Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

Credits: Alma

"Ah, it can be done like this?"

Jiang Nannan's delicate lips parted slightly in surprise. The methods of the Ice God Palace were truly unconventional.

"But wouldn't this wrongly accuse innocent people?" she asked with some hesitation.

"They don't count as good people. What kind of good person would hire assassins over a verbal disagreement?" Mu Wu replied indifferently.

Hearing this, Jiang Nannan fell silent.

Indeed.

Just because of a few heated words, they had tried to take her life.

Though Jiang Nannan was kind-hearted, she wasn't foolish enough to pity those who sought to kill her.

When it came to dealing with such people who lacked any humanity, the Ice God Palace's methods suddenly didn't seem so unreasonable.

If they didn't value human lives, then wasn't it fair for the Ice God Palace to deal with them in such a manner?

As Jiang Nannan thought it over, she realized that the people in question were indeed far from being good. Bullying the weak and abusing power was their daily routine.

The words she had initially intended to say remained stuck in her throat.

She still didn't know exactly who had tried to kill her, but even those who hadn't acted yet likely harbored similar intentions.

Since they all disregarded the lives of ordinary people, dealing with them collectively didn't seem so unjust.

Unconsciously, Jiang Nannan's personality was being influenced by the Ice God Palace's way of doing things.

Her previously gentle and kind nature would never have entertained such thoughts, but this change wasn't necessarily a bad thing for her.

After all, in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, being overly kind-hearted could easily lead to harm.

Seeing Jiang Nannan's silence, Mu Wu continued, "You've already withdrawn from the academy. The priority now is to take you to the Ice God Palace.

"Once you're there, I'll need to return to report to the Young Master."

"Senior, what about my mother?" Jiang Nannan asked with concern.

Previously, she hadn't been worried, but now that they had dared to attack her, there was no guarantee they wouldn't target her family.

If anything were to happen to her mother, she would be devastated.

"The Young Master has already accounted for that. We will bring your mother to the Ice God Palace, where she will be cared for and allowed to live out her years in peace."

"Her safety is not something you need to worry about."

"What? Xiao Yu already considered that?"

Jiang Nannan was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Su Yu had planned everything so thoroughly, leaving nothing overlooked.

No one had ever cared for her like this before.

Her eyes reddened, and she felt a strong urge to cry.

"The Young Master is always meticulous. You can trust him completely," Mu Wu said calmly.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

Jiang Nannan nodded.

In the next moment, Mu Wu grabbed her arm, and with a few swift movements, they disappeared.

Less than a minute after Mu Wu and Jiang Nannan left, a figure appeared.

Dressed in white, with neatly combed hair, it was none other than Yan Shaozhe.

Yan Shaozhe frowned as he looked at the bloody remains scattered across the ground. "It seems I was still a step too late."

"But who would have the audacity to commit murder just outside Shrek City?"

"They don't take Shrek Academy seriously at all."

The blood and gore made it evident that a brutal slaughter had taken place here, but Yan Shaozhe couldn't immediately determine who had been responsible.

"There are no fragments of Jiang Nannan's clothing, so she likely wasn't harmed. Did she avoid this path, or was she rescued by someone?"

"Could it be the one who saved her that killed these people?"

"Jiang Nannan was born a commoner, with no real background. If someone saved her, it could only have been Su Yu's people."

Yan Shaozhe muttered to himself, piecing things together in his mind.

If it was Su Yu's people, they certainly had the boldness to kill near Shrek City.

But if Su Yu's people had acted, it meant someone had indeed tried to assassinate Jiang Nannan.

Who could have ordered the attack?

"This won't do. I must investigate thoroughly. We might not be able to deal with the Ice God Palace for now, but whoever dared to hire assassins near Shrek City, this dean will not let them off."

With a cold snort, Yan Shaozhe's figure vanished in an instant.

...

...

At Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

In the third-year dormitory area.

Room 308.

Third-year Wang Dong'er had already gone to class, while fifth-year Su Yu was still slacking off.

Su Yu lounged in a chair, legs crossed, holding Little Snow Empress in his arms and feeding her.

The little Snow Empress stretched out her tiny hands, gripping the bottle and drinking happily.

Today, Su Yu was feeding her a mixture of Ice Essence and honey.

Ice Essence was the Snow Empress's main source of nourishment. Most of the Ice Essence Su Yu had earned through daily tasks hadn't been consumed by him—it had all gone to her.

