Bai Pu let out a breath of relief and bowed to thank King Chunhe.
"No need to be so polite."
King Chunhe lightly twisted the end of the braid over her right shoulder. "Steel Heart, you have great potential. Perhaps you really can walk a path ordinary people could never manage. I'm willing to be your 'guide.' What I told you before—'come to me if you run into trouble'—still stands."
"Thank you for looking after me, King Chunhe," Bai Pu thanked her again.
"You don't have to call me 'King Chunhe' either."
King Chunhe smiled faintly. "You may not understand what a guide means yet... In short, from now on, just call me big sister."
"Big Sister... Chunhe?"
Bai Pu froze. This relationship was progressing a little too quickly.
Although King Chunhe treated people gently, was she really this unassuming?
King Chunhe frowned. "What, do you think I'm too old to be your big sister?"
"Of course not."
In front of a king, Bai Pu still could not bring himself to be glib, so he could only change his address to "Sister Chunhe."
King Chunhe gave a soft laugh, two dimples appearing on her cheeks, and said, "Since you've acknowledged me as your guide, there are some things you ought to know.
"I belong to the 'Observer' faction. Bo Xuan and Jiu Yi, whom you know, both belong to this faction as well. The hierarchy in our faction isn't that strict. Guides and new members address one another as brothers and sisters."
Bai Pu was stunned. "Then if I meet Bo Xuan True Person again, can I call him Big Brother Bo Xuan?"
"That depends. If you become a king before he does, calling him Little Brother Bo Xuan would be fine too." King Chunhe smiled teasingly.
What Bai Pu