Yao Chuan heard that and immediately laughed, looking a little amused and a little exasperated.
But since Xie Xie was so insistent, he certainly wasn't going to refuse.
After all, Xie Xie had enormous potential.
Besides, Yao Chuan knew perfectly well that the world he was in now was the Douluo Continent of the third installment, which was nothing like the first.
In this era, the path to godhood had long since been cut off.
There was only one way left to become a god: forge a divine position of your own, build up your own power, and gather the power of faith.
No one could manage that alone. He would need plenty of talented people working alongside him.
Yao Chuan hadn't given the matter much thought before.
But ever since he'd awakened his Black Dragon Martial Soul and felt that heavy, domineering power, he'd had no choice but to start thinking seriously about it.
Why? Because he'd realized he seemed to have plunged headfirst into the heart of the vortex formed by the God King's schemes and the Silver Dragon King's plans—and there was no avoiding it.
After all, Na'er, the Silver Dragon King's avatar, had mistaken him for one of her own. Did he really think God King Tang wouldn't recognize his dragon aura?
Even if he didn't, God King Tang treated the entire Douluo Continent like his private property.
Just thinking about God King Tang's methods, then looking at the Silver Dragon King's schemes...
Yao Chuan felt a headache coming on.
He was finally experiencing firsthand what it meant for the trees to yearn for stillness while the wind refused to die down.
If he wanted to forge his own path and avoid being used as someone else's chess piece, he had to plan ahead and prepare early.
Yao Chuan's eyes flickered as his mind raced through the possibilities.
But to Xie Xie, his thoughtful expression looked like something else entirely.
When Yao Chuan didn't agree right away and instead seemed to be considering it, Xie Xie lowered his little head, unable to hide his disappointment. He thought Yao Chuan didn't want to take him on as a little brother.
Just then, Yao Chuan came back to himself and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Sure, no problem!"
The moment Yao Chuan finally agreed, Xie Xie's eyes lit up. His disappointment vanished, leaving him filled with joy.
"Big brother!"
He called out again, brimming with excitement.
The group exchanged contact information.
They still felt like they hadn't gotten enough of their earlier fight, and they were a little hungry too, so they found another restaurant, sat down together, and shared a meal to get to know one another better.
After eating their fill and chatting to their hearts' content, they finally went their separate ways.
Yao Chuan brought Na'er and Mu Xi back to the Blacksmith Association.
As soon as they entered, they saw Mu Chen sitting in the living room. Clearly, he'd been waiting for them.
Mu Xi chattered away, recounting what had happened that afternoon, especially the part where Yao Chuan had dealt with Guang Long. She described it all in vivid detail.
Mu Chen listened, then gave an approving smile.
"You saw injustice and drew your blade to help. Well done!"
After praising him, he shared some good news. "That thug Guang Long has a brother, Guang Biao, who's a mecha corps commander. He's no good either."
"I've already spoken with the governor's office. The evidence is conclusive, and rotten wood spoils the whole tree. Guang Biao has been removed from his post and placed under investigation. With his brother no longer backing him, a little nobody like Guang Long won't be able to stir up any trouble."
Yao Chuan nodded. Guang Biao's punishment removed one potential threat.
But then Mu Chen's expression grew serious as he turned to Yao Chuan.
"But, Xiao Chuan," he said earnestly, "you did the right thing this time. But being good in a fight doesn't mean you can act without restraint. If you run into something like this again, no matter who the other person is or how strong they are, your first priority must always be making sure you're safe."
"Only if you protect yourself can you protect others. Understand?"
Yao Chuan felt the concern and worry in Mu Chen's words and nodded seriously.
"I'll remember that, Uncle Mu."
That night, after returning to his room, Yao Chuan had only just sat down when Na'er, who'd been quietly following him around, suddenly lifted her little face. Her amethyst eyes fixed on him as she spoke with grave seriousness.
"Big brother, I'll protect you from now on."
