Encounter

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

This was the first time in their lives that they had encountered something as frustrating as today.

Although Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang came from an ordinary civilian family, their home was very harmonious. Their parents had a good relationship and loved them dearly.

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

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

Because Tang Wulin's Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, his classmates were rather dismissive of him. By extension, Tang Wuyang was also unwelcome among them, and even the teacher was not particularly warm toward him.

During the afternoon meditation guidance, the teacher had clearly spent the least amount of time with him.

Tang Wuyang had been indignant on behalf of his older brother, while also feeling frustrated by his classmates mocking 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 Meals for the Soul Master class were also much better than those of ordinary Students.

At lunchtime, everyone saw Tang Wulin eat an amount equivalent to half an adult's meal. They had been about to mock him as a Food Bucket, but when they saw Tang Wuyang beside him, they immediately bestowed that title upon Tang Wuyang instead.

Tang Wuyang really did eat a lot. And this was not just an ordinary amount—he had eaten nearly half as much as the other dozen or so classmates combined, excluding Tang Wulin.

His appetite even surpassed that of a normal adult man.

Tang Wuyang gloomily rubbed his stomach. Although 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?

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

The thought of food immediately swept away the gloom in Tang Wuyang's heart. He quickly caught up to Tang Wulin, who was walking ahead of him, and happily headed home.

Although the afternoon sunlight was not as strong as it was at noon, the weather was nice today. When the sunlight fell upon them, it still brought a trace of warmth.

As Tang Wuyang thought about all kinds of delicious food, a flash of silver suddenly caught his eye.

At the final U-shaped intersection on the way home, on the road running opposite to the direction they needed to take, a Little girl was crouching by the roadside.

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

It was as though some unseen force had drawn them together. As Tang Wuyang stared blankly at the Little girl, she lifted her head and looked at him as well.

The Little girl's face was dirty, and coupled with her somewhat tattered clothes, she looked exactly like a Little beggar.

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

The Little girl's eyes were large, her clear gaze like two flawless Purple Crystals.

Even from a distance, Tang Wuyang seemed able to see his own reflection in her Pupils.

Tang Wuyang's own eyes were beautiful. Now that he saw eyes as lovely as his and his older brother's, he naturally felt fondness toward her. He stopped unconsciously, not noticing that Tang Wulin, still immersed in his own world, had already walked far away.

The Little girl did not avoid Tang Wuyang's gaze. Her beautiful Purple Eyes only filled with a hint of surprise and uncertainty.

"Little Sister, where are your Parents?"

Just then, several thuggish Young men were likewise drawn over by her silver hair and approached the Little girl.

The Little girl ignored them and 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 the foreign races 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 eyes of the other Young men, and they Nodded to one another.

The lead Young man crouched down. "Wei, Little Sister, where's your family?"

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

The Young man smiled. "Are you hungry? Ge will take you somewhere nice to eat, okay?"

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

Ignoring the girl's reaction, the Young man gave his companions a look. Reaching out, he grabbed the Little girl's slender arm and pulled her up from the ground.

The other Young men deliberately formed a circle 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 somewhat childish angry shout rang out, startling the guilty Young men so badly that they all shuddered.

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

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

A vicious glint flashed through 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 yapping, and we'll take you away too."

Tang Wuyang was sent tumbling by the kick, rolling more than two meters before landing in the dirt, his face and clothes immediately covered in dust.

"You Bad guys!"

He rolled on the ground, then immediately scrambled back up and charged at the Young men, blocking their path.

A fierce expression 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, they were still on the street.

Tang Wuyang glared stubbornly at them. "You bunch of Bad guys! I'm a Soul Master. I'm not afraid of you! Let her go!"

As he spoke, Tang Wuyang raised both hands. Behind him appeared a Qilin wrapped in Seven-Colored Light.

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

Having Soul Power merely made someone a little stronger than children their age. Without the support of a Soul Spirit and Soul Ring, a Martial Soul was still far from capable of being used in battle.

This 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.

The Young man stared blankly at the dignified Qilin behind Tang Wuyang. It was not until his companion tugged at him that he came back to his senses.

If it had merely been an ordinary child, then even if they had done something, they might have been fine as long as they covered it up 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 definitely dig three feet into the ground to find the cause.

