Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling Call Him Brother-Even Grandpa Would Do

Qian Renxue took Jiang Nanchen's hand and turned away, glancing back once before leaving.

"Remember today's lesson. Don't bully the weak with your strength."

Leaving those words behind, Qian Renxue departed with Jiang Nanchen.

Only after the two had left did Yu Xiaogang finally let out a breath, though his heart felt miserable and helpless. He had never expected Jiang Nanchen to have the Crown Prince Xue Qinghe backing him.

Returning to the carriage, Qian Renxue and Jiang Nanchen boarded it and continued toward the Crown Prince's Residence.

When they returned to the Crown Prince's Residence, they found two young women standing outside the entrance: Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

"Nanchen, your friends have come looking for you."

The carriage slowly stopped before the residence gates. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling stepped forward and bowed in unison. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Qian Renxue lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down, giving a slight nod. Her tone was calm. "No need for formalities. You came to see Nanchen, didn't you? Tea and refreshments have been prepared in the back courtyard. Go in and talk."

With that, she stepped aside and gestured for Jiang Nanchen to lead them in.

Jiang Nanchen led the two toward the back courtyard, where lush flowers and trees lined both sides of the stone path.

They sat down in a pavilion. After the maidservants brought tea and snacks, they quietly withdrew.

Jiang Nanchen picked up his teacup and took a sip before asking, "Why did you suddenly come over? Did something happen at the academy?"

"You guessed right." Dugu Yan leaned closer, her voice bright. "The academy's quarterly tournament is in a month. Every member of the team has to take part. I was afraid you'd stay cooped up in the residence cultivating every day and forget, so Lingling and I came specially to let you know."

She paused, giving Jiang Nanchen a curious once-over. "You look pretty good. You must have gained quite a lot from that trip to the Star Dou Forest, right? Did you settle your third Soul Ring?"

Jiang Nanchen nodded without offering much explanation.

Ye Lingling, who had been quietly seated to the side, raised her eyes toward him. "Congratulations, Junior Nanchen."

She had always been reserved, so it was already rare for her to speak up on her own.

Dugu Yan slapped the stone table, her eyes instantly lighting up. "You really did it? What age was it? Hurry and tell me! I'm guessing at least five thousand years!"

Ye Lingling looked at him as well. "Six thousand years?"

That was the most they dared to guess. As for ten thousand years, they did not even dare consider it. A ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring was simply too outrageous.

Besides, Jiang Nanchen was far too young. Absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring would make his body burst apart. It was utterly impossible.

"Let's make a bet. If you guess wrong, each of you has to call me big brother once."

Being called Little Nanchen by Dugu Yan all the time was far too annoying. He had to hear something he actually wanted to hear!

Jiang Nanchen smiled. "If I'm wrong, I'll give you a surprise."

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan exchanged glances and immediately agreed.

How could they possibly pass up such a gift from heaven?

They even said with certainty that their guesses could not be wrong and that Jiang Nanchen was bound to lose.

Jiang Nanchen set down his teacup, a smile curling across his lips. "Sorry, you two. You both guessed wrong."

As his words fell, Soul Power rippled faintly around him. One yellow, one purple, and one black Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

The outermost black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring was especially striking beneath the sunlight.

Dugu Yan abruptly shot to her feet, her eyes widening round as she pointed at the black ring, unable to speak for a long while.

"Ten thousand years? Your third Soul Ring is actually ten thousand years? Little Nanchen, you're something else. You've been playing the pig to eat the tiger!"

She had thought five thousand years was already the limit. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected him to produce a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. This was not talent—he was practically a monster.

Ye Lingling covered her lips as well, her eyes filled with shock. "That's unbelievable. A seven-year-old Soul Elder, with a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring..."

She came from the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan and had seen many talented young disciples, yet she had never heard of such an absurd cultivation speed.

Jiang Nanchen shrugged and withdrew his Soul Rings, his tone teasing. "A bet is a bet. You guessed wrong yourselves."

Dugu Yan's face reddened. She stiffened her neck and muttered, "Who could have expected you to be such a freak..." Though she said that, she understood that a bet was a bet. After dragging it out for a while, she softly called, "Brother Nanchen."

Ye Lingling lowered her gaze as well, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's. "Brother Nanchen."

After calling him that, Dugu Yan's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She turned her face away, even the tips of her ears burning.

She was several years older than Jiang Nanchen and usually called him "Little Nanchen" at every turn. Now she had to call him big brother instead. It was unbearably embarrassing.

Ye Lingling lowered her eyes, lightly twisting her sleeve between her fingers without saying anything.

Unlike Dugu Yan, she did not find it too awkward. Jiang Nanchen was far stronger than others his age, and that ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring alone was enough to convince anyone. Calling him big brother did not feel like much of a grievance.

Jiang Nanchen leaned back in his chair, his eyes curving with laughter. "I told you from the start that you'd guess wrong, but you wouldn't listen. Now that you've lost the bet, you have nothing to say, right?"

"Hmph, you little brat, you really know how to fool people. You hid it so well." Dugu Yan turned her head, stubbornly saying, "Who knew you were such a freak? You got a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring at seven years old. Tell me, how much more are you hiding?"

Though she refused to admit defeat aloud, her heart was already in turmoil.

With such a monster as a teammate, winning the upcoming academy tournament was practically a certainty.

"Then I won't reveal it yet. Save it for the competition."

Jiang Nanchen picked up his teacup and slowly took another sip.

At least Dugu Yan knew how to accept a loss.

Dugu Yan leaned closer, her eyes full of curiosity. "Forget that. You said there'd be a surprise if you lost. What exactly is this surprise?"

She had only asked casually at first, but she was still thinking about the bet. A surprise from Jiang Nanchen had to be a real surprise. What if it was some rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

She was not someone with much patience.

Jiang Nanchen set down his teacup, his tone casual. "It's nothing much. I can just help you absorb ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Rings."

"Ten thousand years?!" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling froze at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief.

Absorbing a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring was something few people on the entire continent dared to attempt. They had not even dared imagine it.

Dugu Yan suddenly stood up, her voice rising several pitches. "Are you serious? How can that be done?"

"You already lost, and you're still asking so many questions." Jiang Nanchen raised a brow, deliberately keeping her in suspense.

Dugu Yan grew anxious and leaned even closer. "Tell me. What will it take for you to tell me?"

"Call me big brother again." Jiang Nanchen smiled as he teased her.

"Calling you big brother is nothing!" Dugu Yan slapped the stone table, throwing caution to the wind. "If you can really help me absorb a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring, I'll even call you Grandpa!"

Ye Lingling's cheeks reddened slightly at those words. She gently tugged at Dugu Yan's sleeve but did not refute her, her eyes equally filled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, in the back courtyard of Dugu Manor, Dugu Bo was loosening the soil around his medicinal herbs with a hoe when he suddenly let out a loud sneeze. Rubbing his nose, he muttered, "Strange. Who's talking about me?"

How could he have known that his precious granddaughter had just demoted his seniority by two generations?