Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

After Xia Yi left, Leng Yaozhu reached out her hand, and the Dark Phoenix she had previously absorbed reappeared in her palm.

"Little sister, do you know? I wished what Xia Yi said was true for a moment." Staring at the Dark Phoenix in her hand, Leng Yaozhu sighed lightly and said, "But this Dark Phoenix's aura is yours. Even if Xia Yi were your child and had inherited your Dark Phoenix Martial Soul, there would still be some differences in aura. It wouldn't be the same as yours. So, the Dark Phoenix's power in his body must have been something you deliberately left behind in him."

When she first witnessed Xia Yi's Dark Phoenix, Zi Ji was full of praise for its power.

She believed that such a powerful Dark Phoenix must have placed a huge burden on Xia Yi.

In reality, however, the energy Xia Yi expended when using the Dark Phoenix was almost negligible—so insignificant that it was even less than a thousandth of what was needed to activate Star Shift.

To put it simply, if the Dark Phoenix were a lamp, then the soul power Xia Yi used each time he activated it was barely more than the energy needed to flip a light switch.

As long as he "flipped the switch," an endless stream of power would flow into the Dark Phoenix tattoo on his arm, transforming into an attack.

In other words, the Dark Phoenix's attack didn't consume Xia Yi's soul power; instead, it drained the soul power of Leng Yulai, who was imprisoned inside him.

This was why Leng Yaozhu was so certain Xia Yi was lying to her—the Dark Phoenix in her hand came entirely from Leng Yulai.

That was why its aura was an exact match with Leng Yulai's.

Xia Yi was aware of this, so he simply chose to give up pretending.

He directly had Gu Yue tell Leng Yaozhu that he had just been making things up.

Since Leng Yaozhu hadn't gotten angry the moment she learned the truth, chances were she wouldn't get angry later, either.

"The person you chose is very clever. He knows that when fabricating a story, it must contain both truth and falsehood so that I can't distinguish which parts are real and which are fake. But for him to be so detailed, even involving me, I imagine it must be based on his own experiences." Leng Yaozhu's gaze softened again.

She was certain that the story Xia Yi had just told was something he had made up on the spot. It couldn't have been pre-planned by Leng Yulai.

Leng Yaozhu knew Leng Yulai too well. Given Leng Yulai's feelings for Yun Ming, she would never create a story where she had gotten married and even had a child.

Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath and spoke gently, "Do you hate me that much? You even want me to get married… Forget it, we'll talk about that later. For now, I'll help you settle your debt with Xia Yi. The evil aura in your soul power isn't too strong yet—there's still hope. I only beg you not to completely fall into darkness."

In Leng Yaozhu's view, Xia Yi must have been controlled by Leng Yulai.

It was highly likely that Xia Yi's "tragic experiences" were all related to Leng Yulai.

That was why she hadn't gotten angry at Xia Yi.

Of course, another reason was that she could sense that the evil aura in Leng Yulai's soul power was still not too severe.

There was still a chance to save her.

If Leng Yulai sought her out now and was willing to make some sacrifices, Leng Yaozhu could still help cleanse the evil from her soul power.

But if Leng Yulai fell deeper into darkness, there would be nothing she could do.

She dared not harm Xia Yi.

Right now, Xia Yi is Leng Yulai's "pawn."

If she touched this "pawn," Leng Yulai might completely succumb and become an evil soul master.

"Teacher!"

Gu Yue slowly approached Leng Yaozhu.

When she looked up and saw Leng Yaozhu's radiant yet dignified face, she was immediately taken aback.

There were tear stains on Leng Yaozhu's face.

"Damn fox! What did you say to Teacher that made her cry?" Gu Yue was filled with disbelief.

In her understanding, the only person who could make Leng Yaozhu cry should be the Heavenly Ascension Douluo, Yun Ming, whom she had always loved.

Yet, Xia Yi had managed to do it.

However, if she knew what Xia Yi had said to Leng Yaozhu, she might have understood.

And she would have only had two words for Xia Yi—"Shameless bastard!"

Seeing Gu Yue's strange expression, Leng Yaozhu quickly realized what had happened.

She had been too lost in thought and had forgotten to wipe away the tears on her face.

