After kicking the Titan Giant Ape, Xiao Wu finally turned back on its shoulder, looking down at Zhao Ling from above.
So this was the guy who slandered her and her mother in that diary, calling them some "hundred-thousand-year ancestor rabbit," huh?
Just thinking about how this guy wrote in his diary that she was the kind of rabbit who could give birth to 6–8 litters a year, with 6–8 kits per litter—calling her a "hundred-thousand-year breeding rabbit"—was enough to make Xiao Wu, a proper and virtuous maiden bunny, fume with anger.
Maybe it was because she hadn't transformed into a human yet, or maybe it was because she was just too mad right now—but when she looked directly into Zhao Ling's eyes, she wasn't affected by the usual Lady Killer level 1 Aura.
She leapt straight off Er Ming's shoulder, bunny legs aimed squarely at Zhao Ling's face. "You jerk! How dare you bully my little brother! Let Big Sis Xiao Wu beat you up!"
Zhao Ling saw Xiao Wu flying toward him but couldn't even be bothered to dodge or raise a hand in defense.
Even though Xiao Wu was already close to reaching the hundred-thousand-year soul beast threshold, as a Soft-Boned Demon Rabbit, her combat power was still limited. In fact, she was even weaker than some particularly fierce soul beasts that were just tens of thousands of years old.
That was pretty normal—just like in the second part of the original series, the Skydream Iceworm was a million-year soul beast, yet its combat power was abysmal. Even random ten-thousand-year soul beasts could bully it.
However, once a Soft-Boned Demon Rabbit like Xiao Wu took human form and started combining her powerful soul skills, her strength was no joke.
Even Jiang Nannan, who also had the Soft-Boned Rabbit martial soul in the second series, could beat down Soul Kings in her 40s rank while only being a Soul Ancestor. So imagine how violent Xiao Wu could be once she transformed and started throwing punches!
But what Zhao Ling didn't expect was that—even though he didn't dodge or block—just as Xiao Wu's rabbit leg was about to land on his face, a figure appeared beside him in an instant and grabbed her leg mid-kick.
The person who caught it was none other than Xiao Rou. Her eyes looked a little dazed, as if she didn't even know why she suddenly acted on impulse.
She had just looked at Zhao Ling, and somehow this man felt incredibly handsome, incredibly charming. Just looking at him made her feel an odd sense of intimacy, as if her heart naturally warmed up toward this man she had just met.
She knew it was impolite to stare so openly at another man's face, especially as a widow. So she tried to look away.
But she soon realized—disaster! Her eyes seemed rooted to his face. She literally couldn't look away.
What kind of sorcery is this? She was never the kind of woman to be a lovestruck fool, so why couldn't she tear her eyes away from this man?How could I do this to my late husband?
As she was berating herself internally, she suddenly noticed her daughter was about to plant a rabbit kick on this man's face.
At that moment, only one thought filled her heart:
"That handsome face must absolutely not get covered with my daughter's dirty footprint!"
By the time she came to her senses, she had already appeared in front of Zhao Ling and scooped her daughter up into her arms, giving her a fierce cuddle.
Xiao Wu looked completely dumbfounded at her mother's interference in her righteous kick. She blinked, confused, and asked:
"Mom, why'd you stop me? That jerk bullied Er Ming! Can't I teach him a lesson?"
But she noticed her mother's gaze seemed stuck on that man's face across from them—completely motionless, not even blinking. What the heck is going on here?
Don't tell me… Mom fell for that guy the moment she laid eyes on him? That can't be right. Mom always loved Dad so deeply...
Even though Dad was now gone, there was no way Mom would just collapse like this at first sight of another guy, right? She must've gone crazy. Totally lost it.
Xiao Wu really felt like kicking her mom to snap her out of it. But after a moment's thought, she gave up.
Dad was gone. These past few days, even though her mom acted like everything was fine, Xiao Wu knew—she cried into her pillow every night.
If this guy Zhao Ling could help Mom recover from her grief faster… then maybe, just maybe, that would be a good thing.
With that thought, Xiao Wu stopped struggling and simply kept a close eye on her mother.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ling looked at Xiao Rou, who had just appeared in front of him. He couldn't help but secretly admire her.
"No wonder she's Xiao Wu's mom. She really is beautiful—on par with Yin'er and even Long'er in her current form. A beauty like this absolutely can't be left to the beasts. I must take her with me."
With a charming smile he believed to be warm and friendly, Zhao Ling introduced himself:
"Miss Xiao Rou, greetings. My name is Zhao Ling. I came here on your husband's behalf to take you away from the Star Dou Great Forest—to the human world—so I can look after you and your daughter on his behalf."
"What? On my husband's behalf??" Xiao Rou was completely stunned.
What's going on? Didn't this guy write in his diary that her husband had already died in some deadly place?
Now he's claiming he came on her husband's request? What kind of contradiction is that?
Seeing her confused expression, Zhao Ling repeated the same story he had told the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape earlier.
After hearing everything, Xiao Rou broke down in tears.
She didn't doubt Zhao Ling's words at all.
Her husband had indeed been missing for years. The fact that this man knew he had gone to that deadly land and perished there... he had to have been there too.
Maybe her husband really did save him.
If not for that life-saving favor, why would Zhao Ling go through all this trouble to find her and her daughter in the vast Star Dou Great Forest?
It's not like... this incredibly handsome man was enchanted by her beauty and wanted to marry a widow like her, right?
A man like that—so good-looking, so charismatic—what kind of woman couldn't he get?
Why would he come chasing after a widow like her? And one with a child to boot?
Is that even necessary?
Thinking this, Xiao Rou suddenly felt a strange sense of loss.
She had no idea that Zhao Ling had come precisely because he was enchanted by her looks.
Of course, it wasn't just her.
Her daughter, Xiao Wu, was the female lead of the original story. Once she took human form and reached adulthood, her beauty would be top-tier too.
There's no way a guy like Zhao Ling—certified LSP (lecherous straight perv)—could possibly let two beauties like them roam the wilderness.
They had to be brought back. If he didn't bring these two gorgeous ladies with him, Zhao Ling felt like even his food would lose flavor…