Ye Guyi: To protect you, I have to live with you

As the highest institution of learning under the direct jurisdiction of Martial Soul Hall, Martial Soul Academy remained bustling even at dusk. A long queue stretched out before the entrance, filled with young soul masters harboring dreams of greatness.

Jiang Nannan sighed softly, "It's so crowded. It looks like we'll be waiting for a long time."

Ye Guyi smiled, "Not necessarily. Rules are meant to constrain ordinary people. In Martial Soul Hall, those who are strong protect the weak and carry a heavier burden, so it is only right that they enjoy some reasonable privileges."

Chen Doudou found this reasoning quite agreeable.

After all, it was different from the Three Great Empires, which relied on training commoners as cannon fodder to fill the front lines.

Martial Soul Hall had always operated with the strong leading the charge, while the weak provided logistical support.

With the strong facing higher risks and greater casualties, a few privileges under reasonable rules were only natural.

Ye Guyi led Chen Doudou and Jiang Nannan through the bustling crowd, heading toward the registration desk.

Just as they were about to reach the registration window, a commotion broke out ahead.

"What is this? Just a Body Martial Soul with half a level of innate Soul Power? Are you blind? How dare you bump into me!"

A rude shout rang out, accompanied by the sound of shoving.

Ye Guyi frowned slightly and quickened her pace.

Chen Doudou and Jiang Nannan curiously craned their necks to look.

They saw a burly senior student looking fierce as he shoved a frail, small child.

The child wore old, patched clothes and was as thin as a bean sprout. Though his face was pale, his eyes were bright, and he bit his lip hard to keep from crying.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it."

The frail child bowed repeatedly, his voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"Cut the crap! You think you can just walk away after bumping into me?"

The burly student grabbed the child by the collar, preparing to throw a punch.

Chen Doudou couldn't stand by any longer.

Before he even spoke, his figure flickered, moving so fast he left only an afterimage behind.

The next second, he appeared at the burly student's side and kicked him squarely in the knee joint.

"Ouch!"

The student cried out in pain, loosening his grip and stumbling to the ground, his face twisted in agony.

Chen Doudou looked at him coldly, "In life, one must understand what should and should not be done. Bullying your own people within Martial Soul Hall is not a skill you should be showing off."

The student, already annoyed at being kicked over, was about to lash out, but the moment he looked up and saw Ye Guyi standing behind Chen Doudou, he instantly wilted. He scrambled to his feet and fled without looking back.

Only then did Chen Doudou withdraw his gaze. He turned to help the frail child up and asked gently, "Are you alright? What's your name? Next time something like this happens, just go find a teacher."

The child looked up timidly, and a faint light flickered in his previously dim eyes.

"H-hello, my name is Huo Yuhao."

Chen Doudou froze for a moment.

Huh?

Huo Yuhao? How did he end up at Martial Soul Hall?

But then he thought about it.

Right, this is an era where Martial Soul Hall still exists. If Huo Yuhao awakened his Soul Power, it's highly likely he would come here.

After all, aside from Martial Soul Hall, almost no other faction offered free assistance for awakening martial souls.

Noticing Chen Doudou's strange reaction, Ye Guyi asked in a low voice, "Doudou, do you know him?"

"No, let's go, Sister Guyi."

Chen Doudou shook his head and said nothing more.

Huo Yuhao watched their retreating backs, his small hands clutching his shirt tightly, gratitude hidden deep in his eyes.

Mom, I think... I've seen the light.

Academic Affairs Office.

Ye Guyi led the two to the Dean's office.

Upon learning that they had been arranged by His Holiness the Pope, Dean of Academic Affairs Wang Yan immediately set aside his work and greeted them warmly.

"Come, come, please sit. Since His Holiness the Pope made the arrangements, I won't say much more. You two young students, please introduce yourselves."

Wang Yan greeted them with a smile.

Chen Doudou and Jiang Nannan exchanged a glance and released their martial souls.

