"Big brother, you've smelled so good these past few days~" Na'er sniffed Lin Nuo and couldn't help commenting.
Hearing that, Lin Nuo glanced at Na'er, who was currently sniffing him all over, and joked with a smile, "Then why don't you take a bite out of me?"
Na'er actually thought about it seriously for a moment before shaking her head at once. "I'd better not. I'm afraid I'll bite you too hard, big brother."
"..."
He reached out and rubbed Na'er's little head, then went into the kitchen to make her breakfast and lunch. He had to make enough for both meals, since he would be heading to school to register. A week after Martial Soul Awakening, children had to register at a Soul Master initiation academy—in plain terms, a junior Soul Master Academy.
Aolai City's junior Soul Master Academy, Red Mountain Academy, was a local general junior academy and Tang Wuling's first school.
Once he'd finished preparing the food, Lin Nuo looked at Na'er. "Na'er, this should be enough for breakfast and lunch. If you get hungry, there's fruit in the fridge, so remember to eat some."
"Okay, big brother." Na'er nodded obediently. Then, as if remembering something, she immediately stepped forward. "But, big brother, you have to promise me one thing~"
Seeing Na'er suddenly turn serious, Lin Nuo asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Big brother, am I the one you like best?"
"Of course. I like you very much, Na'er."
"Then you're not allowed to hang out with that perverted woman!" Na'er put her hands on her hips, her tone full of childish petulance, though a trace of seriousness lurked in her eyes. The "perverted woman" she meant was naturally the one with the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
Hearing this, Lin Nuo couldn't help smiling, affection glimmering in his eyes. This little girl was acting possessive again, guarding him like a treasured snack.
He reached out and gently pinched Na'er's soft, fair cheeks, giving them a light squeeze as he spoke with warmth and a hint of teasing. "My dear little sister, you're the only precious little sister I have. But I'm only making friends with her. Are you trying to take away my right to make friends? That won't do~"
"But, big brother, she really is a huge pervert!" Na'er wanted to say that the woman definitely had designs on her, but she couldn't bring herself to say it outright.
"She might be a pervert in your eyes, but to me, she's a pretty good friend. I don't understand why you're so hostile toward her, but I won't take away your right to dislike her, either. So don't take away my right to make friends, okay?"
Lin Nuo spoke gently. He wouldn't force Na'er to accept Tang Wuling, but neither would he blindly take Na'er's side. It was better to make his own judgment about things.
"But, big brother..."
Seeing that Na'er still had more to say, Lin Nuo lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Be good, Na'er~ Big brother's going to be late for school. I'm off."
Na'er froze in place, her eyelashes fluttering lightly. When she looked up and met Lin Nuo's tender gaze, a faint blush spread across her cheeks, like a ripe peach. She gently pushed his arm. "Hurry up and go~ You mean big brother!!!"
"Okay, okay." Lin Nuo let Na'er push him out of the house, helplessly.
Watching Lin Nuo leave, Na'er touched her forehead and went back to the sofa, rolling around on it. "Bad~ big brother, bad~ big brother! Using such a shameless trick on me! I hate it~ I hate it so much~"
In the shadows, Zi JI watched Na'er, who kept saying she hated it while blushing and looking delighted, and couldn't help feeling envious. She wanted that, too.
As he left the apartment, Lin Nuo glanced back at his floor helplessly. Remembering how cute Na'er had been just then, he found it amusing. He was starting to realize that the Silver Dragon King Na'er was both adorable and so easy to tease.
The moment he opened the Soul Guidance elevator door, Lin Nuo sensed an incredibly dense aura of evil. It felt like an Evil Soul Master.
He looked up and saw a figure in a black cloak standing by the elevator. He couldn't make out their appearance or gender, and they made him deeply uncomfortable. If the Ghost Emperor had given off an air of mystery and Pressure, then the black-cloaked figure in front of him was downright eerie—a bona fide Evil Soul Master.
The black-cloaked figure watched Lin Nuo freeze at the elevator entrance and asked, "Aren't you getting on?"
"Um, why don't you go up first?" Lin Nuo asked politely.
"No need. I'm going down, too."
Lin Nuo fell silent for a moment, then stiffly stepped inside. He could tell this person had come with bad intentions!
The black-cloaked figure pressed the button for the first floor, and the elevator doors slowly closed.
The tall and the short stood in silence. Lin Nuo kept calm and tried to make himself invisible, but the black-cloaked figure didn't seem inclined to ignore him. In an extremely hoarse voice that gave no clue whether they were male or female, they asked, "Kid, do you like red birds, or do you like black birds more?"
At the question, Lin Nuo, who'd been pretending to be a quail, couldn't help looking up at the figure's back. After a long silence, he answered, "Can I choose both?"
"No."
"Okay~" Lin Nuo had already guessed who this was. A black bird, a red bird—Heavenly Phoenix, right?
"Senior, if you insist on asking, I can't choose." Lin Nuo wasn't sure if this was because he'd later played Lin Xiu's route again, so he decided to be cautious. "The red bird has brilliant plumage. Its wings might be quite extraordinary, and it catches the eye at first glance."
Crack~
The elevator railing cracked apart.
Seeing the black-cloaked figure's reaction only confirmed Lin Nuo's guess. Still, he continued speaking with perfect composure. "The black bird might not be as eye-catching, but it gives off a sense of steadiness and serenity. That's very appealing to me, too."
"So if you ask which one I like, I can't make a judgment. I'm a fairly broad-minded person, after all, so I can't make a definite choice."
The black-cloaked figure turned to look at Lin Nuo, who'd suddenly started talking nonsense, and murmured silently, "You're always so compassionate toward all living things."
"What did you say?" Lin Nuo hadn't heard the figure clearly and couldn't help asking.
"I said, get lost!"
"Oh~" Lin Nuo responded, and just then the elevator doors opened. He hurried out, but still turned back to wave at the black-cloaked figure.
The gaze beneath the black hood quietly followed Lin Nuo's retreating figure. The figure then glanced down at the elevator mechanism they'd snapped off with their fingertips. After a moment's silence, they muttered with a hint of casual sarcasm, "If you're going to live somewhere, at least pick a decent place. What is this, some backward old relic?"
Lin Nuo felt as if he'd just survived a disaster. He'd thought it was some fugitive criminal or an Evil Soul Master about to make a big move. Turns out it was someone he knew~
Well, then, no problem. Bring it on~ He, Lin Nuo the Great, would take it all on, as long as he didn't get chopped into pieces.
Still, he had to admit it. He stopped and looked up at the sun shining down on him. Time really was a terrifying bug!
Before you continue