Riolu's wrath

Douluo Continent

Absolute North

(After he left Gu Yue in the Moon Forest)

Fan Lin was meditating in the outermost part of the Absolute North to finally benefit from his fourth soul skill.

According to his calculation, he had the soul power of a rank 73 Soul Saint and possessed 5 times the condensed soul power of a normie Spirit Master.

For now, he had settled the matter of Gu Yue, Moon Forest, Qiangu Donfeng and Spirit Pagoda. Now the only thing that remained was the plantation of the forest, increase in his cultivation and finally to step forward into the next part of the plan - the other two continents.

'Although, it would take a few years before I could practically take the first step, for now, I just have to prepare and wait.'

'Currently, my soul power should have surpassed the Rank 70 but hastily moving two ranks would definitely slow me down to a crawl.'

'I should just rank up to 60 and then focus on the compression of the soul power, only then would I be able to proceed to the third part of the plan and then the last.'

'Why did I even make such lengthy plans to begin with, I should have made smaller ones but forget it, arguing with myself over a stupidity is kind of stupid to begin with.'

'And it's not like I wouldn't improvise(change) the future plans according to my needs.'

'Hmph!🙄'

'The meditation speed improvement from the song of the aurora is good. I have run out of simple topics to think.'

"Let's stop the meditation for now then and sleep. My mind is going haywire with the bad thoughts taking hold."

And then I went to sleep and a few days later you people tried to get comfy with my body.

The researchers shook their heads in denial.

They were the researchers that was staying at the reasearch centre nearby and were a part of the semi independent research groups that were stationed at the Absolute North to research and study over the various vegetation and climate conditions in there.

A few hours ago, a member of their group was on his usual route to a plant specimen that he had been studying for the past month few months, on his way, he found a dead 'body' with skimpy clothes in the middle of nowhere.

How did he know it was a dead body? Because there were no heartbeat or body heat.

Before he understood the situation perfectly, the researcher had already hurried to the research centre and to the supervisor to talk about it. Such a situation was a first for him.

Then after getting scolded by his supervisor for a few minutes on not taking the corpse with him, the supervisor formed a team and followed the researcher to where the corpse was.

The research team was at the outskirts of the Absolute North and the low level soul beasts were already wiped out to secure the area for their safety. Not all of them were spirit masters or possessed any combat strength.

But it all didn't matter, finding a corpse in the Absolute North meant one thing - Free Research Sample!!

The person is already dead, not their fault okay. They will make sure to scatter the ashes when they are done.

So with hope and lots of expectation, they all skiddled down the heavy snow, traversed through the cold winds and reached their destination to see corpse lying on the snow in perfect condition.

Now two things should have been apparent by then but their greed had blinded them to the possibilities.

"No heartbeats or body heat. He is really dead.

One of the researchers took out a few tools and began to examine the body.

"Tch, it's not a female."

Another one spoke, causing all eyes to turn to her.

"I was thinking of a female specimen. Don't get the wrong idea you degenerates!"

"And what are you guys standing around me for?"

As the female was explaining the reason for her 'tch', a calm voice asked in inquiry.

His voice nearly made the researchers get a heart attack as they internally screamed in terror when they saw the owner of the voice.

Fan Lin got up from the snowy ground and the researchers fled away in terror.

"Hmph! They think they are faster than me."

The owner of the calm voice calmly whispered before appearing above the fleeing researchers.

Two minutes and a few swollen faces later, Fan Lin explained the supervisor about his situation.

That he wanted to sleep and needed a quiet place but since his heartbeat was making noises, he stopped it and went to sleep. That's it.

Listening to the sloppy excuse that he was given after having his face swollen, his research team beaten badly and their equipment broke, the supervisor really wanted to argue that human anatomy didn't work that way but he was weak... and quite pathetic against someone with Fan Lin's strength.

'And why is he even explaining it to us?'

'Why is he not leaving?'

'Who is he?'

'And why did he suddenly started slapping all of us without any words or reason?'

They all wondered about the various questions that they had in their minds but Fan Lin ignored them. He sat down on the snow and started checking his soul communicator for the date and any important announcements.

It had been nearly a week since the mysterious death has started and by his estimation, 1200 people should dead by now, anymore and it was something else.

"1155."

'That's low, looks like someone's hiding the death rate or the dead people.'

