Tang San's POV
Xiao Wu's breathing had finally steadied. She lay against the thick trunk of an ancient tree, pale but alive, her soft rabbit ears twitching faintly as consciousness returned. Tang San knelt beside her, one hand gently brushing hair from her forehead while the other clutched a hidden Godly Zhuge Crossbow—just in case.
The rest of the Shrek Seven Devils formed a loose protective circle, exhausted but alert. No one spoke for a long moment. All eyes kept drifting to the man standing a few paces away.
Luo Feng.
He leaned casually against another tree, arms folded, dark eyes scanning the forest as though listening to whispers only he could hear. There was no arrogance in his posture, yet an unshakable calm radiated from him that made the air feel heavier. Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes pierced as deeply as they could, but they met only an endless void—like staring into the night sky and finding no stars, only deeper darkness.
This man had stopped a 100,000-year Titan Giant Ape with a wave of his hand.
Tang San's mind raced through possibilities: hidden Titled Douluo? A soul beast in human form? Some secret inheritance beyond even the records of the Tang Sect? None of the answers fit. Luo Feng's spirit power fluctuations were almost nonexistent, yet the pressure he exuded surpassed anything Tang San had ever felt—even from the distant aura of Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff.
"Who… exactly are you?" Tang San finally asked, voice low and controlled. He didn't want to sound ungrateful, but caution was ingrained in his bones.
Luo Feng turned his head, meeting Tang San's gaze without flinching. A faint, almost nostalgic smile touched his lips.
"Someone far from home," he said simply. "I've been living in this forest for about a year. I heard your chase, saw the ape take your friend, and decided to step in. That's all."
Dai Mubai snorted, wiping blood from his cheek. "That's all? You made Er Ming back off like he was a puppy."
"Er Ming?" Luo Feng echoed, eyebrow rising.
"The Titan Giant Ape," Oscar supplied, still clutching half-eaten recovery sausages. "Xiao Wu… she knows him. It's complicated."
Luo Feng's gaze flicked to the stirring girl. In his divine sense, he had already seen the truth: Xiao Wu was a transformed 100,000-year Soft-Boned Rabbit, sacrificing her cultivation to take human form. The ape—Er Ming—and the distant, even more terrifying presence deeper in the forest (Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python) were her sworn siblings, protecting her in their own fierce way.
He kept that knowledge to himself for now. These children carried heavy secrets; trust was not given lightly.
Ning Rongrong's POV
Ning Rongrong's legs still trembled from the strain of maintaining her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda boosts for so long. She sat on a fallen log, hands clasped tightly in her lap to hide the shaking. Pride demanded she stand tall like the others, but exhaustion and lingering fear made it difficult.
Her eyes, however, kept returning to Luo Feng.
He was tall—taller than Dai Mubai, broader in the shoulders, with features sharp yet strangely gentle when he smiled. His black hair fell loosely, and his simple dark robes looked hand-woven, as though he truly had been living wild in the forest. Yet there was nothing wild about him. Every movement was precise, economical, like someone who had long ago mastered complete control over body and power.
And those eyes… when they had briefly met hers after he returned with Xiao Wu, something warm and unfamiliar had stirred in her chest. Gratitude, yes—but also curiosity. Who was he, really? Why did looking at him make her feel both safe and utterly out of her depth at the same time?
She caught herself staring and quickly looked away, cheeks warming. Stupid. They'd just nearly died, and here she was noticing how steady his voice was.
Xiao Wu stirred again, murmuring Tang San's name. Relief washed over the group like a wave.
Xiao Wu's POV (brief awakening)
Pain throbbed behind her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Er Ming's massive hand closing gently around her, his frantic worry flooding her mind through their shared soul beast bond. He hadn't meant harm—he'd sensed danger approaching the outer forest and acted on instinct to protect her.
Then… darkness. And now, soft voices. Familiar ones.
Her eyelids fluttered open. Tang San's worried face swam into view first, then the others clustered around. Relief so strong it hurt flooded her chest.
"Third brother…" she whispered.
"I'm here," Tang San said instantly, squeezing her hand. "You're safe."
She became aware of another presence—someone new. Her gaze drifted past Tang San's shoulder to the stranger standing apart. Power unlike anything she'd ever felt emanated from him, vast and ancient, yet restrained like a sleeping dragon.
