When Meng Anli turned to shake him off, Yuan Tuo struck Meng Zhao's lower abdomen with a backhanded palm. He flew backward at terrifying speed, embedding himself heavily in the wall as he howled in agony.
Meng Anli's peach blossom eyes shimmered with admiration. "Master is amazing."
Yuan Tuo's originally stern expression instantly softened. "Your talent is greater than mine. By the time you reach my age, you'll definitely be even more formidable than I am."
Meng Anli pressed on, "How old are you, Master?"
Yuan Tuo thought about it. Was he one thousand seven hundred years old, or one thousand eight hundred?
He could not remember clearly.
So he did not say. "Let's go."
"Alright."
"Meng Anli! Cough, cough, cough..." Meng Zhao shouted from behind them. "How could you be so heartless as to abandon me?!"
Meng Anli pretended not to hear him.
Meng Zhao shouted again, "Father wants to cut off your allowance. Come back with your second brother, and I'll plead with Father on your behalf."
Meng Anli kept walking.
"If you dare take another step forward, I'll expel you from the Meng family in Father's stead! From then on, you'll have no father, no brothers or sisters, no family! If you're bullied outside, no one will protect you!"
Meng Anli wanted to say, Every bit of bullying I suffered was bestowed upon me by all of you.
"Wonderful, little Anli!"
Yuan Tuo pulled a cloth bag from his sleeve. "This is a Spatial Bag. The gold, silver, and treasures inside are probably a little more than the Heavenly Palace's treasury. I never properly amassed wealth before, but from now on, I'll do everything in my power to earn money for you to spend. Can I be your elder brother?"
Meng Anli did not dare accept it. "This is far too valuable."
"I have no use for it. If you refuse to take it, that means you think it's too little and don't want to acknowledge me as your elder brother."
Meng Anli waved her hands repeatedly. "That's not it."
"If it's not, then take it." He stuffed the bag into her hand. "Let's go, little sister."
After saying that, he could not help chuckling twice.
"I have a little sister too~ With a sister like you, those old fogeys will be green with envy."
He spun around in midair, his jet-black hair leaping and whirling through the air.
Seeing how happy he was, Meng Anli's nose stung, and tears began falling with soft patters.
In her past life, they had said it was all her fault. Whether her tendons in both hands and feet had been severed, or she had endured daily whippings, death by a thousand cuts, and branding irons, it was because she had erred first. They had merely been punishing her.
She had truly believed that she was terrible, unworthy of their affection.
But now it seemed that they were the ones in the wrong!
She was not terrible!
Such a powerful Great Deity as Yuan Tuo wanted to be her elder brother.
She was worthy of being loved.
When Yuan Tuo turned back and saw her like this, he hurried to her side, his face creasing with heartache.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Meng Anli shook her head, wiped her tears, and broke into a grin. "I'm just too happy. This must be a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes."
Yuan Tuo said awkwardly, "You flatter me. You don't know how remarkable you are. I didn't give you the Huan Dan Grass before because I wanted to see how many days you could endure. I never expected you to last ten days before fainting."
"Did you forget? You could even drag me down into the sea~"
"Anyway, don't cry anymore. From now on, I and the entire North Sea will have your back, alright?"
His voice was incredibly gentle. Meng Anli had already stopped crying, but upon hearing those words, her tears fell uncontrollably once more.
Flustered, he used his sleeve to wipe away her tears. "I said too little. My master will have your back too."
Meng Anli assumed he was merely comforting her. How could that Great Deity possibly have the time to support her?
Yet she was still deeply moved.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Thank you, Elder Brother. Let's go."
"Alright."
Yuan Tuo felt a little regretful. Why was he not her more intimate kind of brother?
He needed to perform better and dispel her misgivings, so that she would call him Brother.
Behind them, Meng Zhao, embedded in the wall, was alarmed.
That man said he was from the North Sea? Meng Anli had asked him for Huan Dan Grass?
Was he... the legendary Yuan Tuo?
He punched the wall in frustration. He had been too hasty just now and had left Yuan Tuo with a bad impression of him.
It was all because Meng Anli did not know what was good for her.
With a rumble, the wall collapsed. He rolled onto the ground, feeling pain all over his body.
He took out a Communication Mirror and contacted Meng Xiuchen.
Meng Xiuchen was also a disciple of the academy. He hurried over, helped Meng Zhao away, and cursed Meng Anli nonstop.