"But you're hurt, if something happened to you, how would you protect me in the future?" Xiaowu's tears flowed recklessly from her eyes as she gave Xu Ran a sorrowful smile.
Xiaowu's smile was so beautiful that it made Xu Ran feel as if his heart was melting away.
This is Xiaowu, the heroine of Soul Land. She is already this beautiful as a young girl, how much more beautiful will she be when she grows up, and her long hair that sparkles like the starry heavens drapes over her shoulders?
But by then, Xiaowu would be his girl. He would accompany her as she grows, cultivate together, and do everything that couples do.
And at that time, he might even join Xiaowu in hammering Tang San!
Now, in Xiaowu's heart, Tang San has become an image of malice, disgust, and a pretender. Six years all a facade, whatever Tang San says in the future, Xiaowu would consider it an act.
Eat, sleep, flirt with Xiaowu, show off, slap faces, hammer Tang San.
Tang San, naturally, couldn't be the only one hammering; Xiaowu would also need to help out.
After all, who would have thought that Tang San covets Xiaowu's Soul Rings and soul bone? Regardless of whether he has such intentions or not, Xiaowu has now firmly believed that Tang San is after her Soul Rings and soul bone.
"Stop crying, I don't want to see a girl crying in front of me," Xu Ran said, his hand gently caressing Xiaowu's delicate cheek. He could clearly feel the tenderness of Xiaowu's skin, so delicate that the description 'flawless' wouldn't be an exaggeration. Especially the two faint trails of tears on her cheeks, which made Xu Ran feel incredibly compassionate.
"Okay, I won't cry, I won't cry," Xiaowu said in a tearful voice, wiping away the tears from her eyes. She tried to appear stronger in front of Xu Ran.
Just now, the hidden weapon almost struck her; with its speed, she might not have been able to dodge in time.
If not for Xu Ran, she might have died just then.
Her heart was overwhelmed with gratitude; she knew that from now on, aside from her mom, Da Ming and Er Ming, she had another person she could truly trust. That person was Xu Ran.
He didn't care whether he would expose himself; he directly helped her unveil Tang San's true face.
Moreover, he fearlessly used his body to shield her from the hidden weapon.
She remembered her mother once said, if you ever meet a man willing to risk his life for you, you must cherish him well. Such a man is the most precious treasure in the world.
Was her mother referring to someone like Xu Ran? Xu Ran, the Emperor's Auspicious Beast, and a man with a gentleman's character.
"Xu Ran, how are you feeling now? Don't move, I will check your back," Xiaowu took a deep breath, looking at Xu Ran's back that was already stained red with fresh blood. At this moment, the skin where the hidden weapon had entered had turned dark.
Poison, the word suddenly sprang to Xiaowu's mind.
Xu Ran's symptoms clearly indicated poisoning, and it was an extremely potent one at that. Otherwise, with the physique of an Auspicious Beast, Xu Ran wouldn't have been injured. Auspicious Beasts are protected by auspicious qi, which ordinary poisons cannot penetrate.
Even the poison might very well have been concocted by Tang Hao himself. How strong would a poison prepared by a Titled Douluo be? Xiaowu's heart sank; she didn't know if the Auspicious Beast could survive this terrifying poison.
At this time, Tang San was completely dumbfounded.
He looked at Xu Ran, his face covered in cold sweat.
He had just seen clearly that Xu Ran's strength was incredibly powerful, easily blocking his hidden weapons. Twelve hidden weapons, none missed the mark. Even he couldn't help but be astonished; Xu Ran's power was not something he could currently match.
But Xu Ran could really act.
He even saw that the hidden weapon was something Xu Ran deliberately allowed to enter his own body. He even used Sword Qi to slow its speed. This damn performance was not something Xu Ran could have put on if he really couldn't withstand the hidden weapons.
Xu Ran was clearly putting on an act. Seeing the blood that seemed it could form a river on the ground, Tang San only felt it was somewhat exaggerated.
Are you fucking serious?
How could a human body hold so much blood?
This is too fake!
And even, there's fucking poison. He's just a Part-Time Student; where the hell did he get such poison? Not to mention that huge, pitch-black patch of poison on his back.
Seeing all this, how could Tang San not know that Xu Ran was acting at him!
"Xu Ran, you fucking act at me!" Tang San was furious. Seeing this scene, he finally understood what Xu Ran intended to do. He wanted to stage a scene where it seemed like he wanted to kill Xiaowu, and Xu Ran heroically rescues the damsel in distress. Xu Ran even slandered him by claiming he used poison.
If Xiaowu believed this, her fondness for Xu Ran would skyrocket. Meanwhile, his own image in Xiaowu's heart would plummet. Although his hidden weapons had all been aimed at Xu Ran, he never intended to harm Xiaowu. However, after Xu Ran's maneuver, Tang San was made to look as if he meant to harm Xiaowu.
Now he was truly feeling wrongly accused.
Initially, when he saw the pool of blood, he wanted to mock Xu Ran for overacting. But now, he simply couldn't muster a laugh, understanding Xu Ran's purpose, he could only stand there, dumbfounded.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Tang San's mind was full of question marks. Now he only knew he had to quickly expose Xu Ran's intentions and not allow his performance to succeed, or else the negative image of him in Xiaowu's heart might become irreversible.
Xiaowu lifted her head and gave the nearby Tang San a glance, cold and indifferent. She withdrew her gaze from Tang San after just one look. Her last bit of affection for Tang San had died.
She only knew that Tang San had just tried to kill her, and it was because Xu Ran hadn't expected Tang San to attack her that he got injured. What was Tang San coming up with now? He had clearly moved against her just moments ago, and now he was putting on the façade of a victim, as if Xu Ran was the real villain. How ludicrous.
The one who acted against them was Tang San; the one playing the victim was Tang San; and the one accusing others of acting was also Tang San.
Now she felt deep hatred towards Tang San; for deceiving her for six years, and now even trying to kill her and Xu Ran.
"Xu Ran, how are you feeling now? Can you force out the poison?" Xiaowu asked softly, touching the wound on Xu Ran's back, feeling quite shocked. Although the wound wasn't deep, the poison was very potent. After all, this poison was given to Tang San by the Titled Douluo, Tang Hao. Tang San had been capable of making hidden weapons since he was six; at that time, she somewhat disbelieved it. But now, knowing his father was Tang Hao, everything made sense. These hidden weapons were prepared by Tang Hao for her.
If ever she became aware of Tang San's intentions, he could use the hidden weapons to kill her. If he couldn't harvest a Soul Ring, he could still take her soul bone. Otherwise, how could a six-year-old child create hidden weapons? This was the only explanation.