I Want to Stay with Big Brother~!

Nuoding City's quiet street corner, night as dark as ink.

Ling Xuqing stopped and looked down at the tiny, trembling figure by his feet.

She was a little girl who looked only five or six years old, her short silver hair glimmering faintly in the dim light.

She wore a ragged hemp robe riddled with patches. Her tiny body was curled up in the icy corner, like a kitten abandoned in the wind and rain.

"Big brother... could you give me a little something to eat?"

The girl spoke again, her voice as faint as a silken thread. Tears welled in her amethyst eyes as she looked timidly at Ling Xuqing, as though afraid she would be driven away without mercy the very next second.

In his sea of consciousness, Xiao Wu and Ah Yin's hearts melted on the spot.

"Oh, you poor thing..."

Xiao Wu's eyes reddened at once as she gazed at the little beggar with aching sympathy. "It's so cold, and she's dressed so thinly. She doesn't even have shoes! Xuqing, hurry and give her something to eat!"

Ah Yin's eyes were full of pity, too. She sighed softly. "She looks starved, and there's nothing but fear in her eyes. Xuqing, help her."

But Ling Xuqing, the person standing right there, felt nothing like the two girls did. His thoughts were in turmoil for an entirely different reason.

He looked at the silver-haired little beggar before him. First he paused in surprise, then a flicker of dark golden light passed through the depths of his eyes.

Just now, when he had drawn near the little girl, the Golden Dragon King's essence within him had suddenly begun to roil out of control!

It was a stirring from deep within his bloodline, a call that had crossed millions of years.

At the same time, the mysterious Ascending Dragon Pillar within him had let out a low hum, as if answering something.

An aura of the same origin!

Ling Xuqing's heartbeat suddenly skipped.

He quickly confirmed the pitiful little beggar's true identity—Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena!

But... Ling Xuqing grumbled to himself, where was the mighty, majestic Silver Dragon King I knew?

How had she turned into a six-year-old girl?

And how had she ended up a little beggar asking for food?!

In truth, Gu Yuena's circumstances had taken a few twists and turns.

With Zi JI escorting her, she had taken human form and come to the human world.

Through the bloodline resonance between the Silver Dragon King and the Golden Dragon King, she had quickly located Ling Xuqing.

When she sensed the warm, comfortable aura of the Ascending Dragon Pillar within him, she became certain that if she stayed by Ling Xuqing's side, she could heal her wounds in just a few years at most.

But knowing where he was and figuring out how to approach him were two very different things.

Although Gu Yuena had lived for tens of thousands of years, most of that time had been spent asleep, recovering from her injuries.

Human emotions and social rules were harder for her to understand than the most cryptic of books.

She had fused with the Silver Dragon King's essence and, after taking human form, gained silver Dragon Wings and Dragon Claws just like Ling Xuqing's. She had even made the Silver Overlord Spear her Martial Soul. But she had no idea how to register with Spirit Hall, let alone enroll in Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy.

So the dignified Silver Dragon King had come up with a "groundbreaking" plan: have Zi JI secretly follow Ling Xuqing and learn his movements, then pose as a little beggar and wait along the route he took back to the academy!

Gu Yuena thought her "playing the victim" scheme was flawless.

What she didn't know was that no matter how well she disguised herself, she couldn't hide the pure bloodline essence of the Silver Dragon King within her.

Ever since Ling Xuqing had fused with the Golden Dragon King, the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings had been drawn to one another, their natures in harmony.

Gu Yuena could sense Ling Xuqing through their bloodline, and Ling Xuqing could naturally detect her aura at once.

Ling Xuqing saw through her act but said nothing. He didn't tell Xiao Wu and Ah Yin the truth in his mind, either.

"All right."

Ling Xuqing tucked away the emotions in his eyes and crouched down, taking a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket.

He reached out and gently cupped Gu Yuena's dust-covered face, softly wiping the dirt from her cheeks.

"Mm..."

