Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Ding…

"Achoo!"As the soul communicator's alarm rang, Xia Yi sneezed as he woke up.

Suddenly, he felt his ears burning. Reaching up to touch them, he realized they were unusually warm.

"Burning this much—someone must be cursing me." Xia Yi frowned and muttered under his breath, "Someone's definitely spying on me while I sleep, jealous of my body, and cursing me. If you dare to peek again, next time I'll sleep naked—without a blanket—let's see how you handle that."

"Handle your big head!" A pillow flew straight at him.

Turning around, Xia Yi saw Leng Yaozhu sitting at the head of his bed, her face dark with annoyance.

"Big sister, when did you get here?" Xia Yi was so startled he almost jumped out of bed.

If he had known Leng Yaozhu was sitting nearby, he would never have dared to speak so boldly.

"With that immature body of yours? Please. Wait a few more years until you've fully developed before you try to tease me." Leng Yaozhu flicked her fiery red hair and smirked.

Xia Yi pulled a jacket out of his soul device, slipped it on, and adjusted the collar. "I'll let it slide this time—but next time you insult me, I'll get angry."

Seeing the confusion on Leng Yaozhu's face, he added viciously, "You can belittle me in other ways, and I won't care—but not about that. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll show you whether I've fully developed or not!"

Leng Yaozhu's face darkened immediately. She reached out and twisted his ear. "I'm old enough to be your grandmother, and you've got the guts to flirt with me?"

"This is a matter of dignity," Xia Yi snapped, slapping her hand away. "So, why are you here?"

Leng Yaozhu didn't get angry. Though she appeared to be in her twenties or thirties, her previous words were true—she was far older. She wasn't about to argue with a kid over such trivial matters.

Since Xia Yi had shifted the topic, she decided to let it go. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm still your teacher in name. Do you really dislike me that much?"

"What are you talking about? How do I dislike you?" Xia Yi looked genuinely confused.

"If you don't dislike me, then why haven't you come to me about the Shrek Academy quota? Do you seriously think you can outmaneuver the old foxes at Shrek Academy by yourself?" Leng Yaozhu glared at him, clearly frustrated. "Your scheme has already been exposed. Not only did you fail to pressure Shrek Academy, but they also turned the tables on you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Xia Yi said, feigning innocence. "A scheme? I'm such a straightforward person—how could I be involved in a scheme?"

"Still pretending, huh?" Leng Yaozhu tossed a newspaper onto his lap. "See for yourself."

Xia Yi picked up the paper. As he scanned the headline, his face darkened, and with a swift motion, he tore the newspaper into shreds. Grinding his teeth, he spat out, "This is too much!"

Seeing him so "furious," Leng Yaozhu sighed softly. "Honestly, you didn't fail. For someone your age to force Sky Raising Douluo to personally issue a public statement—that's already impressive."

Noticing that Xia Yi's expression remained grim, Leng Yaozhu stepped forward and gently hugged him. In a soft voice, she said, "I know Sky Raising Douluo's words were exaggerated, but there's no shame in losing to him. Don't take it too hard. It's just Shrek Academy—if you can't go there, I'll send you to the Spirit Pagoda's academy. Don't do anything reckless—it'll only hurt you in the end."

Leng Yaozhu understood that now that Yun Ming had made an official statement, Xia Yi had no chance of entering Shrek Academy. Yun Ming would never contradict himself publicly.

From her perspective, Xia Yi's anger stemmed from the failure of his plan to use public opinion to force Shrek Academy's hand—and the loss of his opportunity to join the academy.

Leng Yaozhu also knew that Xia Yi had ties to her younger sister, which meant he likely had some connection to evil soul masters. Over the past three years, both Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda had been extensively researching evil soul masters.

Through her studies, Leng Yaozhu had concluded that most evil soul masters had a screw loose—otherwise, they wouldn't develop such bizarre thought patterns.

Since Xia Yi had interacted with her sister, even if he was just a pawn, he could still be influenced by her.

She feared that Xia Yi, like her sister, might spiral into madness over a minor grievance and fall to the path of evil.

His recent robbery of Luo Guixing was already extreme enough—what if next time, someone died?

Leng Yaozhu had waited two days for Xia Yi to wake up, not daring to disturb him for fear of pushing him over the edge. Once he woke, she decided to tell him about his "failed scheme" and offer comfort.

She was even willing to overlook his earlier teasing just to keep him stable.

Being hugged by Leng Yaozhu again left Xia Yi momentarily stunned. He was upset—but surely not to this extent?

Still, he couldn't let her kindness go to waste.

Out of politeness, he gently returned the embrace and reassured her, "Don't worry—I'm not going to do anything crazy. At most, I'll just vent a little."

"If you need to do something, let me help," Leng Yaozhu offered with a nod, not objecting.

She knew it was best not to restrain Xia Yi too much. As long as she kept an eye on him and prevented him from going overboard, everything would be fine.

"Really?" Xia Yi's eyes lit up with excitement.

"You're still my student in name—I'll help you." Leng Yaozhu let him go, meeting his gaze with a sincere look. She wanted him to feel cared for.

"I've been resting long enough—it's time to stretch my legs," Xia Yi cracked his knuckles and gritted his teeth. "Calling me immoral is one thing—but saying I have no morals? That's too much. I'm going to make them eat their words."

Hearing this, Leng Yaozhu froze in place.

"What's wrong?" Xia Yi asked, confused.

"You're angry… just because of that?" Leng Yaozhu's voice was icy as she enunciated each word, her gaze filled with murderous intent.

"Of course! What else would I be mad about? Besides, if someone accused you of being immoral, could you let it slide?" Xia Yi snorted.

"Get the hell out!" Leng Yaozhu roared, releasing a surge of terrifying soul power that sent Xia Yi flying out the window.

"If you die next time, I won't care!" she fumed, clenching her delicate fists.

Still, her anger quickly faded—if Xia Yi could brush it off, that was all that mattered.

This time, Xia Yi landed smoothly, controlling his descent.

"A woman's heart is like a needle in the sea—so unpredictable," he muttered, shaking his head. Then, glancing toward Shrek Academy, his eyes gleamed with determination.

"Maybe I should find Gu Yue and ask her about Shrek's new students. I don't want to mess up—it wouldn't be fun otherwise."

"I refuse to believe any of my peers could be stronger than Gu Yue or Na'er. If I'm not afraid of them, why should I fear anyone else?" With that thought, Xia Yi gritted his teeth and strode toward Shrek Academy.

(End of Chapter)