhu's delicate red lips—
Not giving her any chance to beg for mercy.
—————————————
"You scoundrel! Had your fun and just left us behind." Gu Yue leaned against the edge of the bath, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Don't say that. If he turns around, you won't be feeling so good either." Leng Yaozhu said weakly as she washed her body.
"You're one to talk! You're the one who provoked him—almost got yourself tortured to death. If Muxi hadn't still been waiting for him, who knows how long it would've gone on?" Gu Yue rolled her eyes at Leng Yaozhu. Although she had long since agreed to Xia Yi's proposal, getting swept up into it without any mental preparation still left her feeling wronged.
"That bastard clearly planned this. He finally saw that we were all at the Spirit Pagoda, and even if I hadn't provoked him, he would've found an opportunity." Leng Yaozhu snorted, her gaze landing on Gu Yue's flawless, curvy body. "Be honest—did you tell him something?"
"What could I have said?" Gu Yue shrank her neck and muttered, "Back in Star Luo City, I just told him that if he really could pluck the Acacia Heartbroken Red, then next time I saw Teacher, I wouldn't sneak away. Who knew he wouldn't even give me a heads-up, no time to prepare at all."
"You say you couldn't have said anything—what you said was basically telling him we'd serve him together." Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes.
"Uh… I also said that." Gu Yue scratched her head and replied softly.
"What?! You… I… Forget it!" Leng Yaozhu was so flustered her words came out jumbled. She gave Gu Yue a glare full of annoyance.
Clearly she'd been dragged into this by Gu Yue. She really didn't know where Gu Yue got the gall to complain.
Hmph!She actually agreed to such an outrageous request from Xia Yi.
Got me dragged into the mess, too.
Silver Dragon King? I think more like Yin Dragon King.
"This isn't my fault! Xia Yi's such a wicked guy—do you think he would've given up if I'd said no? And besides, if you, Leng Yaozhu, really didn't want it, could he have gotten his way? You clearly wanted it too, yet you're blaming me." Gu Yue glanced at Leng Yaozhu's alluring figure again, still feeling a bit indignant in her heart.
With Leng Yaozhu's strength, if she had truly resisted, not even ten Xia Yi's could have had their way.
—————————————
"Xia Yi, where have you been these past few days?" As soon as Xia Yi found Muxi, she asked curiously.
He had said he'd get ready and go with her to visit Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen.
But when she was ready and went to find him, Xia Yi was already gone.
She'd already waited several days for him.
"Someone was disobedient, so I went to teach her a lesson." Xia Yi chuckled. "Let's go. Time to visit the in-laws."
Xia Yi was in a great mood. Ignoring Muxi's curiosity, he took her and left the Spirit Pagoda.
The Shrek City branch of the Blacksmith Association wasn't far from the Spirit Pagoda.
Flying through the air, they arrived in the blink of an eye at a villa not far from the Blacksmith Association.
This was where Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen lived.
The Shrek City branch of the Blacksmith Association couldn't compare to the headquarters in Heaven Dou City.
The top floor of the Heaven Dou City headquarters belonged solely to Zhen Hua. If Muxi and her family went there, they could move in directly.
But in other cities, all rooms were for forging or office use.
Even Mu Chen had to live outside.
"Say, Xier, do I really have to carry all this stuff?" Xia Yi looked at the bundles in his hands, speechless.
Some of it he had prepared himself.
Some of it had been shoved into his arms by Muxi along the way.
She had worried he wouldn't prepare enough, so she'd specially helped him pack over the past few days.
"It's called 'ceremony.'" Muxi smiled sweetly. Her arms were also full of bags, and she led Xia Yi down from the sky.
Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen had already been waiting at the door, having received Muxi's soul communicator message.
"Mama!" Seeing Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen, Muxi's eyes turned red as she threw herself into her mother's embrace, deliberately ignoring Mu Chen beside her.
She had missed them so much during her long closed-door cultivation. If she hadn't been waiting for Xia Yi, she would have come to see them days ago.
"It's good you're back. Your father and I have been thinking about you every day." Yuan Bao'er's eyes reddened too. From childhood to now, it was the first time Muxi had been away from her for so long.
"I think he was thinking about his student instead," Muxi muttered under her breath.
She missed Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen. But back then, Zhen Hua didn't pass down the Heavenly Forging Technique to Xia Yi largely because of Mu Chen's interference.
Zhen Hua was understandable—he didn't want the divine forging technique to fall into soul beast hands.
But Mu Chen? He had just wanted to give it to Tang Wulin.
To make Tang Wulin a divine blacksmith, he even turned a blind eye to how Tang Sect had harmed Zhen Hua.
Though it wasn't Tang Wulin who hurt Zhen Hua, he was still a member of Tang Sect.
"Alright now, Xier, don't be angry with your father. He's really missed you. He's been so happy these past few days knowing you were coming home that he couldn't even sleep." Yuan Bao'er smiled as she rubbed Muxi's head, gently nudging Mu Chen beside her.
"Xier, these are the materials I prepared for your three-word battle armor. See if anything's missing—tell me, and I'll get it for you," Mu Chen said with a smile, taking out a storage soul guide.
"B-But…" Muxi was stunned. She had already completed her three-word battle armor.
While waiting for Xia Yi these past few days, she'd had nothing better to do, so she forged her armor.
Leng Yulai had personally designed it for her, and her red mecha had built it for her.
She had fused with the armor just to surprise Yuan Bao'er and Mu Chen.
These materials were already useless to her.
"Thank you, Father-in-law. I'll keep them for her," Xia Yi stepped forward before Muxi could say anything, taking the storage soul guide from Mu Chen.
(End of Chapter)