Adoption, Green Tea, and Martial Soul Awakening

Na'er was, in the end, brought back to the Shen residence by Shen Xing.

Despite Shen Nanxun's many objections.

While Shen Xing was quite fond of Na'er, and the Shen family certainly had the resources to raise a little girl, they were, after all, a prominent military and political family. Shen Xing had only intended to use the family's connections to help find the girl's relatives because she found her cute and pitiful; she hadn't actually considered taking her in permanently.

Consequently, Shen Xing placed a soul-guide call to Shen Yue, intending to have her investigate Na'er's identity and background. However, the call resulted in her getting a lecture.

The reason was simple: Shen Xing had shouted directly into the communicator, "Give me one minute, I want all the information on Na'er." Shen Xing admitted that she had gotten a bit carried away, daring to speak to her eldest sister in such a manner.

As a result, she ended up getting a thorough scolding from Shen Yue.

Yet, afterward, Shen Xing had happily remarked, "That felt good."

Shen Nanxun had reason to suspect that his second sister possessed some sort of unknown, peculiar trait.

He and Na'er stood on opposite sides of Shen Xing, creating a divide as clear as the Chu-Han border. Na'er kept her head bowed, looking like a little girl who had done something wrong.

Shen Nanxun, meanwhile, watched her vigilantly, worried about being bitten again. Once bitten, twice shy.

After Ye Li finished listening to Shen Xing explain the girl's background, she merely let out a lazy yawn. "Just send her to an orphanage, and then..."

She paused mid-sentence, catching a glimpse of Na'er's breathtaking beauty.

The next moment, Na'er felt a gust of wind, and her cheeks were suddenly cupped by a pair of warm, soft palms.

"What a cute little baby."

Ye Li rubbed Na'er's small cheeks, her eyes practically sparkling.

Shen Nanxun slapped his forehead. He had expected his mother to be rational, forgetting that, more often than not, she was more unpredictable than anyone.

"So, Mom, are we still sending her to the orphanage?" Shen Xing asked cautiously.

Ye Li's expression shifted, her brows arching sharply. "Orphanage? What orphanage? Mention the orphanage again and I'll sell you and Xiao Xun as a buy-one-get-one-free package and toss you both in."

Shen Xing: "..."

Shen Nanxun: "So?"

Shen Yue's efficiency was remarkable; within an hour, she had uncovered everything about Na'er. Essentially, her identity was not recorded in the Federation system, and she had appeared in North Sea City quite suddenly.

It fit the profile of a wandering orphan.

As for whether someone had ulterior motives, the probability was low; after all, Na'er was only six years old. She was too young to be capable of such elaborate acting.

Of course, Shen Nanxun knew her true identity, but there was no need to voice it.

"Ahem. Let's discuss the matter of Na'er staying."

The four of them sat in the corners of the sofa. Na'er kept her head down, while Ye Li presided over this decisive meeting.

"Na'er will either stay in our home or be sent to the North Sea Orphanage. We have two choices, so let's vote."

"Raise your hand if you support Na'er staying."

Shen Xing was the first to raise her hand. "I support it!"

Ye Li nodded slightly.

"I support it."

Shen Nanxun said without hesitation, "I object!"

"Objection overruled."

Ye Li pulled Na'er over and said gently, "From now on, Na'er is a member of our family."

Shen Nanxun's hand, raised halfway, froze in mid-air. He looked at his mother and second sister, who had already flanked Na'er on both sides, their faces filled with affection and excitement. Finally, he looked down at the two rows of pale pink teeth marks still visible on his left wrist.

This wasn't a vote; it was a notification!

"Mom, on what grounds is my objection overruled?" Shen Nanxun attempted a final struggle.

Ye Li looked up, perfectly justified. "Because Mother says so, that's why."

Shen Nanxun fell silent. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and finally lowered his hand, leaning back into the sofa and staring blankly at the ceiling. He suddenly realized a cruel truth.

In this household, his status was likely lower than that of the orange cat kept in the yard, whose only job was to bask in the sun and meow. At least that cat could sit at the table to eat without being chased away; the last time he had taken an extra piece of spare rib, Shen Xing had slapped his hand.

Even though the resolution had passed, Na'er still kept her head bowed, her short silver hair hanging low, her large eyes red as if she had been wronged.

"What's wrong, little Na'er?" Ye Li asked patiently.

Na'er looked up at Shen Nanxun, who was sitting in the furthest corner, and whispered, "Does Big Brother not like me..."

Her voice was soft and delicate, as if she had suffered some immense grievance.

Green tea!?

