Chapter 125: Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady—The Broken Plot Still Arrives
Lin Qingmo did not notice her unusual reaction.
He was currently immersed in the joy of gaining new power, controlling the spider legs as he moved back and forth across the clearing.
He was a bit clumsy at first, almost throwing himself out a few times, but he soon managed to gain some control.
The eight spider legs were as obedient as his own hands and feet.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked toward Xiao Wu.
"By the way, Xiao Wu, there's something I must tell you."
"Ah Qing, what do you want to tell me?"
Xiao Wu blinked at him.
"Actually, I didn't go looking for you."
Lin Qingmo said honestly, "I went with my master to hunt for my fourth soul ring; I chose to prioritize improving my strength. Do you think I'm being too much?"
After speaking, he stared at Xiao Wu's face, trying to read her reaction.
Xiao Wu froze for a few seconds.
Then she smiled.
Not a polite smile, but a genuine one that flowed from her eyes, as clear as mountain spring water.
"No."
She shook her head, her pink ponytail swaying along with the motion.
She reached out and hugged Lin Qingmo's arm, leaning her whole body against him. Her warm body heat passed through the fabric of their clothes.
"I believe Ah Qing must have his own reasons."
Her voice was soft.
"And look, I'm perfectly fine now, right? If you become stronger, you'll be able to protect me better in the future."
She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The bit of uneasiness in Lin Qingmo's heart instantly melted away.
He turned his hand and clasped Xiao Wu's, their palms pressed together.
"Actually, the reason I did this is because I know about your relationship with the Titan Giant Ape."
Lin Qingmo spoke slowly, each word clear.
"It's called Er Ming, right? And deep inside the Star Dou Great Forest, there's another one, the Sky Azure Bull Python. You call it Da Ming."
He felt Xiao Wu's body stiffen slightly.
It was very subtle, but he still noticed it, though it lasted only an instant.
Xiao Wu quickly relaxed again and even softly responded with an "Mm," acknowledging it.
Her reaction was too calm.
So calm that it made Lin Qingmo feel a little uneasy instead.
He had expected Xiao Wu to at least ask, "How do you know this?" or show some caution.
After all, this was her greatest secret, tied to her identity as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
But she asked nothing.
"Xiao Wu…"
Lin Qingmo couldn't help asking, "Don't you want to know how I know all this?"
"There's no need."
Xiao Wu suddenly stood on her tiptoes. The movement was sudden, and Lin Qingmo instinctively lowered his head.
The girl's warm breath brushed against his ear.
"Ah Qing, you don't need to explain anything. I will always believe you."
Her voice was lowered, as if she were sharing a secret meant only for the two of them.
"No matter what you know, you're still the Ah Qing I like."
"Xiao Wu…"
Lin Qingmo looked at her in a daze and couldn't help but lean in and kiss her.
Xiao Wu responded with a stubborn intensity that was difficult to describe, as if she wanted to cover up something else with her own presence.
Lin Qingmo didn't think too much about it.
All he felt was Xiao Wu's complete and unconditional trust.
It felt… nice.
After a long time, the two finally separated.
Xiao Wu's face was flushed red, her eyes misty as if covered with a thin layer of fog.
Looking at Lin Qingmo, she silently made a vow in her heart.
She had to become stronger.
Strong enough to protect Ah Qing.
Strong enough to oppose that woman.
"Let's go."
Lin Qingmo held her hand, their fingers interlocked.
"It's time to find Rongrong and the others."
"Mm."
Xiao Wu nodded.
…
Holding Xiao Wu, Lin Qingmo relied on the Emerald Eight Spider Lances to move quickly. Before long, they reached the outer region of the forest.
The trees gradually became sparse, and the light grew brighter.
Not far ahead, the sound of an argument could be heard.
And it was quite loud.
Lin Qingmo and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance.
"I think I heard Teacher Zhao's voice."
"Me too."
Retracting the Eight Spider Lances, the two quickly approached the source of the noise.
After passing through the final patch of bushes, the scene before them froze both of them.
Zhao Wuji stood in the clearing, his face extremely grim.
Standing opposite him was an elderly couple.
The old woman leaned on a serpent-headed cane. She was the Serpent Lady Chao Tianxiang, whom they had met before.
Beside her stood an elderly man with white hair and a beard. His aura was frighteningly powerful.
Without guessing, this had to be her husband, the Dragon Duke Meng Shu.
Meng Yiran stood behind them, glaring angrily at Tang San on the opposite side.
Her eyes looked like she wanted to swallow Tang San alive.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing stood on Zhao Wuji's side, both wearing impatient expressions.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar squatted under a distant tree, clearly enjoying the show.
A cold sneer hung on Dai Mubai's lips. It was obvious he was delighted to see Tang San in trouble.
As for Tang San himself—
He stood beside Zhao Wuji with his back straight, his face full of defiance.
His expression looked like someone owed him eight million gold coins.
"Teacher Zhao!"
Lin Qingmo called out.
Zhao Wuji suddenly turned his head, and when he saw them, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Qingmo! Xiao Wu!"
His voice was filled with relief and surprise.
"You're safe! That's wonderful!"
The heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.
If anything had happened to these two little ancestors, Flender would skin him alive.
"Ah Qing! Xiao Wu!"
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing rushed over immediately.
Ning Rongrong went straight to Xiao Wu, grabbed her hands, and inspected her from head to toe.
"Xiao Wu, are you okay? Did the Titan Giant Ape hurt you?"
"I'm fine."
Xiao Wu smiled and shook her head.
"Er… the Titan Giant Ape didn't eat me. Maybe it just thought I didn't taste good."
"That's good."
Zhu Zhuqing sighed in relief, her gaze landing on Lin Qingmo.
"Welcome back."
Her tone was calm, but the concern in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Dai Mubai snorted from a distance.
He stared at Lin Qingmo and Tang San, the evil fire in his heart rising again.
Neither of them died, and even Xiao Wu returned unharmed.
What was the Titan Giant Ape doing? Was this really the King of the Forest?
When Tang San saw Xiao Wu, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward.
"Xiao Wu, you—"
Before he could finish, Xiao Wu shot him a cold glance.
That look was like ice, freezing him mid-step.
Then Xiao Wu simply turned around, pulling Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing aside, not sparing him a second glance.
"…"
Tang San's hand froze in midair.
The anticipation on his face slowly collapsed, replaced by pale embarrassment.
He silently withdrew his hand, his fingernails digging into his palm.
Lin Qingmo had no time to care about that.
He walked over to Ning Rongrong and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Why is Teacher Zhao confronting the Serpent Lady again?"
Ning Rongrong immediately leaned closer and spoke rapidly.
"When we found Tang San, he had already absorbed his third soul ring. It was a two-thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider."
She pointed at the giant spider corpse not far away.
Lin Qingmo glanced over.
Oh, the same one whose Eight Spider Lances he had taken earlier.
Tsk.
Originally, Tang San's cheat opportunity had now become his Emerald Eight Spider Lances.
"And then?"
"And then, just as we were about to leave, Dragon Duke and Serpent Lady showed up."
Ning Rongrong pouted.
"They said that the Man-Faced Demon Spider was prey they had been chasing for three days. Tang San just picked up the reward. Now they want him to compensate them."
Got it.
Although much of the original storyline had already collapsed, this classic conflict had still arrived.
End of Chapter