"Heartless profiteers! Just because you're close to the academy, you dare sell bedding at such a ridiculous price!"
Meanwhile, Lan Yu had left the shop near the academy, his face pinched with pain.
"I've only got a few coins to my name, and I still need to save enough to eat!"
Muttering under his breath, Lan Yu walked along the street, looking around to see if there were any other shops.
"Xiao Yu~"
"Who's there?" Lan Yu whipped around.
"Huh? There's nobody here?"
Lan Yu scratched his head. Had he really just heard Ah Yin calling him?
It had to be his imagination!
"Xiao Yu~"
"I wasn't hearing things!"
Lan Yu stopped short and looked toward a quiet lane nearby, his brows furrowing.
After thinking it over for a moment, he headed that way.
As Lan Yu drew closer, a woman in a pale blue dress gradually came into view.
"Xiao Yu, I..."
Ah Yin smiled and was just about to speak when Lan Yu cut her off, his voice cold.
"Wait!"
"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?! Don't you know how worried Xiao Shan and I were? Could you stop causing me so much trouble? You're a support Soul Master, yet you're wandering around all—"
Seeing Lan Yu prattle on, Ah Yin stepped forward and pulled him tightly into her arms.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Yu. Mom was wrong."
Resting her chin on the top of Lan Yu's head, Ah Yin spoke softly.
Lan Yu said nothing, only struggled. Ah Yin sighed. "Will you forgive me? I went to prepare something for you two."
"Mmph—"
"I can't breathe!" Lan Yu finally managed to wrench himself free enough to gasp.
"Ah!" Ah Yin hurriedly let go, gazing guiltily at Lan Yu, who was sitting on the ground.
"Xiao Yu~ Mom didn't mean to."
Good grief! Had I nearly become the first transmigrator to suffocate in a face full of cleavage?!
"What's that smell? Why is it so fragrant?" Lan Yu rubbed his cheeks and sniffed his palms carefully.
A blush crept across Ah Yin's cheeks. She helped Lan Yu up and gently rubbed his head. "Are you still feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine now, Mom. What did you say you'd prepared for Xiao Shan and me?"
Lan Yu brushed the dust off his backside, his eyes full of curiosity.
At that, Ah Yin slipped a pale blue ring off her left hand and held it out to Lan Yu.
"Is this a Storage Soul Tool?!" Lan Yu turned it over in his hands, his eyes gleaming.
"Xiao Yu, you know about Soul Tools?" Ah Yin was taken aback. She had been hoping to show off in front of her child.
Why else would she give me a ring out of nowhere? It had to be a Storage Soul Tool.
Lan Yu raised an eyebrow and stared at Ah Yin.
Under his gaze, Ah Yin grew a little uncomfortable. She gave a light cough and changed the subject. "Let Mom teach you how to use it."
This time, Lan Yu didn't refuse. He nodded obediently.
"Pour your Soul Power into it, then use your thoughts to take things out or put them in."
Following Ah Yin's instructions, Lan Yu sent his thoughts into the ring.
"Why are there so many Gold Soul Coins in here?"
He withdrew his thoughts, looking surprised.
You should've told me you were rich!
"I put them in there."
"Back when A Hao and I traveled across the whole continent, we wiped out a band of Fallen Soul Masters who had been holed up in a village. We gave some of the money to the surviving villagers and kept the rest. These two Storage Rings were spoils from that battle, too."
As she spoke, Ah Yin raised her right hand, revealing a matching pale pink ring on her ring finger.
Only then did Lan Yu notice it.
"Brother Hao and I agreed that these rings would be tokens of our love. The rings are still here, but he..." Ah Yin lowered her eyes to the ring, the light in them slowly fading.
"Mom, you still have Xiao Shan and me." Lan Yu couldn't think of the right thing to say, so he stepped forward and gently hugged her.
Before Ah Yin could respond, he let go and gazed eagerly at the ring in his hand.
