Douluo Dalu 2: Way of Heaven

"Grr!"

The handsome youth viciously bit into his chicken leg, occasionally glaring across the table with dreamy pink-blue eyes.

Unfazed, An Zhen smiled as he placed a bowl of broth beside a cute boy. "Cuts the grease."

The trio discussed their day—Huo Yutong animatedly sharing, An Zhen listening intently, Wang Dong glaring while her socked feet tapped rhythmically against An Zhen's shin beneath the table.

One hundred laps.

Joining the Soul Tool Department.

Weighted training.

Becoming class monitor.

The loli eagerly recounted her achievements and joys.

An Zhen's hand slipped under the table, capturing the ankle exposed between trousers and sneaker.

"Mmph!"

Wang Dong jolted, stifling a gasp.

"Wang Dong? What's wrong?" Huo Yutong's concerned gaze shifted.

"...Bit my tongue. Eating too fast." Wang Dong feigned pain, cheeks flushed.

"Slow down. Have some broth."

While Huo Yutong focused on Wang Dong, An Zhen shot the blushing girl a teasing eyebrow raise. Merely pinching an ankle? Naughty children deserve more.

She stealthily slipped off a white sneaker, baring a socked foot. Wang Dong trembled, eyes darting to Huo Yutong—still oblivious as she chattered with An Zhen.

Let go or you'll regret it! Her furious glare threatened.

An Zhen thrived on defiance.

Playing the attentive listener, his thumb traced slow circles over her socked sole. Despite the morning laps and weighted afternoon runs—her Martial Soul lacking cleansing properties—no sweat odor lingered. Instead, an intoxicating floral sweetness clung to her skin.

Girls' scents truly stir the blood.

"Soul tools hold immense promise," An Zhen remarked solemnly. "Technological progress is inevitable. The Douluo Continent now stands at a pivotal transition due to Sun Moon Empire's influence."

Time slipped by.

Wang Dong's focus abandoned her meal, consumed by resisting the tingling sensations shooting up her sole. Each struggle amplified the electricity. A rosy hue climbed from her neck to her ears. Thank the gods Huo Yutong's attention stays fixed on this rogue…

Let go!

She tried retracting her foot.

Useless.

An Zhen's dark eyes flickered to hers. Fingers crept higher, hooking her sock's edge, tugging it down—

"..."

Pink-blue eyes shifted from fury to surrender, then desperate pleading.

Not in front of Huo Yutong…

Accept my terms? Wiggle your toes.

His fingertip traced the demand onto her sole.

Toes curled, brushing his palm.

Call me what Huo Yutong does.

Silence.

He resumed tracing her sockline.

Only when we're alone.

A toe twitched.

Remember the proverb: Propose tearing off the roof, and they'll settle for opening the window.

"After today's training, skip the stall tonight. Huo Yutong—fetch a Blackwater Pill from my cabinet. Don't refuse. Wang Dong and I are innate full soul power. These are useless to us."

He turned to Wang Dong. "Agreed?"

"Mn."

The flustered girl buried herself in her meal, hiding her crimson face. If she ignored the lingering warmth where he'd touched her sole, perhaps the shame would fade.

⋯

He prepared dozens of iced milk teas, leaving them at their usual spot outside campus.

[For Glutton Douluo]

The sign hung. Time for sleep.

Later, a disheveled elder gnawing a chicken leg grabbed a cup.

New Dormitory Building

"An Zhen-gege likes wealthy girls."

The azure-haired loli sat on her bed, socked feet swinging idly. She cradled an exquisite jade vial, teeth worrying her lower lip. Starlit eyes clouded with unease.

That golden-haired girl… so elegant. So confident.

Memories resurfaced, wrapping her heart in vines of insecurity.

Every freshman outshines me. My progress? Only thanks to An Zhen-gege's pills.

A girl like her could truly help him. Not me—I can't even afford meals without him.

"Why fret over this?"

A languid female voice echoed in her mind, tinged with indifference. (Author's Note: Tianmeng Ice Silkworm feminized for narrative comfort. Open to reader input on future developments.)

"Beast or human—only the strong claim mates. Grow powerful, and he'll be yours."

"Little Yu Tong! Trust your Tianmeng-jie!"

