Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

Six hundred years ago, in the Divine Realm.

"Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi—?" A woman in a flowing pink dress ran through the Divine Realm, calling loudly.

It was likely that Tang Xiao Qi, the mischievous daughter of the Sea God, had once again wandered off to some unknown place.

The passing deities chuckled and shook their heads. In this vast Divine Realm, who didn't know of Tang Wu Tong, the beloved little princess of the Sea God's family?

"That little rascal better not have gone into the Forbidden Forest," Xiao Wu muttered, her beautiful face clouded with worry. She had already searched all the usual places, but there was no sign of Xiao Qi anywhere.

Hurriedly, Xiao Wu returned to the Sea God's residence.

"Hey, third brother, you're back! I was just about to look for you!" Xiao Wu anxiously grabbed the arm of the blue-haired man. "Third brother, have you seen Xiao Qi? She's gone!"

"No, I just got home myself," Tang San shook his head, a faint and inscrutable glint flashing in his eyes. He gently reassured his wife, "Could she have gone to visit the Goddess of Life?"

"No, I already checked there." Xiao Wu shook her head.

"What about Mubai and Xiao Ao's families?"

"Nowhere to be found." Xiao Wu was filled with worry, shaking her head repeatedly. "I have no idea where that child could have run off to."

"Don't worry. In the Divine Realm, who would dare harm our daughter? Xiao Qi won't be in any danger."

"Aiya, but this child always tells me where she's going to play. A few days ago, she mentioned being curious about the divine beasts in the Forbidden Forest, and I scolded her a little." Xiao Wu showed a rare trace of regret. "What if she sneaked off there alone?"

"Did you check the house?" Tang San asked softly.

"Of course I did. That was the first place I looked."

"Maybe Xiao Qi came back home while you were out searching, and you two just missed each other. Let's go check her room." Tang San gently stroked Xiao Wu's smooth braid.

After all… he had just returned their daughter to her room.

After the three old divine kings left, Tang San had been embroiled in power struggles for a while. In the end, it was thanks to the words left behind by the old divine kings before their departure that he managed to suppress the new Gods of Kindness and Evil, thereby securing a stronger voice for himself in the Divine Council.

With the Divine Realm currently in a period of peace, Tang San had some free time to study the ancient texts left by the old divine kings. One particular case, adjudicated by the old God of Asura, caught his attention.

It was about someone who had schemed against the chosen heir of a god, integrating their soul with the heir's to steal the heir's fortune and replace them, ultimately seizing the godhood.

The old God of Asura had seen through the abnormality in the schemer's soul and executed him on the spot with the Asura Blood Sword.

This case gave Tang San an enormous idea. He immediately thought of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, an imperial beast left in the lower realm with an exceptionally potent fortune.

Now, wasn't this the perfect method for claiming the imperial beast's fortune?

Tang San had always believed that means were unimportant as long as they achieved the end goal. However, splitting a fragment of his own soul would reduce his strength, and the God of Destruction still coveted the position of the Divine Council's leader.

Thus, Tang San turned his attention to his daughter. A daughter should follow her father's plans. If his little phoenix could obtain the imperial beast's fortune, it would be as good as Tang San obtaining it himself.

He had just taken his daughter, extracted a fragment of her soul, and had not expected that within half a day, his wife would notice.

He had never considered discussing this matter with Xiao Wu, nor did he feel the need to explain it. After all, it was a father's duty to secure a bright future for his child, and it had nothing to do with women. Xiao Wu only needed to play with the child.

Besides, it was merely a small fragment of her soul. It wasn't a big deal. Yet, for some reason, Xiao Qi had cried miserably earlier. If Xiao Wu found out, she would surely throw a tantrum, so it was better to keep it from her.

Xiao Wu carefully pushed open the door to her daughter's room. Sure enough, Xiao Qi was lying quietly on her little bed, her soft carrot-shaped pillow resting beside her.

"This child." Xiao Wu heaved a sigh of relief and sat by the bed, gently brushing aside her daughter's messy bangs. Suddenly, she frowned and touched her daughter's smooth cheek.

"Where has this child been playing? Why is her face so cold? And why is she so pale?" Xiao Wu felt that something was off.

When Xiao Qi was little, she had drunk the Goddess of Life's life water, which ensured her excellent health. She was never supposed to fall ill. But now, her face was deathly pale, her hands and feet icy cold, and even her once rosy lips had lost all color.

She gently patted her daughter's cheek. "Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi, wake up."

The girl on the bed opened a pair of drowsy pink-blue eyes and rubbed them with small fists. The moment she saw Xiao Wu, she threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Mommy! Mommy!!" Xiao Qi wailed miserably, her cries piercing the air.

Xiao Wu, flustered by the sudden clinginess of her little troublemaker, didn't know how to react. It had been years since this mischievous girl had been so attached to her. What was going on?

"Mommy, my head hurts so much. It really hurts, like it's going to split open." The little girl buried herself in her mother's arms, sobbing bitterly.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Wu was alarmed, hugging her daughter tightly and patting her back. "Don't cry, don't cry. Mommy's here. Tell Mommy what's wrong."

"Mommy, I had a nightmare. I dreamt that—" Her voice abruptly cut off.

"What happened? What did you dream about?" Xiao Wu asked anxiously.

But Xiao Qi said nothing more. She only buried her face deeper into her mother's embrace, trembling in fear.

Xiao Wu didn't notice the sudden darkening of her husband's expression behind her. His eyes gleamed coldly, carrying a silent warning.

However, Xiao Qi had clearly seen it.

"Perhaps one of the Gods of Sin under the God of Destruction told her some scary story, causing her to have a nightmare." Tang San chuckled, shaking his head. "It's possible that a bad dream gave her a headache."

He reached out to pat Xiao Qi on the head, his hand brushing past Xiao Wu's shoulder.

Xiao Qi flinched under his touch.

Just a moment ago, her father had patted her head in the same way, and a searing pain, as if splitting her whole being apart, had followed.

She tried to avoid him, but an invisible force from Tang San's hand prevented her from doing so.

"How about I comfort her while you prepare something she likes to eat? It might help calm her down," Tang San suggested gently to Xiao Wu. "If it doesn't, we can take her to see the Goddess of Life."

"Ah, third brother, you always think of everything." Xiao Wu smiled and kissed him on the cheek before ruffling her daughter's hair and leaving the room.

Xiao Qi watched her mother's retreating figure in despair, a sob escaping her lips only to be stifled by her father's cold gaze.

She was truly terrified.

Curling up tightly among the pillows and blankets, the girl trembled uncontrollably, trying to make herself as small as possible.

Tang San pulled over a chair and sat by her bedside.

The moment his wife left the room, his expression turned icy.

"Xiao Qi, what did Daddy tell you? This is all for your own good." His gaze filled with frustration at the fear in his daughter's eyes.

But despite her lack of gratitude, he forced himself to be patient, doing his best to act as a good father. "What did you promise Daddy? Didn't you say that brave little girls fear nothing?"

"But it hurts so much. It really hurts…" Xiao Qi whispered timidly.

"Only by enduring this pain can you have a better future," Tang San said, rubbing his temples, irritation growing in his heart.

When he had been her age, hadn't he endured the excruciating pain of diving into the Yin-Yang Well to forge an invulnerable body? Why was his child so fragile, with none of his resilience?

Would she ever amount to anything?

Author's Note:

See? I didn't villainize Tang San at all. Look how much he loves his daughter!

(Holding a trash can, vomiting profusely…)

I actually sympathize with Tang Wu Tong. I don't like her, but I do feel sorry for her.