Nangong Yu had been worried that if he couldn't get ashore when the river water calmed down, he might drown in the Ruoshui River. Unexpectedly, a vine emerged from the water and grabbed him, dragging him into the river.
Nangong Yu tried to break free, but in the Ruoshui River, he had no leverage. He was dragged forward rapidly by the vine. Just as he thought he was going to drown, the vine pulled him out of the water.
"Cough, cough." Nangong Yu coughed incessantly, spitting out the water he had swallowed.
"It's a man," said Taotie, looking at the person hanging in the air.
"A'yu?" Xiao Man called out tentatively. Nangong Yu looked up and saw Xiao Man standing under the tree, looking at him with surprise.
"Man'er!" Nangong Yu wiped the water from his face. "I finally found you."
"Let him down," Xiao Man commanded.
The Fusang Divine Tree let him down. As soon as Nangong Yu stood firm on the ground, he rushed towards Xiao Man and embraced her. "I almost thought I was going to die here."
Xiao Man made a hand seal, and Nangong Yu's soaked clothes instantly became dry and loose. "How did you cross the Ruoshui River?"
"You disappeared, and Lei Tianze said there were three possible places you could have been taken. We each went to one. I came to the wilderness to find you," Nangong Yu explained.
"Three people?"
"Yu Ju too. Yu Ju went to Du'an Mountain to find you."
"Yu Ju went to Du'an Mountain?" Xiao Man looked at Taotie. Taotie blinked and turned his head away guiltily.
"After you left Du'an Mountain, those trash inside kept spreading rumors that I killed you. I don't know what was wrong with the Demon Lord, but he insisted on fighting me. I got so annoyed that I came to find you," Taotie rubbed his nose. "To be clear, it's not that I can't beat him, but I don't want to fight him!"
"Is Yu Ju alright?"
"After the Pseudo-God clan arrived, he was injured and probably escaped," Taotie glanced at Nangong Yu, who was holding Xiao Man. "By the way, who is he?"
Jun Ru leaned closer to Taotie. "Human Emperor."
"Human Emperor?" Taotie rubbed his eyes. "Isn't that the one who caused the death of that kid Xuan Xin back then? How are they together again? Why don't they learn from their mistakes after suffering losses?"
Nangong Yu narrowed his eyes. "Who are these two?"
"Sea Emperor Jun Ru, ferocious beast Taotie." Xiao Man pointed to the two and introduced them to each other. "Nangong Yu."
"I know him. His aura is as irritating as ever," Jun Ru said coldly, his eyes full of wariness and displeasure towards Nangong Yu!
"Man'er, what's going on with these two? I don't think I know them."
"They're both not quite right in the head. You don't need to pay attention to them," Xiao Man said indifferently after glancing at the two. "Let's go to a nearby village to rest. I need to strengthen the barrier here to prevent outsiders from intruding again."
Nangong Yu nodded and walked side by side with Xiao Man. Jun Ru and Taotie followed behind. Taotie looked displeased. "I always feel like I've lost favor since this man appeared."
"You never had favor even when he didn't appear," Jun Ru said faintly. "What a karmic debt. I can't believe it's still a karmic debt after so long."
"I can hear jealousy in your tone."
"It's not jealousy, but rather disappointment in his lack of progress!" Jun Ru gritted his teeth. "Suffering a loss at the hands of a man once is a lesson, but suffering a loss twice at the hands of the same man is utter foolishness and self-destruction."
"They seem to have a good relationship. It's not as bad as the rumors say."
"That's his cunning!" Jun Ru said coldly. "He first appears harmless to everyone, but in secret, he does all sorts of sneaky and unsavory things. His specialty is stabbing people in the back!"
Nangong Yu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing their discussion. Xiao Man also appeared calm. "They're talking about someone else."
"Yes, I know. You know better than anyone what kind of person I am," Nangong Yu said in a steady voice. He didn't take what Jun Ru and Taotie said to heart at all. In his opinion, he was just himself, not the Human Emperor they were talking about.
"How shameless! To forget what they've done and pretend it wasn't them. How can there be such a shameless person in the world?"
"Shameless!" Taotie echoed, taking the food Jun Ru handed him.
"Now that he's approaching Xiao Man, he's probably plotting against her again. Last time he almost killed her, is he trying to kill her this time?" Su Dan Novel Network
"To kill her."
"Some people just don't learn. Last time they almost died in someone else's hands, and this time they're practically delivering themselves to their doorstep. It's simply foolish."
"Foolish!" Taotie replied vaguely with his mouth full of food. In fact, he hadn't even heard what Jun Ru was saying clearly, merely repeating the last few words. Jun Ru, however, seemed to have found a kindred spirit and went on and on.
"Can I beat them up?"
Xiao Man looked back. "Fighting two against one, you'll be at a disadvantage, especially Taotie. His combat power is immense. Even I, without the help of the wilderness's laws, might not be his match."
"What about the one next to him?"
"Although his combat power isn't strong, as the Sea Emperor, he can utilize the power of the Ruoshui River. Of course, if you're far from the Ruoshui River, you might have a chance to win, but now..." Xiao Man glanced at the nearby Ruoshui River. "You're no match for him."
"So I'm just going to let them slander me like this?"
"They're talking about the matters between Xuan Xin and the Human Emperor. What does that have to do with us?" Xiao Man asked unhurriedly. "I am not Xuan Xin, and you are not the Human Emperor. The tragedy between them has nothing to do with us."
"I've become obsessed," Nangong Yu said slowly. "Spiritual energy cannot be used here, and I can't summon my Black Dragon. Even though I've learned to use battle energy, I'm still severely restricted. What about you?"
Xiao Man extended her hand, and Zhu Qing appeared in her palm. "I've inherited Xuan Xin's legacy. In this small world, I can summon contract beasts and harness the laws of the wilderness to strike down stronger opponents than myself."
"Then aren't you the ruler of this small world?" Nangong Yu said with a laugh. "In this world, no one can resist you."
"A'yu, I am not the ruler of this small world, I have merely deciphered the laws of this small world. Once I act against the heavens, neither the laws of this small world nor its people will spare me."
"You won't do anything reckless," Nangong Yu said softly. "The Xiao Man I know, no matter how much she hates or is angry, would never kill innocents or disregard life."
"The Nangong Yu I know is also not a despicable, two-faced scoundrel."