The honey, on the other hand, had come from Bear Lord, produced by the legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Jade Bees. It was truly a peerless treasure.

It can be said that each meal Snow Empress eats costs enough gold soul coins to support an ordinary person for over a decade.

Only someone like Su Yu, with such wealth and resources, could afford to raise her. Who else would dare to spend like this?

Su Yu held the little Snow Empress in his arms, watching her drink the Ice Essence with effort, and couldn't help but chuckle.

The once-magnificent and peerlessly beautiful Snow Empress had turned into an adorable one-year-old toddler. The stark contrast was undeniably amusing.

Perhaps due to her physical transformation, her original personality seemed to have shifted slightly as well. At times, she was genuinely as cute as a child.

Looking at her soft, chubby little face, Su Yu couldn't resist gently poking it with his finger.

The little Snow Empress shot him a disdainful look but continued drinking, undisturbed.

"Haha," Su Yu laughed and poked her again.

The little Snow Empress gave him a light kick with her short legs and glared at him with her round, wide eyes.

However, in her current state, she exuded no majesty at all; instead, she looked adorably helpless.

Su Yu, being mischievous, found her flustered reactions even more entertaining.

In the end, the powerless little Snow Empress had no choice but to let him tease her.

"Stop bullying me, or I'll get back at you somehow!" she pouted, glaring at him with a hint of defiance.

Su Yu chuckled. "Alright, I'll be waiting."

After saying that, he pinched her cheek gently again.

The Snow Empress huffed in frustration, picked up her bottle, and resumed drinking, ignoring him entirely.

Su Yu smiled, cradling her carefully. He picked up a teacup from the table with his free hand, intending to take a sip.

Suddenly, a figure appeared—it was Mu Wu.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Su Yu's expression turned serious in an instant. "How did things progress?"

Mu Wu bowed and reported, "As the Young Master foresaw, someone indeed tried to assassinate Miss Nannan. They sent two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings."

"Bang!"

Before Mu Wu could finish speaking, Su Yu crushed the teacup in his hand, sending tea splashing everywhere.

"What are you doing?!"

The little Snow Empress glared at Su Yu, clearly upset. The tea had splattered all over her, with some leaves even landing on her forehead.

How could she not be furious?

"Ahem, sorry, I got a bit emotional," Su Yu said quickly, drying his hands and carefully picking the tea leaves off her head.

Then, using a clean towel, he wiped the tea off her clothes and face.

Only after this did the little Snow Empress's expression soften slightly. She looked at Su Yu and muttered, "You need to control yourself better next time!"

"Understood," Su Yu replied, placing her gently on the bed.

After tidying himself up, Su Yu turned to Mu Wu. "Go on."

Mu Wu continued, "As per your instructions, I crushed those ants."

"Miss Nannan has been safely delivered to the Ice God Palace and is under Ling Guang's care."

"Her mother has also been brought into the palace. To help her adapt to the environment, we've fed her various natural treasures."

"We've forcibly elevated her to the rank of Grand Soul Master and exposed her to the Ice God's Light. She'll have no issues living peacefully in the Ice God Palace."

"However, her mother lacks innate talent. The forced elevation to Grand Soul Master will likely be her limit in this lifetime," Mu Wu added.

"No matter," Su Yu said nonchalantly. "She was just an ordinary person with poor health. After being exposed to the Ice God's Light, she can live a long, illness-free life."

"That's more than sufficient—we owe her nothing. I've done enough for her."

To anyone else, who would have gone to such lengths for her? Su Yu had a clear conscience.

"And Nannan? How is she adapting?"

"She's doing well. She's integrating quickly, though she's quite surprised by the extravagance of the Ice God Palace."

"That's to be expected. After all, the Ice God Palace is on an entirely different level than Shrek," Su Yu said with a faint smile.

"Make sure to nurture her well—she has good potential."

"Understood. I've already instructed Ling Guang to take care of her."

"Good," Su Yu nodded.

After hesitating for a moment, Mu Wu asked, "Young Master, what should we do about those who sought to assassinate Miss Nannan?"

"Did you find out who hired the killers?"

"I didn't bother asking—I killed them all directly."

Su Yu wasn't surprised. He said indifferently, "In that case, deal with all the suspects."

