Don't Call Me Dong'er!

"Creak—"

When Wang Zhao pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard, the sun was already high in the sky.

According to what he had learned from Bibi Dong earlier, exactly two days had passed since he had been knocked unconscious and abducted in Nuoding City.

"I wonder if Old John is all right..."

Wang Zhao looked at the flowers and potted plants in the courtyard and let out a quiet sigh.

He had awakened—or rather, transmigrated—at the age of three. He could not force himself to feel some profound familial affection for Old John. Yet he had engraved in his heart the gratitude he felt for Old John's three years of care, as well as his respect for the old man.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhao found a black-clad maid sitting cross-legged in a shadowy corner and asked her with an utterly innocent expression:

"Sister Die, is Grandpa John all right?"

Die was the teacher Bibi Dong had arranged to guide Wang Zhao in Martial Soul cultivation whenever she was unavailable. She was also the steward and security guard of this residence.

Die opened her obsidian-bright eyes and glanced calmly at Wang Zhao. Thinking he was still under the effects of illusion-induced hypnosis, she replied indifferently:

"Don't worry. His Excellency... your teacher is an important figure even here in Spirit City. Now that she has taken you in, someone will naturally look after your grandfather."

"Oh, thank you, Sister Die."

Wang Zhao nodded. He could tell that the woman before him was reserved and disliked unnecessary chatter, so he did not disturb her further and quietly left.

According to what Bibi Dong had said before leaving, she would only begin teaching him cultivation tomorrow. With nothing to do for now, Wang Zhao thought it over, informed the household staff, then ran off alone to wander around Spirit City.

Though rather than wandering, it was more accurate to say he was going out to familiarize himself with the terrain.

At that moment, Die reopened her eyes and silently watched Wang Zhao's retreating back. Her figure flashed, and she followed from afar...

Throughout Spirit City, patrols of armored knights could be seen everywhere.

Although Wang Zhao had come out intending to familiarize himself with this unfamiliar city, as he walked through the streets, he looked no different from an ordinary six-year-old child—curious yet cautious.

Then, he suddenly heard lively, boisterous noise coming from a tavern by the roadside. His eyes rolled, and he trotted inside, quietly blending into the crowd.

No one paid attention to a "shifty-looking" six-year-old child, much less the tavern patrons who were chatting away with great enthusiasm.

They spoke freely. Beneath the very nose of Pope's Palace, everyone tacitly avoided sensitive topics, but no one cared if they chatted about anything under the sun or boasted wildly.

For Wang Zhao, this was also an excellent place to gather information. He needed to confirm certain matters as soon as possible, such as the timeline.

After all, it concerned some of his plans for the future.

The tavern did not disappoint him. Before long, he heard several rough-looking men at the next table loudly discussing how His Holiness Qian Xunji, the current Pope, had ordered a continent-wide manhunt for Tang Hao, one of the Haotian Twin Stars.

As for the reason, it was said that Tang Hao, a "traitor to humanity," had colluded with Soul Beasts in an attempt to harm human society.

Wang Zhao was instantly stirred. After thinking it over, he quickly understood many things.

For instance, that certain God King who would one day reign supreme for all eternity was probably not even born yet.

Bibi Dong should "kill her husband" and rise to power as Spirit Hall's new Pope within the next two years.

Qian Renxue should be around nine years old at this point.

As for himself, he had at least seven years left to grow and make arrangements.

If he also counted the period when Tang San was still in the beginner's village of Nuoding City, then he had thirteen years.

After all, only when the Seven Monsters gathered at Shrek Academy in Suotuo City would the true "dream" begin.

Thirteen years...

What should I do without any cheats?

Wang Zhao calmed himself.

Every beginning was difficult. He still had to start by laying a foundation—first, he should study properly.

With that in mind, he left the tavern. After wandering around nearby for a few more laps, he finally headed back.

Once he returned to the residence,

Wang Zhao eagerly entered the room Bibi Dong had arranged for him. After searching around, he indeed found several books, all related to basic Soul Master knowledge, such as "Ingenious Methods for Identifying Soul Beast Age," "Basic Meditation Methods and the Application of Breathing," "A Soul Master's Self-Cultivation," and so on.

Oh... and there was also a relatively well-preserved copy of "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul."

What Wang Zhao valued most were professional cultivation manuals such as "Meditation Methods." Though much of the knowledge was difficult to understand at first glance, that was only true for ordinary six-year-old children. Tempered by countless web novels in his previous life, Wang Zhao was never lacking in imagination. Even if he did not understand something, he could grasp it through analogy and inference. By that standard, he could be considered a genius.

After all, even if he had never eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run.

Evening.

Bibi Dong arrived without a sound. Seeing Wang Zhao absorbed in reading, she seemed to see a familiar figure from her memories overlap with him, and she could not help falling into a brief daze before suddenly asking:

"Do you like reading that much?"

Wang Zhao's body jolted. He looked at Bibi Dong as though startled, then let out a sigh of relief and greeted her:

"Sister Dong'er, when did you come in?"

"You... what did you call me?"

Bibi Dong frowned instinctively.

"Sister Dong'er. Grandpa John once said that when you see someone young and beautiful, you should call her big sister..."

As he spoke, Wang Zhao's innocent expression suddenly stiffened. He scratched his head and muttered as if troubled:

"Oh, but you're my teacher now. I should call you Teacher Dong'er instead."

"...Don't call me Dong'er!"

"Okay, Teacher Dong'er. No problem, Teacher Dong'er."

Wang Zhao promised with a foolish grin.

"..."

Bibi Dong was starting to regret, in that moment of madness, choosing "Wang Dong'er" as the name for her alias. She looked deeply at Wang Zhao's utterly innocent face. She truly could not bring herself to get angry with this little boy, and in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.

"Forget it. Call me whatever you want."

"Then I'll keep calling you Sister Dong'er."

Wang Zhao pushed his luck, his foolish grin still firmly in place.

"Why?"

"Because Sister Dong'er is so beautiful. Calling you Teacher would make you sound old."

Bibi Dong fell silent. She neither accepted the form of address nor objected to it.

Wang Zhao took that as acceptance and could not help thinking, So this is Conan's happiness?

Having an alt account is amazing!

After that, Bibi Dong asked again, "You still haven't answered me. Do you really like reading that much?"

"Yes."

Wang Zhao nodded as though it were only natural. He was not pretending. Since no one in this other world knew of his past life, no one could understand how deeply he longed for this kind of extraordinary power that belonged to oneself.

So even if his Martial Soul was Golden Scale, even if his Innate Soul Power was only half a rank, as long as there was even the slightest opportunity, he would seize it tightly.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhao gazed at Bibi Dong, this future goddess, and continued:

"I think books are the ladder of human progress. Whether one is a gifted genius or a good-for-nothing, everyone can always find an answer that belongs to them within books."

Upon hearing that, Bibi Dong's eyes widened slightly. She suddenly felt that she could not quite see through this little boy who was only six years old.

Even Yu Xiaogang had not possessed such awareness back then. It was only after taking her advice later that he specifically began researching theory.

Bibi Dong's reaction was actually within Wang Zhao's expectations. He could act young, but he would not pretend to be unintelligent.

After all, judging by his Innate Soul Power alone, he was already considered useless. If he did not reveal something that made people see him in a different light, why would anyone think highly of him?

That night,

Bibi Dong stayed at the residence and had dinner with Wang Zhao before leaving. She had her own estate. As for keeping Wang Zhao here like a little lover, she did not know whether that was right or wrong...