A Descender from Teyvat

"Heave-ho!"

"Pfft-!"

"Sister Yanzi, Brother Gan Lin really did wake up!"

"It... would've been strange if I hadn't..."

Gan Lin felt a heavy blow to his stomach, followed by a weight bearing down on his body.

"Lingling, who taught you that...?" Gan Lin raised his head with difficulty and looked at the little girl in a white dress kneeling on top of him.

"Sister Yanzi. She said you always slept like the dead and could take a beating, so waking you up called for more extreme methods."

"..."

"If I remember right, Sister Yanzi usually wakes me up with her fists. But you, Lingling..."

"Hehe, I'm weak and don't have much strength, so..." Ye Lingling tapped her little fingers together in front of her, her face a picture of innocence.

"So you just jumped on me?" Gan Lin was sure that if he cut this seemingly innocent little girl open, she would be black inside!

"Sorry, Brother. Your body really is strong." Ye Lingling hurriedly scrambled off Gan Lin and hid behind Dugu Yan, peeking out with half her head.

"I'll take that as a compliment from you two." Gan Lin got out of bed helplessly and rubbed his stomach.

He had stayed up late writing in his diary last night, so surely sleeping in was understandable... probably?

In just that short while, Gan Lin's body had almost completely recovered, much to the two girls' amazement.

"All right, don't blame Lingling. It's my fault for not explaining clearly this time. I'll give you half the pocket money Grandpa gives me later." Dugu Yan smiled and stepped forward to smooth things over. "The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is holding a Martial Soul Awakening today and has invited the families of Heaven Dou City to attend at the palace. Lingling is awakening her Martial Soul with you and could hardly wait, so she came to wake you up."

"It's a deal!" Gan Lin's eyes lit up, and he instantly stopped fussing over what had just happened. He had a huge appetite, and his pocket money was often not enough to feed him. With that money, he might be able to eat even more next month.

"Honestly, it's not like Grandpa doesn't give you pocket money or enough to eat. Why do you make it sound like we're mistreating you and starving you?" Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.

"Hehe, I just crave food whenever I see it." Gan Lin scratched his head sheepishly.

Although Dugu Bo raised him like his own grandson, Gan Lin's appetite was truly astonishing. Whenever he ate his fill, it wasn't long before he wanted more. He wasn't hungry; he simply craved it.

To keep Gan Lin's weight under control, Dugu Bo followed Ye Lingling's mother's recommendation and put him on a restricted diet. At the same time, his pocket money was slashed drastically...

"I'm not like Sister... I don't care about my figure."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing. Sister Yanzi, let's hurry and go awaken our Martial Souls!"

"Awake?" In the main room, a man and a woman were sitting at a table drinking tea. When the three came out, Dugu Bo turned to look at them.

"Grandpa." Gan Lin nodded. "Auntie Ye is here too."

"Today is the day of the Martial Soul Awakening. Senior Dugu and I are taking you and Lingling to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace." Ye Lingling's mother, Ye Huixin, nodded.

"I want to go too!"

"All right, all right. If Yanyan wants to go, you can come along. We'd be a little worried about leaving you home alone anyway."

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

Dugu Bo smiled at the three children, his eyes full of affection.

Dugu Bo's residence in Heaven Dou City was not far from the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. After all, he was a Titled Douluo and had close ties with Prince Xue Xing. He hadn't even bought the house himself; it had been a gift.

Gan Lin was no stranger to such things. After all, if his older sister hadn't been so naive in his previous life, he probably would have been used to them then, too.

Before long, they arrived at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. Dugu Bo's reputation as the Poison Douluo was well known, so no one dared approach and try to get close to him, for fear that the ill-tempered Titled Douluo would remember them.

One person was an exception, however-Prince Xue Xing.

"Senior Dugu, you've finally arrived. You've kept me waiting quite a while."

The voice caught Gan Lin's attention, and he saw a richly dressed old man approaching with a boy who looked about six.

For some reason, Gan Lin didn't much like either of them.

Dugu Bo's attitude was neither warm nor cold, and he gave them a curt greeting.

Prince Xue Xing didn't mind. Smiling, he introduced his young relative. "This is the fourth prince, Xue Beng. He's about the same age as Yanyan, Little Lin, and Lingling."

Xue Beng didn't greet them. His eyes roamed over Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

Dugu Yan glared right back at him, while Lingling immediately hid behind Gan Lin.

"Have you taken a fancy to them?" Gan Lin's startling words even shocked Prince Xue Xing.

"Haha, my young friend Gan Lin certainly knows how to joke. They're only children. You can't take it seriously, you can't take it seriously."

"The way he's staring straight at them is really creepy. It's kind of disgusting."

At Gan Lin's words, Dugu Bo gave a cold snort. When it came to his own children, Dugu Bo was always protective.

"Xue Beng, apologize to Senior Dugu!" A few drops of cold sweat rolled down Prince Xue Xing's forehead.

After Xue Beng offered a careless apology, Prince Xue Xing hurriedly found an excuse to leave.

"Hmph. Little Lin, that's how you should be from now on. There's no need to be polite to that sort."

"Mm."

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling exchanged a glance. Wasn't their little brother usually like that?

Still, Gan Lin had just protected them, so of course they were pleased and wouldn't say anything more. They only grumbled about it in their hearts.

There was still some time before the Martial Soul Awakening. Bored, Gan Lin stood where he was and began to space out.

He had spent all night writing in his diary, and that morning Ye Lingling had woken him with justice raining straight down from above. For him, that really was too little sleep.

Before he knew it, his head began to nod again.

One look at Gan Lin's reaction told Dugu Yan that he was dozing off. She exchanged a glance with Ye Lingling, pointed at Gan Lin, and whispered a few words in Ye Lingling's ear.

Ye Lingling's eyes lit up, and she nodded.

The next moment, the two of them sprang into action.

Seeing their reaction, Dugu Bo shook his head helplessly and sharpened his attention a little. He might need to intervene in a moment.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling quietly sneaked up behind Gan Lin, ready to play a trick on him.

Just as Ye Lingling was about to pounce on him, Gan Lin's eyes snapped open. Without hesitation, he spun around and threw a punch.

Dugu Bo appeared between them in an instant and caught Gan Lin's fist, silently raising an eyebrow.

If that punch had landed on Ye Lingling, wouldn't it have left her black and blue?

Even Dugu Yan, who had already awakened her Martial Soul, wouldn't have been able to withstand Gan Lin's punch.

That was why Dugu Bo had intervened.

That boy Gan Lin could certainly eat, but he was also genuinely strong.

Still, those two little girls, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, never seemed to learn...