Shen Nanxun felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.

This girl's tea-art level was higher than his!

Could she be... West Lake Longjing?!

"He wouldn't dare!"

Shen Xing was the first to glare at Shen Nanxun, and Ye Li looked over with an equally expressionless face, saying flatly, "Shen Nanxun, do you like Na'er or not?"

Faced with these threats and inducements, Shen Nanxun had intended to resist to the death, but then he thought about his future treatment at home.

A great man knows when to yield and when to stand tall; this was exactly such a time.

He could only grit his teeth and say, word by word:

"Of course... I like it."

This world was a massive trap for those who cared about appearances.

Yet, no one noticed that after Shen Nanxun finished his sentence, a flash of nearly imperceptible cunning crossed the depths of Na'er's eyes.

"Hehe, let's film a Douhun short video." Shen Xing took out her soul guidance communicator, sitting right next to Ye Li, with Na'er beside her.

"We're taking a photo, sit closer."

Shen Nanxun sat beside Na'er, but there was a galaxy between them. In the end, he was dragged over by Shen Xing.

Forced to comply, Shen Nanxun had no choice but to sit next to Na'er. Although he was extremely reluctant, he was powerless under the weight of their tyranny.

Pressed against Na'er's fair arm, he didn't feel anything else, only a slight sense of awkwardness.

The four of them sat on the sofa, finally taking a beautiful photo and posting it on Douhun.

At night, the bright moon hung high.

Shen Nanxun sat on his bed meditating. The room was quiet, and on the nightstand sat a spicy rabbit head wrapped in oil paper—something Shen Xing had insisted on buying at another shop on the way back.

It was originally meant to be a midnight snack for Na'er, but since that girl had been taken away by Ye Li to bathe and change clothes and hadn't returned yet, the rabbit head was temporarily left with him.

Shen Nanxun closed his eyes, his breathing steady, his consciousness submerged in his sea of spirit, guiding that faint wisp of soul power to flow slowly along his meridians. At level five soul power, while far from powerful, the circulation was much smoother than the sluggishness he had felt at level two. The cultivation plan Qian Renxue had set for him was to meditate for one hour every morning and evening, without fail.

A faint golden halo emerged from between his brows, slowly condensing into shape.

A chibi Qian Renxue crawled out from his sea of spirit.

The palm-sized figure hovered in mid-air, her six tiny golden wings fluttering gently behind her. She first looked around; Shen Nanxun was meditating with his eyes closed, his breathing steady, clearly unaware of her movements.

The windows were shut, the door was locked, and there was no one else in the room.

Then, her gaze fell upon the nightstand.

That oil-paper-wrapped spicy rabbit head.

She flew over to the package and looked down at the rabbit head. With her arms crossed and her little chin slightly raised, her purple eyes held a critical glint.

"Two thousand years of human society, and this cooking technique has actually improved," she muttered, her cold tone still carrying a trace of the reserve befitting an Angel God that she was struggling to maintain. "It smells better than those bland, watery concoctions from back then."

She paused and glanced at Shen Nanxun. He was still eyes-closed, breathing steadily.

"This Highness is not driven by gluttony," she said to the rabbit head, quite seriously, as if explaining to the food or perhaps to herself. "It is merely that after the inheritance of the godhood was severed, the evolution of human diet falls within the scope of my investigation. Know yourself and know your enemy, so that you may..."

She didn't finish her sentence. The aroma of the rabbit head had drifted into her nostrils once more.

Chibi Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, then reached out with two small hands and solemnly peeled back a corner of the oil paper. She extended a tiny finger and tore off a small shred of meat.

The moment the meat touched her lips.

Chibi Qian Renxue's tiny wings stiffened abruptly.

"So delicious!"

About half an hour later, footsteps sounded outside the room.

"Xiao Xun, where's the spicy rabbit head? Na'er is hungry."

"..."

"Damn, you actually stole Na'er's midnight snack!"

"I really didn't eat it!"

"You dare talk back!"

"Ouch!"

At this moment, in the sea of spirit, Her Highness Qian Renxue, full and satisfied, was lounging lazily on the golden tree, yawning as she prepared for a beauty sleep.

As for Shen Nanxun in the outside world.

Life and death are fated.

The next day.

Shen Xing got up early to head back to Ming Capital, so the arduous task of accompanying Na'er to awaken her martial soul fell to Shen Nanxun.

As for why it was arduous.

It was likely due to the oil-and-water relationship between the two. Of course, most of the time, it was one-sided on Shen Nanxun's part.