"Although I suspect Dai Huabin was behind this, there's a chance others might've had the same idea."

"Regardless, none of them are good people. A little lesson for all of them won't hurt."

"And since two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings were involved, they must have mobilized family resources. Deal with their families as well."

"As for Dai Huabin, give him special treatment. He's already a cripple, but not crippled enough. Castrate him again."

"And break another arm while you're at it—One-Arm Man suits him better."

"As for the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, I think cutting off their future suits them well. Let Dai Hao and his other sons end up just like Dai Huabin."

"A family should be… unified," Su Yu said with a faint smile.

"As for the Xuanwu Sect..."

Su Yu paused for a moment, then spoke in a soft yet eerie tone, "I've heard that the Sect Master of the Xuanwu Sect seems to be gravely injured and doesn't have much time left."

A glint of understanding flashed in Mu Wu's eyes. "This subordinate understands."

"Oh? What exactly do you understand?" Su Yu asked with a playful smile.

"This subordinate… understands nothing. Absolutely nothing," Mu Wu quickly corrected himself.

"Ha! Go then," Su Yu chuckled and waved him off.

Mu Wu bowed deeply again and retreated.

Watching Mu Wu's figure disappear, Su Yu glanced at his hand and sighed softly, "The weather's getting cold, isn't it?"

"What nonsense! It's just you being bad!" Little Snow Empress retorted, shaking her tiny fists.

"Oh? How bad exactly?" Su Yu smirked mischievously and began to lean closer.

Sensing danger, Little Snow Empress's expression turned panicked. "W-what are you trying to do?"

"You tell me," Su Yu replied with a wicked grin.

"D-don't you dare! I'll be mad!" Little Snow Empress stammered, her face full of apprehension. Judging by his expression, she knew Su Yu was up to no good again.

How infuriating! She, the dignified Snow Empress, had been reduced to a plaything for this brat. It truly was like a mighty tiger being bullied by dogs in a land of misfortune.

When could she regain her former glory?

"Oh, I'm so scared now," Su Yu teased, laughing lightly as he moved closer and closer.

What followed was utter chaos—a flurry of cries, flailing limbs, and panicked yelps. Once again, the powerless Little Snow Empress was thoroughly teased.

...

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Dai Huabin, who had been unable to contact his subordinates for an extended time, finally started to panic.

With no other choice, he went to his older brother, Dai Yuoheng, and confessed everything.

Dai Yuoheng's expression changed instantly. Furious, he yelled, "What did you just say?!"

"You dared to send people to assassinate Jiang Nannan?! Are you out of your mind?"

Dai Yuoheng glared at him with utter disappointment, unable to believe his younger brother could be so foolish.

Though he also hated Jiang Nannan and wouldn't mind her being gone, he still had common sense. He knew what could and couldn't be done.

But Dai Huabin? He'd gone through with it. Was he completely brainless?

"Jiang Nannan already dropped out! I saw it with my own eyes. Killing her wouldn't have provoked Shrek's wrath," Dai Huabin defended himself.

He had been fixated on Jiang Nannan ever since his return. When he learned she was leaving Shrek Academy, he was ecstatic.

Once she left Shrek, wasn't she at his mercy? He thought it would be as easy as crushing an ant.

But, strangely enough, no word had come back after such a long time.

Dai Yuoheng, furious, scolded him loudly, "Idiot! Do you think this is just about Shrek Academy?"

"Do you have any idea about Su Yu's background?"

"Jiang Nannan is connected to Su Yu, and you still dared to target her? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Shrek Academy was one thing, but the Ice God Palace was another entirely—it was not an entity to be trifled with.

Dai Huabin had no idea what kind of disaster he might bring upon their family with such reckless behavior.

"What background does Su Yu have?" Dai Huabin asked, looking confused.

When Hai Bodong made his appearance, Dai Huabin had already fainted from humiliation and fear.

By the time he woke up, the match was long over. Moreover, he had stubbornly avoided attending the post-match meeting, pretending to be out of commission.

And as for Zhu Lu, whenever she tried to explain things, Dai Huabin's bad temper would drive her away before she could say anything.

Thus, while everyone else knew the truth, Dai Huabin remained utterly clueless.

He still thought Su Yu was just someone with decent talent and had no understanding of his background.

If Su Yu weren't a student of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Dai Huabin might have even tried to target him directly!