Tang San braced himself against the inner wall of the carriage, barely managing to stay upright as it jolted violently.
His eyes widened in confusion and alarm as he looked toward Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo remained seated firmly in the carriage, but his brows were tightly furrowed, eyes sharp as he peered outside.
Within his spiritual perception, several figures had blocked their path—unmistakably hostile.
Even more alarming, the life signs of the coachman, who had been guiding the horses, had completely vanished—as if he'd evaporated into thin air.
"Hmph. Interesting," Chrysanthemum Douluo muttered with calm detachment, not showing a trace of panic.
In the world of Douluo Dalu, there were no shortage of Evil Soul Masters who lived by robbing and killing to acquire cultivation resources. Passing carriages, especially those carrying wealthy soul masters, were prime targets.
Chrysanthemum Douluo had not used a carriage marked with the insignia of Spirit Hall on this trip—so it was likely these evil soul masters had taken the bait, mistaking him for easy prey.
With a cold tone, he warned, "I advise you to think carefully before you act. This carriage... is not one you can afford to rob."
Tang San was just about to ask what was happening when the voice of the Broodmother suddenly echoed in his mind.
It was panicked—sharper than he had ever heard before.
"Run! Get out, now!"
Tang San had never seen the Broodmother so unnerved. Even when facing someone like Chrysanthemum Douluo, she had always shown unwavering confidence in her ability to escape.
But now—this tone, this fear—it was as if something truly terrifying had appeared.
Alarmed, Tang San quickly asked in his mind, "What's going on? What are you afraid of?"
"It's him! He found us!!!"
The Broodmother's voice was filled with rage and hatred, roaring in his mind.
Tang San's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned worry on the surface. "What do we do? What should I do now?"
"Stay calm," the Broodmother replied after taking a moment to settle. "He probably doesn't know I'm here. When we get outside, don't say anything. Don't let them know I'm with you."
Tang San nodded, though a flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes.
BOOM!
The entire carriage was suddenly lifted off the ground—tilting backward violently.
Inside, Tang San quickly repositioned himself to avoid the brunt of the impact.
Chrysanthemum Douluo growled, "So you refuse to listen to reason!"
Buzz!
A radiant burst of golden light exploded from his palm.
CRASH!!!
He struck out with overwhelming force, shattering the carriage to pieces. Reaching out, he grabbed Tang San by the collar and yanked him into the air.
Once he was steady on his feet, he dropped Tang San to the ground.
"Ouch!" Tang San cried out, rubbing his rear and shooting a resentful look at Chrysanthemum Douluo. "Was that really necessary?"
But Chrysanthemum Douluo wasn't paying him any attention. His eyes were locked ahead, staring at two figures standing silently.
And...
Some very strange creatures.
His heart tightened.
These creatures... they looked exactly like the ones he had seen in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest!
But... this wasn't Star Dou. This was within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire!
How could this be?!
As the dust slowly settled, two figures became fully visible. All around them, countless strange "soul beasts" with dark purple chitinous armor crouched low, watching Tang San and Chrysanthemum Douluo like predators.
"Heh... What a surprise," one of the figures chuckled. "Truly unexpected."
"To think we'd get such a bonus prize today."
The speaker—Lin Fan—brushed the dust from his black clothes. His crimson eyes flicked from Chrysanthemum Douluo to Tang San, gleaming with excitement.
He had only come to this remote sub-base to investigate reports of someone snooping around the remains of Holy Soul Village. Never did he expect to stumble across two enormous prizes.
Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Tang San.
No—more precisely, the Broodmother inside Tang San.
As for Chrysanthemum Douluo… Lin Fan wasn't stupid. After a brief analysis, he immediately realized—this wasn't the original Chrysanthemum Douluo anymore. It was someone else.
"Ha ha ha ha! Incredible. Absolutely incredible! Who would've thought?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze narrowed as he observed the laughing, handsome man clad in black.
Then he turned to the woman beside him—and his expression instantly changed.
His voice trembled in shock: "Xiao Wu?!"
Xiao Wu blinked in confusion. "How do you know my name?"
Buzz!!!
Her innocent question struck Chrysanthemum Douluo like a hammer to the chest.
It really was Xiao Wu!
But... but how?!
Why didn't she recognize Tang San?
If not for her uncanny resemblance to the character from his past life's anime—the signature scorpion braid and long legs—he might never have recognized her.
But the timeline doesn't match at all!
How could Xiao Wu look like an adult already at this point in time?!
Unless...
Chrysanthemum Douluo stared at Lin Fan in horror, his mind suddenly snapping into clarity.
He understood now.
He understood everything.
There had never been a case of "Tang San reincarnating" or "the plot changing naturally."
Everything—every single change, from the Star Dou Forest's corruption to Qian Renxue's transformation—
It was this man.
The true transmigrator… had always been him.
Seeing the terror in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes, Lin Fan chuckled softly, his lips curling into a smirk.
"So... you finally get it?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, then quickly put on a flattering smile and said, "Hey now... we're both fellow countrymen, aren't we? Isn't there a saying, 'When countrymen meet, tears flow from both eyes,' right?"
Lin Fan's grin widened. "I thought it went more like, 'When countrymen meet, someone loses a kidney and gets stabbed in the back.'"
Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo's initial relief sank into dread.
This wasn't going to end peacefully.
Thinking fast, he tried another approach, still trying to buy time. "Aren't you curious to know what's changed about Tang San?"
Right now, the only chance they had was to keep this "fellow countryman" distracted.
Fight?
Don't even joke. Chrysanthemum Douluo still vividly remembered what had happened in the Star Dou Forest.
If he hadn't risked everything back then, all three of them would have perished.
In fact, he now suspected that this man—Lin Fan—might have even gone easy on them back then.
Otherwise, how else could the three of them have survived that endless tide of monstrous creatures?
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Tang San, a hint of crimson flaring in his pupils.
"Oh, this just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" he laughed. "The world's so small... wouldn't you agree, Broodmother?"
Tang San stared blankly at him, eyes full of confusion.
How does this man know...?
"Ugh!"
A sudden spike of pain stabbed through Tang San's mind. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness on the spot.
But under Lin Fan and Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze, Tang San's eyes suddenly turned pale—then were overtaken by a spreading crimson glow.
His expression darkened instantly, as if... someone else had taken control of his body.
****
If you want to support me or read advanced chapters (21+), consider checking out my pat.
patr*on.com/Salsita2k