With her soul skill activated, Xiao Wu's strength, speed, and even flexibility all increased dramatically.
Her right leg lashed out like a whip, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss as it swept fiercely toward Lin Yang's waist.
Yet Lin Yang's pupils remained as calm as a deep pool.
Just when Xiao Wu thought her attack was about to land, the Lin Yang in front of her suddenly dissolved like a mirage.
An afterimage?
Xiao Wu's heart jolted. Before she could change her move, an icy blade silently rested against her neck.
"Don't move."
The blade bit into her skin—life and death hanging by a thread.
In that instant, Xiao Wu felt as if an invisible giant hand had seized her heart and squeezed it to a stop.
The red light in her eyes surged violently—fear, unwillingness, and grim resolve tangled on her face before finally hardening into pure determination.
Ignoring the sharp edge at her throat, she suddenly threw herself forward, crashing toward Lin Yang's chest.
She had lost.
And the price of defeat was her life.
But even if she died, she was going to self-detonate and drag this human being to the grave with her.
Lin Yang's heart lurched. He hastily pulled back Hizama and took several steps back, widening the distance between them.
"Wait, I don't intend to do anything to you."
"If I really wanted to kill you, what I cut off at the beginning wouldn't have been your hair."
Xiao Wu tugged at the corner of her lips, the smile on her face somewhat cold.
"What, you want my bone and my soul ring? Can you even withstand a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?"
"Think whatever you like." Lin Yang's voice stayed steady.
"I said it from the start. As a soul master, even if I killed you, it would be perfectly reasonable. But…"
His gaze softened slightly.
"You saved my grandma and have been taking care of her all this time. I'll remember that kindness."
"So… go. Never appear in front of me again."
Xiao Wu froze, stunned, thinking she'd misheard.
Only after a long moment did she cautiously ask,
"You… you're really willing to let me go?"
Her voice trembled as she stared fixedly at Lin Yang, as if trying to find mockery or scorn on that calm face.
"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Lin Yang spread his hands.
"Of course, if you really don't want to live, I can help you with that too."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's body tensed like a frightened rabbit. She stared at Lin Yang, guarded.
Lin Yang let out an almost inaudible chuckle and turned to leave. But as if something occurred to him, he set his lifted foot back down and spoke again, his tone a bit more solemn.
"Here's a reminder: leave this place as soon as you can. Go anywhere you like."
"Just don't go to Nuoding City, and don't go to Holy Soul Village. There are people there who can see through your true form. That's all I'll say—believe it or not, it's up to you."
Xiao Wu's body trembled. Aside from Lin Yang before her, only a Titled Douluo could see through her true identity.
For a hundred-thousand-year soul beast to take human form, they possessed peerless talent; cultivation was as easy as eating or drinking.
But in the early stages of cultivation, they needed to spend as much time as possible near humans to soak in human aura, or their cultivation would stagnate completely.
Not until rank seventy could they truly transform into a human being.
According to her plan, she would secure a work-study spot from Red Maple Village and then sneak into the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.
Who could have imagined that just as she took the very first step of her plan, she'd run into Lin Yang, who exposed her identity with a single sentence—and then be told there was a Titled Douluo in Nuoding City.
Xiao Wu felt bitter. What kind of sin had she committed? Did she leave home without checking the almanac? Or did she literally run into a Demon on the road?
She'd already gone far enough and remote enough, deliberately choosing a small, unknown town.
Yet a one-in-a-million kind of bad luck still managed to smack her in the face again and again.
Her little rabbit life… was utterly pitch-black.
The rabbit with an overactive inner monologue finally realized Lin Yang truly was helping her. She lowered her voice and whispered a thank-you.
"No need." Lin Yang waved a hand, his expression a mix of ruefulness and complexity.
"One thing has nothing to do with another. If I see you again next time, I might not be able to let you go."
"So while I still haven't changed my mind, hurry up and leave. Don't let me see you again."
Xiao Wu hopped lightly back a few steps. Seeing that Lin Yang really had no intent to kill her, she prepared to flee at once.
"Wait…"
Xiao Wu halted, her body suddenly tense, watching Lin Yang warily.
Had this guy… changed his mind?
Whoosh!
A streak of golden light flicked from Lin Yang's fingertips. Xiao Wu instinctively reached out and caught it—it was a gold soul coin. Under the sunlight, its edges gleamed faintly.
"Take it. So you don't starve to death on the road," Lin Yang said blandly.
Looking at the gold soul coin in her hand, Xiao Wu pressed her lips together. Her voice softened.
"Lin Yang, you're a good person. Help me thank Grandma Su Xi for taking care of me all this time."
Lin Yang nodded slightly. "I'll pass on the message."
Xiao Wu said nothing more. She took one last, long look at Lin Yang, then her figure blurred, leaving only a streaking afterimage as she vanished into the forest.
Lin Yang gazed at the spot where she had disappeared, then, after a while, shook his head and chuckled to himself, as if mocking his own foolishness.
Still, his steps on the way home were lighter than when he'd come.
When he got back, Grandma Su Xi was still sleeping.
Lin Yang didn't disturb her. He went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner, and at the same time put a clay pot on the stove to brew medicine that would help her bones recover.
The bitter smell of medicine quickly filled the entire kitchen.
By the time he'd finished the medicine and dinner, Grandma Su Xi was just waking up.
Lin Yang helped her sit at the table.
Grandma Su Xi looked around, and after a long time without seeing that familiar figure, she couldn't help asking,
"Where's that child Xiao Wu? She's usually the most eager one when it's time to eat. Why isn't she here today?"
"Grandma, don't worry." Lin Yang placed a bowl of medicine in front of her and sat down.
"Xiao Wu's relatives came looking for her. They've taken her away. Before she left, she asked me to thank you on her behalf."
Grandma Su Xi was stunned for a few seconds, her mouth opening and closing, before she could only let out a helpless sigh.
"So that's how it is. Well, that's good too. Having relatives willing to take her in means she's got somewhere to belong. I thought I'd gained another granddaughter who could keep me company and chat with me…"
Lin Yang could see both reluctance and worry in her eyes. Clearly, she truly liked Xiao Wu and enjoyed the warmth of having a grandchild around.
But he couldn't take that risk.
Xiao Wu's identity was a ticking bomb. A single misstep and it would drag Grandma, and even Red Maple Village, into disaster.
The world of soul masters was, in the end, one where the weak were prey to the strong.
"Grandma, if you say that, it sounds like you're unhappy with me. How about I quit school then…" Lin Yang joked to lighten the mood.
"Nonsense." Grandma Su Xi gave him a not-too-light smack on the back of the head.
"You're a soul master now. How could you have any future if you just stayed cooped up in this little village? Don't worry about me. When it's time to study, you study. When it's time to go out and temper yourself, you go."
"It's just that… the family can't give you any support…"
Seeing a hint of guilt surface in her eyes, Lin Yang quickly changed the subject.
"Grandma, the best support you can give me is to take care of your body. Live to a hundred, and by then you'll have to help me look after my kids."
"Then when are you going to bring a granddaughter-in-law back for me?" she countered immediately.
"Grandma… you're doing it again."
Night settled over the peaceful Red Maple Village. One kerosene lamp after another lit up, like small, steady stars scattered across a dark blue night sky—not dazzling, but warm and calm.
The night breeze carried the scent of wild grass along the field ridges, mingling with the aroma of home-cooked meals from each household and the gentle clinking of bowls and chopsticks, painting a scene simple yet full of warmth.