Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

"Scoundrel! Serves you right if you fall to your death!" Mu Xi gritted her teeth.

But she couldn't help glancing back at Xia Yi. Once she confirmed he was fine, she let out a sigh of relief, and then drove off without hesitation.

She didn't head to East Sea Academy but instead turned the car around and went straight home.

She had no interest in going back to East Sea Academy just to see Xia Yi's annoying face.

Seeing Mu Xi storming in with rage, Yuan Bao'er quickly asked, "Oh dear, who made my Xi'er so angry?"

Yuan Bao'er was a little surprised. She knew her daughter well. When Mu Chen mentioned that Mu Xi had gone back to East Sea Academy with Xia Yi, Yuan Bao'er had expected her daughter to return home heartbroken and in tears.

She had even prepared herself to comfort Mu Xi.

But instead, Mu Xi came back fuming with anger.

"Who else could it be? That scumbag, of course! I curse him to be single for life!" Mu Xi ground her teeth. She had thought she'd be heartbroken after seeing Xia Yi again.

But now, while she was furious, she wasn't particularly sad.

Maybe it was because she felt Xia Yi wasn't worth her tears. Or perhaps she had simply come to accept that he was just that kind of person—so being upset over him was pointless.

" Xi'er, tell me what happened?" Yuan Bao'er pulled Mu Xi to sit down, her curiosity piqued. Over the past three years, she has met Xia Yi a few times.

She had been quite satisfied with him. He seemed carefree and unrestrained, yet he always maintained a sense of propriety.

"What else could it be? That damn Xia Yi made our precious daughter mad again." Mu Chen's face was dark with anger.

It was one thing for Xia Yi to upset Mu Xi before, but now they were about to part ways, and yet he still managed to make her this furious.

"Oh, shut up. You and Xi'er's master are the same—all you care about is forging, with zero romantic sense. What do you even know?" Yuan Bao'er shot Mu Chen a glare.

"Everything my dear wife says is right." Mu Chen was speechless. How did this suddenly turn into an attack on him?

"Glad you understand." Yuan Bao'er snorted before turning back to Mu Xi, holding her hand. "Now, tell me everything Xia Yi said. I'll help you analyze it."

"That damn Xia Yi wants multiple wives!" Mu Xi was still fuming. Though she felt a little embarrassed, she recounted everything Xia Yi had said earlier.

She was truly infuriated by him. Right now, she had no idea what to do and could only turn to Yuan Bao'er for help.

"Multiple wives? I can't believe he said that." Mu Chen was shaking with rage. He was a Saint Craftsman, yet he only had one wife. But this Xia Yi, still so young, was already thinking about having multiple wives?

"Did I not tell you to shut up?" Yuan Bao'er scolded Mu Chen again, making him shrink back in fear.

Only after ensuring Mu Chen wouldn't interrupt again did Yuan Bao'er tap Mu Xi's forehead and ask, "Silly girl, tell me—why are you so mad? Is it because you think Xia Yi is too much of a playboy, or because you believe he's deliberately trying to upset you?"

"He must be trying to provoke me! Otherwise, even if he does want multiple wives, why would he tell me about it?" Mu Xi argued.

"I think he's serious about wanting multiple wives." Yuan Bao'er chuckled, unfazed.

"What?" Mu Xi was stunned. "Then why would he tell me that?"

"Oh, my silly daughter. You still don't get it? He sees you as just a friend, so he feels comfortable sharing his real thoughts with you." Yuan Bao'er sighed.

"A friend?" Mu Xi was dumbfounded. She instinctively glanced down at herself.

She wasn't exactly lacking in feminine charm.

How could he see her as just a friend?

"Sigh." Yuan Bao'er sighed again. "Your master has been investigating Xia Yi's background for a long time but hasn't found anything. You've been with him for three years—has he ever mentioned his parents to you?"

"No." Mu Xi shook her head. Just thinking about it made her angrier. Xia Yi wouldn't even tell her where his family lived.

"If my guess is correct, he probably doesn't have a happy family, or maybe he doesn't have a family at all. That's why he avoids the topic—not because he's deliberately hiding it from you. Think about it—over these three years, if he had a loving family and parents who cared for him, how could he go three whole years without going home even once?" Yuan Bao'er sighed again.

These past three years, Zhen Hua had been investigating Xia Yi, and Mu Chen had also been keeping an eye on him. Yuan Bao'er knew that ever since Xia Yi had returned from Shrek City, he had never once left East Sea City.

Mu Xi furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Yuan Bao'er continued, "You've met Tang Wulin before, right? Like Xia Yi, he's also a prodigy. But compared to Xia Yi, Tang Wulin's personality is much more well-rounded. That's likely because of their upbringings. Tang Wulin was raised and guided by his parents, while Xia Yi had to fend for himself. Although he's learned how to navigate the world, he's also picked up some streetwise habits. Given his immense talent and youthful arrogance, it's natural for him to have thoughts about having multiple wives."

"Mom, you're not even mad that the guy I like wants multiple wives?" Mu Xi protested. She had been fuming for so long, yet Yuan Bao'er wasn't angry at all.

"You." Yuan Bao'er shook her head helplessly. "I guarantee that if it weren't for Xia Yi, you'd have liked Tang Wulin instead. And if that were the case, you'd be crying your heart out right now."