Within the spiritual sea, a plushie-clad woman materialized—curvaceous, golden-haired, radiating a languid aura.

Just a boy!

With my help, you'll claim him with a flick of your wrist!

Yet what truly puzzled her: Why does one use of his soul skill skyrocket Yu Tong's cultivation?

Infuriating!

Why does that wretched elder linger daily by the dorms? How does such monstrous power exist among humans?

"Mn."

Reinvigorated, the loli swallowed the Blackwater Pill.

I'll grow strong. Become a mighty soul tool master. Earn mountains of gold.

Then I'll pamper An Zhen-gege properly.

An Zhen's Dorm

"Fresh from the bath?"

"Mn."

"Brought midnight snacks."

"Dessert?"

"Mn."

"I'll have some."

A knotted bedsheet divided the room-dominating bed. On the right, the handsome pink-blue-haired "youth" leaned against pillows in loose sleepwear, bare feet propped on the quilt.

"Did you bathe?"

Martial Soul activation. Eyes shut. Pale yellow soul ring glowed.

Immaculate.

"So convenient." Envy tinged Wang Dong's voice.

"Why just stand there? Get on the bed."

"Alright."

Lock clicked. An Zhen set down his parcel and climbed up—

From her side.

"Eek?!"

Wang Dong sprang upright, bare foot aiming for his face.

"My mistake!"

An Zhen dodged with practiced ease, scrambling up the opposite side.

"Pervert! Deviant! Lecher!"

Wang Dong's true voice rang out—a girl's sharp tones. Her insult vocabulary remained limited.

Only guilt over kicking him out last time forces this shared bed!

An Zhen waited out her tirade.

Thank the gods for soundproof dorms.

"Don't cross this line!" She brandished a small fist. "Or even Huo Yutong won't save that part of you!"

"We're meditating, not sleeping. No accidents possible."

"You'd better remember!"

Firecracker tone.

Did she swallow gunpowder?

"Still angry about the cafeteria?" An Zhen ventured.

"Not just the cafeteria!"

Like a scalded cat, she bristled. "What was with that golden-haired girl?! How could you betray Huo Yutong?! And the cafeteria—yes, I kicked you! But doing… that beside her?!"

She'd vowed to protect Huo Yutong's heart.

"Ning Tian is our class vice-monitor. Heiress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Her, Wu Feng, and I formed a team for the freshman tournament in three months."

An Zhen fell silent, gaze steady. Dark eyes locked onto Wang Dong.

"So… you're angry for Huo Yutong's sake?"

Not because of what I did to you?

"Obviously!"

The retort leapt out.

"Oh."

An Zhen nodded. Crossed the line.

In two strides, he cornered her against the headboard.

"Y-you—what now?!"

Bare feet scrambled against sheets.

"One hundred laps this morning. Weighted runs this afternoon. Feet must ache."

His hands closed around slender ankles—a man's touch on the young mistress of Clear Sky Sect's feet for the first time. Electricity shot through Wang Dong.

She stared, dazed, as he lifted her pink soles. Such an intimate part—touched by a boy she'd known days, her friend's crush…

Had she gone mad? Succumbed to some charm?

Why wasn't she stopping him?

"A little."

The admission slipped out, voice feather-light.

"Let me help."

An Zhen did know massage. Meng Hongchen used to cling after training, whining about sore feet. He'd learned then—no peculiar motives.

Silence stretched.

Dreamlike eyes traced his focused profile as he kneaded her arches.

"We… can't betray Huo Yutong."

Her voice cracked, thick with sorrow. She adored that resilient girl.

Wang Dong pulled her feet back—no resistance this time.

Eyelashes lowered, veiling melancholy. Heart in turmoil, she hugged her knees, staring at feet that still held phantom warmth.

"This has nothing to do with Wang Dong. Wang Dong is a good girl."

An Zhen's smile softened. He gathered her into his arms. Wang Dong stiffened, then melted against the warmth. His breath, warm and male, brushed her cheek.

"It's my fault. I'm being selfish. Greedy."

A soul aged over twenty years.

The World's affinity.

Facing a runaway young mistress—yes, this world matured early. But eleven? Still wide-eyed innocence.