If they really laid hands on the little boy in front of them, the trouble would be enormous. Besides, they had already attracted plenty of attention.

"Damn it!"

The lead Young man let out an unwilling snort, threw the Little girl from his shoulder, and fled in disgrace with his companions.

The Little girl staggered from the fall and landed on the ground on her backside.

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

The Little girl raised her head to look at him. At this close distance, her large purple eyes seemed even more beautiful. A layer of Water Mist appeared to rise in those clear Pupils.

"Y-you, don't cry. The Bad guys have already been driven away by me."

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

Aside from his mother, Lang Yue, Tang Wuyang had rarely spent time around girls. Seeing the Little girl's tearful appearance, he immediately became somewhat flustered.

The Little girl sniffled and stared blankly at Tang Wuyang. After remaining quiet for a while, she finally spoke timidly for the first time. "I-I'm called 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 fell silent again.

"Then where are your Dad and Mom? 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 sound abruptly reached Tang Wuyang's ears. "Grrr~"

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

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

Although Na'er's Small Face was covered in quite a bit of dust, a faint blush could still be seen on it.

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

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

From where she stood, Tang Wuyang's profile was pink and tender, still carrying a flush from the earlier confrontation.

His pair of large black eyes looked like deep Black Gems beneath the sunlight, making Na'er stare blankly at him.

"Mom, I'm back."

The moment the door opened, Tang Wulin pounced on him.

"Wuyang, you scared me to death."

"I got home, turned around, and found you gone. I thought you'd been kidnapped. Wuwu~"

Tang Wulin held his younger brother as though he had recovered something lost, his voice carrying a hint of tears.

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

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

Tang Wulin was still hugging Tang Wuyang, immersed in his sorrowful emotions.

"Mom, I'm back." Tang Wuyang stood where he was, signaling Tang Wulin to let him go.

Hearing that Mom had returned, Tang Wulin released Tang Wuyang, wiped away his tears, and stood to one side.

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

Upon hearing Tang Wuyang's voice, Lang Yue rushed over, dropped to her knees, and tightly embraced his small body.

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

"Mom, Older brother, I ran into Bad guys just now..." Tang Wuyang vividly recounted everything that 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 those idle Young men on the streets of the Civilian District were capable of doing anything.

Tang Wuyang protested, "But Dad said a man has to be brave and dare to fight against Bad guys."

"And I believe that if Older 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 younger brother was right. If he encountered such a thing, 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 scold him.

Had he done anything wrong?

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

Tang Wuyang cheerfully moved closer and hugged his Mom's leg. "Mom, don't be angry anymore. Na'er and I are both hungry. Make us something delicious."

Tang Wulin also jumped in and promptly changed the subject. "That's right, Mom. Wuyang said he was hungry as soon as school ended. Don't be angry anymore. I'm a little hungry too."

He was not actually very hungry. Though his appetite had also increased greatly after Martial Soul Awakening, it was nowhere near as abnormal as Tang Wuyang's.

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

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

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

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

Children of five or six naturally had no awareness of gender differences. Lang Yue took the two mud-monkey-like children into the bathroom and gave them a bath.

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

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

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

Although Tang Wulin was somewhat displeased that this Little girl brought home by his younger brother had put Tang Wuyang in danger, he still greeted Na'er kindly.

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

Tang Wuyang was half a head taller than Na'er. His clothes looked a little loose on her, but that did nothing to diminish her beauty.

Her skin was even fairer than that of Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang. Her pink and tender Small Face looked as though water could be squeezed from it with a gentle pinch.

Having just bathed, Na'er carried a faint, fresh scent of body wash. She looked delicate and exquisite, like a fine porcelain doll.

Na'er looked up at Tang Wuyang but still said nothing, 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 cups of milk for the three children who had claimed to be hungry.

Tang Wulin was not actually very hungry. He had said he was hungry earlier only to distract Lang Yue.

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

After quickly Finishing Eating his own portion, he picked up his milk and gulped it down with a few loud swallows. Then he went straight to the sofa in the Living room and began watching Soul Guidance Television.

Although Tang Wulin had accepted the Little girl his younger brother brought home, it was clearly impossible for him to have no reservations at all.