"I wouldn't!" Mu Xi pouted.

"Sigh." Yuan Bao'er sighed again. "They say even heroes fall for beauties. On the flip side, beautiful women are drawn to heroes—especially young ones. Compared to Tang Wulin, Xia Yi has a lot more rough edges, and maybe that's what made you feel like he's similar to you, that you're the same kind of person. If he hadn't just become a fifth-rank blacksmith, you probably wouldn't have realized that he's actually more exceptional than Tang Wulin, right?"

Mu Xi stayed silent but nodded.

Yuan Bao'er smiled and continued, "Today, you suddenly saw the gap between you and him, and it made you feel like you weren't worthy of him. You even felt so inferior that you wanted to push him toward Gu Yue. That must have hurt a lot, didn't it?"

Mu Xi nodded again. Earlier, when she'd said that in the car, her heart had ached terribly.

If Xia Yi hadn't been sitting beside her, she would have burst into tears.

"But now, you're not sad anymore. Why? Is it because Xia Yi refused to chase after Gu Yue?" Yuan Bao'er asked.

"I don't know." Mu Xi shook her head.

"It's not that you don't know, you just haven't realized it yet." Yuan Bao'er sighed softly and said, "You suddenly stopped feeling sad because even though Xia Yi has become a Level Five Blacksmith, he also revealed his roguish and streetwise side again, making you once more overlook the gap between you and him. It even makes you feel like you still have a chance."

"I do not!" Mu Xi's delicate face turned slightly red as she shook Yuan Bao'er's arm, acting coquettishly. "What kind of mother are you, actually encouraging your own daughter to accept a scoundrel who wants to have multiple wives?"

"My precious Xi'er, even if Xia Yi were just a little talented, or even if he were a god, if he dared to marry my daughter, I would never allow my daughter to suffer even the slightest grievance." Yuan Bao'er snorted coldly.

"Then what is the point of saying all this?" Mu Xi responded indifferently, a look of disappointment appearing on her face.

"My dear daughter, you're not seriously thinking about becoming a concubine, are you? I'm warning you, not only will I not allow it, but your father and your master wouldn't agree either." Yuan Bao'er's gaze suddenly became stern.

Mu Xi guiltily avoided Yuan Bao'er's gaze and muttered softly, "Of course not."

"No matter what you are thinking, I advise you to give up on the idea of becoming a concubine as soon as possible." Yuan Bao'er spoke in a cold voice once again.

She then took a deep breath and said, "Actually, Xia Yi might have just been speaking casually about wanting multiple wives. Maybe he truly thinks that way now, but that's because he hasn't really fallen in love yet. Many young men are like this—they seem carefree and unrestrained, but once they truly fall for someone, they become extremely devoted."

"Really?" Mu Xi's beautiful eyes lit up instantly.

"Some men really are like that." Yuan Bao'er nodded firmly. She patted Mu Xi's head again and said, "Right now, Xia Yi doesn't like you—he only sees you as a friend. So, I'm giving you two choices: either cut ties with him completely and live in separate worlds from now on, or go to Shrek Academy and make him fall for you."

"If I go find him, will he really fall for me?" Mu Xi's gaze dimmed again. Her talent was indeed outstanding among ordinary people, but compared to true geniuses, there was still a significant gap.

Seeing Mu Xi's expression, Yuan Bao'er immediately shook her head. "Forget it, don't go. You don't even have confidence in yourself—how could he possibly like you? Xia Yi's handling of the situation today was good enough. At least you weren't heartbroken. If you go to Shrek, you'll only come back in tears."

"No, I want to go." Mu Xi suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with determination. "If it ends just like this, I will never be satisfied for the rest of my life."

"Good! That's my daughter. Remember what I told you before." Yuan Bao'er nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Mu Chen and said coldly, "Didn't you hear your daughter wants to enter Shrek Academy? Hurry up and pull some strings for her!"

"I'll see what I can do." Mu Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn't understand why the usually gentle Yuan Bao'er had suddenly become so fierce today.

Using connections to get into Shrek Academy?

How bold of Yuan Bao'er to even say that.

That was Shrek Academy! It wasn't a place where one could just enter through connections!

However, at this moment, he dared not argue with Yuan Bao'er and could only go seek out Zhen Hua.

Only Zhen Hua could persuade Shrek Academy to make an exception.

Yuan Bao'er turned back to Mu Xi, pulling her into an embrace. Her gaze softened as she said, "Your master will need some time to smooth things over. During this period, think carefully about how you should face Xia Yi. Your previous way of interacting with him clearly wasn't working. If you continue like that, you'll only remain friends."

"Thank you, Mom. I understand." Mu Xi hugged Yuan Bao'er back, her heart full of gratitude.

"Since you've made your decision, you must abandon that self-deprecating mindset of encouraging him to pursue other girls. You need to believe in yourself. Your master is the only Divine Blacksmith on the continent—you are no less than anyone else and are worthy of anyone." Yuan Bao'er held Mu Xi tightly. She knew that this journey would be difficult for Mu Xi.

But she still supported her.

If she didn't even have the courage to pursue her own happiness, then what happiness could she possibly talk about?

(End of Chapter)