"Eat up, eat up! All the spending here today is on Young Master Xie!"
Xie Xie sat on the soft sofa, urging everyone to try the specialties he'd brought back from the food street.
Seeing Xie Xie's smug expression, Gu Yue responded with a look of disdain.
What a show-off.
Then, when no one was looking, she picked up the lemon water Qian Jue had drunk from and took a long sip.
Ah~~~
Indirectly kissing him.
"Uh, Senior Sister, that's my lemon water."
"Huh? Sorry, sorry. I picked up the wrong one by mistake."
Qian Jue eyed Gu Yue's flushed face suspiciously. How could you pick up the wrong lemon water?
Did she do it on purpose, or accidentally on purpose?
Whatever. At least for now, the Silver Dragon King wouldn't hurt him.
Qian Jue picked up the pot of beef on the table and took a huge bite.
It was delicious.
"I know this place makes great beef, but surely that doesn't warrant such a blissful expression, Captain."
Qian Jue waved a hand. As the soft, braised beef burst across his taste buds, he replied seriously,
"You people just wouldn't understand. Meat smells a lot better than rice."
There appeared to be six people present, but in truth, there were five dragons and one human. Before long, the large table of Eastsea specialties Xie Xie had brought was swept clean.
Surprisingly, Gu Yue volunteered to clear the table and wash the dishes.
Perhaps she wanted to leave Qian Jue with the impression that she was capable and domestic.
After all, she was pretty average-looking.
That was what Xie Xie thought to himself.
Well played, Gu Yue. You're as devious as the sea is deep.
If she weren't the captain's senior sister, would someone with looks like hers even deserve to be at his side?
"Jinxi, Yangzi, pick an empty room each and make yourselves at home. The principal has already approved my use of this villa, so treat this place like your own. No need to be polite."
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi brightened. Having rooms to themselves was definitely more comfortable than sharing a four-person room in the school dormitory.
"Thanks, Captain!"
With that, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi went upstairs to choose their rooms. For the moment, only Xie Xie, Qian Jue, and Tang Wulin remained in the living room.
"We had our physical evaluations this afternoon. Remember to ask Teacher Wu to record your results when we get back to school tomorrow."
"No problem. I want to see how much I've improved after fusing with the soul bone, too." Xie Xie looked at his right hand. It could now be called a qilin arm—or no, a True Dragon Arm.
The Dark Demon Dragon Right Arm Bone had brought him more than just a Soul Bone Skill. His physical strength and Martial Soul attributes had also improved considerably.
With nothing else to ask Xie Xie for the moment, Qian Jue turned his attention to Tang Wulin, who was still sucking on his fingers.
"Wulin, what was that dragon claw that suddenly appeared during the evaluation this afternoon?"
There was no doubt about it. That was the Golden Dragon Claw.
According to the original story, Tang Wulin shouldn't have been able to fully control that power until after breaking the first seal.
Qian Jue had only given him the spirit item yesterday, and they'd been cultivating together ever since. After finishing his morning meditation, Tang Wulin had gone straight to class. He couldn't possibly have had time to absorb the spirit item and break the first seal.
There was no way the Golden Dragon King had broken the seal on its own, was there?
Tang Wulin sat obediently on the sofa and looked at his right hand. "I don't know. At the time, I... I just wanted to do better, and then I used the dragon claw without even realizing it."
That was close. He'd nearly admitted that his head had been full of Qian Jue at the time.
If the captain found out, he'd probably think Tang Wulin was a weirdo.
Qian Jue fell into thought. From the sound of it, the Golden Dragon King had initiated the assault on the seal?
And the energy in the seal had actually fused perfectly with Tang Wulin's. That at least proved the Golden Dragon King was probably still conscious and could control this power.
Strange. Very strange.
As Qian Jue remembered it, the Golden Dragon King had sought out Tang Wulin to kill him.
What could have made the Golden Dragon King give up on taking revenge on the Tang family?
Could it be his Martial Soul?
If that were true, then the Dragon Rising Pillar's importance to the Dragon Clan might rival that of the Dragon God himself.
At least when faced with the Dragon Clan Dharma Blade, the Golden Dragon King hadn't reacted like this.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A sudden knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
"Did you order takeout?" Qian Jue glanced at Tang Wulin.
"No, no. How would I have money to order takeout? Besides, Xie Xie treated us today, and I'm already stuffed." Tang Wulin licked his lips and patted his round belly.
Qian Jue was puzzled, but still got up to answer the door.
Why did the scent outside seem so familiar?
"Who is it?"
The instant he opened the door, a little ball of white fur darted into Qian Jue's arms faster than the eye could follow.
"Hehe, Xiao Qian, I'm here!"
A white-haired girl as exquisitely delicate as a porcelain doll rode on Qian Jue, her sweet smile making hearts flutter.
The three people in the living room all wore different expressions.
"Na... Na'er?!"
The moment Tang Wulin saw Na'er, he froze.
It was his younger sister!
Tears burst from his eyes. Tang Wulin rushed over, grabbed Na'er by the shoulders, and said, "Na'er, where have you been? Mom and Dad were so worried about you."
"Brother, it's a long story. I'll tell you all about it later."
Na'er was also delighted to see Tang Wulin.
But she was still pinning Qian Jue down.
Na'er patted her skirt and quickly stood up.
Qian Jue finally came to his senses. Looking at Na'er's lovely face, he felt a little surprised.
Shouldn't you be at Shrek right now, keeping your bet with Gu Yue? What are you doing here all of a sudden?
When Qian Jue had awakened the mysteries of his previous life, he'd visited Sea God Island once with Long Yeyue and met Na'er there.
"Xiao Qian, why did you leave without saying goodbye? If you'd stayed just two more days, Master would have dragged us into a betrothal!"
Na'er held Qian Jue's hand and muttered with a blush.
Qian Jue froze completely and turned to look at Tang Wulin.
Could he be about to beat me up for stealing Na'er...?
Nothing like the red-eyed, panting rage he'd expected.
To Qian Jue's surprise, Tang Wulin's face showed approval and relief.
Wait, isn't she your precious little sister?
She's practically throwing herself at me, and you're not even mad?
Just as Qian Jue had expected, Tang Wulin's feelings at that moment were complicated.
His missing younger sister had reappeared. That alone was enough to make him happy.
What he hadn't expected was that Na'er already knew Qian Jue and clearly liked him—so much so that they could even be promised to each other.
If it had been anyone else, he'd have fought tooth and nail. His precious little sister wasn't even ten yet, and someone was already trying to take her away.
But—but this was Qian Jue!
Wasn't his little sister beautiful? Wasn't she much better than Gu Yue?
Besides, if Na'er and Qian Jue really got together, he'd become Qian Jue's brother-in-law. They'd truly be one big family.
When Na'er and Qian Jue grew up and got married, he could even personally arrange the wedding, dress Qian Jue in the most handsome suit, and be his best man...
And once they had children, he could play with them every day...
As Tang Wulin lost himself in visions of the future, he didn't hear a word of the conversation between Qian Jue and the others.