He thought while checking the daily news. He had made sure that the mysterious death this time would be a slow burn as he had wanted to attract the attention of the Federation and the others forces towards the mysterious death while his Moon Forest would flourish in that time.

It was a slow poison this time. The killings will be slow but widespread, harder to point out, harder to defend, as the entire East and North coast would be enveloped by it.

The Federation would no no choice but to run from one place to another or, it could spread it's arms as wide as it could and place guards everywhere.

Regardless of what they choose, the act of choosing to do something was the lose of the Federation and the win for Fan Lin because his main purpose was to make the Federation act in the first place.

The slow and constant deaths would slowly erode the public trust as well, which would force the Federation to pour more effort into finding or ending it.

"I woke up early due to you."

He looked at the research team, then summoned his flying car and left.

On the other hand, Di Tian, who was once again on the lookout for any suspicious activities of Fan Lin followed behind him while informing Gu Yue about his actions.

"And that's how he spent his six days in the Absolute North."

Di Tian patiently explained the situation to Gu Yue after she asked him about Fan Lin's seven day absence in detail.

...

Gu Yue recalled Di Tian's words as she calmy thought about why he wasn't doing anything after leaving the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

{You must have taken a day off if you came to visit me.}

Gu Yue listened to the voice that was calmy asking her a question. She gazed at Fan Lin who was still munching on his vegetable. So did the Great Beasts. They all were quietly observing him because they had nothing else to do at the moment.

"You left nearly two hours ago. Why didn't you call me that time? I would have left with you as well."

She asked him, knowing full well that if he found even a single thing wrong with her behaviour, he will definitely dig deeper into the conversation which may lead to her reveal the truth.

So to counter that, she will just make a lie and divert him to another topic. She cared for him.

Although she had nearly turned him into a vegetable being just a few hours ago, she actually didn't want to harm him. Fatally that is. At least until his purpose was finished.

After that Gu Yue might not kill him but Gu Yuena would be the first one to chop his hands and legs and thighs and neck and use his blood to enrichen her Moon Forest while his highly energy compatible body will be used as her experiment subject!

This was how much she had thought for Fan Lin's expired usage and she could swear that each time she met him, her plans were increasing.

But that was for later and in case Fan Lin succeeded in planting the forest, which he unfortunately hasn't. Unfortunately.

{I never thought you would waste time on something stupid like this. So why did you come to see the challenge?}

He asked, appearing nonchalant and uninterested on the subject. And yet Gu Yue and the rest focused all their gazes on him as they telepathically conversed about the possibility of Fan Lin knowing about what they did.

What if he stops his work on the Moon Forest?

The Moon Forest now had more area than their current Starduo forest(shameful fact) and it was continuously increasing in size everyday but it still wasn't on the level of the previous Starduo forest, nor was it enough to satisfy the spirit beasts and the Silver Dragon King, because they now knew of a faster and more easier way to replant a place: Ask Fan Lin or make him do it.

If he stopped, and knowing fully just how his nature was, it would be borderline impossible to convince him to help them because this guy does whatever he wanted to and controlling him wasn't possible in any way.

A small fear rose in their hearts. The fear that they will loose their Golden Goose.

--He isn't talking about that.-- [Gu Yue]

Gu Yue stated as she observed him.

--If he knew about our deed, he would have already taken action or done something. He is too quiet. This is how he usually acts when he needs something from me but I can assure you, he doesn't know.-- [Gu Yue]

Gu Yue calmy said to all of them telepathically.

She was right but gravely wrong about him. Fan Lin didn't need something from her, it was just an excuse or should we say, a conversation starter, that he casually said because of his other motive.

He wanted to know why was Gu Yue in the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. She shouldn't have been there.

He knew her and had always based his plans on how she acted. This was out of his understanding of Gu Yue.

She already knew the result.

Gu Yue, just like him, saw Fan Lin as a tool that she was grateful for existing. That's all Fan Lin was too her. She would not personally go to oversee his trial. More so on a weekday where her classes happened.

Just like how Fan Lin's priority had been the plantation, Gu Yue's top priority was Tang Wulin. So to leave him alone for a day to see his performance personally was quite suspicious, more so when she knew about it already.

Gu Yue had no need to personally go there. She didn't give a dime about how he did things. What she wanted was results and she already had that. She knew about the outcome of the trial long ago. Fan Lin had already told her that he wasn't planning on winning, and Gu Yue had assured that neither can he.

They had an understanding that day!

