Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

"I got another free meal." After throwing Yuanen Wanjun and the other two out of the restaurant, Xia Yi proudly came to Gu Yue's side to show off.

"They're just three pieces of trash. Is that even worth bragging about?" Gu Yue's voice was indifferent, but the smile on her lips was completely unconcealed. She glanced at Xia Yi and half-smiled as she ordered, "From now on, don't use such a rogue way of fighting in front of me."

After speaking, she even let out a haughty snort.

Although watching Xia Yi smash people around felt quite satisfying, it also reminded her of some very unpleasant memories.

"Alright, Yue Yue." Xia Yi responded with an extremely gentle voice, then sat down beside Gu Yue.

"Yue Yue… Ugh~~ Can you be any more nauseating?" Gu Yue shivered at Xia Yi's tone, feeling goosebumps rise all over her body.

"I can!" Xia Yi nodded seriously with a straight face.

"Get lost! From now on, you're not allowed to call me that." Gu Yue was speechless. She realized she had seriously underestimated Xia Yi's shamelessness.

Frustrated, she kicked at Xia Yi.

Xia Yi didn't dodge and simply let Gu Yue's foot land on his calf.

"Then I'll call you Yue'er." Xia Yi grinned.

"This is barely acceptable." Gu Yue muttered under her breath, but the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

Seeing the mischievous smile on Xia Yi's face, she realized she had been tricked again.

Furious, she immediately grabbed Xia Yi's ear and gritted her teeth. "Be honest! Did you do this on purpose? Calling me 'Yue Yue' in such a sickeningly sweet voice so that 'Yue'er' would seem more acceptable in comparison, making me unconsciously agree to it?"

"Not at all! I just think 'Yue'er' sounds more affectionate." Xia Yi shook his head like a rattling drum.

This kind of thing—he would never admit it, not even if beaten to death.

"I'll teach you to scheme against me!" Gu Yue grew even angrier. With a bit of force in her delicate hand, Xia Yi's ear twisted into an exaggerated angle.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Big sis, I was wrong, alright?" Xia Yi quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Hmph! That's more like it." Seeing him admit defeat, Gu Yue's pride was satisfied, and she let go of him with a smug expression.

Watching Xia Yi and Gu Yue, Wu Jin, who was sitting nearby, finally reached his limit.

He stood up abruptly and walked away.

"You haven't even eaten yet! Where are you going?" Xia Yi quickly called after him.

"I'm already full." Wu Jin responded indifferently, striding toward the exit. Just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped and said, "From now on, don't bring me along when you two go out."

With that, he left without looking back.

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing." Xia Yi didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.

"Look at you, acting all smug!" Gu Yue glared at Xia Yi.

"Hehe, having someone like Yue'er as my soon-to-be girlfriend—shouldn't I be proud?" Xia Yi shamelessly declared, once again satisfying Gu Yue's pride.

"For once, you said something right. I'll allow you to be smug for a while." Gu Yue lifted her chin arrogantly.

She, too, felt that having her, the ruler of the soul beasts, as a soon-to-be girlfriend was indeed something to be proud of.

Before long, the restaurant owner brought out their dishes. Without wasting time, the two quickly finished their meal and headed back to the estate.

On the way, Xia Yi noticed that Gu Yue kept glancing at the stores on both sides of the road, occasionally sneaking peeks at him.

"Yue'er." Xia Yi suddenly called out softly.

"What is it?" Gu Yue turned her head, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his unexpected tenderness.

"I've been a bit busy lately. Once I finish making the battle armor for Zi Ji and the others, how about going shopping with me in Shrek City?" Xia Yi turned to look at Gu Yue and continued, "Since you're my soon-to-be girlfriend, accompanying me for a stroll doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?"

"My status is far too important to waste time on something as boring and childish as shopping," Gu Yue declared haughtily. But before Xia Yi could speak, she quickly added, "However, since you seem so eager, I'll reluctantly agree."

Although Xia Yi knew Gu Yue was just being stubborn, he was happy to play along.

