I... I Made Her My Big Sister

He couldn't wait to start reporting his achievements over the past five and a half years to his father:

"Dad, I'm already level thirty-six. I've mastered my second and third Soul Skills perfectly, and by combining them with the ideas you left me all those years ago, I can even use my spiritual power to instantly wrest control of an opponent's metal weapon."

"Poison Douluo already told me about it. You did exceptionally well—you're truly my son, Qian Xunji," Qian Xunji praised with a smile.

At the mention of Dugu Bo, Qian San immediately changed the subject, his voice tinged with awe and curiosity.

"Dad, how did you meet Poison Grandpa? If he hadn't secretly protected me all these years, and even personally taken me to Star Dou Forest and Falling Moon Forest to hunt Soul Beasts, I could never have grown so smoothly. But Poison Grandpa... he's a Titled Douluo! How did you convince a Titled Douluo to be my bodyguard?"

A short distance away, behind a thick clump of bushes dozens of meters from the father and son, Xiao Qing's body suddenly went rigid.

"Titled Douluo?"

Those four words exploded in Xiao Qing's mind. For the second time, she felt the sky come crashing down. The first had been when her mother was hunted down by Bibi Yin.

Dugu Bo had feared displeasing Qian Xunji and bringing trouble down on his granddaughter, so he had never shown himself in front of Xiao Qing over the past few years. Even when taking Qian San Soul Hunting, he had told him not to reveal his existence.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her face turned deathly pale. Over the past five years, she had sometimes sensed what seemed to be a pair of eyes watching the area from the shadows, but she had always assumed it was a teacher from Nuoding Academy. After all, in a remote little town like this, even having a Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor on staff would have been impressive.

But now Qian San had said it himself: the person who had secretly protected him for more than five years, the man he called Poison Grandpa, was a Titled Douluo!

A Titled Douluo had been right beside a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast like her for five and a half years!

Xiao Qing felt as if she'd fallen into an ice cellar. Bone-deep cold shot from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head. Her true identity had surely been exposed long ago, but why hadn't he made a move? Why hadn't he killed her and taken her ring and bones?

Fear and a huge, baffling mystery overwhelmed Xiao Qing. She bit down hard on her lower lip, barely holding back a trembling sound. There was only one thought in her mind now: She was finished. Completely finished.

Under the tree, Qian Xunji had long since noticed the little girl behind the bushes. He raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting beneath his mask in a barely perceptible smile.

He turned to Qian San and casually brushed off the question.

"Oh, Old Poison? Back when I was traveling around the mainland, I happened to help him out with a small favor. He owes me one, so you could say we're old friends. Anyway, enough about him."

Qian Xunji reached out and patted Qian San's shoulder.

"You seem pretty close to that girl, Xiao Qing. What, did you make her your little sister this time?"

Qian San's smug expression instantly froze. His cheeks reddened at a visible pace, and after stammering for a while, he scratched his head awkwardly. "I... I didn't make her my little sister."

"Oh?" Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"I... I made her my big sister." Qian San's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Qian Xunji froze for a moment, then nearly laughed like a honking goose inside.

In this life, faced with a high-quality woman like Xiao Qing—powerful, cool-tempered, and a humanoid tyrannosaur in a fight—Qian San, who'd been starved of affection in his previous life and secretly longed for warmth, had actually been won over by her sheer force of personality? Was this what they meant by a domineering older sister forcing love on her little brother?

"Having her as your big sister is great. Really great." Qian Xunji suppressed his laughter and patted his son's shoulder.

"That girl is steady and sensible. With her keeping an eye on you, I can rest easy."

"All right, Xiao San. Go back and get some sleep. I've just come out of seclusion, and there's an urgent, confidential matter I need to handle near Nuoding City. I only stopped by to see you on the way. Go get some rest, and I'll come find you at the dorm tomorrow morning."

Qian San froze for a moment, a trace of confusion flashing through his clear eyes. His father had finally come out of seclusion and called him out to meet, yet they'd barely exchanged a few words before he suddenly had urgent business to attend to.

Still, his deep-seated filial piety and almost blind admiration for his father made him swallow all his questions. In his eyes, even during five years of seclusion, his father had planned ahead and arranged for a Titled Douluo to protect him. His father's vision and schemes were beyond anything he could fathom at this point. If his father said there was urgent business, then it had to be something earth-shattering.

"I understand, Dad. Please be careful. I'll wait for you at the academy." Qian San bowed respectfully. Without another word, he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and quickly disappeared into the night.

The woods fell silent once more, save for the soft rustle of leaves in the night breeze.

Qian Xunji stood quietly for a while. Only after confirming that Qian San had returned to the dorm did he slowly turn around.

"All right, come out, Xiao Qing."

Qian Xunji's voice wasn't loud, but to Xiao Qing, it sounded like the death god's summons.

Behind the bushes, Xiao Qing slowly rose to her feet. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and every step seemed to take all the strength in her body. When she emerged from the shadows and stood beneath the moonlight, not a trace of color remained in her cool, pale face. Her eyes were filled with despair.

She didn't try to run. In front of a terrifyingly powerful expert who could make a Titled Douluo serve as a bodyguard—and might even be far stronger than an ordinary Titled Douluo—running away would have been a laughable joke.

She stopped five paces from Qian Xunji and raised her head. The deep, spring-like pools of her eyes now held nothing but the bleak resignation of someone accepting her fate, along with the final trace of pride belonging to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

"You knew who I was all along, yet held back for five years without making a move..." Xiao Qing's voice trembled slightly, but she forced her chin up.

"Kill me or dismember me, do as you please. Just make it quick."

Looking at the Azure Bull Python before him, standing there as if ready to face death, Qian Xunji suddenly smiled.

He slowly stepped forward. With each step he took, Xiao Qing's body tensed up another notch. The pressure of facing a powerful foe left her almost unable to breathe.

But the fatal blow that would tear her body apart never came.

A broad, warm hand passed over her stiff shoulder and gently settled on the crown of her head. Then, as if soothing a startled kitten, it softly ruffled her hair.

Xiao Qing went completely rigid. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the silver mask so close to her.

"Kill you? Why would I kill you?" There wasn't the slightest hint of killing intent in Qian Xunji's voice. Instead, it held the warmth and helplessness of an elder looking at a younger one.