Encounter

When they left Red Mountain Academy, Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang both wore unhappy expressions.

They had never encountered anything as frustrating as what had happened today.

Although Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang came from an ordinary civilian family, their home was harmonious. Their parents had a loving relationship and adored them both.

Even when they made mistakes, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue would patiently reason with them.

But today at the academy, they had experienced for the first time the difficulties Tang Ziran had mentioned before.

Because Tang Wulin's Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, his classmates were rather dismissive of him. Tang Wuyang was dragged into it as well and was not welcomed by the other students either. Even the teacher was not particularly warm toward him.

When guiding the students' Meditation that afternoon, the teacher had clearly spent the least amount of time with him.

Tang Wuyang had been indignant on behalf of his brother the entire time, while also feeling upset that his classmates had mocked him for eating too much.

Rubbing his somewhat empty stomach, Tang Wuyang wondered in confusion, Why am I hungry again?

The academy provided lunch at noon, with no limits on portions. The Soul Master class students also ate far better than students in the ordinary classes.

At lunchtime, everyone saw that Tang Wulin ate about half as much as an adult. They had just wanted to mock him as a glutton, but when they saw Tang Wuyang beside him, they immediately pinned that title on Tang Wuyang instead.

Tang Wuyang truly ate a lot. And it was not merely a little more than usual—he had eaten roughly half as much as all the other dozen or so students combined, excluding Tang Wulin.

His appetite even surpassed that of a normal adult man.

Tang Wuyang rubbed his stomach gloomily. Though he had always had a decent appetite, he had never been able to eat this much before!

Besides, it was only afternoon. Why was he hungry again already?

Forget it. No point thinking about it. He should go home and see whether there was anything tasty to eat.

The moment he thought of food, the gloom in Tang Wuyang's heart vanished completely. He hurried after Tang Wulin, who was walking ahead, and happily headed home.

Though the afternoon sunlight was not as strong as it had been at noon, the weather was pleasant today. When the sunlight fell upon them, it still brought a hint of warmth.

As Tang Wuyang thought about all sorts of delicious foods, a flash of silver suddenly caught his attention.

At the final U-shaped intersection before he and Tang Wulin reached home, on the road opposite the direction they needed to take, a little girl was squatting by the roadside.

She looked even younger than Tang Wuyang, but she had a rare head of short silver hair.

It seemed as though something in the unseen world was drawing them toward each other. As Tang Wuyang stared blankly at the little girl, she looked up at him as well.

The little girl's face was filthy, and her clothes were worn and old. She looked exactly like a little beggar.

Yet aside from her short silver hair, she also possessed a pair of unusual eyes.

Her eyes were large, their clear pupils like two flawless violet crystals.

Even from some distance away, Tang Wuyang seemed able to see his own reflection in her eyes.

Tang Wuyang's eyes were beautiful too. Seeing eyes as lovely as his and his brother's naturally gave him a favorable impression. He unconsciously stopped walking, completely failing to notice that Tang Wulin, still immersed in his own world, had already gone far ahead.

The little girl did not avoid Tang Wuyang's gaze. A hint of surprise and uncertainty merely rose in her beautiful violet eyes.

"Little sister, where are your parents?"

Just then, several scruffy young men were also drawn over by that head of silver hair and gathered around the little girl.

But the little girl did not look at them. She lowered her head again.

The young men exchanged glances. One of them said, "Silver hair like that is really rare! She might be one of those foreigners from the other two continents. And her eyes are purple too. The underground black market will probably like someone like her."

Greed immediately appeared in the other young men's eyes, and they nodded to one another.

The leader crouched down. "Hey, little sister, where is your family?"

The little girl kept her head lowered and shook it, but said nothing.

The young man smiled. "Are you hungry? Big brother will take you to eat something delicious, all right?"

The little girl still did not speak. She shook her head again, only much more forcefully this time.

Ignoring her reaction, the young man gave his companions a look. He reached out, grabbed the little girl's thin arm, and pulled her up from the ground.

The other young men deliberately gathered around them, blocking the view from outside.

Amid the little girl's cry of alarm, the young man swiftly hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

At that moment, a young but angry shout rang out, startling the guilty young men so badly that they all shuddered.

When they turned around, embarrassed irritation appeared on their faces almost simultaneously.

The one standing up for her was only a little kid—a pretty little boy who did not even reach their waists.

