Star Dou Great Forest — core region.
For three entire days and nights, Tang Yuehua had remained inside the cave with Lu Yuan.
"Huuuh…"
Tang Yuehua finally stirred, those hazy, beautiful eyes of hers slowly opening. Her snowy skin gleamed with the sweat beading down her forehead. She raised a trembling hand to wipe it away, then glanced downward—
—and froze in shock.
Where were her clothes?!
Her face paled and burned red by turns. What… what in the world happened?
Her robes… turned to ashes?
Fortunately, her cultivation domain still offered just enough protection, shielding her against the worst of the eerie black flames surging from Lu Yuan's body. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been left naked—she would've been scorched into cinders herself.
Swallowing hard, Tang Yuehua gingerly waved her pale hand in front of Lu Yuan's closed eyes.
No reaction.
Her cheeks relaxed a little. At least this guy hadn't… seen everything.
Still, panic quickly returned. She reflexively tried to reach for her soul tool—her ring-shaped storage guide on her finger. But her hand halted, her face stiffening in horror.
She had forgotten to bring it.
Her forehead grew damp all over again—not from heat, but from dread.
This was the Star Dou Forest. A place teeming with soul beasts, dangers, and thickets, but not exactly a shopping plaza behind every bush. How was she supposed to find new clothes here?
Was she meant to stay like this?
This wasn't just indecent—it was barbaric! A savage, lurking naked inside a monster's cave.
Tang Yuehua bit her lip desperately.
"Woooow…"
A small, astonished cry floated into the cave entrance.
Tang Yuehua's heart lurched. At the mouth of the cavern stood Xiao Wu, her hands covering her cherry lips, eyes wide with scandalized surprise.
The little rabbit spirit had been restless long enough. Three days and nights had passed with those two inside alone, and Xiao Wu's curiosity refused to be restrained any further.
So she had crept quietly forward—only to stumble on this picture.
Too… too scandalous! Too fragrant!
She blinked at Lu Yuan, flames crackling faintly against his body, and at the serene Tang Yuehua, flushed and bare. Still, the once-wild, roaring black fire had dimmed tremendously.
Xiao Wu hesitated. Wouldn't barging in now be… intrusive?
"Little girl—wait!" Tang Yuehua's panicked voice trembled as she saw Xiao Wu. It was as though she'd spotted a lifeline.
Xiao Wu was not only a soul beast, but also in her human form. And most importantly—she wore clothes!
Borrowing… maybe? Surely… surely it was fine?
Xiao Wu blinked. "Um? What's wrong?"
Her words faint.
Tang Yuehua squirmed, face flustered beyond belief. "C-could you maybe… lend me some clothes? I don't—have anything to wear."
"Eh?" Xiao Wu stood staring blankly, never having expected this.
She thought the problem might have been Lu Yuan's strange condition. But no—it was simpler and somehow even more embarrassing. Clothes.
Yet… looking at Tang Yuehua's… rather abundant figure, Xiao Wu stiffened. Was there any way this woman could squeeze into her outfits?
Still, she rifled through her belongings, fishing out the loosest dress she had—a flowing pink garment. "Try this one…" she murmured, handing it with an awkward smile.
A while later, at least the crisis was partially solved.
Tang Yuehua had forced herself into the pink dress. It clung tightly to her curves and only barely concealed the vital areas, leaving her feeling exposed in more ways than one.
Sighing, she wandered over to the lakeside, scooping clear water into her palms and splashing her weary face. The coolness gave her a little reprieve.
"How's Lu Yuan doing?" Xiao Wu squatted at the edge of the lake, glancing over at the unconscious figure she'd been worried about for days.
Tang Yuehua shook her head with a long sigh. "I don't know. I've done everything in my power. From here on… it's up to him."
"Here—have something to eat, at least."
Xiao Wu held out a skewer of roasted meat.
"Thank you." Tang Yuehua's noble image as the elegant mistress of Yuexuan evaporated instantly. Three sleepless days and nights, and she hadn't eaten a morsel. Her stomach roared impatiently. Taking the meat, she bit into it like a starving refugee.
The smoky aroma filled her senses as hunger triumphed over pride.
From nearby, the powerful Titan Giant Ape Er Ming frowned, his booming voice resonating directly into Xiao Wu's mind.
"Sis Xiao Wu, isn't that your dress she's wearing?"
Xiao Wu kept turning the spit over the fire. "She had nothing to wear, so she's borrowing mine for now."
Er Ming growled, perplexed. "Honestly, I don't see the point. She looks worse wearing it! It's stretched tight, almost bursting apart. And what's wrong with being naked anyway? Look at me—I don't wear anything, and humans never complain. Why can't she do the same? Why be so ashamed?"
