This isn't a gift, it's an investment in you!

Inside the apartment, Lin Nuo returned home with Na'er and Tang Wuling, then asked Na'er to take out the box.

Na'er walked toward her room reluctantly. Just before reaching the door, she turned back to glare at Tang Wuling with dissatisfaction before opening the door and stepping inside, slamming it shut behind her to signal her displeasure with her brother.

Seeing Na'er's attitude toward her, Tang Wuling felt a bit embarrassed, wondering why Na'er held such deep hostility toward her.

"Brother Lin Nuo, did I do something wrong? Na'er seems to be very hostile toward me."

"That's just how Na'er is. Perhaps you were standing too close to me, which is why she reacted so strongly." Lin Nuo answered truthfully. Children are often jealous like that, though one has to wonder if Na'er even counts as a child.

Hearing this, Tang Wuling nodded thoughtfully. "I see." With that, she stepped back to put some distance between herself and Brother Lin Nuo.

Lin Nuo's mouth twitched at Tang Wuling's action, and he fell silent after hearing her next words: "Brother Lin Nuo, with this distance, Na'er shouldn't react so strongly anymore, right?"

Lin Nuo: "..."

How did he not realize yesterday that this Tang Wuling was such a funny character?

Bang!

The door opened at that moment.

Na'er walked out holding the box, her gaze landing on the two of them. When she saw Tang Wuling standing further away from her brother, half of the scowl on her face vanished; it seemed this female pervert at least understood the concept of keeping a proper distance between genders.

She handed the box to Tang Wuling. "Here."

Looking at the box Na'er was offering, Tang Wuling asked in confusion: "What is this?"

"Something very important to you," Lin Nuo said at this moment. "You can open it and see."

Hearing this, Tang Wuling could no longer suppress her curiosity and slowly opened the box, revealing the little snake inside.

"A Soul Spirit?" Tang Wuling had spent yesterday reading many books her father gave her, so she naturally knew what a Soul Spirit was. It was one of the ways Soul Masters could obtain soul rings nowadays, or rather, the only way for ordinary people to obtain them.

A single Soul Spirit was incredibly expensive, far beyond the reach of an ordinary family; this was the tragedy of this era.

Soul Masters were constantly evolving, but ordinary Soul Masters were being pushed off the stage of history.

Top-tier resources were already controlled by major factions and the Federation, making it even harder for ordinary people to turn their lives around.

Tang Wuling's hands trembled as she held the box, and she hurriedly looked at Lin Nuo and Na'er. "Brother Lin Nuo, Na'er, this is too valuable. I cannot accept it."

"No, this isn't a gift. Consider it a sale, or rather, an investment in you." Lin Nuo knew that if he just gave it to her, Tang Ziran and his wife would definitely try to return it, so framing it as an investment would be easier to accept.

As for why he didn't choose a plant-type Soul Spirit more suited to the Blue Silver Grass martial soul? Please, what era is this?

The era of the Dragon King! Even if you dragged Tang San into this era, he would be getting beaten up.

Tang Wuling's greatest cheat was ultimately the Golden Dragon King bloodline. As for the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, she might have had a trace of it at birth, but the moment the Golden Dragon King bloodline appeared in her, that trace was gone.

For the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline to awaken again, it would require the help of the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin, but that was a matter for the distant future.

"Investment?" Tang Wuling didn't quite understand what Brother Lin Nuo meant; she was still young, after all, and some things were beyond her grasp.

Lin Nuo looked at the confused Tang Wuling and thought of a simpler way to explain it. "An investment means you will need to help me once in the future without compensation. Is that okay?"

Hearing this, Tang Wuling understood immediately.

She nodded and agreed at once: "I understand, Brother Lin Nuo!"

Being a child, she lacked the calculations and ulterior motives of an adult and simply agreed.

Lin Nuo nodded: "As long as you understand. It's getting late, I'll take you home."

"I can go back by myself, Brother Lin Nuo." Tang Wuling's voice was soft, tinged with a bit of shyness.

"It's too late, and the road isn't safe. I'm taking you back." Lin Nuo's tone was firm and brooked no argument. He raised an eyebrow and added, "No refusing."

Tang Wuling looked at the determined Brother Lin Nuo, her lips moving slightly, but she ultimately didn't argue back. She nodded gently, her earlobes turning a faint shade of red.

Seeing her agree, Lin Nuo's expression softened. He turned his gaze to Na'er, who was sitting quietly to the side, and lowered his voice: "Na'er, do you want to come along?"

"No." Na'er immediately wrinkled her nose, her small face tight, her tone full of awkward tsundere. "Brother, if you want to take her, go yourself. Don't drag me into it."

Lin Nuo looked at her puffed-up appearance, shook his head helplessly, and didn't try to persuade her further. He turned to Tang Wuling and said gently: "Let's go, then."

"Okay, Brother Lin Nuo." Tang Wuling replied softly. She couldn't help but steal a quick glance at Na'er, and seeing her still wearing a scowl, she quickly looked away and hurried to keep up with Lin Nuo.

Watching the two figures walk out, Na'er finally exploded. She grabbed a pillow from the sofa, threw it, and then jumped onto it, stomping on it frantically. "Damn Golden Dragon King! Damn female pervert! ε＝ε＝ε＝(#>д<)ﾉ!"

At that moment, Zi Ji suddenly appeared. Seeing her Lord venting her little temper, she didn't dare to speak, standing silently to the side and waiting for her Lord to finish.

A few minutes later, Na'er let out a breath and turned her gaze to Zi Ji. "What is it, Zi Ji?"

"Lord, that girl has the Golden Dragon King bloodline in her body. Should we..."

"Shut up!" The aura around Na'er suddenly changed, becoming incomparably cold and uncompromising. "Without my order, if you dare to report this back, I won't mind turning you into Brother's soul ring."

She expected Zi Ji to stop talking after hearing that, but she didn't expect her to reply: "Is that a good thing, Lord?"

Oh no, she had forgotten that Zi Ji was one of those who worshipped her brother.

"Forget I said anything."

"Don't, Lord, please reconsider."

"Get out!"

"Wuwu ┭┮﹏┭┮, Lord, you have no heart!"

Na'er: "..."

Watching Zi Ji leave in sorrow, Na'er couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. Are there even any humans left here?

Wait, it seems they aren't human at all...

The starry sky was exceptionally bright tonight. Lin Nuo and Tang Wuling walked side by side under the stars, heading toward her home.

Finally, Tang Wuling could no longer suppress the curiosity in her heart. She stopped in her tracks, her gaze inevitably falling upon Lin Nuo beside her. "Th-that..."

"What's wrong?" Lin Nuo also stopped, staring at Tang Wuling with curiosity, patiently waiting for her question.

"Brother Lin Nuo, why are you so good to me?"

Tang Wuling mustered up the courage to ask this question. From the words spoken yesterday to the Soul Spirit gifted today, she could feel the kindness the young man before her held toward her. But they had only known each other for a few days; wasn't this too strange?