You Sure Are Generous!

"Big brother!"

No one had expected Little Qian Renxue to take things in that direction.

Still, it was perfectly normal. On the Douluo Continent, mothers and children with an age gap of nearly fifteen years were commonplace, just like Oscar, whose parents had him when they were fourteen.

The two of them standing there could easily have passed for mother and child.

Li Pu couldn't help himself. "I'm not your big brother. But if you really want to call me that, I don't mind."

Little Qian Renxue seemed not to hear him. Instead, she declared with even greater conviction, "Hmph! I knew it! You are my big brother—the bad big brother who stole my mom's love!"

He was so caught between laughter and tears that he nearly choked up.

He put on the sunny smile of a cheerful young man and patiently explained, "You really misunderstood. I'm just a good friend of your mom's."

"Really?" Little Qian Renxue looked unconvinced.

Bibi Dong still wore a sour expression, but out of consideration for Li Pu, she softened her tone. "He's my friend. You should call him Uncle Li. And you shouldn't talk to your Uncle Li like that."

Little Qian Renxue looked at Li Pu. Her impression of him had improved a little, but she was still wary—and still didn't like him.

Even so, she called out, "Uncle Li."

It left Li Pu caught between laughter and tears. "How old are you, and how old am I? You'd be better off calling me big brother than uncle."

"You won't steal my mom, will you?" Little Qian Renxue asked again, her eyes misting over as she looked at him.

"I won't." Li Pu shook his head. "As for whether your mom likes you, that depends on how hard you try. And you have to give her time, too."

He didn't want them to wait until the very end of the story to make up. Perhaps, when Bibi Dong had realized all was lost, she had decided to give her daughter a chance to live and taken all the blame upon herself.

Bibi Dong, standing to one side, felt awful. She didn't want to look at Qian Renxue for even a moment longer.

"Go back. Stop bothering me."

"Mom..."

Seeing that her mother was still as cold as ever, Qian Renxue felt awful. But the man in front of her did nothing to cheer her up, either. He seemed like a hateful villain who had stolen her mother away.

"Don't be so harsh with her. Even if bad things happened to you, don't take it out on her."

That made Bibi Dong furious. Still, she forced herself to say, "You're taking her side and scolding me, is that it? What do you know? Then again, you're just a brat. No matter how clever you are, what could you know about love?"

"That's not what I meant. I just hope the two of you can get along better."

"Looks like you really like her."

Li Pu really did like Qian Renxue. After all, when she was little, she had been such an adorable little girl—someone you just wanted to spoil, kiss, hug, lift up high, and spin around.

"Who doesn't like cute things?" Li Pu had no intention of indulging her.

"Didn't I tell you? I don't care about your past. I'm even willing to accept it. You know that, don't you?"

Qian Xunji, who had been hiding out of sight, nearly let his presence slip when he heard that. He could barely suppress the urge to attack.

"Damn brat! You think you can covet my disciple? And now you dare set your sights on my precious daughter, too!"

"So you can accept that. But let's see if you can handle what comes next!"

"Whether you can handle it or not, you're finished!"

Qian Xunji gradually wore a sinister smile.

Angels were sacred and pure, nothing like Qian Xunji's actions. If he was evil, he might as well be evil openly. Why put on the guise of a holy angel and skulk around in the shadows?

Li Pu could tell that Qian Xunji was watching, too. Qian Renxue was the one who had brought him here, and now that he had made his move, Li Pu was eager to see what the man—or the god scheming behind the scenes—would do next.

So he simply picked Little Qian Renxue up and said to Bibi Dong, "She's pretty cute when you get up close."

As he spoke, he generously took out the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's core. "This is big brother's welcoming gift to you."

Qian Renxue looked at the bead in her hand, and a strange sensation immediately spread through her body. She couldn't help but stare at it in a daze.

"What is this?"

Bibi Dong knew what it was, and grew even more displeased. "You sure are generous, giving her such a precious core!"

"This core couldn't be more suitable for her. It came from an ancient fire-type exotic beast, and its fire was pure yang, not much weaker than Ultimate Fire. It perfectly matches the fire attribute controlled by the Angel Martial Soul. The Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's core stores most of its abilities and has an effect similar to a Soul Ring. Once she swallows it and uses angelic flames to digest it, it'll naturally become a Soul Ring. Its flames are overbearing, but there's no doubt her angelic flames can digest them. The Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent we killed was no weaker than any ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. She can use it before her Eighth Soul Ring, and there's no problem with absorbing it now. Of course, she doesn't need to eat it all at once. She only needs to control the Soul Ring's years according to what she needs at her current stage, and it'll become the most powerful Soul Ring she can absorb right now."

Li Pu's long explanation left Qian Renxue's young heart shaken. She had never imagined that such a miraculous thing existed, and her liking for him grew considerably.

"Thank you, big brother."

The more pleased Qian Renxue looked, the more unhappy Bibi Dong became.

"You'll take anything someone gives you? Have you no shame?"

The scolding made Little Qian Renxue feel awful again. She said miserably, "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to. I don't want it anymore."

She started to hand it back to Li Pu.

"Here, take it back."

Li Pu looked displeased. "You've scared her. Besides, it's just a core. It's nothing special."

He looked down at Little Qian Renxue in his arms. "It's all right. Once I give something away, I don't take it back. If you don't accept it, you're insulting me—and I'll be very unhappy!"

Bibi Dong was about ready to die of frustration. "Fine, take it! Just don't die, that's all!"

"See? Your mom agrees. You just need to find an adult to help you when the time comes. With your Innate Level 20 Soul Power, don't stick to the standard Soul Ring ratio. Learn from your mom: her First Soul Ring's age was what other people's Second Soul Rings could reach, her Second Soul Ring was a thousand years, and her Fourth Soul Ring was ten thousand years."

"Most Spirit Masters would burst apart if they went beyond the standard Soul Ring age limits," Little Qian Renxue retorted. "Ordinary people don't know that Soul Rings from different Soul Beasts contain different amounts of energy. It's like comparing a dragon to Blue Silver Grass. Even Soul Rings of the same hundred-year age contain different amounts of energy, and the Soul Beasts needed by an Angel Martial Soul are all extremely powerful."

P.S. Almost there.