With a flash of crimson firelight, the tear stains vanished completely. Leng Yaozhu returned to her usual radiant and energetic state. She then looked at Gu Yue and said, "No need for formalities, have a seat. Tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Xia Yi?"

"He's a friend I met at East Sea Academy," Gu Yue said solemnly.

"A friend? I don't think so," Leng Yaozhu responded with a knowing smile.

"I wouldn't dare deceive you, Teacher," Gu Yue quickly replied.

Leng Yaozhu smiled slightly and asked, "You say you're just friends, but ever since you entered the Spirit Pagoda, you've been deliberately walking ahead of him. What does that mean?"

"Did I?" Gu Yue was stunned. These actions were subconscious attempts to suppress Xia Yi—she hadn't even noticed them herself.

"Yes, and it's very obvious," Leng Yaozhu said with a smile. "Do you know what that means?"

"What does it mean?" Gu Yue's heart tightened. Had Leng Yaozhu already figured out her and Xia Yi's true identities?

"It means one of two things. Either Xia Yi is an idiot who hasn't noticed at all, or he's doing it on purpose." Leng Yaozhu's tone became serious.

"On purpose?" Gu Yue was startled. Did that mean Xia Yi already understood her thoughts and was deliberately going along with her?

"You immediately ruled out the possibility that he's an idiot, which means you know him quite well," Leng Yaozhu smiled again. "At his age, he should be full of youthful arrogance, yet he willingly lets you suppress him. Clearly, he has ulterior motives in getting close to you."

"This…" Gu Yue was momentarily at a loss for words.

She knew Xia Yi couldn't have ulterior motives toward her.

Xia Yi knew her identity and was well aware that being with her meant nothing but responsibility—he would gain nothing else.

Why would he have ulterior motives?

Seeing Gu Yue remain silent, Leng Yaozhu shook her head. "I know you have great talent and will have many followers in the future. As your teacher, I will give you a lesson today: To control someone, you must first earn their recognition, then their admiration, and finally, their worship. If you can do that, they will naturally follow you without you needing to force them."

Leng Yaozhu sighed softly before continuing, "But your current approach—deliberately walking ahead and keeping him behind—not only fails to control him but also exposes your lack of confidence."

Gu Yue bit her lip. Recognition might be possible, but getting Xia Yi to admire or even worship her was harder than climbing to the heavens.

Leng Yaozhu smiled. "It seems you've already realized the problem."

Gu Yue nodded reluctantly. "I have."

"Very good," Leng Yaozhu nodded again. "I know Xia Yi has many impressive qualities—he is a genius who can defeat Shrek Academy's top students while fighting across levels, and he is also a fourth-rank blacksmith. But you must understand one thing—you are no worse than him. You are the genius of our Spirit Pagoda, you can also defeat Shrek Academy's top students across levels, and you are the disciple of an Ultimate Douluo. With all of that combined, why should you lack confidence?"

"Teacher, this isn't about cultivation level," Gu Yue said helplessly.

"Sigh!" Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at Gu Yue.

"It seems that when facing Xia Yi, you still lack confidence," Leng Yaozhu said, as if disappointed in her. "If you can't manage it, then just interact with him as equals. As you said, you are friends. For now, don't think about controlling him, or else you'll only sink deeper. In the end, it won't be him following you, but you following him."

As an outsider, Leng Yaozhu had observed the issue immediately upon seeing Xia Yi and Gu Yue together.

She knew that if Gu Yue lacked confidence when dealing with Xia Yi, then the more she tried to suppress him, the more her insecurity would be magnified.

If this continued, Gu Yue would only become less and less confident.

As Gu Yue's teacher, Leng Yaozhu was unwilling to see such a situation unfold.

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher," Gu Yue nodded. She had also considered interacting with Xia Yi as equals.

But she was the Lord of Soul Beasts, while Xia Yi was merely an ordinary soul beast.

If Xia Yi were like the Demon Emperor and unaware of her identity, that would be one thing.

The problem was that Xia Yi knew who she was. If she treated him as an equal, it would be lowering her own status.

She simply couldn't bring herself to let go of her dignity as the Lord of Soul Beasts.

(End of Chapter)