Douluo Dalu 2: Peerless Gu master

"Do you think you're hiding well, Miss Wang Dong?" Huo Yuhao gave a knowing smile.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Wang Dong's right hand, activating his soul power to sense the compatibility between their martial soul.

In that instant, Wang Dong caught completely off guard, felt his mind go blank. His face flushed red like a steaming kettle, and he stammered, "Y-You… How do you know? That's impossible!"

"It's simple." A hint of amusement flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

"Isn't it possible that the most beautiful butterfly martial soul—the Light Goddess Butterfly—only ever appears in women when it manifests in human martial soul form?"

Come to think of it, Wang Dong's twin martial souls practically exposed everything—the Light Goddess Butterfly revealed his true gender, while the Clear Sky Hammer confirmed his background.

And yet, he was still pretending to be a boy? It was completely unnecessary.

"...You're right."

Wang Dong lowered his head and muttered, "So… does this mean I have to transfer to the girls' dormitory?"

Strangely enough, after hearing Huo Yuhao's words, that was the first thought that popped into Wang Dong's mind.

But instead of relief or excitement… why did she feel an unexpected sadness, a sense of loss?

Could it be that, in just a short time, she had… gotten used to this place?

No. No way. Absolutely Not.

It was just the sting of experiencing her first real defeat. That was all.

"I'm only here to supervise this idiot's training. If he thinks he can slack off just because he beat me once, he's in for a rude awakening…"

Wang Dong convinced herself of this, then lifted her head—only to see the teasing smile in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

"What?! Are you happy now that I'm moving out?" she snapped.

Huo Yuhao let go of her hand and sighed helplessly. "You think you're safe just because the academy hasn't said anything?"

"There are plenty of teachers here way more experienced than me. They could see through you in an instant."

'Just like that dormitory supervisor watching from downstairs earlier—he definitely figured out your real gender the moment you released your martial spirit.'

Even if no one said it outright, they had already seen through it.

At the very least, Wang Yan, Yan Shaozhe, and Mu En undoubtedly had the knowledge and experience to figure it out.

In fact, the latter two probably already knew about Wang Dong's background.

As the young master of the Clear Sky Sect, completely hiding his origins wasn't difficult. However, for the sake of Wang Dong's safety, the Clear Sky Sect must have reached some kind of agreement with Shrek Academy's higher-ups.

Wang Dong bit her lip, staring at Huo Yuhao without knowing what to think.

After a moment, she forced a casual tone and asked, "So, did you come all this way just to expose my real gender?"

"Yeah," Huo Yuhao nodded matter-of-factly. "No matter what, we're roommates now. We'll probably be living together for years, so there's no need for unnecessary tension."

He then started counting on his fingers. "As for the rules you mentioned earlier—first, I'll let you know in advance before bringing anyone to the dorm. Second, I don't snore. Third, we'll share the cleaning duties and take turns keeping the room tidy."

Wang Dong felt a little uncomfortable being stared at so intently, so she turned her head away. "Hmph, seeing how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly forgive you."

"One more thing." Huo Yuhao smirked. "When I held your hand just now… did you feel anything?"

Wang Dong froze, momentarily dazed.

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?

Huo Yuhao tilted his head. "Wang Dong, don't you feel it?"

It took a moment for Wang Dong to snap out of it.

'Feel what, exactly?! Huo Yuhao, you idiot! It was just holding hands—what else could there possibly be?! Wait… could he be trying to get a glimpse of my true appearance?'

A sudden wave of shyness hit her, her cheeks heating up. She hesitated for a moment before mumbling under her breath, "If it's you… it wouldn't be impossible…"

Huo Yuhao: 'What??? What the hell do you think I'm asking about?!

I am a gentleman!'

He coughed. "I meant—did you feel any signs of martial soul fusion? Wang Dong, what were you just thinking about? Did your mind go somewhere completely off-track?"

The teasing lilt in his voice shattered whatever illusion Wang Dong had built in her head.

Right then and there, she just wanted to punch that smug look off his face.

"No. Goodbye, I'm going to cultivate!"

Firing off three rapid rejections, Wang Dong turned her back on him, refusing to show her utterly flustered expression.

'You bastard! Am I really that unattractive in my true appearance?!

I have the Light Goddess Butterfly! By definition, I'm a top-tier beauty!'

'You were the one who said that—but now you're just brushing it off?!

What kind of attitude is that?!'