A purple and a black soul ring rose beneath Chen Doudou's feet. He gripped the Life Rakshasa Holy Scythe in his right hand, and a gentle aura of life instantly permeated the entire room.

"Chen Doudou, six years old, Martial Soul: Life Rakshasa Holy Scythe, Level 28 Support-type Soul Master."

A yellow and a purple soul ring rose beneath Jiang Nannan's feet. A pair of adorable rabbit ears appeared on her head, and her figure became even more slender and agile.

"Jiang Nannan, eight years old, Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, level 22 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master."

"Pfft—"

The mouthful of tea Wang Yan had just taken sprayed directly out of his mouth.

He widened his eyes, as if he had seen something truly inconceivable.

Six years old? Level 28? Was this for real?

Eight years old? Level 22?

This wasn't just a genius; this was a monster among monsters!

Beside him, Ye Guyi's eyes also widened, her heart surging with turbulent waves.

If it were Chen Doudou catching up to her, she could understand it.

After all, Chen Doudou had almost the exact same hair color as the Holy Pope Bibi Dong, and combined with that Scythe Martial Soul, which looked identical to the portraits in the Pope Palace, it was hard not to suspect they were mother and son.

But what did Jiang Nannan have going for her?

A Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, and she could actually keep pace with her?

She was ten years old this year, possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and was currently only at level 29.

A sense of crisis couldn't help but rise in Ye Guyi's heart; it seemed she would have to train even harder in the future.

As a fanatical researcher of Martial Souls, Wang Yan was so excited his hands were shaking when he saw the Scythe Martial Soul filled with the aura of life, and he was itching to study it immediately.

But since they were people arranged by the Pope, he could only suppress his curiosity for now; after all, there would be plenty of time later.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Wang Yan said the word "good" three times in a row, the smile on his face practically overflowing: "With your addition, our Martial Soul Academy will surely be glorious once again!"

After finishing the paperwork, Ye Guyi took the two of them to be assigned their dorms.

She settled Jiang Nannan in first; it was a clean and tidy single room with a kitchen and a private bathroom, located very close to the teaching area.

Afterward, Ye Guyi took Chen Doudou alone to a detached dormitory building behind the academy.

Pushing open the door, the interior was decorated in a cozy pink, fully furnished, and even carried a faint scent of incense.

"Sister Guyi, why did you bring me here?"

Chen Doudou blinked, looking puzzled.

"To sleep, what else?"

Ye Guyi replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and as she spoke, she began to remove her outer coat.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Chen Doudou was so startled he hurriedly covered his eyes: "What are you doing? In broad daylight, are you trying to be a hooligan?"

Ye Guyi covered her mouth and giggled, a rare trace of playfulness appearing on her cold, aloof face: "Doudou, you're so cute."

Then, she took off her training gear, revealing the black tight-fitting vest and athletic shorts underneath, exposing her slender, fair arms and long legs.

Chen Doudou breathed a sigh of relief, peeking through his fingers, and asked again: "You still haven't told me why you brought me here."

"To protect you, of course. Only by being by my side can I better protect you. What's wrong with that?"

Ye Guyi looked at him very seriously, her clear eyes devoid of any impurity, as if she were stating a self-evident truth.

"Protecting me doesn't mean I have to sleep with you."

Chen Doudou looked around the entire house.

There were only two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Wouldn't they be fighting over the bathroom every morning from now on?

"That won't do; this is what the teacher said."

Ye Guyi looked at him very earnestly, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were pondering why he would oppose such a reasonable arrangement.

Chen Doudou sighed: "Can't it be changed?"

"No, this is what the teacher said."

Ye Guyi remained completely serious, even looking a bit confused.

What the teacher said was right, so why didn't little brother Doudou understand?

Could it be that he didn't like pink?

But pink was so cozy.

She tilted her head, and that airheaded look made Chen Doudou completely give up on resisting.

He finally understood: trying to reason with this Sister Angel was like playing the lute to a cow.