A vicious gleam appeared in the eyes of one young man in the back. He raised his foot and kicked Tang Wuyang. "You little brat, you dare meddle in our business? Keep yelling, and we'll take you too."

The kick sent Tang Wuyang tumbling head over heels. He fell more than two meters away and was instantly covered in dust.

"You bad guys!"

He rolled on the ground, immediately scrambled back up, and charged toward the young men, blocking their path.

A fierce look appeared on the face of the young man carrying the little girl.

The commotion had already drawn the attention of some passersby, who stopped to look over. After all, this was still a public street.

Tang Wuyang glared at him stubbornly. "You're all bad people! I'm a Soul Master, and I'm not afraid of you! Let her go!"

As he spoke, Tang Wuyang raised both hands. Behind him, a Qilin wreathed in seven-colored light appeared.

With only Level Three Soul Power, what could he do even if he summoned his Martial Soul?

Having Soul Power only made someone a little stronger than others their age. Without the support of a Soul Spirit and Soul Rings, a Martial Soul was still far from capable of serving in battle.

That was why one had to cultivate Soul Power to Level Ten before advancing from the lowest-ranked Soul Master to the realm of a Soul Master.

When the young man saw the solemn Qilin behind Tang Wuyang, he froze in place. Only when the companion beside him tugged on him did he come back to his senses.

If it had only been an ordinary child, then no matter what they did, they might have been fine as long as they covered their tracks properly.

But a child with Soul Power was different. Such children had special official records, and were even registered with the Spirit Pagoda.

If something happened to a child like that, the Federal Government would surely dig three feet into the ground to find out why.

If they truly laid hands on the little boy in front of them, they would be in serious trouble. Besides, quite a few people were already watching them.

"Damn it!"

The leader snorted angrily and unwillingly. He threw the little girl from his shoulder, then fled with his companions in a hurry.

The little girl staggered from the fall and landed hard on her bottom.

Seeing that, Tang Wuyang hurried over and crouched beside her. "Are you okay? Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

The little girl looked up at him. From up close, those large violet eyes seemed even more beautiful. A misty layer of tears appeared in her clear pupils.

"Y-you, don't cry. I already chased the bad guys away."

"My name is Tang Wuyang. What's your name?"

Other than his mother, Lang Yue, Tang Wuyang had hardly interacted with girls. Seeing the little girl's tear-filled eyes, he immediately became flustered.

The little girl sniffled and stared blankly at Tang Wuyang. After a quiet moment, she finally spoke timidly for the first time. "I-I'm Na'er."

"Na'er? That's a lovely name." Tang Wuyang helped her to her feet.

Na'er glanced at Tang Wuyang, lowered her head, and stopped speaking again.

"Then where are your father and mother? Or do you know where your home is?" Tang Wuyang asked.

Na'er shook her head and did not answer his question.

Just then, a strange "Grrr~" sound suddenly reached Tang Wuyang's ears.

Tang Wuyang instinctively lowered his head and looked at his own stomach.

But he quickly realized that the sound had not come from his stomach.

Though Na'er's lowered little face was stained with dust, a faint blush could still be seen on it.

"You're hungry? If you can't find your father and mother, why don't you come home with me first? My mom's cooking is really delicious." As he spoke, Tang Wuyang grabbed Na'er's little hand and headed toward his home.

Na'er raised her head and looked at Tang Wuyang in front of her.

From her angle, Tang Wuyang's profile was soft and rosy, still tinged with red from the earlier confrontation.

His large black eyes gleamed in the sunlight like deep black gemstones, making Na'er stare blankly at him.

"Mom, I'm back."

The moment the door opened, Tang Wulin pounced over.

"Wuyang, you scared me to death."

"I got home and turned around, only to find that you were gone. I thought you'd been kidnapped. Boohoo~"

Tang Wulin held his brother, whom he had thought he had lost, his voice carrying a hint of tears.

Tang Wuyang patted Tang Wulin's back and comforted him. "Big Brother, sorry for making you worry."

Just then, Lang Yue opened the door and called anxiously, "Linlin, is Yangyang back? Mom searched along the road you two take home, but I couldn't find him!"

Tang Wulin was still hugging Tang Wuyang, immersed in his sorrow.

"Mom, I'm back." Tang Wuyang stood where he was and signaled for Tang Wulin to let go.

