Protecting the Calf

Above the crisscrossing elevated tracks of East Sea City.

A dark-blue soul train traveled along the tracks at a steady speed.

The first-class carriage was especially quiet.

Outside the window, tall buildings stood in dense rows, and drifting clouds swept rapidly backward.

All that remained by his ears was the faint gliding hum of the train.

Fang Yuan rested his head against the soft inner side of Gu Yuena's thigh, his fingertips idly swiping across his soul terminal.

A faint glow floated over the screen.

After only a few swipes, he grew bored of it.

He turned off the screen, set the soul terminal on his chest, and asked lazily as he looked up:

"Mother, where... are we going?"

Gu Yuena lowered her gaze and gently brushed the loose hair from his forehead, smiling faintly. "Silly child, of course we're taking you to school!"

"School? Where are we going to school? Why do we have to go so far?"

Fang Yuan frowned slightly, his little hand tugging at the corner of her skirt.

The Great Star Dou Forest bordered Shrek City. Studying nearby was the natural choice.

"We're going to East Sea Intermediate Academy."

Gu Yuena looked at his confused face and smiled faintly.

"Huh?"

Fang Yuan's pupils shrank slightly, and he did not come back to himself for a long while.

He had only just completed his martial soul awakening yesterday.

According to Federation rules, he could only enter a primary soul master academy.

Skipping grades did not seem very appropriate!

Wait...

East Sea Intermediate Academy?

Wasn't Tang Wulin studying at East Sea Intermediate Academy?

This was way too much of a coincidence!

Bi Ji, who was off to the side, noticed something was up.

Before Fang Yuan could think further, she slowly spoke.

"Since our Lord came to East Sea City, she naturally has her own plans. Little one, don't overthink it."

She added with a smile, her tone both protective and hearty, "Don't worry. Little one, if anyone at school sees that you're young and bullies you, just tell Auntie Bi Ji. I'll have your Uncle Di teach him a lesson!"

Fang Yuan smiled helplessly.

He turned his body slightly and said again and again, "Thank you, Auntie Bi Ji. I can protect myself!"

If he remembered correctly, after Tang Wulin was killed, the Golden Dragon King's origin, having lost its host, would become ownerless. Mother would then be able to take the chance to devour that power, make up for what she lacked, obtain the complete Dragon God godhood, and ascend to the peak.

However... Tang Wulin bore Tang San's Sea God Trident mark.

He looked up at Mother above him.

With the Sea God's protection, if Mother acted rashly, it definitely would not be easy.

From the looks of it, he would have to play the villain himself!

Tang Wulin... you've already got a path to death!

Amid his chaotic thoughts, Gu Yuena's gentle voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Little Fang Yuan, I plan to take you to the Spirit Pagoda first and choose your first spirit soul."

"After that, I'll hire a private tutor for you so you can systematically study human society and knowledge related to soul beasts."

"There's no rush about enrolling. It's fine if it's a little later."

Gu Yuena gazed at the child lying on her thigh, a trace of tenderness showing in her eyes.

Once Fang Yuan enrolled and settled down safely in East Sea City, she would split off one layer of her personality to stay by his side for a long time and protect him as he grew up.

The other layer of her personality would cast aside love and devote itself fully to laying plans for the future of the dragon race.

She could stay with the child while also shouldering the heavy responsibility of her people.

Taking care of both sides—surely that would be the best of both worlds.

"Mother, I'll listen to whatever you say. I'm so sleepy. I'm going to sleep first."

As the train passed through a tunnel, the carriage suddenly darkened.

Weariness rose in Fang Yuan's heart, and he covered his mouth as he yawned.

"Sleep, little one. We'll be there soon," Gu Yuena murmured gently.

"Remember to wake me when we arrive!"

Fang Yuan turned his head to the side and obediently closed his eyes.

"Mm."

Gu Yuena nodded in response.

She asked Bi Ji for a goose-yellow blanket and draped it over Fang Yuan.

Watching the little one in her arms gradually settle into steady breathing, she also closed her eyes and took a short nap during the ride.

Half an hour later.

The soul-guide train slowly decelerated, gliding along the tracks into the platform at Eastsea Station.

The broadcast inside the carriage rang out right after.

"Dear passengers, we have now arrived at Eastsea Station.

Passengers getting off at this station, please take your belongings with you and exit through the doors on both sides..."

The train came to a complete stop, and the doors popped open with a click.

The first-class carriage had stopped at its exclusive platform. The area was spacious, with only a few scattered figures.

All around, it was quiet, so quiet that even the sound of wind sweeping past the elevated tracks could be heard clearly.

