Chapter 43: Why Do I Have to Go Over There? Can't You Just Send It Here?
Di Tian was genuinely frightened. No one present knew better than him what abilities the Auspicious Beast possessed.
It could enhance one's fortune—and it could also strip away the fortune of others.
Once fortune was severed, the consequences were far more severe than damage to one's origin.
"Xiao Bai, stop!"
Fan Chen hurriedly intervened. Although he didn't fully understand what was going on, he was certain that if he let Xiao Bai continue like this, something major would definitely happen.
He wrapped an arm around Xiao Bai, pulling him into his embrace.
"Brother, let go of me. I want to help you teach him a lesson."
Xiao Bai was furious. He could clearly sense that Di Tian was bullying Fan Chen, and he absolutely had to help Fan Chen properly discipline the other party.
"Kid, stop him and don't let him make another move, or I'm really going to turn hostile."
Di Tian was scared stiff as well. He had only planned to scare Fan Chen and the others a little—who could have known this little thing would get triggered like this?
That said… isn't this the kid's martial soul? How can it have its own consciousness? Could it be a special ability unique to Auspicious Beasts?
Not to mention Di Tian, even Fan Chen himself had no idea what was going on.
Xiao Bai felt like an independent individual, yet he was tightly bound to Fan Chen.
Their relationship didn't resemble that of a martial soul and its wielder at all. Instead, it felt far more like a contracted beast—worse still, the kind bound by a blood contract.
Prosper together, fall together.
After a flurry of chaotic effort, Fan Chen finally managed to completely calm Xiao Bai down.
Only then did everyone else let out a sigh of relief.
"If you don't behave, your three meals a day will be cut down to two, and all snacks will be canceled."
The moment he heard that, Xiao Bai instantly became obedient. He lowered his little head and stood to the side, looking utterly wronged.
His tiny brain clearly couldn't understand it—he had obviously been helping Fan Chen, so why was Fan Chen punishing him instead?
Seeing Xiao Bai like this, Fan Chen realized his words had been a bit too harsh and quickly tried to comfort him.
"Once this is over, I'll give you an extra meal."
As soon as Xiao Bai heard that, the gloom hanging over him vanished instantly. His little eyes lit up with excitement.
Not far away, Di Tian quietly watched the scene unfold, deep in thought.
After settling Xiao Bai's situation, Fan Chen turned his gaze toward Di Tian.
"The daughter you mentioned—could it be that ball of light I saw in the forest back then?"
After thinking for a while, Fan Chen finally recalled the only uncertain variable he had encountered in the Star Dou Forest.
If he remembered correctly, Di Tian's daughter was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
And the only possible time he could have encountered her was that one occasion. However, back then, she had fled too quickly and was too far away, so Fan Chen hadn't paid much attention.
But now that Di Tian had come knocking on his door, even if it wasn't her, it had to be her.
But why would she come looking for him? Could it be because of Xiao Bai?
"More or less. And that very night, the two of you experienced a fusion of power. If I'm not mistaken, the power within your body should have increased significantly, right?"
Di Tian's words immediately made Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling react.
Back when they learned that Fan Chen's soul power was already at level seventeen, they had found it somewhat strange. Yet they couldn't find a proper explanation, and since Fan Chen himself showed no issues, the matter had eventually been dropped.
But now it seemed there was another layer to it. Still, when something like that happened, why hadn't they sensed any energy fluctuations at all?
"So that's how it is. Then, thank you."
Fan Chen politely expressed his gratitude, as if the matter were settled just like that.
After all, Fan Chen wasn't stupid. If he benefited, could the other party really have gained nothing? It wasn't as if he alone had taken advantage.
Besides, he was just a little kid right now. He'd just play dumb—what could they possibly do to him?
"Thank my ass! If I hadn't noticed in time, my daughter would've already run off with you!"
Di Tian was so angered by Fan Chen's attitude that he nearly exploded, yet he remained extremely wary of Xiao Bai beside him.
At this moment, Xiao Bai was staring intently at Di Tian. If he dared make any other move, Xiao Bai would definitely treat him to another blast of that golden light from earlier.
Qian Daoliu and the others nearby were also on guard. If Di Tian wanted to make a move against Fan Chen, he'd have to reveal his true body—otherwise, there was no way he could even touch him.
"May I ask—do you know anything about my disciple's martial soul?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly spoke up at this moment. From Di Tian's earlier words, he had noticed that Di Tian seemed to know quite a lot about Xiao Bai.
Moreover, the ability he mentioned—his daughter's power, being able to intermingle with Fan Chen's—was clearly a case of martial soul fusion.
He had been worrying about finding a suitable way to teach Fan Chen, and unexpectedly, by sheer coincidence, he had run into the perfect opportunity here.