Hearing that their mother had returned, Tang Wulin released Tang Wuyang, wiped his tears, and stood to the side.

After calming down, he finally noticed that there was a little tail following behind his younger brother.

The moment Lang Yue heard Tang Wuyang's voice, she rushed over, fell to her knees, and tightly hugged his small body.

After a while, Lang Yue released Tang Wuyang. Seeing her younger son covered in dust, she wanted to say something, but then noticed Na'er, whose hand Tang Wuyang was holding.

"Mom, Big Brother, I ran into bad guys just now..." Tang Wuyang vividly recounted what had happened.

After hearing Tang Wuyang's story, Lang Yue's expression changed drastically. She stood up and pulled him into the living room, bringing Na'er along as well since Tang Wuyang was still holding her hand.

"You child, do you know how dangerous that was? How could you..."

Lang Yue's breathing was clearly hurried. She knew that the idle young men on the streets of the Civilian District were capable of doing anything.

Tang Wuyang protested, "But Dad said that a man has to be brave and dare to fight bad people."

"And I believe that if Big Brother encountered something like this, he definitely wouldn't stand by and do nothing either."

Tang Wulin lowered his head and did not argue after hearing Tang Wuyang's words.

Because he knew his brother was right. If he encountered something like that, he would definitely make the same choice as Wuyang.

"You..."

Looking at the stubbornness in her younger son's eyes, Lang Yue could no longer bring herself to voice her reproach.

Had he done something wrong?

Of course not. Wuyang had done the right thing, but as a mother, she was more worried about her child's safety.

Tang Wuyang grinned and stepped forward, hugging his mother's leg. "Mom, don't be angry anymore. Na'er and I are both hungry. Make us something tasty, okay?"

Tang Wulin also jumped in and promptly changed the subject. "That's right, Mom. Wuyang was already saying he was hungry when school got out. Don't be angry anymore. I'm a little hungry too."

He was not actually very hungry. Though his appetite had increased a great deal after Martial Soul Awakening, it was nowhere near as extraordinary as Tang Wuyang's.

Lang Yue truly had no temper left when facing her two adorable and obedient sons. She helplessly shook her head, crouched down, and looked at Na'er, who had not spoken the entire time. "Little one, your name is Na'er, right? Where are your father and mother?"

Just as before, Na'er only shook her head and still said nothing.

Seeing this, Lang Yue said gently, "All right, then. You two are filthy. Let's get you cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes first."

"Linlin, go change your clothes and wash your hands. The food will be ready soon."

Children of five or six naturally had no distinction between boys and girls. Lang Yue brought the two mud-covered children into the bathroom and gave them a bath.

When Tang Wuyang innocently asked why Na'er was different from him and his brother, Lang Yue only smiled and did not answer his childish question.

Na'er, on the other hand, shyly hid behind Lang Yue.

Children's emotions came quickly and went quickly. Tang Wulin soon returned to normal.

Although Tang Wulin was somewhat unhappy that the little girl his brother had brought home had put Tang Wuyang in danger, he still greeted Na'er in a friendly manner.

When the three children had washed up and sat at the dining table, Tang Wuyang rested his chin on one hand and looked at Na'er beside him, who was wearing his clothes. "Na'er, you're so pretty!"

Tang Wuyang was half a head taller than Na'er, so his clothes looked somewhat loose on her, but that did not affect her beauty in the slightest.

Her skin was even fairer than that of Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang. Her soft little face looked as though water could be squeezed out with the gentlest pinch.

Having just finished bathing, Na'er still carried a faint, fresh scent of body wash. She looked like a finely crafted porcelain doll.

Na'er looked up at Tang Wuyang but still did not say anything, as though she simply did not like talking.

It was not yet dinner time, so Lang Yue brought out three plates of biscuits, several small buns, and three glasses of milk for the three children who had claimed to be hungry.

Tang Wulin was not actually very hungry. He had only said so earlier to shift Lang Yue's attention.

He split half of his biscuits onto Tang Wuyang's plate and left all the buns for him and Na'er.

After quickly finishing his own portion, he picked up his milk and gulped it down. Then he went straight to the living room sofa and watched Soul Guidance Television.

Although Tang Wulin had accepted the little girl his younger brother had brought home, it was obviously impossible for him to have no lingering misgivings at all.