The Plan Proceeds Unbelievably Smoothly

After a long while, Lin Qingzhou took a deep breath, finally forcing down the restless churning in his chest.

He compelled himself to calm down, his fingertips unconsciously clenching until they were white, his mind still replaying the plan that gambled everything.

To be honest, if this plan truly succeeded, he could directly defy fate and escape his wretched destiny of never becoming a Soul Master. The benefits were so immense they were tempting even without deep thought.

But if he broke it down and examined it, the success rate was pitifully low, not exaggerating to call it a one-in-nine chance of survival. A slight misstep and he'd likely lose his life.

He clenched his fingers, his knuckles turning blue, replaying it countless times in his mind. In the end, he pinpointed two of the most fatal problems, ones he couldn't bypass or avoid.

First, was Di Tian hiding in the shadows, watching Na'er? If he dared to act, forcing Na'er to sacrifice herself, would Gu Yue, far away in the Star Dou Forest, be able to detect it immediately?

Sacrifice was no small matter; it was a monumental event in the soul beast world, especially since Na'er carried the Silver Dragon King's primal power.

Even if he got incredibly lucky, absorbed the Silver Dragon King's bloodline, and successfully awakened his Martial Soul, he'd likely be precisely located by Gu Yue the next second, facing an unending pursuit from this Dragon God's clone. He wouldn't even have a place to hide.

Second, why did Na'er, perfectly fine, suddenly appear in Proud Arrival City for no reason? This didn't make sense. Could it be that the Tang God King had secretly arranged it?

It wasn't that he wanted to be paranoid, but the distance between the two locations was simply too absurd.

The Star Dou Forest was on the original Douluo Continent, while Proud Arrival City was on the Sun Moon Continent, separated by thousands of miles of ocean. A little girl with no self-preservation ability traveling so far alone looked like a meticulously arranged trap.

Lin Qingzhou stared out the window, silent for a long time, before finally gritting his teeth and making up his mind.

It seemed he had no choice but to go to the vicinity of Tang Wulin's school, stake out the area in advance, and get a clear picture of the surroundings.

The plan to intercept Na'er would officially begin tomorrow; he couldn't delay any longer.

Even if he could never become a Soul Master in his life, he had never relaxed his vigilance regarding Tang Wulin's movements, so he knew clearly that Na'er hadn't arrived in Proud Arrival City yet.

But according to the plot of the original work, her appearance was imminent, leaving him no room for hesitation.

For the next several days, he staked out the area near the school every day. Without much effort, he actually found the dirty, huddled little Na'er in a street corner.

However, one thing puzzled him. The moment Na'er saw him, her eyes were filled with instinctive fear, her whole body tense, like a soul beast encountering its natural enemy, showing an inexplicable natural wariness towards his aura.

At that time, Lin Qingzhou's mind was consumed by his plan, and he didn't pay any attention to this minor anomaly, dismissing it as the little girl being shy from her long journey.

He deliberately suppressed all the unsettling auras from himself, forcing himself to act extremely gentle, patiently coaxing her bit by bit, slowly dismantling her defenses.

After all, Na'er had been alone and helpless for too long, with no one to care for her. After much effort, she finally let down her guard and followed him back to the villa.

The entire process was unnervingly smooth, even making Lin Qingzhou uneasy, feeling something was wrong, a sense of unreality.

But things had reached this point; the arrow was nocked and ready to fly, with no turning back. He haphazardly tidied up the guest room. By the time he was done, Na'er had already fallen into a deep sleep on the small bed.

Lin Qingzhou stood at the guest room door, not entering, just watching quietly. Even in her sleep, the little girl's brows were slightly furrowed, her small face full of unease, which weighed heavily on his heart.

His emotions were a complete mess, a tangle of conflict, guilt, and obsession. After a long time, he sighed heavily and murmured in a low voice, "Alas, what a sin."

Lin Qingzhou couldn't help but mock himself internally, thinking he was a hypocrite. He had already made his decision, yet he still felt pity for her.

The next morning, the villa's dining room was unusually quiet. Lin Qingzhou and little Na'er, sitting opposite each other, stared blankly, neither speaking first.

Na'er tightly clutched her small spoon, her small face taut with awkwardness and unease.

After hesitating for a long time, she timidly raised her small hand, pointing at the sandwich in front of Lin Qingzhou, her voice soft and tentative, "Um... Brother... are you eating this?"

Lin Qingzhou was momentarily speechless. Looking at her eager yet hesitant gaze, his heart inexplicably softened. He simply pushed his own tray towards her, his tone indifferent, "You eat it, I'm not hungry."

He remained seated, quietly watching Na'er. Like a famished little beast, she buried her head and devoured the entire table of food, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel hoarding food, looking both amusing and heartbreaking.

Lin Qingzhou's mouth twitched involuntarily. He suddenly slapped his forehead, almost forgetting that in the original work, Na'er was a glutton from a young age, and this preference seemed to have remained unchanged even as she grew up.

He grumbled inwardly, "It's over. If I keep this little girl around, just the food alone will cost a lot of money. This is a considerable expense."

Looking at the little girl's satisfied and well-behaved appearance after finishing her meal, the string that had been taut in Lin Qingzhou's heart for days unconsciously loosened.

Initially, when he approached Na'er, he had no genuine feelings; it was all cold calculation and manipulation, his mind solely focused on using her Silver Dragon King bloodline to defy his own fate.

But now, looking into her clear, bright eyes, devoid of any impurities, with a hint of timidity, watching her carefully fill her stomach, afraid of displeasing him.

The cold, biting plans he had repeatedly rehearsed in his mind were inexplicably less glaring, now tinged with a faint warmth.

He raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples. The heavy "what a sin" from last night resurfaced.

However, this time, there was less self-condemnation and more an indescribable softness, which even he himself hadn't noticed.

Na'er swallowed the last bite of food before belatedly realizing she had eaten all the food on the table.

She instantly panicked, her small hands nervously twisting her clothes. Her fair little face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Qingzhou, her voice as faint as a mosquito's, full of guilt and fear.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I... I was too hungry..."