"So what if I do know? And so what if I don't? This kid isn't someone you can afford to raise. Hand him over to me—that's your best choice."
Di Tian had far too much experience raising an Auspicious Beast. The resources required were something this group of humans simply couldn't imagine.
Moreover, it was obvious that they still didn't understand the mysteries hidden within this kid. That made it the perfect opportunity for him to take him away.
"Master, don't bother with him. Let's just go—he's basically a human trafficker."
"Exactly, exactly. Let's go back and eat something good. We'll just ignore him."
Fan Chen and Xiao Bai had clearly seen through Di Tian's intentions. They grabbed Golden Crocodile Douluo and prepared to leave.
What kind of joke was this? He was living perfectly fine here—why on earth would he go live out in the wilderness with you?
More importantly, he was human, not a soul beast. Using the same methods meant for raising soul beasts on him—who could endure that?
Dealing with Golden Crocodile Douluo and his group was already exhausting enough. If it were Di Tian instead, one careless moment and a single slap could crush him to death.
Di Tian was the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King. His true body was as massive as a small mountain.
With Fan Chen's tiny physique, he wasn't even comparable to an ant before him. If Di Tian so much as moved carelessly, Fan Chen would be sent flying. Going along with him would be nothing short of inviting suffering.
Besides, no matter how high his intelligence was, he was still a beast. Expecting a beast to take care of a human child was nothing but a pipe dream.
As for resources, Fan Chen wasn't lacking any on the Spirit Hall's side for the time being.
If he ever needed more in the future, couldn't he just go find them himself? The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the Extreme North, the vast oceans, Sea God Island—
even the Sun-Moon Continent, which hadn't yet been discovered.
All of these were his hidden resource points.
No matter how rich the Star Dou Forest was, could it possibly compare to all those places combined?
So, taking everything into account, there was absolutely no way Fan Chen would go with Di Tian.
However, before Fan Chen could take more than a few steps, Golden Crocodile Douluo grabbed him.
He patted Fan Chen on the shoulder and shook his head at him.
Fan Chen was shocked. Could it be that Golden Crocodile Douluo was actually planning to hand him over?
"Master, human trafficking is wrong. Trading your disciple for resources is extremely shameful, you know that?"
"Shut up! Is that really the kind of person you think your master is? Do you think I'd do something like that?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo had just been feeling moved by Fan Chen's thoughtfulness, thinking that raising this disciple hadn't been in vain.
But Fan Chen's sudden remark instantly shattered him on the spot.
What did he mean by trading his disciple for resources? How could such words even come out of his mouth?
"Stand off to the side and stay there. I'll deal with you later."
After glaring at Fan Chen—who was clutching his head and squatting on the ground—Golden Crocodile Douluo turned and walked toward Di Tian.
"Shall we talk?"
"Just you and me?"
Di Tian stared at Golden Crocodile Douluo, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling upward.
It was hard to tell whether he was mocking Golden Crocodile Douluo's overestimation of himself or praising his courage to face him head-on.
"This kid is my disciple. I have the right to talk to you about matters concerning him."
Golden Crocodile Douluo knew full well that he wasn't a match for Di Tian, but things had already come to this point.
It was obvious that Di Tian wanted to take Fan Chen away, and that meant he had to seriously discuss this matter with him.
People like Luan Yuqing only talked big. Di Tian, on the other hand, was outright trying to snatch him away—this was a matter of dignity. Golden Crocodile Douluo had no choice but to have a proper talk with him.
"So, how do you want to talk? I only have one condition—hand that child over to me. As for the rest, you can name whatever you want."
"I will never treat my disciple as a bargaining chip. His legs are his own—if he wants to leave, I won't stop him. But if you dare to take him by force, you can try."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's attitude was extremely firm, making it clear to Di Tian: if you resort to force, I'll turn hostile with you right here.
"Don't bring up your daughter. What you did in Spirit City—do you think that doesn't count as something?"
"So what? You were the ones who lacked the ability to discover me. In the end, didn't you only find me because of this kid's ability? And besides, you don't even understand him. Aren't you afraid you'll end up ruining him?"
"That won't be any of your concern. If you're worried I'll raise him poorly, then you can teach me how to raise him. I'll pay."
...
As their conversation continued, it started going in a very strange direction. Fan Chen felt that these two were competing over something inexplicably absurd.
Watching Golden Crocodile Douluo and Di Tian locked in this strange contest, Xiao Bai's eyes were filled with confusion.
He tilted his little head, looked at Fan Chen, and asked in puzzlement,
"Why does big brother have to go over there? Can't he just send the person here instead?"
[Note: The story will soon enter the stage of the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament. This segment is an original arc, mainly meant to find future teammates for the protagonist. After this arc, the Auspicious Beast will officially appear. Its martial soul will be highly similar to the protagonist's—both being detached-type martial souls.]
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End of Chapter