Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

Wang Rui led An Wen away from the direction of the freshmen dormitories.

Along the way, Wang Rui said nothing, while An Wen followed behind him, trembling with apprehension.

Memories of being beaten up by her younger brother during their childhood flashed in her mind. She couldn't help but think that Wang Rui's current calmness might be akin to what humans described as "the calm before the storm."

After a while, the number of students on the road gradually dwindled. They stopped at a secluded path where no one else was present.

Wang Rui was the first to sit on a bench by the side of the path. Behind him, lush greenery stretched out, and the swift-tailed white bird Xiao Bai emerged from the treetops, landing on his shoulder.

"Go find the Beast Clan disciple stationed in Shrek City… No, go find Long Xiaoyao. He should still be in the city," Wang Rui glanced at An Wen, who nodded in response.

"Have him quietly bring back the person responsible for assigning An Wen's dorm and class to the Beast Clan for investigation. Do it discreetly. I want to know why they placed An Wen and Wang Dong in the same class—whether it was a coincidence or if someone instructed them. Then have the Fox King inspect that person's memory to see if there are signs of tampering or external influence," Wang Rui instructed nonchalantly. Despite ordering an Ultimate Douluo to essentially kidnap a Shrek teacher for interrogation, his tone made it seem as casual as asking someone to bring him two buns and a bowl of porridge.

"If it really turns out to be a coincidence, just erase their memory and send them back. If not…"

A glint of killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"Is this necessary? It seems like a coincidence to me. Wang Dong might be from the Clear Sky Clan, but isn't this a bit of an overreaction?" Xiao Bai couldn't help but comment.

"I hope it's unnecessary too," Wang Rui replied grimly.

The fact that An Wen was a semi-divine beast capable of bearing the Star Dou Forest's fate was an absolute secret. Not even she, nor Ditian, knew about it.

An Wen's awakening had occurred for the first time in nearly a millennium. Tang San had no conceivable way of knowing about her or planning anything involving her.

But given the stakes—his family, the fate of the Star Dou Forest, and Tang San's unscrupulous "pure as jade" nature—Wang Rui dared not take any chances.

Xiao Bai didn't ask further, flapping its wings and flying off.

"Now, let's talk about you," Wang Rui turned to An Wen. "What's going on with your current state? When I left the Star Dou Core Zone a month ago, you hadn't even taken human form."

"You've seen it yourself. My martial soul is the Nether Pole Spear," An Wen answered honestly. "The spear replaced my original body and became my martial soul. I can switch between human and beast forms, but the transformation takes a lot of time. My lifespan hasn't been limited to that of a human's."

"Xiao Long helped me test this martial soul. It seems to have no differences from human tool martial souls. When I began my rebirth, Ditian gave me the Nether Pole Spear, which I fused with before undergoing the transformation," An Wen explained, summoning the spear into her hand and spinning it with ease. "The spear completely replaced my body as my martial soul. It doesn't generate soul rings directly; I have to hunt for those myself."

"When I transformed, I set my body's age directly to eleven, but my soul power was still at the level of a newly awakened martial soul. It took me a lot of effort to climb to level fifteen within a month."

Hearing An Wen confirm his suspicions, Wang Rui's expression softened, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"And as for how I'm concealing my aura among humans…"

She loosened the collar of her shirt, revealing a dragon scale pressed tightly against her upper sternum.

The scale, about the size of a baby's fist, had intricate patterns growing against its natural shape, fitting seamlessly against her pale skin as if it had grown there naturally.

Sure enough, it was Ditian's reverse scale.

Wang Rui hadn't brought this item with him because the reverse scale, which contained the power of divine retribution, would interfere with his ability to observe fate.

"I'm just here to act as your bodyguard. As long as I don't stray too far from you, I'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll summon Ditian, and Xiao Long will stay nearby in Shrek City," An Wen said, buttoning her shirt and shrugging.

"Don't casually undress in front of others. And in the human world, don't call Long Xiaoyao 'Xiao Long' or use his name directly. Be mindful of what you say," Wang Rui reminded her wearily. "Also, now that you've taken human form, you're still a girl, right? Why are you pretending to be a boy?"

An Wen gave him a confused look. "Huh? Isn't it human custom that people of different genders can't interact or be close? Since you're a boy, of course I should pretend to be one too."

She wore an expression of utter self-assurance.

Wang Rui: …You think she doesn't understand, but she gets it a little. Then you think she understands, but she's like a complete idiot.

"Why did the human society basics class skip you?" Wang Rui finally muttered in frustration.

