"You say you're the Son of Sea God? How can you prove it?"
Qian Daoliu eyed the young boy before him with deep suspicion.
Aside from his striking blue hair and blue eyes, what about this little fellow looked anything like Sea God?
Poseinan wanted to fling the wisp of the God of Destruction's origin power straight into Qian Daoliu's face.
The problem was, until he reached the Titled Douluo realm, he couldn't even sense that energy, let alone bring it out as proof.
With no other choice, he declared with righteous confidence, "Because I'm Poseinan!"
"Can't you see the huge Sea God Spirit behind me?"
But no matter what he tried, Qian Daoliu simply refused to believe him. "Kid, don't try to fool me."
How many years had it been since a deity last appeared in the world?
Would anyone believe some brat suddenly showing up and claiming to be the Son of Sea God?
Qian Daoliu certainly didn't.
Still, when he saw the Sea God Spirit behind Poseinan, his heart softened.
"Tell me, what exactly does your mother, Bo Saixi, want by sending you here?"
Qian Daoliu not only didn't believe him, but had also mistaken him for Bo Saixi's son. Poseinan couldn't be bothered to argue.
He tipped his face up and asked, "Oi! Old man, can you send me to Sea God Island?"
Once he got to Sea God Island, he'd be the Sea God's rightful Holy Son. Who would dare bully him then?
Then he'd have Bo Saixi drag Qian Renxue back.
However she'd beaten him today, he'd beat her right back!
Old man?
Hearing that, Qian Daoliu, who had spent thirty years cultivating his composure, nearly lost it on the spot.
What a rude little brat!
For Bo Saixi's sake, he let it go. With a cold snort, he swept his sleeve and walked away:
"Hmph!"
He turned and left.
Without the slightest hesitation, as if he'd made up his mind about something.
He never looked back.
"You old man! Your granddaughter beats me and you do nothing, and you won't even help with something as simple as sending me to Sea God Island?"
The more Poseinan thought about it, the angrier he got. He silently made up his mind:
"Old man, one day, I'm gonna park my Spirit-Fire—no, my carriage—right outside your house!"
After getting nowhere with Qian Daoliu,
Poseinan headed back the way he'd come.
Halfway there, he suddenly heard a series of quiet, muffled sobs.
"Daddy's gone, and Mommy doesn't want me either. Why did I have to become a child nobody wants?"
"Boo-hoo..."
Poseinan followed the miserable sound.
He found it in a corner of the courtyard wall.
A small figure was crouched there.
A little white dress, golden hair.
Poseinan recognized her at a glance. It was Qian Renxue.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Qian Renxue hurriedly raised a hand and wiped her face haphazardly before turning around.
When she saw Poseinan, a trace of embarrassment flashed in her still-reddened purple eyes. She immediately turned her face away in a sulk and asked, "What are you doing here? Did you come to laugh at me?"
Poseinan didn't wear his usual cheeky grin. Instead, he went over and sat down beside her. "Weren't you just acting all high and mighty, insisting you were going to be my big sister? How did you end up hiding here as a little crybaby?"
Qian Renxue lowered her head even further. Her voice was thick with a nasal whine, and all her earlier competitiveness was gone. "Hmph... Go ahead and laugh if you want."
Poseinan didn't laugh or answer right away.
He simply sat quietly beside Qian Renxue.
The afternoon sunlight slanted in, casting a warm patch of light at the base of the wall and enveloping the two small figures.
Then he suddenly said, "Hey, little crybaby, who says nobody wants you?"
"That's how it is!"
Qian Renxue jerked her head up, her eyes red-rimmed as she shouted back, "Mommy hates me! Daddy just left too! Now I'm just an unwanted stray!"
After saying that, she cried even harder.
Tsk...
Poseinan finally understood why she was crying so hard.
So the news of Qian Xunji's death had gotten out.
Following the feeling in his heart, he offered a thoughtful remark: "Every child is a gift from heaven. No mother truly hates her own child."
"Unless... she has a reason she can't help."
Qian Renxue's little face was red from crying, and her shoulders hitched with each sob. "You're lying! She does hate me! Today is her birthday."
"I... I gave her a cake I'd worked so hard to make with my own hands, and she threw it away without even looking at it. She clearly doesn't care about me at all!"
Poseinan felt a little helpless.
He hated comforting girls who were crying like this.
Big sisters were much easier to comfort.
His eyes shifted as an idea came to him. "How about this? Let's make a bet. I can prove that she does care about you."
"But if I succeed, you have to agree to do something for me: get your grandfather to send me to Sea God Island. Deal?"
Qian Renxue didn't say anything. She only looked at him suspiciously with her watery purple eyes, clearly not believing him at all.
Poseinan didn't lose heart. He leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice, whispering mysteriously for a while:
"Here's what you do. When you go back, tell your mom you've fallen for someone. He's a commoner, his Innate Soul Power is only half a level, and he likes studying Martial Soul Theory... I guarantee your mom will fly into a rage."
Qian Renxue's eyes widened, tears still clinging to her lashes. "Will that really work? She usually doesn't care about me at all."
Besides, this sounded like it would only add fuel to the fire.
Poseinan thumped his chest. "All I can say is, it's guaranteed to work."
Might even deal true damage, too.
He added that silently to himself.
Qian Renxue watched him with doubt, bit her lip, and nodded firmly, as if she'd made a huge decision. "Okay! I'll go try it!"
Qian Renxue stood up from the shadow in the corner and wiped her face hard. Her eyes were still red, but there was clearly more hope in them now.
"You'd better not be lying to me, or else... Hmph!"
She shook a little fist at Poseinan, then turned and ran toward the main hall.
"Heh-heh, this is gonna be good."
Watching her run off, Poseinan rubbed his chin, the corners of his mouth lifting in anticipation of the show.
He leisurely followed her and found a pillar behind which he could see the entrance to a side hall of Pope Palace without being easily spotted. He crouched down comfortably, ready to enjoy the grand drama he'd directed himself.
He didn't have to wait long. Qian Renxue soon appeared at the side hall entrance, her head lowered and her steps hesitant.
The female Soul Master standing guard at the entrance seemed to recognize her. She bowed respectfully and didn't stop her.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath, clenched her small hands at her sides, and finally pushed open the door and went inside.
Poseinan perked up his ears, straining to catch what was happening inside.
At first, he could only make out faint voices, too muffled to hear clearly.
But before long, a woman's voice, icy with anger, suddenly rose, ringing clearly through the door:
"...What did you say?! Qian Renxue, repeat what you just said to me!"
It was Bibi Dong's voice.
Poseinan's spirits lifted. Here it comes, here it comes!
Next came Qian Renxue's tearful voice:
"I just like him! He may be a commoner now, but he knows so much, and he studies Martial Soul every day... I'm going to be with him when I grow up!"