Huo Yuhao finally understood what they meant by "package and take away." So he had run into kidnappers?
This world really had all kinds of freaks. Who would've thought someone would come to the Star Dou Forest to kidnap children? After all, those who ventured here were soul masters— even six- or seven-year-old kids were usually accompanied by adults.
No, this wasn't just kidnapping. It was trafficking and extortion. With their cultivation levels, these two wouldn't dare to act unless they were sure it was an easy target. Anyone coming to hunt soul beasts here usually had at least three soul rings.
Huo Yuhao wondered what these two would think if they knew the "boy" they were targeting had a Titled Douluo backing him.
The forest was big enough for all kinds of birds. Truly, the longer you lived, the more absurd things you'd see. Judging by that big sack, they had already succeeded in catching one victim.
Upon hearing his boss's order, the fat one marched toward Huo Yuhao in big strides. As he moved, he released his martial soul— a yellow-black pig.
Seeing the pig-nosed man with fan-sized ears waddling toward him, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh. Someone was in a hurry to be reincarnated.
The fat man felt uneasy seeing the boy laugh. He worried that the kid's elders might be nearby and decided to grab him quickly and leave.
He didn't sense any significant soul power fluctuations from the boy and figured he hadn't even acquired his first ring yet— not even a proper soul master.
A white and a yellow soul ring hovered around his fat body. Combined with his bulk, it gave off a bit of an intimidating aura.
Less than five meters away from Huo Yuhao, the fat man reached out with a pudgy hand to grab him— like picking up a kitten or puppy.
However, the next moment, blood gushed from the man's eyes, nose, and mouth, and his bloated body pitched forward uncontrollably.
Splash! His upper body fell into the stream, sending up a spray of water. Blood rapidly diffused into the current.
"Fatty, what's wrong? Fatty? Fatty!" The tall skinny one called out several times, but his companion didn't respond. His expression turned ugly.
He began slowly backing away, his eyes scanning the area warily. He clearly thought someone else had killed his partner.
The next moment—thud—the skinny man collapsed too, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Of course, this was all Huo Yuhao's doing. Joking aside, he had killed Soul Kings before—these two weaklings weren't even Soul Sect level.
He glanced indifferently at their corpses. Judging by their soul power levels, they had come here to get soul rings. The tall one had about level 31 and was likely a recent breakthrough, given his unstable aura. The kidnapping? Probably just a crime of opportunity.
Too bad for them, Huo Yuhao wasn't prey. As they say—hunters often show up disguised as prey.
Once he confirmed they were both dead, Huo Yuhao walked to the large cloth sack on the tall man's back. He untied the rope and opened it.
...
By the stream, Huo Yuhao was cleaning the last fish. Beside him now stood a small figure— a skinny little girl around seven or eight years old. She was the one he had rescued from the sack.
"Big brother, where are we?" the girl asked timidly.
"Star Dou Forest," Huo Yuhao replied as he looked at her.
She appeared to be about seven or eight, wearing a white dress. Her short blue hair reached her shoulders, and her delicate features and snow-white skin made her look like a porcelain doll.
"What a beauty in the making," Huo Yuhao thought. Despite her young age, the girl already had a trace of devastating charm.
Huo Yuhao had seen many beautiful girls—Shrek Academy had no shortage of them—but none quite matched this little girl. If anything, she was on the same level as Jiang Nannan or Wang Qiu'er.
Of course, Huo Yuhao was simply admiring beauty. He wasn't a pervert, and had no such twisted thoughts about a little girl.
"Big brother, can you take me out of here?" the girl asked softly, tugging on Huo Yuhao's sleeve.
"Where are your family members? Don't tell me you came here alone," Huo Yuhao didn't answer right away. He wasn't the type to blindly follow a pretty face.
"I… I… I…" the girl stammered but couldn't say a complete sentence.
Huo Yuhao, losing patience, picked up the fish and turned to leave.
"I—I don't know either! When I woke up, I had already been caught by them! I can't remember anything from before— sob sob sob sob..." The girl blurted it all out, then burst into tears.
Amnesia? Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes at her. "Then do you remember your name?"
The girl wiped her tears and nodded. "I… I'm called Ye Lingling."
Ye Lingling? Ye Lingling... Huo Yuhao repeated the name twice under his breath. It sounded so familiar. But he couldn't place it.
"So, after I get you out, what's your plan?" Huo Yuhao asked again. He didn't want her clinging to him later.
The girl froze. She was only eight, knew no one, and had nowhere to go. Helpless, she looked up at him again. "Big brother, can I stay with you? I—I can do chores, I can wash clothes…" Tears poured down her cheeks again.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Well, speak of the devil. He sighed. "Fine, you can follow me for now. I'll try to help you find your family. Oh, and release your martial soul so I can take a look." He gently wiped the tears from her face.
So much water for such a small kid—what's she gonna be like when she's older?
"Okay okay," the girl nodded. "Thank you, big brother! You're such a good person!"
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Why did that sound so off?
The little girl extended her small white hands. A moment later, a pink flower bloomed between them. The petals were pink and white, the center dusted with golden yellow. The flower was radiant and elegant.
"Could this be... Nine-Heart Begonia?" Huo Yuhao muttered. Suddenly, his pupils contracted and his expression turned horrified.
It had happened—the second transmigrator had appeared.
Huo Yuhao had suspected it before. If Huo Yuhao himself could transmigrate, why couldn't others? And now, he had finally encountered another genuine transmigrator.
Ye Lingling. No wonder the name sounded familiar—so that's what it was.
Huo Yuhao finally remembered. Ye Lingling was a character from ten thousand years ago, from Tang San's era. She had been a member of the Emperor Team, which once battled Shrek's Seven Devils led by Tang San in the Great Soul Arena.
[Bet you didn't expect this! I once read a fanfic where I really liked Ye Lingling's character. While writing this novel, I figured I'd include her too. But since the first Douluo story wasn't much of a challenge, I made her a transmigrator here. No cheat system or golden finger though.]
[Ye Lingling is just a plot device. After shaking up the God Realm, Huo Yuhao will head to Douluo 1 to stir things up.}
(End of Chapter)