The Star Dou Forest's growing strength meant that every so often, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would choose to reincarnate as a human. These soul beasts, however, couldn't continue cultivating if they stayed in the forest. They had to integrate into human society, and the Beast Clan naturally provided courses on human societal norms.

Looking at An Wen, Wang Rui felt like he was staring at a complete dropout.

"Ah, don't look at me like that. Time was short, okay? I won't blow my cover among humans…" An Wen said sheepishly.

"Sigh, forget it. Let's go back." Wang Rui sighed.

On the way back, he tugged on An Wen's ear, lecturing her on the myriad rules of human society. To his dismay, he discovered that she had many bizarre and incorrect notions about humans.

…Forget it. It's unreasonable to expect too much from a tiger.

A soul beast trying to hide their identity in human society faced challenges beyond merely suppressing their aura. Their every action betrayed subtle "inhuman" cues.

Humans from different regions had different ways of thinking—let alone the vast differences between humans and soul beasts raised in the wild.

Even An Wen, bonded with Long Xiaoyao, struggled. The wild rabbit Xiao Wu and wild grass Ah Yin from back then must have had even more flaws.

If Tang San and his father weren't fools, they'd have noticed.

Wang Rui was a staunch believer in the "Tang family father-son conspiracy to hunt soul beasts for sacrifice."

That said, An Wen's situation was much better. Students at Shrek Academy came from all over, with significant cultural diversity. Claiming that An Wen was from a reclusive sect, unfamiliar with social norms, likely wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"…And tone down your combative tendencies," Wang Rui advised earnestly. "Also, your roommate Wang Dong…"

He stopped himself, wary of saying too much. If An Wen acted suspiciously, Wang Dong's father's divine soul might notice.

An Wen wasn't exactly the best at keeping secrets.

"Is he an enemy?" An Wen asked sharply.

"Not exactly an enemy, but his father is trouble," Wang Rui shook his head. "Don't target him, but don't get too close, either."

Just treat him like a normal classmate. With Wang Rui around, nothing extreme should happen in the next few years.

…Then, as soon as they returned to the freshmen dorm, An Wen bolted toward the combat arena like an unrestrained husky.

Wang Rui felt like all his earnest advice had been thrown to the dogs.

An Wen might look obedient, but like her mother, she had her own ideas and logic—a highly willful creature.

Wang Rui sighed. Other families had elder sisters who acted like mothers, yet here he was, a younger brother having to act like one.

Exhausted, Wang Rui went upstairs to his dorm.

Huo Yuqing was squatting on the floor, wiping it with a cloth.

Ugh… Huo Gua is so well-behaved, Wang Rui's inner self cried. If only An Wen were half as sensible, he wouldn't have to worry so much.

Wait. After a month, why hadn't Huo Gua built much muscle, but her hips seemed to have grown rounder?

Maybe it was just the posture. Wang Rui shook his head, letting the impolite thought slide off his smooth brain.

Huo Yuqing brightened up when she saw Wang Rui return. "I just found out that the combat arena is in the northwest corner of the academy. Are you going to watch their matches? The dining hall's on the way, so we can eat on the way back."

"Sure." Wang Rui casually washed another cloth in the water basin and squatted to help her wipe the floor.

"By the way, who was that guy with the bun hairstyle?" Huo Yuqing hesitated before asking.

Just now, she realized she knew very little about Wang Rui, and vice versa. This made her slightly uneasy.

"Oh, that's my younger brother—the biological kind," Wang Rui answered.

He decided to strip An Wen of her status as an older sister.

Huo Yuqing's gaze instantly filled with sympathy. —A family so rich they could afford over ten thousand gold soul coins on their first day? What a life.

"Shrek Academy's fees are really high," she muttered, lowering her voice and leaning toward Wang Rui. "I also found out that daily necessities in the campus stores cost twice as much as outside."

"Old Shrek tradition." Wang Rui shrugged, scrubbing a stubborn stain on the floor that he suspected might be blood.

The two whispered like conspirators. Huo Yuqing complained about everything from the unreasonable teachers to the exorbitant prices, her tone full of disillusionment.

"By the way, Wang Rui," Huo Yuqing suddenly straightened up, fidgeting slightly. "Your friends and family seem to call you Rui Rui. Can I call you that too?"

Wang Rui: …Too cheesy! No way! Reduplicative nicknames are so cringe!

But seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Finally, he gave up and said, "Go ahead. Call me whatever you like."

"Hehe! Rui Rui!" Huo Yuqing beamed, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

The new nickname made her feel closer to Wang Rui somehow.

Wang Rui let out a low "Mm," raising a hand to rub his increasingly warm ear.

Damn it. The golden big cat lost to the energetic puppy type!