Holding Gu Yuena's hand, Fang Yuan got off the train. Before he had even steadied himself, a loud clamor from next door surged over.

Beyond the waist-high railing, the ordinary platform on the other side was far livelier.

Looking up, all he saw was a dense mass of moving heads, packed so tightly that not even water could get through.

If they went down through the ordinary exit, they probably wouldn't move more than two steps even after inching along for ages.

"Little Fang Yuan, let's go. Your Aunt Zi Ji is still waiting for us."

Seeing him staring in a daze, Gu Yuena gently shook his small hand and reminded him warmly.

"Mm!"

Fang Yuan came back to himself and answered softly.

The group walked out of the station.

Crowds surged at the entrance, noisy and bustling, with many vehicles parked by the roadside to pick people up.

Tall buildings lined both sides of the street, ablaze with lights, and the goods in the shops were dazzling in their variety.

The group looked around, but they still did not see Zi Ji anywhere.

The crowd ahead suddenly split apart.

A glossy black soul-guide car was parked right in the middle of the platform, forcing the crowd to squeeze to both sides.

Fang Yuan raised a hand and pointed at it, then looked up and asked quietly, "Mother, is it that one?"

In his mind, his mother's ride naturally had to be the grandest and most luxurious.

Gu Yuena glanced at the license plate below and shook her head.

"No. Your Aunt Zi Ji's car isn't that shabby."

Fang Yuan glanced at it once and then paid it no more mind, shaking her hand.

"Oh... Then Mother, let's hurry and go!"

Two bodyguards in black stood beside the car, craning their necks as they searched the crowd.

"Young Master!"

One of them answered and rushed over quickly. As he brushed past Fang Yuan's shoulder, he rammed into him hard, the force of it making him stumble half a step.

"Hiss—ow!"

Fang Yuan clutched his shoulder, sucking in cold air from the pain.

"Where'd this little brat come from? No eyes at all!"

That person hurriedly glanced at Fang Yuan, then turned to leave.

"What did you say?"

Gu Yuena abruptly grabbed his wrist. The warmth in her eyes gradually faded, and her voice was as cold as ice.

The bodyguard in black tried to break free, only to feel a powerful force.

He was locked in place as if caught in a vise, unable to move even an inch.

"Kneel down and kowtow to my little Fang Yuan. Apologize!"

A trace of killing intent flashed through Gu Yuena's eyes.

The surroundings fell silent for an instant.

The passersby's gazes gathered one after another, and someone subconsciously took half a step back.

"Hurry up and let go of me! I'm from the Xie Family of East Sea City! What kind of background do you have to dare cross me?"

The bodyguard in black's face flushed crimson, blue veins bulging on his neck.

Who in the city didn't know

that the Xie Family of East Sea City was a renowned mecha clan in the city?

Were these people truly not afraid of retaliation from a great family?

"My Lord, allow me to handle this."

Di Tian swept his black robe aside and stepped out.

He spread his palm, and a ball of black energy gradually condensed in his hand.

A powerful aura of darkness surfaced around him, making fear rise in many people's hearts.

"Uncle Di Tian, don't be rash! Don't kill him!"

Fang Yuan's heart jolted, and he hurriedly spoke up to dissuade him.

Making a move in human society would definitely expose their soul-beast identities and draw human experts to surround them.

Though with his mother and the others' strength, escaping would be very easy, once the human powerhouses in the city were alarmed, the city would definitely strengthen its defenses, and entering the city again in the future would be difficult.

"Young Master."

Hearing this, Di Tian lowered his gaze slightly.

He knew the Young Master's words were true. Exposing their tracks by making a move here would only ruin his lord's overall plan.

The pitch-black energy in his palm slowly dissipated. He suppressed the hostility filling his body and silently withdrew to the side.

Just as the atmosphere in the area eased slightly, "What is wrong with you people? I go to school, and you stir up trouble for me, throwing the Xie Family's name around to bully others?"

A young boy's voice, carrying helpless reproach, suddenly sounded from behind Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan looked toward the voice.

A boy in a blue tracksuit, with short brown hair, slowly walked over from the side.

The boy was handsome, with an innate noble air about him.

Judging by his appearance, he should be the "young master" the bodyguard in black had mentioned.

"I'm Xie Xie, from the main line of the Xie Family.

Just now, my bodyguard was rude and offended you. This was my failure to discipline him properly. I hope you will forgive us."

Xie Xie bowed slightly to Gu Yuena and the others, apologizing sincerely.

"I want one of his hands."

Gu Yuena's expression was indifferent, her tone low and icy.