He'd been worrying about how to get his First Soul Ring.
He hadn't expected Ah Yin to hand him a newbie gift pack. She was definitely more reliable than Haozi, who'd abandoned them!
With money in his pocket, he could start preparing Whale Rubber and all kinds of Hidden Weapons.
Seeing Lan Yu grinning foolishly at the ring, Ah Yin couldn't help smiling.
"Mom, are you going to leave again?" Lan Yu slipped the ring onto his finger and asked suddenly.
"Well..." Ah Yin hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Seeing her expression, Lan Yu's brows drew together.
You really are thinking of leaving? Tang Hao wandered around because he was a Power Attack System Douluo. What business did a support-type Douluo have going off on her own?!
"Can you bear to leave Xiao Shan behind?"
"Listen to me. Rent a little place here in Nuoding City and stay with her. Xiao Shan's only six. She's grown up without a father. Does she have to lose her mother's company, too?"
Seeing that Ah Yin was still torn, Lan Yu panicked and had no choice but to bring out his trump card.
The healer should stick with the team and protect the two carries. Why keep going off alone?!
They both had Innate Full Soul Power and would be invincible later on. Why chase a little extra damage in the early game?!
"...All right." Looking into Lan Yu's determined eyes, Ah Yin finally gave in.
"I'll find us a place to stay first, then come see you tonight. Don't tell Xiao Shan yet." With that, Ah Yin vanished in a blur.
Lan Yu shook his head as he watched her disappear.
He'd go back first and have Xiao Shan draw up the blueprints for the Silent Sleeve Arrow and Godly Zhuge Crossbow.
After getting sidetracked by what had happened with Ah Yin, Lan Yu completely forgot about buying bedding. All he could think about was getting back to Notting Academy at once.
He raced back and reached the academy dormitory before long.
Just as he was about to head up the steps, a clear voice rang out from above.
"Brother, you're back!"
Lan Yu looked up and saw Tang Shan hurrying down the stairs.
"Slow down!" Lan Yu called out at once.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Tang Shan slipped and tumbled straight into his arms.
"Did you hurt yourself?" Lan Yu's heart tightened. He hurriedly checked her over for injuries.
"Mmm~" Tang Shan's cheeks flushed in his arms. She let out a soft whimper, her eyes flickering.
"Ah, brother, I'm so dizzy."
"What?! I'm taking you to the infirmary right now!" Lan Yu panicked and immediately started to scoop her up.
"Don't!"
"Brother, just let me lean against you for a while. I'll be fine." Tang Shan stopped him in a hurry, burying her face against his chest as she spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
Lan Yu sighed helplessly and sat down on the steps so she could lean against him more comfortably.
"While I was out, did anyone in Dorm Seven bully you?" he asked casually.
"Nope. I made a new friend." Tang Shan reached out with her little hand and gently twirled a stray lock of hair beside Lan Yu's ear.
"Really? Who?"
"She's called Xiao Wu."
"Oh—Xiao Wu!" Lan Yu nodded without thinking.
Wait! Xiao Wu?!
A bolt of lightning seemed to flash through Lan Yu's mind, bringing him instantly to his senses.
In this world, Tang San was Tang Shan. Could Xiao Wu's gender have changed, too?
Thinking of Xiao Wu's nasty personality in the original story, what if she'd become a boy...?!
A scene appeared in Lan Yu's mind.
Xiao Wu, with dyed blond hair, rode a noisy modified scooter with Tang Shan on the back and gave Lan Yu a wicked grin. "Old man! I parked my scooter outside your place. It won't get stolen, will it?"
Tang Shan clung to his arm and said to Lan Yu, "Brother, I won't let you talk about him!"
No! He couldn't let that happen!
Xiao Wu, you've got a death wish! How dare you covet my adorable little sister!
At the thought, Lan Yu's eyes turned bloodshot, and his breathing quickened without him realizing it.