Outwitting Sword Douluo

Early the next morning, Lang Lei got out of bed bright and early, then habitually patted Little Griseo beside him.

"Little Griseo, why did you sneak over here again?" Lang Lei picked up Little Griseo, who was wrapped in the blanket, intending to put her back on the other bed.

"Mmm... don't..." Griseo mumbled, her little hand tightly gripping Lang Lei's pajamas. "Sleepy..."

Lang Lei smiled helplessly and said for who knew how many times, "Just this once, okay~"

"Mhm..." Griseo groggily pulled the blanket tighter around herself and burrowed deeper into Lang Lei's arms.

"Honestly..." Lang Lei smiled and scraped her dainty little nose, making Griseo's nose twitch.

"Sleep a little longer!" Lang Lei lay back down and hugged Griseo through the blanket.

And so, a wonderfully comfortable second nap began...

"Gurgle gurgle—"

"Pfft—"

Laughing, Lang Lei scraped the foam from Griseo's mouth and smeared it onto her face.

"Brother Lang Lei, mean!" Griseo puffed out her cheeks and leaned forward, trying to wipe the foam from her face onto Lang Lei's clothes.

"Haha, my bad..." Lang Lei held Griseo back by the shoulder with one hand while holding his cup in the other, laughing loudly.

"You're obviously still laughing!"

"That's because Little Griseo is too cute~"

"Hmph~ Mean!"

"Alright, alright, Brother's mean." Lang Lei smiled and nodded, reaching for a towel. "Come on, wipe it off."

Griseo obediently leaned her face forward, and Lang Lei gently wiped it clean with the towel.

Once he was done, Lang Lei looked at Griseo's soft, fair little face. Feeling playful, he tossed the towel aside and began rubbing her cheeks with both hands.

"Mmmph!" Griseo suddenly jumped off the stool she had been standing on and onto Lang Lei, wrapping her slender legs around his waist.

Lang Lei hurriedly caught her and bounced her upward slightly.

"Alright, washing up is complete!"

"Complete..."

With Griseo hanging from him, Lang Lei left the bathroom after washing up and placed her on the bed.

Griseo stretched lazily and sat on the bed with her legs spread in a little-girl sit.

"Alright, Brother's going downstairs to get breakfast now, so hurry up and get dressed, okay~" Lang Lei asked tentatively.

"Mmm?" Griseo shook her head and held her arms out toward him.

"Is there something else?" Lang Lei asked, still unwilling to give up.

Griseo merely stretched her arms out again without saying anything.

"..."

"Do it yourself!"

"Wah..."

"..."

A long silence followed...

"Fine... just one last time!"

"Thank you, Brother Lang Lei~" Griseo crawled to the edge of the bed, her two little white feet swinging back and forth.

"Honestly..." Lang Lei shook his head and picked up the outfit Griseo usually wore.

Not long afterward—

Amid a flurry of chaos, Lang Lei ran downstairs.

"What torture..."

Lang Lei wiped the sweat from his forehead. He felt that even beating up Dai Mubai would not have been this exhausting.

Of course, the main thing was that it was mentally exhausting...

Not long afterward, Griseo also came running downstairs.

After breakfast, Lang Lei took Griseo out of the hotel, planning to visit Shrek Academy today.

However, not long after leaving the bustling district of Suotuo City, an unexpected person blocked Lang Lei's path.

"So soon?" Lang Lei was slightly surprised. He had thought Sword Douluo Chen Xin would take a while longer to arrive.

"Your name is... Lang Lei?" Before Lang Lei could speak, Sword Douluo in the distance spoke first.

"Yes, I am Lang Lei. May I ask what brings you here, Senior?" Lang Lei's attitude was fairly respectful. The man before him was practically half a lifesaver, and he had taken good care of him before he turned six. Though he might have had other motives, one judged a gentleman by his actions, not his heart—if one judged hearts, no one in the world would be perfect. As long as the other party did not stop him from taking revenge, Lang Lei was willing to speak with him calmly.

"I am Chen Xin, Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Unable to read Lang Lei's expression, Sword Douluo proactively introduced himself, hoping to glean something from a change in Lang Lei's face.

But unfortunately, Lang Lei's expression was no different from that of any soul master who had encountered a powerful figure by chance. It was entirely normal.

"Ah! So it's Your Excellency Chen Xin. This junior has been disrespectful." Lang Lei feigned great surprise, gently set Griseo down from his arms, and cupped his hands in salute.

"No matter. You bear a striking resemblance to a disciple of our sect, and even share the same name. I was surprised, so I came to take a look," Sword Douluo said coolly, his arms folded.

He had been following Lang Lei from a distance for some time.

From secretly coming to Suotuo City to check on their precious Ning Rongrong, to asking at the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena about Lang Lei's whereabouts, to waiting outside the hotel—everything he did after checking on Ning Rongrong was to get a look at Lang Lei without alerting him.

When he saw Lang Lei coming downstairs, he had indeed been startled.

