Will of Bullying

At dusk, just as Tang Wulin pushed open the front door, her steps halted.

A strange little boy sat quietly beside the wooden table in the living room.

The child was exceptionally thin. His washed-out cloth clothes made his frail frame seem even more slender, while his soft black hair hung down over part of his brows and eyes.

He sat upright yet stiffly, his hands resting lightly on his knees and his back slightly hunched. His whole body exuded a timid, introverted air.

Hearing the door open, the little boy slowly raised his head.

His clear black-and-white eyes were clean and harmless, carrying a trace of confusion and shy panic. He cautiously looked toward Tang Wulin at the door, his eyes full of the discomfort of arriving in an unfamiliar place.

Lang Yue emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly steamed pastries and smiled gently. "Wulin, you're back?"

Tang Wulin withdrew her surprised gaze and asked softly, "Mom, who is he?"

Lang Yue walked gently over to the table and tenderly rubbed the little boy's head. Her voice carried a hint of pity. "His name is Chen An. From now on, he'll be your little brother."

"Little brother?" Tang Wulin froze slightly, her eyes full of confusion.

Lang Yue nodded gently and slowly explained the reason.

"This child, Chen An, got lost outside the city. When he woke up, he couldn't remember anything. He had completely lost his memory.

"Your father and I asked everywhere, from the Spirit Pagoda to the city orphanages, but there wasn't the slightest record of his identity, nor could we find his family."

As she spoke, the pity in her eyes deepened.

"Such a small child, all alone with no one to rely on, is truly pitiful. He also wasn't used to the atmosphere at the welfare home, so we decided to adopt him.

"From now on, there will be four people in our family. You must take good care of your little brother, understand?"

Tang Wulin looked at Chen An, who was timidly lowering his gaze without saying a word, and sympathy immediately welled up in her heart.

"I understand, Mom!"

Tang Wulin nodded seriously. When her gaze fell on Chen An again, her tone became much gentler.

"I've always wanted a little brother. I'll take good care of him!"

Lang Yue smiled at the two well-behaved children, then mentioned Chen An's unusual trait—the thing that had surprised her most earlier.

"Oh, right, Wulin. I gave Chen An a simple test of his soul power. It's rank 6, and his Martial Soul is a set of very beautiful scales."

Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly, and her face filled with surprise.

Innate rank 6 soul power—she herself only had rank 3 soul power.

"That's amazing!"

Only Chen An, who had been sitting quietly in his chair all along, felt no ripples in his heart.

The rank 6 soul power he displayed was entirely the result of deliberately suppressing himself with the Dragon Scale on his chest.

Tang Wulin took the initiative to step forward and extended her hand, her eyes sincere and warm.

"Hello, Chen An. My name is Tang Wulin—the Wu from dancing, the Lin from qilin. From now on, I'm your big sister!"

(I was worried that making them brothers would make you think they looked gay, so I set it up this way. Feel free to raise any objections; I'm still thinking about this issue too.)

Chen An looked up and replied awkwardly, "Sister Wulin."

Wait? Sister... sister! A girl?

Chen An was dumbfounded. As soon as he spoke, Tang Wulin took the initiative to grasp his hand.

The instant their hands met, Chen An's body stiffened. Beneath the collar over his chest, the dormant, faintly translucent Dragon Scale quietly lit up with an almost imperceptible golden glow.

An exceedingly hidden yet overbearing aura of the Golden Dragon King Origin completed a brief resonance and contact.

Tang Wulin was actually a girl!

Yet his expression did not change in the slightest. He still wore that ignorant, timid look as he gently withdrew his hand and stood obediently in place, as docile as an ordinary child.

Inside, his mind had already crashed because of this unexpected development.

This... this isn't right, is it?

Bro, how did you become a tomboy?

Over the next few days, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

With Mr. and Mrs. Lang's help running around to handle the paperwork, Chen An successfully completed his Federation identity registration. He obtained a legal human household registration and identity information, completely erasing every trace of his unknown origins and becoming, in every respect, an ordinary human child of Aolai City.

Based on his registered age and the enrollment requirements, he successfully entered Aolai City Junior Soul Master Academy and was directly assigned to Tang Wulin's class. The two officially became classmates and siblings, together day and night.