Tang Yuehua, thankfully, couldn't understand a single word of the beast-language conversation. Her mind was still glued to the delicious meat in her hand.
But Xiao Wu nearly choked on laughter. "Second brother, shhh!"
At that moment, ripples stirred across the lake surface. From beneath rose the colossal head of the Sky Azure Bull Python, Da Ming. His great eyes glanced calmly between the figures, the green light of wisdom glimmering.
For Tang Yuehua, though, all she knew right now was: eat first, think later.
Eventually, her hunger sated, she put down the skewer. Xiao Wu, curiosity lighting her eyes, finally asked, "So, who are you really?"
Before, Qian Renxue had vaguely mentioned that Tang Yuehua was someone of note—a titled figure, someone with a unique gift. But Xiao Wu had never learned more than her name.
"I'm from Heaven Dou City," Tang Yuehua began, softening now that she felt somewhat safer. Her posture, though still proud, was tinged with weariness. "I… am Tang San's aunt. You know Tang San, don't you?"
Xiao Wu's breath hitched violently. "You—you're the third brother's aunt?!"
Her eyes glowed with rare joy, tears instantly threatening. Finally, after all this time, after endless waiting and separation—someone with real news of Tang San!
"Yes, our family name is Tang. You're close to him, right?" Tang Yuehua added gently.
"Alive, he must be alive, right?!" Xiao Wu's voice quivered with hope.
Before Tang Yuehua could answer, Er Ming's hard snarl cut through: "Tang San is dead. Completely turned to dust!"
Xiao Wu's body went rigid.
Her eyes snapped to Er Ming in horror. "Second brother, what are you saying? How could you know that? Did you see him?!"
Panic and disbelief churned inside her chest.
"Yes, I saw him dead with my own eyes," Er Ming said flatly. His massive arms crossed stubbornly.
In reality, that wasn't quite true—he had indeed seen Tang San alive. But in his mind, it was better for Xiao Wu to abandon her wistful attachment to that "dog thing" once and for all. Better she not pine away for him.
Xiao Wu's heart plunged into an abyss.
Her lips parted, trembling. "No… no, there has to be some mistake. The last I heard… he fought to save me, he stood up against the Martial Soul Palace, even…"
"Dead!" Er Ming roared again, his voice echoing across the lake.
Tang Yuehua flinched, cowed into silence by his overwhelming rage. This soul beast's fury was palpable; she dared not contest it.
Xiao Wu, however, grabbed at his massive arm. "Er Ming, please… tell me how. What happened to San-ge?"
"Uh…" Er Ming's eyes darted. He hadn't expected her to press for an explanation. He scratched his head awkwardly, but then began to weave a narrative—a fabricated story, stacked with gruesome details.
With Xiao Wu acting as translator, the tale unfurled, leaving Tang Yuehua trembling, her eyes flooding uncontrollably.
"My brother Hao… disemboweled?!" she sobbed.
"Yes," Er Ming declared solemnly. "Tang Hao was ripped apart. Torn open completely!"
The weight of his words slammed into Tang Yuehua's heart. She sagged, grief-stricken, the mourning too vivid, too absolute.
Xiao Wu's tears streamed freely.
And then Er Ming twisted the knife further. "As for Tang San—his body was blown apart. Nothing remained. Not even scraps of flesh."
"No… no…" Xiao Wu's voice shattered as she collapsed on the ground, her spirit emptying like water from a broken vessel.
Her third brother—gone. Truly gone.
"Sis Xiao Wu, don't cry for him," Er Ming muttered, guilt gnawing within despite his stubborn front. "Someone like him isn't worth your tears."
His huge fists clenched. Maybe… maybe I went too far, he thought. But damn it, better she cries now, than wastes her heart forever for that bastard.
The lake roared again. Da Ming's colossal form rose, water crashing against the ground. His voice, calm yet razor-sharp in judgment, boomed.
"Tang San, for all his sweetness, was not innocent. With Tang Hao as his father, do you think for a moment that boy didn't know your true identity, Xiao Wu? He must have. And still he stayed silent. Why? Because he was waiting. Waiting for the day he would need your spirit ring and spirit bone."
The words slashed harder than any blade.
Er Ming slammed a fist against the earth. "Yes! Yes, that must be it! Those hypocrites! Father and son both—scheming, deceitful!"
Each word made him angrier, his fury spiraling upward like a wildfire.
Beside them, Tang Yuehua sat numb, mind spinning, heart torn between disbelief and despair.
And Xiao Wu—her tears refused to stop.
Her heart shattered between grief, betrayal, and denial.
The night over the Star Dou Forest seemed to press down heavier than ever.
--
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