"Hehe, with Yue'er agreeing, I'll be extra motivated in my forging these next few days." Xia Yi grinned excitedly.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Gu Yue also smiled.

Of course, she knew Xia Yi was deliberately indulging her.

But she enjoyed it.

Sure enough, after returning to the estate, Xia Yi threw himself into forging with great enthusiasm over the following days.

He used the Fox Thought Technique to assist in spirit forging four or five times a day.

Due to the immense mental and spiritual energy consumption, he basically collapsed into sleep every night.

Meanwhile, Gu Yue seemed to have developed a habit of teasing Xia Yi. Every night, she would still sneak into his bed.

However, unlike before, she no longer wore only her nightgown. Each time, she made sure to wrap herself up tightly.

She even took extra care to put on clothes after her bath.

Leaving Xia Yi no chance at all.

"You still haven't told me how exactly your martial soul evolved this time," Gu Yue asked one morning as Xia Yi woke up. She was lying on top of him, absentmindedly playing with his hair.

"Hmm… Do you know about the Child of Nature?" Xia Yi asked.

"Child of Nature?" Gu Yue was startled. She suddenly sat up straight and stared at Xia Yi in shock. "Are you saying your martial soul evolved through the power of the Golden Ancient Tree?"

With her status, she naturally knew that the current Child of Nature of the Douluo Planet was none other than Shrek Academy's Golden Ancient Tree.

"That's right." Xia Yi nodded.

"Tell me everything that happened." Gu Yue's expression turned serious.

Xia Yi nodded and recounted the entire series of events.

"Wait… There was a Seed of Nature inside the Golden Ancient Tree?" Gu Yue was shocked again.

"That's right!" Xia Yi nodded solemnly. "When I was inside the Golden Ancient Tree, I didn't dare to act recklessly and refrained from taking it by force."

"Do you remember what the Seed of Nature looked like?" Gu Yue's breathing quickened.

If they could control the Seed of Nature, they could dictate who the next Child of Nature would be. That meant they could harness the planet's life force itself.

"Yes, it looked like this. But I don't know what kind of plant's seed it is." Xia Yi responded, then entered his martial soul state. Activating his second soul skill, he used his Fox Thought Technique to manipulate the surrounding elemental molecules, forming a golden seed in front of Gu Yue.

"This is…!" Gu Yue frowned. Even she didn't recognize it.

"Should we ask Di Tian and the others?" Gu Yue pulled Xia Yi up and handed him his clothes.

Before long, all the Great Beasts had gathered.

As they looked at the walnut-sized golden seed in Gu Yue's hand, they fell into deep thought.

"If I could see the actual Seed of Nature, I could identify it by its aura. But just from its appearance, it's difficult to tell. There are over a hundred plant seeds in my memory that resemble this, though their color and size differ somewhat," the Myriad Demon King said gravely.

As a plant-type soul beast, he had more knowledge of plants than even Di Tian.

"List them," Gu Yue instructed.

Instead of answering immediately, the Myriad Demon King walked to the roadside and plucked a stalk of grass, handing it to Gu Yue. He pointed at its seeds. "Master, please look. The seeds of Blue Silver Grass are tiny, about the size of sesame, but if enlarged, they resemble the Seed of Nature quite closely."

"The Child of Nature must be a top-tier plant. Forget Blue Silver Grass—even a Blue Silver Emperor couldn't become the Child of Nature unless it reached godhood." Gu Yue shook her head but suddenly froze. Her gaze snapped to the Blue Silver Grass in the Myriad Demon King's hand.

"A godhood-level Blue Silver Emperor!" She seemed to have realized something. Snatching the grass, she peeled off a tiny silvery seed and compared it to the Seed of Nature.

The more she compared them, the grimmer her expression became.

"It must be her," Gu Yue gritted her teeth.

"A Plane's Master… A Child of Nature… A Core of Life… I was a fool. I should have realized this long ago." Her face was ashen.

(End of Chapter)