Her soft voice held an unshakable resolve.
Yao Chuan felt a warmth spread through his heart.
He smiled and reached out to stroke Na'er's soft silver hair.
"All right."
As he looked at the innocent little girl before him, he knew the truth.
Her pure attachment to him was because the Silver Dragon King's vast memories hadn't fully awakened yet.
Once she truly "woke up," the little Na'er who depended on him might no longer exist.
But he wasn't going to deliberately distance himself from her or treat her coldly because of that "future."
On the contrary, he felt that boosting Na'er's affection for him now could only help him.
Raising her affection meant securing another trump card for himself.
After all, his own Martial Soul was a true dragon, with a powerful and domineering bloodline.
If Na'er left one day before he'd fully grown strong, and the real Silver Dragon King, Gu Yue, noticed his existence and decided to devour and merge with him, he'd be in serious trouble.
So if he maxed out Na'er's affection for him now, at least it might give Gu Yue some reason to think twice.
As Yao Chuan thought this, he couldn't help ruffling Na'er's little head again.
Na'er contentedly narrowed her eyes, like a kitten being petted the right way.
Mu Xi happened to see this as she came in carrying a plate of fruit.
A sense of crisis!
Alarm bells went off in Mu Xi's mind.
She set the fruit plate down on the table with a soft thud.
Throughout dinner, she wore a stiff expression and found every bite tasteless. She barely touched her food.
Every so often, her eyes darted toward Yao Chuan and Na'er as the little voice in her head screamed at the top of its lungs.
This is bad, this is bad!
Could Yao Chuan... actually like little loli types like Na'er?
Doesn't he like a slightly more mature, older-sister type like me?
What should I do? What should I do...?
Mu Xi was so conflicted that her mind was a jumble of wild thoughts.
Yao Chuan, meanwhile, was thinking about something entirely different.
All his attention was focused on how to deal with the supreme God King Tang in the future.
He knew God King Tang's true form was bound by the rules of the Divine Realm and couldn't descend directly onto this continent.
But facing his divine consciousness projection was still extremely dangerous.
After all, this God King was known for his cold ruthlessness and brutal methods.
Just look at what happened to the last genius he took an interest in, Huo Yuhao. It was easy to see what he'd been trained into.
To put it bluntly,
he'd been treated like a dog...(⊙︿⊙)
In the end, he'd even lost his own surname. A chosen child of fortune had been turned into a laborer working for the Tang Sect, with no end in sight.
Yao Chuan even entertained a dark thought.
If God King Tang learned he existed and decided this "variable" was worth "cultivating,"
might he get a sudden inspiration, recreate Huo Yuhao's story, and give Tang Wulin a complete "transformation"—turn him into a woman?
Then he'd find a way to draw Yao Chuan into the game.
That unlucky kid, Tang Wulin, already had it bad enough being used as a chess piece.
If they went and made him a woman too... Yao Chuan couldn't even imagine the scene.
It would be utterly inhumane.
After turning the matter over in his mind, Yao Chuan decided that until he'd grown strong enough, he'd better not step into the spotlight and challenge God King Tang head-on. The risks were too great.
The best approach was to stay behind the scenes and let others do the heavy lifting.
As for how to pull it off,
there was just one core idea: drive a wedge between them!
He had to find a way to undermine the already fragile "trust" between God King Tang and the chess piece he'd chosen—Tang Wulin.
After all, Tang Wulin had no real affection for God King Tang. All the love he felt for his parents went to his adoptive father, Tang Ziran, and adoptive mother, Lang Yue.
The so-called "biological father" was just a blurry shadow in his mind, perhaps not even as close to him as the neighbors next door.
Driving a wedge between this plastic father and son wouldn't be all that difficult.
The key was how to plant a seed of suspicion in Tang Wulin's heart ahead of time.
A seed of suspicion aimed specifically at the "old grandpa."
Before you continue