There was no reason for her to go to the Spirit Pagoda to specially watch over Fan Lin's match. No reason at all.

Yet she had done that.

The Gu Yue that he had been controlling and using had now done something that was out of the norm. It didn't match her character. Fan Lin just wanted what it was and that's why, he had called her to check his few conclusions.

As for Gu Yue being the one who was causing the spiritual interference, Fan Lin never thought of it because Gu Yue had to be seriously ill in the head to hurt Fan Lin for a trial where the main purpose was the lose.

Why would she hurt her benefactor. He was the one who was fulfilling her desires, easing her work, lessening her future burden and without any costs at that. He should be awarded instead.

He couldn't think of a reason why Gu Yue might even be thinking about hurting a benefactor like Fan Lin and this was the 4/10 that Fan Lin didn't understand about Gu Yue.

All his expectations and his knowledge of her actions came from the book and his meetings with Gu Yue. And obviously it wasn't complete.

'But this incident should not be a part of the unknown. She did something that she would not have done normally.'

'Another outsider?'

He wondered but couldn't find the answer.

'This is why you should read a book completely.'

He blamed the fact that he hadn't read the complete book and hence had no idea on what the new third party(outsider) could be.

'I had to reform my plans again.'

He was doing the challenge so that the replantion work could become easier and faster as he would have Qiangu Dongfeng's complete support and resources.

'On the current matter, there is someone in Gu Yue's life that could influence her to make unexpected decisions, probably her family or the likes.'

Fan Lin was obviously right but just like the fact that he hadn't accounted the interference of the Seagod Pavillion into his plan, the same was true for the Planar Lord and the Planar Energy Core's ploy as well. He didn't even know that they even exist in the world and they were not a part of Gu Yue's family.

'I should find a better tool than her, her worth has already ended.'

To him, the most simple and also the most rational answer to the spiritual interference was Qiangu Dongfeng because he was the one who had truly wanted Fan Lin to not complete the trial. He was also the one with actual reasons to do so.

Gu Yue already knew about the result and even if she interfered, the only thing it would do was to make Qiangu Dongfeng's work easier since Fan Lin's defeat was inevitable.

Gu Yue didn't care about that though. All she wanted was the completion of Fan Lin's vow - a forest twice the size of the Peak Starduo forest. He can do that. She knew that. He was not doing that though. She was angry at that.

'But surely her anger isn't that much that she awakens her sadist nature and does this?'

Hence prolonging the trial and mentally incapacitating him was something that would benefit none except the one who had truly wanted Fan Lin to be his slave dog, aka Qiangu Dongfeng.

With that, Fan Lin had closed his thoughts on this topic as it was just a waste of time. It truly didn't matter if Qiangu Dongfeng was truly the one who caused this, he was going to die painfully. So will the person who was responsible for it but that was for later when Fan Lin had more authority on Spirit Pagoda and the strength to match his ambition.

At that time, he was going to personally open the chapter to the past and have his revenge. Not now though. He lacked time, strength, opportunity, knowledge and finally the desire to revenge.

The current Fan Lin was focused on his task, with no other plans on his mind.

To continue this task, he needed to know why was Gu Yue at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters and what was she going to do next. Then he can base his future activities on finding a new Gu Yue.

"Hiding your actual question behind a taunt? Or did the failure of your plan leave you in such a despair that you are now unable to form proper sentence flow?" [Gu Yue]

Unfortunate as it was, Gu Yue, unaware of the trap he had thrown at her, dove into it headfirst thinking that Fan Lin had dove into her plan headfirst.

A slight bit of anger in her voice, showing perfectly on her irritation at the usual antics of Fan Lin asking for things while spinning his words. It was quite obvious that she meant business and not small talk.

She thought that this was the perfect answer to his words as this wasn't the first time they were talking, nor was his first time asking for something unexpected.

{I talk like this. Why are you mad though? Did you fail as well? I wonder what that might be.} [Fan Lin]

Except Gu Yue had already fallen in the trap. The fact that Gu Yue's action had not aligned with his prediction had made Fan Lin pay extreme attention towards her words, trying to notice the irregularities that didn't align with how she was supposed to answer.

Fan Lin quietly ate his second piece of tomato as he analysed her words and then changed the topic once he realised the situation.

{Don't get angry at my next request.}

-- And now he is going to ask something weird. -- [Gu Yue]

{Can you give me some of your clothes? You don't need to give the under clothes though, I don't need them}

...

