From Now On, We'll Each Call It Our Own Way

"Excellent. From now on, I'm the boss of Dorm Seven. You'll all call me Sister Xiao Wu!"

In Dorm Seven, with the other work-study students staring in disbelief, Xiao Wu planted her foot on Wang Sheng's butt, clapped her hands, and struck a smug pose. She seemed like a completely different person from the one who'd been outside just moments ago.

"Another bunch of little fools fooled by the hooligan rabbit's appearance."

Tang Yin, who had watched the whole thing, shook his head slightly. Still, he felt relieved. Sure enough, she was Sister Xiao Wu, not Brother Xiao Wu.

Just as Tang Yin was congratulating himself, he felt a warm breath brush past his ear.

"Brother, be careful. This girl is strong!" Somehow, Tang Sanmei had already finished putting away her things. Now she leaned close to his ear and whispered, though her wary eyes remained fixed on the smug Xiao Wu.

"Oh? Even you aren't a match for her?" Tang Yin raised an eyebrow.

Tang Sanmei pondered for a moment, then nodded quite seriously. "Relying only on my beginner-level Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, I'm no match for her."

Of course, that was what Tang Sanmei said, but she hadn't counted her unique Hidden Weapons.

She didn't want to use such sinister, ruthless weapons in front of her brother.

She was her brother's gentle, considerate little cotton-padded jacket, a pure and immaculate white lotus.

When she'd arrived in this world and met her brother Tang Yin, she'd planned to forget all that stuff. But the appearance of that little beggar last month had made her feel threatened.

If even a little beggar could toy with her brother, what would happen if a real villain came along?

Sigh! Her brother was still too kind and naive. He didn't understand the deceit and scheming in people's hearts.

I have to protect my brother!

She renewed her resolve, and the more Tang Sanmei looked at Xiao Wu, the less she thought she seemed like a good person.

"Oh! Little sister, you smell so nice!"

While Tang Sanmei was lost in thought, Xiao Wu had already learned that students had to bring their own bedding. Having always done as she pleased, she immediately decided to make her underlings hand theirs over.

But the work-study students' dormitory was full of poor children, and their bedding was dirty and ragged. That left Tang Yin and his sister, the only ones who looked clean and tidy, as her targets.

As soon as Xiao Wu approached the siblings, she suddenly sniffed, then sat down beside Tang Sanmei with a mischievous grin, delivering a line that sounded like something a lecherous wolf would say.

"I can lend you money to buy bedding, but taking other people's things isn't a good habit!" Luckily Xiao Wu was a girl. Otherwise, after that lecherous line, Tang Yin would have given her a thorough lesson in Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

A bratty little girl like that deserved a good disciplining.

Well, never mind. Even Sanmei said that her beginner-level Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon wouldn't be enough. I'll hold back.

"Oh? You'll lend me money?" Xiao Wu, who'd been getting pushed away by Tang Sanmei over and over, lit up at his words. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed at Tang Yin expectantly.

So people really could make that expression!

Tang Yin marveled inwardly and was about to reach for his money, but Tang Sanmei caught the hand he'd slipped into his robes.

"Brother, Father said our money doesn't come easily, so we should spend it sparingly." Tang Sanmei's eyes gleamed strangely.

"But I do feel sorry for Xiao Wu. How about I give her my bedding, and you and I share a bed?"

"After all, you always taught me that we should be kindhearted, and when someone asks for help, we should lend a hand as long as we're sure they're a good person!"

"Did I say that?" Tang Yin was taken aback. But when he saw the other children looking at him with admiration, he immediately sat up straight.

"That's right, that's what I taught you. You did very well."

He couldn't crush the children's longing for goodness.

If this could help put a few more upright, kindhearted people into a Douluo Continent whose residents had their brains addled by romance, Tang Yin felt he had to do his part.

"Xiao Wu, you can sleep in my bed. I'll reluctantly share one with my brother." Suddenly, Xiao Wu, who'd seemed more and more like a bad person to Tang Sanmei, started looking rather lovely.

