North Sea City.
As the largest coastal city in the north, it not only housed the North Sea Legion, giving it immense strategic importance, but also boasted an economy that ranked among the best in the northeastern coastal economic belt.
Especially at night, the famous commercial streets blazed with lights and bustled with activity.
"Come on, Nanxun, I want that!"
With a half-eaten grilled squid skewer clenched in one hand, Shen Xing grabbed Shen Nanxun by the wrist with the other and dragged him through the bustling crowd, darting this way and that.
Dragged along behind her, Shen Nanxun stumbled forward, his face expressionless.
He had already accompanied Shen Xing on a full hour and a half of shopping. They had started at dusk, before the sky had even grown dark, and now the moon was high overhead. He had lost count of how many streets and alleys he had followed his second sister through, and how many food stalls they had sampled.
The iron sword had been in his hands all day, yet it hadn't worn him out. Shen Xing had managed to do that. He had to reaffirm a fundamental truth: when it came to shopping, women's talent was truly unmatched.
No matter their past or present life, no matter whether they were six or twenty-six, once they entered shopping mode, their stamina rivaled a perpetual-motion machine.
"Hey, Sis, can we take a break?" Shen Nanxun was completely exhausted. He had spent the day practicing swordplay and still had to meditate at night. He'd barely had any time to rest.
Shen Xing slung an arm over his shoulder and said breezily, "Your big sister's going back to Ming Capital for classes tomorrow. You can't even shop with me a little longer?"
His second sister was currently studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy. In fact, most officials in the North Sea region, or the families behind them, had graduated from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy. Though Shrek Academy was the continent's top academy and had supplied plenty of talent to the military, many legions were also happy to accept its graduates.
But for reasons rooted in a complicated history, not a single Shrek graduate had ever come to serve in the North Sea Legion.
Shen Nanxun trudged along mechanically after Shen Xing when he suddenly felt the golden light deep in his consciousness flicker. Qian Renxue's voice rang out in his mind, cool and detached, with a trace of discontent that was hard to detect.
"You haven't meditated today."
Shen Nanxun replied silently, My second sister's leaving tomorrow. I'll make up for it when we get back tonight. Besides, I really want some spicy rabbit heads. I've been practicing for so many days, Sister Xue. Just let me indulge myself for once.
Qian Renxue didn't say anything else. In the Sea of Consciousness, she sat with her arms folded on a glittering golden branch and pouted. "How can a Soul Master have such an appetite for food..."
The night market's lights streamed like rivers along both sides of the street. The aroma of grilled meat, the sweetness of roasted chestnuts, and the contradictory stench-and-fragrance of deep-fried stinky tofu all mingled together, swept up by the night breeze and blown straight into their faces.
Shen Nanxun hadn't reacted in time and bumped into her arm. He looked up in the direction of Shen Xing's gaze, then paused in surprise.
A short distance ahead, outside their favorite spicy rabbit-head shop, stood a little girl.
Silver hair.
Shen Nanxun's pupils contracted slightly.
The little girl looked about five or six years old. She was slender and of average height for her age. Her short, silvery-white hair fell to her shoulders, though it looked somewhat messy, and she was much too thin. But her fine brows and straight, delicate nose still couldn't conceal her exquisite features.
Aside from her silver hair, her most unusual feature was her pair of silver eyes.
It was hard not to think of the Silver Dragon King's other half—the one whose appetite rivaled the Dragon God's wisdom.
But by all rights, if this really was her, she shouldn't have been here. And those silver eyes were proof that she had already split off completely. That made this even stranger.
The girl stood outside the spicy rabbit-head shop, looking up at the fat, scarred-faced owner behind the stove. She gazed at him earnestly with her silver eyes and spoke in a clear, bright voice.
"Boss, boss, if you don't mind, I could come by and eat for free once every time, just take up a little corner of your shop. You can set aside a bowl and chopsticks for me. If it's not busy, I'll sit down to eat; if it's crowded, I'll eat standing up. I definitely won't get in the way of your business.
"You don't need to add any extra dishes. I'll bring my own appetite. I'll leave as soon as I'm full. I definitely won't skip out on the bill—and I definitely won't pay."
Shen Nanxun's expression cracked for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
In short, she was trying to get free food with nothing but words.
Shen Xing had naturally witnessed the whole scene too, and she was already laughing uncontrollably.
The fat owner had clearly been stunned by the girl's speech. He opened his mouth, the large ladle suspended in his hand as he looked her up and down.
"Kid, are you here to cause trouble or to buy something?"
"I'm not causing trouble!" The girl shook her little head like a rattle, insisting on her innocence. Then she said very seriously, "But I'm not here to buy anything either."
The fat owner scratched his head, unable to make sense of it. "Then what are you doing at my shop?"
"Inspecting the food," the girl replied solemnly.
The fat owner: "..."
"You're an interesting little thing." The fat owner chuckled helplessly and generously scooped a huge rabbit head out of the pot. "Go on, I'll treat you. Eat for free until you're full."
"Really, boss?"
The girl's eyes flew open, her silver eyes shining brightly. She had never heard of such a generous offer.
Eat until she was full?
"Of course!"
The fat owner was full of confidence and didn't think much of it. How much could a skinny little girl of five or six possibly eat? She probably couldn't even finish one rabbit head.
