Of Course, You, Sister

Led by She Long and Ci Xue, they hurried on without their feet touching the ground, returning to Heaven Dou City at top speed.

Upon arriving at a residence within the city, Qian Renxue changed clothes as quickly as possible and hurried off to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Ci Xue went with her.

"Grandpa She Long, where is Sister Xue'er going?"

Ouyang Ling deliberately pretended not to understand.

From beginning to end, Qian Renxue had never revealed her identity, and neither She Long nor Ci Xue had disclosed that they were Titled Douluo.

It was only natural for him to be confused now.

"Miss is the eldest prince's maidservant. She's returning to the palace," She Long said smoothly, as though he had expected the question.

However, to keep Ouyang Ling, a six-year-old child at the age of curiosity, from asking further, She Long changed the subject. "Kid, you've already obtained your first soul ring. Want to see just how far your soul power has reached?"

As soon as he spoke, a crystal ball appeared in his hand.

Clearly, the time was not yet right to reveal the truth. They still needed to build a bond.

"Of course."

Understanding their concerns, Ouyang Ling roughly assessed the situation before summoning his Martial Soul and placing his hand on the crystal ball. The instant his soul power flowed in, light spread out.

"Level twelve. Not bad."

She Long's eyes held a trace of emotion. "A True Dragon Martial Soul and a subdragon-type soul beast. Such an increase in soul power is only natural."

"Grandpa She Long, what should I do next?"

Ouyang Ling was eager to get started.

Sister Xue'er was, after all, the young mistress of Spirit Hall. Since she had decided to train him, there had to be matching resources, right?

Come on!

Smother him with resources!

"Next?"

Glancing at Ouyang Ling's excited expression, She Long put away the crystal ball. "You just returned from hunting a soul beast. Don't you want to rest?"

"No!"

There was a lion hidden in his eyes!

Now was the time to pursue strength!

Only by becoming strong enough could he avert that tragedy!

He remembered every single villager who had died.

"Is that so..."

Watching Ouyang Ling's eyes, She Long could say that this was the first time he had ever met a six-year-old child like this. What child at that age did not long to play deep down? Even most of those who trained diligently had been forced into it by their elders.

This kid would amount to something!

He was talented and hardworking. How could others compare?

"Since you can't wait, we'll begin."

Since Ouyang Ling himself had said so, She Long naturally did not hold back. The young mistress had said to train him with everything they had.

Then, bang—

A heavy sound crashed onto the table. The joy on Ouyang Ling's face, which had just been full of excitement, instantly froze.

Looking at the books that stood taller than he was,

he could not help recalling the hell he had endured during his senior year of high school.

"These books..."

Ouyang Ling pointed at them, suddenly feeling dizzy.

As an assault-type Soul Master, shouldn't he be focusing on cultivating soul power, training soul skills, and charging straight in during battle?

"These are what you need to read."

"And you really need to study them well!"

She Long's words shattered someone's fantasy of avoiding study. There was even a hint of amusement in his gaze, and he placed slightly more emphasis on the latter sentence.

Ouyang Ling did not notice that, or perhaps he simply did not care.

"A Soul Master's cultivation efficiency is limited. The truly most efficient period for cultivation is from the age of twelve to twenty-five. Therefore, before you turn twelve, you need to spend time learning about Martial Souls, soul rings, soul beasts, and soul skills, arming your mind with that knowledge. No one understands your own Martial Soul better than you do. If you want to go higher and farther on the path of a Soul Master, you must reasonably plan which path your Martial Soul should take."

"And once you grow up, traveling for experience will be inevitable. So, understanding the customs of different regions and the various factions is essential."

Thump... thump...

Dull sounds came from the stack of books being patted.

"Starting today, you'll study this knowledge every morning. Every afternoon, you'll train your body and learn combat. Every night, you'll take medicinal baths and use meditation in place of sleep."

"That way, your efficiency can be raised to the highest level."

She Long looked at Ouyang Ling, his expression calm.

"Do you have any objections?"

"No."

Ouyang Ling answered without hesitation.

It was a path he had chosen himself, so he would walk it firmly!

For strength, for godhood,

what did this little hardship count for?

Not only would he learn all this, he would later study pharmacology as well, making use of treasures this era failed to value!

Then let him set a small goal first—

A thousand-year second soul ring!

"Come on! I'm ready!"

Over the following days, Ouyang Ling barely stepped out of the residence. He was either studying or fighting.

It was hard, of course. After every battle, She Long would smash him into the ground, leaving his entire body in so much pain that he could not stand.

It was boring too, naturally, but he could endure it.

The good news was that a dedicated healing-type Soul Master treated his injuries, preventing hidden damage from accumulating. With one soul skill, Ouyang Ling would be lively again, as if nothing had happened.

There was also a chef specifically assigned to serve Sister Xue'er, preparing every meal for him. It was hard to tell how professional the cooking was, but money had clearly been thrown at it.

The ingredients came either from hundred-year soul beasts or thousand-year soul beasts. Converted into Gold Soul Coins, the cost had to be enormous.

Even the herbs used in his nightly baths were extremely expensive.

Besides that, he discovered from the books that what he had said when choosing his first soul ring had been wrong.