The Great Beasts silently turned their heads towards Gu Yue. Gu Yue was quietly staring at Fan Lin. The situation had reached the absolute silence.

Gu Yue knew that he was going to ask something absurd. She knew where the situation was going to. She knew why he suddenly started his conversation like that. But in all the grace of the Dragon God, she had never anticipated that he would ask this among all the things that existed in the universe and beyond.

He was asking for her clothes! Clean and dry at that!

"..." [Gu Yue]

"Are you out of your mind?" [Gu Yue]

Gu Yue coldly muttered as actual anger began to bubble inside her. Gone were the fake emotions that she showed him since they were overtaken by raw and real emotions of her mind.

'I will burn this guy!!'

She once thought that maybe it was her innermost desire that must have taken control over herself when she was ravously destroying his mind but now that she was talking to him, she realised that it must be her actual thoughts when she was thinking of turning him into a vegetable.

'I will rip his heart out as well.'

As she added a few more things to her future revenge, Fan Lin answered, adding fire to the oil.

{I may, and do, sound like a creep, degenerated pervert with fat on all the wrong places but please hear me out. I really didn't want to ask you this but I need them and you are the only female that I know who won't mind doing so.}

"YOU! *SIGH* ...Why? Why do you need them? What are you plotting on me now?"

As she was going to rage down on Fan Lin, she saw the Great Beasts around her and forcefully calmed down. She shouldn't be mad at the antics of someone whom she already knew was going to say something that would make her angry. More so in front of her subjects, what image would she even have left if she did so.

She instead began to think of what would he even need her clothes for?

'To wear.'

'...'

'!!!'

'...?"

'GROOSSSS!'

'WHAT AM I EVEN THINKING OF!!!'

For the first time in her life, Gu Yue got scared of her own thinking and it wasn't a moment she wanted to ever recall.

'Why is he wearing female apparels though?'

She quietly thought about his clothes and remained silent. Her mind completely agitated by her thoughts. The Great Beasts also remained silent. No one spoke, neither did they dared to. They all remained as stiff as a rock, completely forgotten from the world.

They were just politely sidelined.

...

{Why did you come to visit me? Answer me that and I will give you your answer as well.} [Fan Lin]

'The nerve of you!'

"I came so that if Qiangu Dongfeng tried some underhanded means, I can intervene at that time. It's not my fault that you are insouciant." [Gu Yue]

Gu Yue said. She didn't care if he believed it or not. He wasn't pursuing the one who mentally attacked him but something else and that was all that mattered.

'What might he be thinking about?'

{That's the best lie you could come up with? You could have just said that you were afraid of me betraying you and were there to spy on my behaviourial changes. I would have accepted that as a better answer than this lie.} [Fan Lin]

His words annoyed her because it was understandable if he was saying this in the context of finding her guilty but he wasn't. His purpose was something else and she could easily see that now.

Unbeknownst to her she had already entrenched in the trap and he had gotten what he wanted. She was the only one who didn't understand the situation yet.

'But what is it!?'

"I will do whatever I want. Now stop spinning your words and get to the point. I am not in the mood to joke now."

Thinking all that, she changed the topic which he effortlessly accepted.

{My deal with Qiangu Dongfeng is most likely gone.} [Fan Lin]

He began to speak seriously.

"What are you going to do now? Focus on your previous plans or make a new one again?" [Gu Yue]

She asked him, quite interested on what his next plan would be.

{Well~} [Fan Lin]

{I am going to finish these then proceed to the next part.} [Fan Lin]

As she heard the recording, she recalled the time at the Moon Forest.

'He was already prepared.'

"You didn't need to do all this to get closer to Qiangu Dongfeng, right? You could have just agreed on that day and you would have somehow gotten what you wanted. Why do all this then?" [Gu Yue]

{I wanted the information now. Though the situation had made it so that I can never have the information again.}

"What did you want from him?} [Gu Yue]

{Peace of mind. Now nothing, his worth has ended with today's deal. Any further interaction with him is going to be a waste of time from now on. I need to find someone new to take his place.} [Fan Lin]

"Then why are you planning to replant the areas that he wanted." [Gu Yue]

{It's a surprise tool that will help us later. Can you give me your clothes now?} [Fan Lin]

As black lines appeared on her forehead, Gu Yue emotionlessly replied.

To be continued..