A short distance away, Shen Nanxun's eyelid twitched. He instinctively stepped back half a pace and pulled Shen Xing back with him.
"Why are you pulling me, Nanxun?" Shen Xing asked, confused.
"Second Sister, stand farther away." Shen Nanxun's expression remained blank. "I'm afraid blood will splatter on us."
Shen Xing: "???"
Blood hadn't splattered on them, but the shock certainly had.
The girl devoured every rabbit head in the bowl and the pot in a whirlwind, leaving nothing behind and showing no restraint at all.
After wiping them out, she licked the chili oil from the corner of her lips and asked hopefully, "Are there any more?"
The fat owner had no idea how devastating those words were to him.
"Great-grandma, save me!"
The fat owner shuddered all over and nearly stopped breathing. Then he promptly collapsed onto the ground.
Na'er scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"I'll pay her bill, boss!"
Just then, Shen Xing came over with Shen Nanxun. She didn't bother checking whether the owner was awake or had heard her. She casually tossed a card onto the table.
She bent down slightly and asked with a radiant smile, "Little girl, why are you here all by yourself? Where's your family?"
The girl's big silver eyes glanced at Shen Xing, then settled on Shen Nanxun, who was following close behind. She blinked, then quickly lowered her head.
Looking at the girl's filthy clothes, Shen Xing could more or less guess what had happened. She softened her voice. "What's your name? Where's your family? Tell me, and I'll give you some candy."
She had already taken a piece of candy from the little pouch at her waist and waved it in front of the girl. "I bought this at the candy shop up ahead. It's sea salt toffee, and it's delicious! Try some!"
The girl hesitated, then spoke softly. "My name is Na'er. I don't have any family."
So Gu Yue wasn't human.
Sure enough!
Hearing that name, Shen Nanxun had more or less expected it, but he was still inevitably surprised. After all, this was the Silver Dragon King's other half, one of the destined movers and shakers of the Dragon King era.
Coming into contact with Na'er now would inevitably entangle him in many things to come.
"Thank you, but I don't want it." Na'er shook her head and refused. "They say you can't take candy from strangers. That's how they trick little kids."
Shen Nanxun said dryly, "But it's fine to eat spicy rabbit heads from strangers, right?"
Na'er's little face reddened, and she lowered her head even farther. Her long silver hair slid from her shoulders and covered most of her face, leaving only the tip of one ear, tinged pale pink, exposed. Her lips moved slightly, as though she wanted to explain herself, but in the end, she said nothing and only ducked her head lower.
Her stomach ate it. It had nothing to do with her!
"Smack!"
Shen Xing smacked Shen Nanxun on the back of the head. It wasn't hard, but the sound was crisp. He stumbled half a step forward, covered the back of his head, and looked back at his second sister with an expressionless face.
"What are you saying!" Shen Xing's brows shot up as she glared at him with her ice-blue eyes. "What's wrong with a little girl eating a meal when she's hungry? She barely ate anything!"
More like a tiny bit.
Shen Nanxun glanced at the fat owner, who still hadn't woken up, and sighed silently.
Seeing that he'd quieted down, Shen Xing finally drew back her hand, satisfied. She crouched down again, her face once more wearing a smile so tender it seemed to drip with sweetness. She took another piece of candy from the little pouch at her waist and held it in her palm beside the sea salt toffee.
"Look, Na'er, there are two pieces." Shen Xing's voice grew even softer and gentler. "One piece of candy means someone's a bad person, because bad people only want to lure little kids away with one piece. But someone who gives you two pieces isn't a bad person, because bad people wouldn't want to give away two."
Na'er lifted her head. Her silver eyes blinked as she looked from the two pieces of candy in Shen Xing's palm to Shen Xing's smiling face. Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were seriously considering whether the logic made sense.
A moment later, she looked enlightened.
"So that's how it is." She nodded earnestly, then reached out with both hands and accepted both pieces of candy. "Then you're not a bad person, big sister. Thank you."
"Huh?"
Shen Nanxun could hardly believe it. She'd fallen for that just like that? One had the nerve to say it, and the other believed it.
Na'er had a little intelligence, but not much.
"Hehe, then do you want to come with me, big sister? I promise you'll be able to eat whatever you want from now on." Shen Xing looked every bit like someone luring away a child.
Na'er silently glanced at Shen Nanxun behind her and asked softly, "Can I really eat anything?"
"Of course."
Shen Xing patted her chest and promised.
Shen Nanxun had already turned his face away, unable to watch. At the same time, he was thinking things over.
He hadn't expected his big sister to want to bring Na'er home just because she was cute. But her identity was far too special. If they didn't handle things properly, she could become a huge problem.
As Shen Nanxun considered the pros and cons of taking Na'er in, his eyes suddenly widened.
At some point, Na'er had come right up beside him. She clasped his right wrist in both hands, lowered her head, and took a big bite.
"Gah—"
Shen Nanxun sucked in a sharp breath. It wasn't that painful; Na'er's little canines tickled as they sank into his wrist. But her silver eyes were now filled with longing.
"Nom, nom..."
She made a satisfied little-animal sound as she bit him. For a moment, it was impossible to tell which of them was the pervert and which was Na'er.
Damn it, she was treating him like food!
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