Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Although Leng Yaozhu was already advanced in age, as an Ultimate Douluo, time had left barely any traces on her.

Even to this day, she remained the number one beauty of the Spirit Pagoda. The young Soul Masters of this generation—whether in appearance, temperament, or physique—were far behind her.

Her fiery red hair flowed freely, and paired with her black uniform, she exuded a highly seductive allure.

Seeing Xia Yi looking at her like that, how could Leng Yaozhu not know what he was thinking?

Her cold gaze immediately locked onto Xia Yi.

Xia Yi shrunk his neck back, hurriedly retracting his gaze and mumbling under his breath, "I need some time to think about it."

Thud!

"You can think my ass!" Leng Yaozhu flicked his forehead hard, trembling with anger at Xia Yi.

She hadn't expected Xia Yi to flirt with her once, let alone a second time.

"I have a female relative in my family with exceptional talent. I've always treated her like a younger sister. As long as you're willing to marry into our family, then you'll be considered a part of the Leng family. That way, you won't need to repay the 5.5 billion Federation coins used to bid for the Heart of the Ice God." Leng Yaozhu shot him another glare.

Although she didn't know exactly what was going on, she knew that Xia Yi was able to absorb the Heart of the Ice God. That meant he must have a secret.

If his Martial Soul could continue evolving, then his future achievements would be limitless.

A person like him—if he could be brought into the Leng family—would ensure that the Leng family remained strong for centuries.

Either way, no matter which option Xia Yi chose, 55 billion for such a high-potential young talent was absolutely a steal.

"Your younger sister?" Xia Yi's mouth twitched, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Big sis… mind telling me your real age?"

"Eighteen!" Leng Yaozhu smiled sweetly as she replied.

"…Alright, eighteen it is." Xia Yi's mouth twitched again. He had originally wanted to argue, but after seeing Leng Yaozhu's sharp gaze, he immediately chickened out.

He couldn't, for the life of him, understand how she could say 'eighteen' with such a straight face.

"So, have you made your decision? Option one or option two?" Leng Yaozhu pressed on.

"…Can I choose neither?" Xia Yi asked.

Leng Yaozhu chuckled, then said, "Sure. Just pay me back the 55 billion Federation coins. Or, you can return the Heart of the Ice God to me."

"But didn't I already promise to give your younger sister a storage Soul Guidance Ring?" Xia Yi argued.

"Oh, you've got some nerve bringing that up." Leng Yaozhu was furious. "That was only a condition I set before I helped you bid for the Heart of the Ice God. I originally thought that after your Martial Soul evolved, you would return the Heart of the Ice God to me. But who would've thought you'd just straight-up eat it?!"

Hearing this, Leng Yaozhu was even more frustrated.

"That's kinda your fault, though. You never made that clear from the start," Xia Yi muttered weakly.

"My fault?! Even a god wouldn't have expected you to swallow the Heart of the Ice God!" Leng Yaozhu huffed coldly, then continued, "Even if it was my fault, you borrowed the money from me. Borrowed money needs to be repaid, right? Either pay up or make a choice."

Xia Yi's eyes flickered, then he forced a smile and said, "Big sis, how about this… instead of your younger sister, could I pick a student instead?"

"Dream on." Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at him. Gu Yue was her only disciple.

Forget 5.5 billion—even if it were 100 billion or 1 trillion, she would never hand over Gu Yue.

With Gu Yue's talent, reaching the Ultimate Douluo level in the future would be effortless.

As for Xia Yi, despite his mysterious abilities, his ultimate potential was still uncertain.

After all, his recent Martial Soul evolution had required the Heart of the Ice God—a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Who knew what kind of divine artifact Xia Yi would need for his next Martial Soul evolution?

The Heart of the Ice God was already unique on the entire continent.

Leng Yaozhu had no idea if Douluo Continent even had another treasure powerful enough for Xia Yi's next evolution.

She couldn't risk betting Gu Yue's future on such an uncertain gamble.

Her so-called 'two choices' were never meant to force Xia Yi into a decision.

She had only thrown them out as a test—a bait.

Even if Xia Yi's Martial Soul never evolved again, there were plenty of women in the Leng family. If necessary, she could just randomly pick one as a "younger sister."

Either way, she wouldn't lose out.

"I think I'd rather just take my time to slowly pay you back," Xia Yi shrugged.

Leng Yaozhu fell silent for a few moments, then spoke solemnly:

"If that's the case… then go. I'll give you twenty years to pay me back. If, by then, you still can't repay me, then you'll have to choose between the two options. How about that?"

Even though she had her own plans, her connection to Leng Yulai meant that she couldn't truly force Xia Yi into anything.

"Thank you, Heavenly Phoenix Your Majesty." Xia Yi finally let out a sigh of relief.

Although he had never feared that Leng Yaozhu would do anything extreme to him, he had owed her a favor.

And owing favors always made things stressful.

"There's nothing more to say. Leave." Leng Yaozhu waved her hand, sending Xia Yi out the door.

From the window, she watched as Xia Yi leave. Only then did a small smile appear on her face.

She had always suspected that Xia Yi had ties to Leng Yulai—which meant he was connected to Evil Soul Masters.

That alone guaranteed that Xia Yi would never truly join the Spirit Pagoda.

As for marrying into the Leng family? Even less likely.

Even though Xia Yi had always been calm and collected, she could sense a deep arrogance from within him.

That arrogance told her he would never agree to join another family.

Let alone marry into one.

From the start, her goal was never to force him into submission.

She had only deliberately proposed an offer he couldn't possibly accept, so that when she gave him an alternative, he would have no reason to refuse.

Now, she had secured twenty years—a long enough time to observe Xia Yi and uncover his connection to Leng Yulai.

——

Outside the Spirit Pagoda, Xia Yi's lips curled into the same smile as Leng Yaozhu's.

He had seen through her plan, but played along anyway.

Twenty years.

5.5 billion?

For most people, impossible without Ultimate Douluo-level strength.

But for him?

Piece of cake.

He could just ask the Demon Emperor for it.

And if that didn't work…

Once his cultivation improved, he could just rob the Star Luo Empire's royal tombs.

5.5 billion?

For him, child's play.

He just needed time to clean the money before paying it back.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain where it came from.

——

After hailing a taxi, Xia Yi saw that only Biji and Ziji were inside.

"Where's Di Tian?" he asked.

"The Demon Emperor called him away," Ziji replied, shaking her head. "No idea why."

"What about our master?" Ziji continued. "Why aren't you with her?"

"She's still tied up at the Spirit Pagoda," Xia Yi replied. "Unlike her, I'm not a member, so I left early."

"I see." Ziji nodded. "So, where to next?"

"Biji, stay behind to assist our master," Xia Yi instructed. "Ziji, you come with me to Heaven Dou City."