There was no other reason. He looked far too much like the previous Lang Lei, practically like Lang Lei after growing up.

So, as soon as the other party left Suotuo City, Sword Douluo Chen Xin had stepped forward.

The continent was full of strange things. What if some heavenly treasure had made Lang Lei grow up overnight?

As for why Lang Lei was in Suotuo City instead of obediently staying in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect...

Once he confirmed the other party's identity, he could return to the sect and investigate.

"Oh? The same name, and he even looks like me?" Lang Lei once again pretended to be excited. "May I ask whether that child was found near the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Sword Douluo was confused by Lang Lei's sudden excitement and answered instinctively, "Yes, that is indeed the case. This old man personally sent him back to the sect to be raised. There can be no mistake."

"There can't be any mistake! He must be my younger brother. May I ask..." Lang Lei put on a conflicted expression and looked at Griseo. "No, Senior, did you investigate me beforehand?"

"Hm?" Sword Douluo's brows drew together. "Why would I investigate a junior like you?"

"Your Excellency, to be honest, several years ago, my family was poor, and we had no choice but to abandon my younger brother while he was still young." Lang Lei looked heartbroken. "I could not bear to see him go, yet I was powerless to defy my parents' orders. I could only beg them for a swaddling cloth embroidered with my name, leaving myself a sliver of hope that I might one day use it as a clue to find my younger brother."

Sword Douluo Chen Xin listened intently, nodding from time to time.

Meanwhile, Griseo stared wide-eyed at Brother Lang Lei with a dazed, incredulous expression.

"This junior knows it is merely wishful thinking, but I still wished to continue searching, hoping to put that regret to rest." Lang Lei looked disappointed. "Not to boast, but along the way, quite a few factions saw my great talent and tried to recruit me. Some even went so far as to investigate my past and fabricate a fake younger brother to deceive me."

Sword Douluo frowned slightly. Given the other party's talent, such things were indeed possible.

Moreover, there were no obvious holes in his story. Everything sounded fairly reasonable.

"Why would a Titled Douluo like me deceive you?" Sword Douluo said bluntly. "Come with me to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Wouldn't the truth become clear on its own?"

"I deeply admire Your Excellency's sincerity and would not dare doubt you. But I must first fulfill the request of my benefactor and the final wish of the departed; I cannot delay them for long. Only after I have repaid that kindness can I accompany Your Excellency to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and investigate this matter properly." Lang Lei feigned deep conflict.

"Every word this junior has spoken comes from the heart. My younger brother and I have been separated for so long, unable to meet. Now that I know his whereabouts, I truly wish I had wings to fly to him at once. But how could my personal feelings compare to the boundless kindness of being raised? I can only set them aside for now."

"By my reckoning, my younger brother should be seven years old by now. If we met so suddenly, he would likely have trouble adjusting, and I too feel a little apprehensive. I hope Senior can inform him first while I make preparations. Once I have repaid this kindness, I will certainly come as promised!"

Sword Douluo was somewhat moved and nodded.

"Is this the person whose kindness you need to repay?" Sword Douluo looked at Griseo, who appeared completely ordinary.

"That is right. My birth parents passed away young, and my foster younger sister has raised me all the way to this day." Lang Lei answered. "Now that her elder has departed, she is deeply grieved. I dare not delay the task entrusted to me by my benefactor."

Griseo became even more confused. Why was Brother Lang Lei saying so many things she could not understand?

It even sounded like he was lying...

"Very well. We shall do as you say. I will return to the sect and find your younger brother, while you go settle this old debt of kindness." Sword Douluo nodded in satisfaction. Talented, aware of gratitude and grudges, and capable of repaying kindness—he was a good prospect.

Besides, he knew that their precious Ning Rongrong was nearby as well. With Ning Rongrong's beauty and Lang Lei's talent, perhaps the two of them would take a liking to each other.

"This junior thanks you." Lang Lei cupped his hands.

"I shall take my leave." Sword Douluo summoned the Seven Kill Sword and used his soul power to send a token flying toward Lang Lei. "After you have repaid that kindness, bring this token to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to find me."

"Farewell, Senior." The corners of Lang Lei's lips curled upward. This should earn him the highest-tier reward, right?

Neither Griseo nor he had even made a move!

"This makes three tokens now, doesn't it?" After Sword Douluo left, Lang Lei accepted the token and grumbled, "The major factions of Douluo Continent really love using these things."

"Brother Lang Lei, Mama Aponia said that good children must not lie." Griseo tugged at the corner of Lang Lei's clothes.

"That's true~" Lang Lei nodded. "But a great man once said: gentlemen use their mouths, not their hands~"

"Is that so?" Griseo tilted her head.

"Alright, don't overthink it. Let's go." Lang Lei took Griseo's little hand.

"Carry me!" Griseo held out her arms.

"Why do I feel like Little Griseo has gotten lazier?" Lang Lei teased.

"I haven't!"

"Alright, you haven't, you haven't~"

You can all guess the system's new function later on. If you guess right...

Hehe, go on, take a guess?