Gu Yuena stiffened all over, her purple eyes widening at once.

This was the first time in tens of thousands of years that she had been so close to a member of the opposite sex!

The warmth of Ling Xuqing's fingertips passed through her skin, carrying the Golden Dragon King's distinctive heat and force, yet remaining impossibly gentle.

An indescribable blush spread in an instant from Gu Yuena's ears to her cheeks.

She, the dignified Silver Dragon King, was actually...

Blushing?!

"Here, have this to tide you over."

Ling Xuqing didn't notice her embarrassment. He held a delicate osmanthus cake he'd bought on the way to her lips.

Gu Yuena obediently opened her mouth and took a small bite.

Its soft, sweet flavor melted across her tongue, and she couldn't help closing her eyes in delight.

"Is it good?" Ling Xuqing asked gently.

Gu Yuena nodded vigorously.

"What's your name? Why are you here all by yourself?" Ling Xuqing continued.

At the question, Gu Yuena remembered the "script" Zi JI had taught her, and her purple eyes instantly brimmed with tears.

She sniffled, and the tears spilled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.

"Big brother... my name is... Na'er."

She spoke through her sobs, her voice full of sorrow and helplessness. "My mom and dad are both dead... I'm all alone..."

"Waaah..."

In the sea of consciousness, Xiao Wu was already crying her eyes out.

"She's so pitiful! She's an orphan at such a young age! Xuqing, we have to take her in!"

Ah Yin's eyes were red, too, her maternal instincts overflowing.

"Na'er... poor child. From now on, we'll be here for you. We won't let you suffer anymore."

In the shadows far down the street corner, Zi JI had been hiding in the dark. Watching her Lord's clumsy performance, she couldn't help pressing a hand to her forehead.

My Lord, you really need to work on your acting...

Zi JI complained inwardly, helplessly.

But when she shifted her gaze to Ling Xuqing, her eyes grew fiery.

But our little dragon clan heir is so handsome and adorable! A perfect little heartthrob!

Those eyes, that bearing—he's definitely going to grow into a devastatingly handsome man!

He and my Lord look so good together. This is just too adorable!

Zi JI rubbed her hands together, thrilled.

What shocked her even more was that ever since she had drawn near Ling Xuqing, she had felt the dormant essence of the Hell Demon Dragon King within her beginning to grow!

The closer I get to the young heir, the faster my cultivation rises... Is this the effect of the Ascending Dragon Pillar?

Or is it the suppression and nourishment from the young heir's Golden Dragon King aura?

Zi JI pondered to herself. No, I have to find a way to get closer to the young heir from now on!

But... how am I supposed to get close to him?

It's not like I can go around pretending to be a beggar, too.

Zi JI wrestled with the problem in the shadows while the exchange on the street corner continued.

Ling Xuqing looked at "Na'er," who was crying so hard her pearly tears fell like rain, and the corner of his mouth curled in a barely perceptible smile.

He reached out and gently wiped the tears from Gu Yuena's eyes.

"Na'er, don't be afraid."

Ling Xuqing's voice was warm and firm. He took Gu Yuena's grimy little hand and pulled her up from the cold ground.

"From now on, you can stay with me."

Ling Xuqing looked into her amethyst eyes and spoke, each word clear and deliberate.

"I'll give you a home."

"A home?!"

Gu Yuena froze.

She had approached Ling Xuqing with a purpose, but when she heard the word "home," her heart, dormant for tens of thousands of years, still gave a fierce throb.

It was something she had never had.

Ling Xuqing tightened his grip on her little hand, and the warmth of his palm chased away the cold.

"Mm." Ling Xuqing smiled, his eyes full of affection.

"From now on, I'll be your big brother. Wherever I am, that will be your home."

Gu Yuena gazed blankly at the boy before her, who wasn't much older than she was, and felt the reassuring aura flowing from his palm.

She nodded hard, a sweet, relieved smile blooming on her lips.

"Mm! I want to stay with Big Brother~!"