"Ah, um, wouldn't that be bad?" Xiao Wu suddenly felt a little bashful.

As a Soul Beast, she'd always believed in the survival of the fittest, and with Daming and Erming looking after her, she'd roamed unchecked through the Star Dou Great Forest.

Whenever she'd taken things from other beasts, they'd handed them over with resentful, helpless looks. It had given her a great sense of satisfaction.

But now that she'd come to the human world, she'd discovered that humans were so friendly. That actually made her feel a little embarrassed.

"The human world isn't as dangerous as Daming and Erming said, after all." Xiao Wu's simple train of thought quickly moved on, and she put on the air of a big sister.

"You're Tang Sanmei, right?" Xiao Wu patted Tang Sanmei on the shoulder.

"I've decided. From now on, you're my little sister. Apart from me, you're the most important person in this dorm. I'll look after you."

Without a word, Tang Sanmei removed the hand from her shoulder, then hugged Tang Yin's arm. He wore an expression of righteous dignity.

"No. In Third Sister's eyes, my brother will always come first!"

Xiao Wu paused at that, then turned her gaze back to Tang Yin. Thinking of how he'd been willing to lend her those shiny things earlier, she didn't feel like picking a fight.

She'd been in the human world long enough to know that those shiny things could be exchanged for lots of carrots.

"Fine. You're Third Sister, and I'm Second Sister Xiao Wu. As for your brother..." Xiao Wu paused, a flash of inspiration striking her.

"As for you, I've figured it out. You call me big sister, and I'll call you big brother. From now on, we'll each call it our own way."

"Pfft!" Tang Yin thought he had a high threshold for laughter, and that ordinary jokes wouldn't make him laugh—unless he really couldn't help it.

He hadn't expected this airheaded Xiao Wu to come up with such astonishing wisdom.

"Why is Brother laughing?" Tang Sanmei asked reflexively.

"Nothing. I just thought of something happy!"

"Oh? Brother, what's so funny? Tell your big sister, too, so I can have a laugh~"

At once, cheerful laughter rang through the work-study students' dormitory.

Meanwhile, in the dean's office not far from Dorm Seven...

The distant hubbub from the academy dormitory made Yu Xiaogang frown slightly. He flipped through one page of information after another, still unable to find a suitable candidate, and grew increasingly irritated.

"Xiaogang, why not lower your standards a little? This is just a remote little town, after all. How many promising talents could there be?" The dean looked at his longtime friend, feeling rather helpless.

Yu Xiaogang said nothing, only continued flipping through the information. Seeing this, the dean shook his head, got up, and went to the window to look at the dormitory building in the distance.

"The new students are full of energy this year. It's nice to be young!"

Knock, knock~

There was a sudden knock at the door. Then a bespectacled woman walked in, holding a stack of documents.

"Dean, these are the records of the new students who registered at the academy today."

"Mm, thank you for your hard work." The dean nodded and flipped through them out of habit. But when he reached Tang Sanmei's page, he froze and couldn't help exclaiming in shock.

"Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power!"

Yu Xiaogang paused slightly, then shot the dean an unfriendly look.

"Old man, don't mess with me. How could anyone in the world have Innate Full Soul Power with Blue Silver Grass?" As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang set down the documents, interlaced his fingers on the desk, and a gleam of wisdom flashed in his eyes.

"I've investigated 647 people whose Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass. Sixteen of them had Soul Power, a rate of less than three percent. And not one of those sixteen had Soul Power above level one. According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul that I've developed—the one stating that innate Soul Power is proportional to the quality of a Martial Soul—Blue Silver Grass clearly doesn't meet the requirements."

As the dean listened to Yu Xiaogang ramble on about his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, the corner of his mouth twitched. He stopped trying to explain and simply handed the documents in front of Yu Xiaogang.

"I said..." Yu Xiaogang began, still wanting to say more. But the moment the corner of his eye caught the documents, his eyes flew open.

"Good grief, why didn't you show me this sooner!"

With that, Yu Xiaogang snatched up the stack of documents and hurried out of the dean's office.

"Hey, why did you take all of them?!"