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao casually strolled over to Wang Dong's bed, a grin still lingering on his face.

"Wang Dong," he said slowly, "you don't want others finding out about your disguise, right?"

Wang Dong's back stiffened.

"If you want to keep this secret safe," Huo Yuhao continued, "then practice martial soul fusion with me."

The room fell silent.

Right now, Wang Dong was caught between embarrassment, anger, and frustration.

"If you're not saying anything, I'll take that as a yes."

Still facing the wall, she refused to respond.

Yet, amidst her whirlwind of emotions, she suddenly felt her right hand being held again. A warm, steady sensation spread through her palm—a touch as vast and encompassing as the ocean itself.

Then, as their breath intertwined, a strange reaction occurred.

Her soul power began to stir, slowly circulating on its own.

An indescribable sense of comfort washed over her. 'Wait…Was this… martial soul fusion?' …It actually feels pretty good.'

[Achievement Unlocked!]

[Unlocked Achievement: Wang Dong'er's 'Martial Soul Fusion Skill']

[Reward: Forced Gu]

[Forced Gu: Upon activation, consumes Gu-like insects to forcibly devour a soul beast's body and obtain a soul beast bone. If the forced acquisition fails, the user will suffer a backlash.]

[Evaluation: Take it if you dare.]

[Character: Wang Dong'er]

[Relationship: Close Friend]

[Achievement Quest: 'Brother, You Smell So Good']

Staring at the next achievement task on his interface, Huo Yuhao was speechless for a long time.

Forget the fact that he had just unlocked 'close friend' status so easily…

But this achievement quest—wasn't it asking him to throw himself to the wolves?!

No, correction—to throw himself to her!

"Hold on a second. We had only known each other for less than a day… Was this for real?! Could this be… the legendary Tang San's Scheme in action?!"

The regulation stating that "no soul guidance devices can be used" was just a cover-up for something far more significant—defeating the Son of Destiny.

What a masterful strategy, the Sea God's method of secretly scheming was brilliant.

In that instant, Huo Yuhao recalled the immense terror that he had been under the control of Tang San.

Tang San: "Hey, Son of Luck, I'll give you your wife for free. Do you want her?"

Huo Yuhao: "If there's no real-time monitoring of her consciousness, then yes, I'd want her, no matter what."

'Moreover, isn't there an old saying that 'no harm comes to the family'?

Tang San's actions didn't observe to the level of what Wang Dong was doing every day, but it still warranted a closer look.

At this moment, Wang Dong's body hid a critical step in Tang San's long-planned scheme. It would be better to proceed with caution.

This wasn't Huo Yuhao just indulging in conspiracy theories. In the original story, Huo Yuhao was drawn to Wang Donger due to their martial soul fusion, always manipulated by Tang San.

Especially in Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley, where those so-called 'tests' were nothing but torture. The true goal was to domesticate loyal dogs and treat them as mere animals. Tang San really was a master of manipulation.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the real Wang Dong'er had died long ago in the Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley when the 'test for love' took place.

The subsequent death of Qiu'er was also closely linked to Tang San's machinations.

Tang Wutong, who appeared later, was nothing more than a puppet pieced together using memories, meant to restrain Huo Yuhao.

To seize control over the fate of the Douluo plane and steal Qiu'er's bloodline—an imperial auspicious beast—and the Golden Dragon Spear, Tang San spared no effort.

He went so far as to split his biological daughter's soul, forcibly fusing it to create Tang Wutong—a stitched-up monster who served only as a leash to control Huo Yuhao.

And what about Tang Wutong? She was nothing more than a mere decorative vase, while Huo Yuhao had to bear the weight and move forward to become a god.

What? Tang San did this to his daughter, and you want to ask his wife's opinion?

Sword Sheath Xiao Wu: "I have no objection."

It's truly terrifying when you think about it. At this point, Wang Dong is still a naive girl, who grew up normally but has lost all memories of the divine realm.

And as for those six blank years? Don't even mention them.

"Let's go eat. No more sleep."

Huo Yuhao withdrew from his cultivation state, stretched his muscles, and gave Wang Dong's quilt a gentle pat.

Wang Dong, now waking up, looked completely confused.

What just happened? Why was she sleeping so peacefully in bed with him?

Did this guy do something while she was asleep?

...

If you'd like to support me and gain access to extra chapters, you can follow the link:

patreon.com/DarkLord621