Er Ming had fled from him.
Xiao Wu's instincts screamed both warning and awe. This man could crush the entire Star Dou Forest if he wished. Yet he had brought her back unharmed.
She managed a weak smile in his direction. "Thank you… for saving me."
Luo Feng inclined his head. "No need. I only asked your friend to put you down."
Luo Feng's POV
Night was falling quickly in the deep forest. The temperature dropped, and the distant howls of soul beasts began to rise. These young soul masters were strong for their age—Tang San especially carried the makings of a future powerhouse—but they were drained, injured, and far from any safe settlement.
He could leave now. Walk back to his secluded house, resume his quiet meditation, and let their story unfold as fate intended.
But something stopped him.
Perhaps it was the way they looked at each other—raw loyalty, fear tempered by unbreakable bonds. It reminded him painfully of his own past: Xu Xin, his children, the Earth defenders who had stood together against impossible odds.
Or perhaps it was the girl with the pagoda spirit—Ning Rongrong—whose proud chin lifted even as exhaustion pulled at her. She had pushed herself to the brink for her companions without complaint. That kind of quiet selflessness was rare.
Luo Feng sighed inwardly. Vacation, he reminded himself, was apparently over.
"You can't stay here overnight," he said aloud, drawing all eyes back to him. "The forest becomes far more dangerous after dark. I have a place not far from here—safe, hidden. You can rest there until morning."
Suspicion flickered across several faces. Dai Mubai's hand twitched toward his spirit rings.
Tang San studied him carefully. "Why would you help us further? You don't know us."
Luo Feng met his gaze evenly. "Because I choose to. And because…" He paused, searching for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Because I've been alone in this forest long enough."
A long silence stretched. Then Ning Rongrong spoke, voice soft but firm.
"I trust him."
Six heads whipped toward her in surprise. She lifted her chin higher, meeting their stares.
"He saved Xiao Wu when he didn't have to. He hasn't lied to us, and he hasn't demanded anything. If he wanted to harm us, he could have done it ten times over already."
Oscar whistled low. "Rongrong giving someone the benefit of the doubt on first meeting? The world must be ending."
She glared at him, but there was no real heat in it. "I'm serious."
Tang San looked back at Luo Feng, weighing. Finally, he nodded.
"We accept your offer. Thank you."
Later – Luo Feng's Hidden Home
The house was simpler than any of them expected: a single large room built from shaped stone and living wood, roofed with broad leaves woven so tightly no rain could penetrate. A small stream burbled nearby. Illusions—subtle spatial distortions—had kept it hidden from soul beasts and hunters alike.
Inside, a fire crackled in a stone hearth. Luo Feng had produced bedding from compressed spatial storage (though he passed it off as a "storage soul tool" to avoid questions). Oscar's recovery sausages and some foraged spirit fruits became a makeshift meal.
Conversation started haltingly. Names were exchanged fully. Stories—carefully edited—were shared.
Luo Feng listened more than he spoke, learning their dynamics: Tang San the calm leader, Dai Mubai the hot-tempered vanguard, Zhu Zhuqing the quiet assassin, Ma Hongjun the comic relief with hidden pain, Oscar the shameless yet reliable support, Xiao Wu the gentle heart, and Ning Rongrong—the spoiled clan princess who was clearly trying, sometimes clumsily, to grow beyond that label.
When Ning Rongrong offered to help clean the wooden bowls after eating, her movements careful and deliberate despite obvious fatigue, Luo Feng found himself watching again.
She noticed. Their eyes met across the firelight.
"You really built all this alone?" she asked, gesturing to the sturdy walls.
He nodded. "Time passes differently when you're used to… longer spans."
"That sounds lonely," she said quietly.
The words hung in the air. For a moment, the crackle of the fire was the only sound.
Luo Feng looked away first, gazing into the flames. "It was," he admitted, voice low enough that only she heard. "Until tonight."
Her heart gave an unexpected thud. She busied herself with the bowls again, cheeks warm for reasons she refused to examine.
Outside, the forest roared with night predators. Inside, seven exhausted teenagers and one cosmic wanderer settled into wary rest.
And somewhere in the quiet spaces between heartbeats, the first faint ember of something deeper began to glow.