Honestly, Tang Wulin's established appearance really was prettier than that of most girls, but this time it was real.

Could this be part of the butterfly effect too...?

Chen An took several days to accept this setting.

Upon entering the academy, Chen An truly witnessed Tang Wulin's situation there.

The Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul was publicly recognized across the continent as a useless Martial Soul. It had no offensive power, no supportive effects, and virtually no value for cultivation.

Because of her Martial Soul, Tang Wulin became the entire class's target for mockery and bullying.

Sarcasm, ridicule, and covert exclusion never stopped.

Most students in the class were snobbish. They worshipped powerful Martial Souls and soul power, and they looked down on Tang Wulin for possessing a useless Martial Soul.

No one was willing to partner with her in everyday life, and people often deliberately made things difficult for her and mocked her.

When everyone learned that Tang Wulin, whom everyone excluded, had suddenly gained a newly arrived little brother, they merely assumed he was another insignificant nobody. No one cared, and no one feared him.

In their eyes, anyone who could become siblings with someone with the useless Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul was surely just as mediocre.

Still, they were rather surprised when the teacher told them Chen An had rank 6 soul power.

During the afternoon break, the noisy classroom was filled with children's laughter and play.

Several boys who usually enjoyed teasing Tang Wulin noticed Chen An sitting alone in a corner, quietly flipping through his textbook, and immediately felt like playing a prank on him.

Not bullying someone just because they did not have Bluesilver Grass was the mindset of the weak.

Always draw your sword against someone stronger—that was the will of bullying.

"Hey, newcomer!"

A burly boy strode forward, grabbed Chen An's textbook from his hands, and casually tossed it onto the floor. His tone was full of mockery and contempt.

"I heard you're the little brother Tang Wulin's family adopted?"

Several of them gathered around, their words harsh and dripping with ridicule. They had clearly transferred the attitude they used toward Tang Wulin directly onto Chen An.

Chen An raised his eyes. There was not the slightest anger in them, only just the right amount of panic and helplessness.

His body curled slightly, making him look like a timid child who had been frightened. He looked at them shyly without saying a word.

He was already small and thin, and in this state, he appeared even more weak and easy to bully.

Just as they were preparing to continue teasing him, a tall figure rushed over.

Tang Wulin frowned tightly, her face darkening. With height and strength far beyond those of her peers, she stepped forward and directly blocked Chen An from view.

She bent down to pick up the textbook from the floor, brushed away the dust, then turned to glare coldly at the boys. Her voice was steady and forceful, carrying unquestionable authority.

"Don't bully him! If you have the guts, come after me!"

The boys dared to tease Tang Wulin normally, but they were wary of her monstrous strength and only dared to talk.

"Hmph, your family saw that you awakened a useless Martial Soul, then adopted another one. How pathetic."

"My parents aren't like that! If you don't get lost, I'll tell the teacher!"

Seeing her stern expression and imposing presence, their arrogance immediately weakened by more than half. They muttered a few resentful words before slinking away.

Tang Wulin turned around and handed the textbook back to Chen An. "Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, no one will dare bully you."

Chen An nodded lightly and said softly, "Thank you."

Holding the book in his hands and looking at the pages filled with basic Soul Master theory, all traces of pitifulness vanished from Chen An's eyes.

After school, on the academy field.

The children who had bullied Chen An during the day stood in a row. Only Chen An stood opposite them.

Their leader walked toward Chen An.

"Hey, you're alone, and you still dared ask us to wait here after school... Waaah!"

Before he could finish, the slightly sturdier child was grabbed by the collar and effortlessly lifted into the air.

Chen An completely shed his timid appearance.

"Even when I gave you the chance to bully me, you still couldn't make use of it."

Chen An controlled his strength and flung him away like a chick. The other child rolled several times across the sand, suffering only a few scrapes.

"Judging by the look of you, you've definitely bullied more than one or two children. I'll beat all of you up on their behalf."

Half a minute later, Chen An lightly patted the dust from his clothes as the other children lying on the ground hurriedly begged for mercy.

Chen An did not listen and simply walked toward the academy gates.

"Just say you fell while running."