Hearing Su Qing's question, Tang Ya leaped down from the branch and landed in front of him, then raised her hand and smacked him hard on the forehead.
"Where are your manners? When you meet a girl older than you out here, you should call her big sister!"
"But you're so good at appearing out of nowhere. Even if I wanted to call you that, I wouldn't know where you were!"
Su Qing nearly wept. Who smacked someone on the head the moment they met? Just you wait. Once I awaken my Martial Soul, I'll see how you like a little battle.
"Actually, you have a point. Anyway, enough about that. What are you doing here all by yourself?"
Tang Ya decided it was too much trouble to argue over something like that, so she put it out of her mind and eyed Su Qing suspiciously. What was this kid doing, running into the forest alone? Maybe nobody wanted to play with him, and he'd gotten bored by himself, so he'd come here? In that case, weren't they kindred spirits?
"I want to go into the city to awaken my Martial Soul. I didn't know the way, so I ended up here."
Of course Su Qing couldn't say that he lived in the forest. Anyone hearing that would have to wonder if he was a Soul Beast who'd undergone Soul Beast Transformation! Honesty was supposedly the ultimate weapon, so he decided to pick out a few bits of the truth to tell her.
"What? You haven't awakened your Martial Soul yet? You're lucky to have made it all the way here without getting chased by Soul Beasts and running for your life. But since we've crossed paths, it must be fate. How about this: I'll take you to awaken your Martial Soul, and you can make me your big sister!"
When Tang Ya learned that this kid had run into Sunset Forest without even awakening his Martial Soul, she was utterly shocked. Then, without bothering to see how he reacted, she started rambling on about something strange.
"Uh, but I don't even know your name yet. Isn't it a little rash to make you my big sister?"
Su Qing was stunned by her erratic train of thought. How did one sentence have absolutely nothing to do with the next? And why did she talk like that? What did she mean, "without getting chased by Soul Beasts and running for your life"? She even sounded a little disappointed!
"Fair point. Then let's get to know each other first. I'm Tang Ya. What's your name?"
"Tang Ya?"
Looking at the enthusiastic girl in front of him, Su Qing understood. So it was Tang Ya. That explained everything.
"My name is Su Qing."
But out of politeness, he still told her his name. The Tang Sect was still around, after all, so he really could go there to awaken his Martial Soul. With Tang Ya to put in a good word for him, he might not even have to pay. Otherwise, he'd have to take a shady job to earn the money for the awakening.
"Hey, your name's pretty nice. All right, you're my little brother now. Come with me. I'll take you to awaken your Martial Soul."
After giving his name a quick compliment, Tang Ya thumped her chest and promised to handle the Martial Soul awakening.
"Sure thing, Big Sister Ya."
The thought that all he had to do was call her big sister to awaken his Martial Soul made him grin from ear to ear.
"Oh, right. If my parents ask where we met, tell them it was in a village outside Heaven Dou City. If they ask what I was doing, say I was helping an old lady carry things. Got it? Otherwise, something really scary will happen."
Halfway there, Tang Ya suddenly remembered they needed to get their stories straight. They couldn't afford to be careless about this; one little slip and she'd be grounded.
"Got it!"
"Good kid! Big Sister Ya will bless you with an amazingly powerful Martial Soul!"
Before long, the two of them arrived in Heaven Dou City.
After marveling at how much Heaven Dou City had changed in the nine thousand years since he'd last seen it, Tang Ya dragged him toward the Tang Sect at a run.
"Heaven Dou City is dangerous. There are always kidnappers trying to snatch children, so don't go anywhere crowded, okay?"
Su Qing played along, though he couldn't help reflecting on the Tang Sect's current predicament. Having read the original story, he knew what Tang Ya meant by "kidnappers": even stepping outside could get the sect's young master kidnapped and held hostage. As he thought about it, he glanced at Tang Ya. If I get the chance in the future, I'll still lend her a hand. Of course, I won't be joining the Tang Sect in this life.
As a Soul Master, Tang Ya ran fast. In about fifteen minutes, she led Su Qing to the Tang Sect.
With an awful metallic screech from years of disrepair, the gate creaked open a crack. Tang Ya quietly pulled Su Qing inside, then hurriedly shut it behind them.
"Xiao Ya! Where have you run off to play now?"
Before she could even catch her breath, a couple appeared in front of them. At first glance, they seemed easygoing, but both of them wore faintly angry expressions.
"Ahem. Little brother, hurry up and tell them what I did today!"
Tang Ya composed herself and gave Su Qing's hand a little squeeze.
Su Qing immediately understood. He recited the story they'd agreed on, and the anger vanished from the couple's faces. In its place, they began asking suspiciously where he came from.
After Tang Ya explained the whole story, they both breathed a sigh of relief. They'd thought he might be a spy sent by another sect, but surely no one would send a child who hadn't even awakened his Martial Soul.
"Since Xiao Ya promised you, we'll take care of awakening your Martial Soul."
Tang Lin didn't hesitate. He led Su Qing straight to the center of the formation laid out with Awakening Stones.
"I'm coming too! I want to see what kind of Martial Soul my little brother awakens!"
Tang Ya loved a bit of excitement, of course, and wasn't about to miss this chance. She'd never seen anyone awaken a Martial Soul before.
"All right, then I'll go prepare something for you to eat."
Seeing that she couldn't talk Tang Ya out of it, Tang Rou gave her a fond look and headed for the kitchen.
"Hehe, you're in for a treat! My mother's cooking is the best!"
"All right, Xiao Ya, quiet down for a moment. I'll awaken Xiao Qing's Martial Soul first."
Tang Lin waved for Tang Ya to settle down, then poured Soul Power into the Awakening Stones and guided the Soul Power inside Su Qing's body.
As a pleasant feeling of strength gradually filled him, a silver-white spear appeared in Su Qing's hand. But the ceremony wasn't over yet. Soon, his appearance began to change as well.
His skin turned as fair as snow, and the gaze in his violet eyes was clear as water. His hair shone silver-white like moonlight, and his shoulder-length locks danced like flowing water amid the surging Soul Power. A cool, aloof air surrounded him, softened by a hint of gentleness, making him seem serene and captivating.
His face was almost an exact copy of Gu Yuena's, stunning the father and daughter both.
"Hmm? Why did you all stop talking?"
Su Qing was a little puzzled. Wasn't he just awakening his Martial Soul? What were they so shocked about? Could a top-tier weapon Martial Soul really surprise them that much? As he wondered, he looked at the spear in his hand.
"Hmm? Why did it turn silver?"
And that wasn't all. He soon noticed the silver-white strands hanging in front of his eyes.
"? Why did my hair turn white too?"
He shakily turned to look at his reflection in the glass nearby.
"Gu Yuena"!