The Shen family driver drove the car, carrying the two of them through the morning streets of North Sea City. The morning light shone through the car window, falling on the two small figures in the back seat. Shen Nanxun leaned against the left door, arms crossed, staring expressionlessly at the streetscape flying by outside.

Na'er leaned against the right door, her small hands placed neatly on her knees, her silver eyes gazing out the window, quiet and still.

The distance of the entire back seat lay between them, a clear divide.

Shen Nanxun turned his head and glanced at her. Na'er had changed into clean, new clothes. A plain white short-sleeved shirt, a light blue skirt, and a pair of brand-new white cloth shoes.

Her short, silver-white hair was tied into a small ponytail at the back of her head by Ye Li with a light blue ribbon. She watched the window quietly, the morning light falling on her profile, casting a soft golden halo over the faint baby fat on her cheeks.

She was naturally beautiful, and with the fresh clothes she had changed into after her bath, she looked even more stunning.

She no longer resembled the destitute, pitiful girl from last night who had begged for a free meal; instead, she looked more like a little princess from a prestigious family.

Perhaps this was the unique temperament brought about by her identity as the Silver Dragon King.

Although this creature could eat a bit too much, was a bit too clumsy, and was a bit too much of a green tea, one had to admit that her looks were top-tier. This was perhaps one of the few advantages of these two Silver Dragon Kings.

A love-struck brain did not count as an advantage.

Seeming to sense his gaze, Na'er turned her head, her silver eyes meeting his.

Shen Nanxun turned his head back with an expressionless face.

Na'er blinked and turned her head back as well.

An octagonal base, towering into the clouds, the silver tower body looked remarkably like a crystal pillar reaching the heavens. This was the North Sea City Spirit Pagoda, one of the eighteen branch towers of the Spirit Pagoda.

After all, North Sea City was guarded by the entire North Sea Legion, so the demand for spirit souls and Spirit Ascension Platforms was very high.

The car stopped at the edge of the plaza in front of the main entrance of the Spirit Pagoda. Shen Nanxun pushed the door open and jumped out first, with Na'er following behind him. Her silver eyes looked up at the towering silver giant tower before her, and her pupils dilated for a brief moment.

"Let's go," Shen Nanxun said without looking back, striding toward the main entrance.

Na'er trotted to keep up, her silver ponytail swinging behind her. She caught up to a position half a step behind and to the side of Shen Nanxun, then stopped closing the distance, trailing him at a set distance like a little tail.

Relying on the Shen family's connections, they were guided by Spirit Pagoda staff the entire way and did not need to queue, heading straight to one of the floors.

The staff member knocked specifically on the door in front of them.

"Please, come in." A woman's voice came from inside; she was not young, but not old either, carrying a gentleness polished by years of dealing with all sorts of people.

Shen Nanxun pushed the door open.

The room was not large and was furnished very simply. By the window sat a recliner covered with a white cushion, and next to it was a silver instrument with a sophisticated design.

That was a Martial Soul Awakening Instrument, one of the core devices of the Spirit Pagoda, capable of guiding the resonance of spirit power within the person being awakened to stimulate the manifestation of their martial soul.

A woman sat at the desk. She was about forty years old, wearing a plain gray robe, her hair tied in a loose bun at the back of her head, secured with a wooden hairpin.

This was Su Jiuyin, one of the best awakening masters in the North Sea City Spirit Pagoda.

Su Jiuyin looked up, her gaze sweeping over the two children who had walked in, finally landing on Shen Nanxun with a faint smile. "Oh, isn't this the young master of the Shen family? Your eldest sister already reached out yesterday."

She still had a deep impression of Shen Nanxun, first for that peculiar case of having spirit power but no martial soul. Later, she heard he had awakened a martial soul, which was simply miraculous and completely exceeded her years of research into martial souls.

Shen Nanxun nodded and stepped aside, letting Na'er out from behind him. "She is the one awakening today."

Su Jiuyin nodded slightly and led Na'er toward the awakening platform.

The martial soul awakening process was very fast. In fact, it could have been done at the Shen residence, but they were at the Spirit Pagoda anyway, so it was convenient to register Na'er at the same time.

A pale golden light emanated from within Na'er's body, slowly condensing above her into a silver-white spear.

The spear was slender, its entire body like moonlight. A silver dragon relief coiled around the shaft, the dragon's head held high beneath the spearhead, every scale clearly visible. The spear tip emerged from the dragon's mouth, the blade edge so thin it was almost transparent. The entire spear floated silently, silver light flowing over it as the dragon's shadow flickered.

"Silver Dragon Spear!"