Recalling the looks Qian Renxue and the other two had given him then, his face could not help flushing with embarrassment.

That had been utterly humiliating!

Still, Qian Renxue had been considerate. Although she had not directly pointed out his mistake, when he chose Gyarados as his first soul ring, the enhancement effect of that soul skill could stack.

That was at least some comfort.

During this time, Ouyang Ling did see Qian Renxue a few times each week. However, she never stayed long. At most, she would hastily eat a meal with him before immediately leaving.

Her every movement was like walking on thin ice. She was so cautious that she did not dare relax in the slightest.

As time passed, that feeling only grew stronger.

Ouyang Ling knew that it would probably not be long before the identity of Xiaoxue, the maidservant, had to disappear from the Heaven Dou Empire. In her place would be Xue Qinghe, gentle toward others and possessing the bearing of a ruler.

But after he had lived in Heaven Dou City for a year and a half, things changed. Qian Renxue began spending more time at the residence, putting more of her energy into cultivation and spending time with him.

A sister who loved her little brother, and a little brother who listened to his sister—

that was probably how they got along.

As for why Qian Renxue was no longer so busy...

Ouyang Ling did not ask, and she did not say.

In the first month, the others in the residence openly displayed Spirit Hall insignias before Ouyang Ling. If they had only done so occasionally during the previous year and a half, now it could be called completely aboveboard.

In the second month, after learning that Ouyang Ling was not curious about the Spirit Hall insignias and instead acted as though they were perfectly normal, Ci Xue and She Long, with Qian Renxue's tacit approval, clearly revealed their Titled Douluo cultivation for the first time.

In the third month, which was today.

After breakfast, Qian Renxue suddenly called out to Ouyang Ling.

"Little Ling, come here."

"Sister Xue'er, what's wrong?"

Ouyang Ling walked over in confusion.

But the moment he approached, Qian Renxue extended her "evil" hand and, with lightning speed, grabbed his cheeks and pulled them gently apart.

"Look at my little brother. I've raised him so well that he's getting chubbier and chubbier."

The pleasant feel made Qian Renxue smile as she kneaded his face.

"Ugh— Sister, that hurts..."

Only after Ouyang Ling whimpered did she release him.

Rubbing his reddened cheeks, Ouyang Ling gave her a half-lidded glare and complained, "Sister Xue'er, why are you pinching my face?"

Yet to Qian Renxue, that complaint sounded more like a spoiled plea. It made her want to laugh, and she had to work hard to suppress it.

"Of course I'm pinching your face to punish you."

Qian Renxue put on a stern expression. "Grandpa She Long told me that you've recently started reading about pharmacology. Have you already finished learning everything I asked you to study before?"

Rubbing his cheeks to make the redness fade,

Ouyang Ling answered confidently after hearing Qian Renxue's question. "Of course I've finished. I've memorized everything I needed to memorize!"

To get the chance to consume Whale Glue, he had studied himself to death. Only then had he used broadening his knowledge as an excuse to begin studying pharmacology, thereby learning about Whale Glue.

Then, he could make his request reasonably.

"Is that so?"

Qian Renxue nodded, then suddenly changed the subject.

"Since you're so confident, I'll test you."

Without giving Ouyang Ling time to react, she asked a question she had prepared long ago. "Little Ling, what do you think of the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall? Tell me your own thoughts."

Something was wrong.

Very wrong—twelve out of ten wrong!

Was she planning to lay everything out before me?

His thoughts raced. In that instant, Ouyang Ling gave the simplest answer possible. "Spirit Hall benefits commoner Soul Masters, while the Heaven Dou Empire benefits nobles."

Ordinary-sounding, yet it struck straight at the heart of the matter.

A look of astonishment appeared on Qian Renxue's face.

She had only wanted Ouyang Ling to choose between the two and say which was better, so she could see where his heart leaned.

Who would have thought...

This had truly exceeded her expectations.

Qian Renxue steadied herself and looked seriously at her little brother. Perhaps she could no longer treat him as an ordinary child.

Although that was what Qian Renxue thought, she still asked the question whose answer she truly wanted to know.

"Then which do you prefer, the Heaven Dou Empire or Spirit Hall?"

Ouyang Ling's answer, however,

once again exceeded Qian Renxue's expectations.

"Of course, you, Sister."

His slightly childish face was now utterly serious. "Whichever one Sister likes, I'll like. I'll choose whatever Sister chooses."

To Ouyang Ling, it did not matter which side he chose, because he had no sense of belonging to either.

When he had first come to this world, he had been alone and without family. Only as time passed did that begin to change.

But even now,

apart from everyone in the village, the only people who held a place in his heart were Ci Xue, who would avenge the villagers for him; She Long, who had saved him; and Sister Xue'er, who had saved him, adopted him, and trained him.

As for what intentions they might harbor later...

A gentleman judged deeds, not hearts, did he not?

Besides, had he not had his own ulterior motives at the beginning?

No matter what Ouyang Ling himself thought, his words once again struck Qian Renxue deeply, leaving her silent for a long time.

No one knew how long passed.

Perhaps it was quite a while.

In the end, though, "...You little slicker."