The Warmth of Family She Had Never Known, in This Life or the Last

In his previous life.

Huo Yuhao had lived at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Back then, he never had enough to eat or enough clothes to keep warm.

His older brother Dai Huabin and the others had bullied him, too. No one had ever gone out of their way to find him anything nourishing.

He had never expected to be reborn ten thousand years in the past, in the place he had once considered the most evil of all.

And now Qian Renchuan, the eldest brother he usually looked down on most, had actually gone out of his way to find them something to build up their strength.

For a moment, the same thought arose in both Qian Renxue's and Huo Yuhao's minds.

Our eldest brother may be lazy and hopeless, but he really is kind.

Once I become a god and change my fate, perhaps I can give him a hand.

Even if I can't take him to the Divine Realm, I can make sure he lives out his life safely and peacefully on Douluo Continent. I'll never let anyone bully him!

Hearing their thoughts fall into perfect step, Qian Renchuan was amused.

He had guessed right.

Deep down, both Qian Renxue and Huo Yuhao were desperately starved for affection.

Qian Renxue had grown up without Bibi Dong's motherly love.

Huo Yuhao had suffered bullying since childhood.

All he had to do was treat them a little better and give them a little warmth as their elder brother, and they would start to see him differently.

This investment in their affections was guaranteed to pay off!

Out in the corridor,

Qian Renchuan's words had left them silent for a long while.

In the end, Qian Renxue, who knew little about Whale Rubber, was the first to recover.

Her opinion of Qian Renchuan had changed. She now felt that her eldest brother did care about them.

But what she had lived through in her previous life made it hard for her to open her heart to anyone again.

So Qian Renxue kept her face stern and pushed the half piece of Whale Rubber back toward him. Her voice was cool.

"I don't need this."

"If you really want what's best for us, then work hard at your cultivation."

"Help shoulder some of the burden in the future instead of wasting your time looking for useless things like this."

Qian Renchuan was about to speak as he looked at the Whale Rubber she had pushed back.

But just then, Huo Yuhao suddenly spoke up beside them.

"Second, this isn't an ordinary thing."

Qian Renxue whipped her head toward Huo Yuhao.

"Third, what did you just call me?"

Damn it. Calling him Eldest Brother is one thing, but now he's calling me Second?

Can't he call me Second Sister?

Huo Yuhao ignored her.

His eyes fixed on the mottled black-and-yellow mass, he blurted out,

"This is Whale Rubber. Refine and absorb it the right way, and it can greatly strengthen the body!"

At those words,

Qian Renxue's expression changed at once.

She was especially sensitive to the words "strengthen the body" right now.

Why else was she climbing the Back Mountain every day with fifty pounds of Pig Iron on her back, refusing to stop even when she scraped her knees bloody? Why was she pushing herself through such brutal training?

It was all to strengthen her body as much as possible

so she could absorb a Soul Ring beyond her body's limits when the time came.

She had sworn that her first Soul Ring would be seven hundred years old, and her second a thousand. Both would demand an exceptionally strong body!

And now Huo Yuhao was saying this thing could strengthen her body.

Qian Renxue's voice rose sharply.

"Third, what did you say?"

Beside her, Qian Renchuan played along, immediately putting on a puzzled look.

"This thing can strengthen the body?"

At the same time, Huo Yuhao's gaze flicked across Qian Renchuan's face.

Another thought stirred in his mind.

In truth, he had revealed Whale Rubber's effect so bluntly to test him.

He wanted to watch his eldest brother's reaction

and see whether he really knew what Whale Rubber was worth.

If he knew what Whale Rubber could do, hearing me say it would make him try to hide something, or at least change his expression.

But he looks just as confused. It doesn't seem fake at all.

Could he really not know what Whale Rubber is?

Isn't he someone who's been reborn?

Did he just get lucky and stumble into obtaining this top-grade Whale Rubber?

Huo Yuhao thought it over rapidly.

Hearing his thoughts, Qian Renchuan burst out laughing inwardly.

Oh, Third. So what if you were reborn with ten thousand years of memories?

You're still naive.

Your eldest brother has a system. I can show you whatever reaction I want you to see.

Qian Renchuan gave nothing away, and Qian Renxue kept pressing him. Only then did Huo Yuhao draw a deep breath and explain,

"I saw it in an ancient book."

"It's called Whale Rubber, and it comes from Sea Soul Beasts."

"If refined and absorbed, it can strengthen a Soul Master's body considerably."

Qian Renxue's eyes widened in shock.

"Really?"

"How did I never hear about it?"

If Whale Rubber is that remarkable, how could I not have known about it in my previous life?

But Huo Yuhao nodded with complete certainty.

"It's true."

"I... I happened across it while reading a very old, damaged manuscript in the Spirit Hall Library."

In an instant,

Qian Renxue snapped her head around.

Her gaze locked on the Whale Rubber in Qian Renchuan's hand, her eyes burning with desire.

It can strengthen the body!

If I absorb this Whale Rubber, won't it save me a great deal of hard work?

I could build a powerful body without going up the Back Mountain every day and coming back battered and bleeding.

Then I could absorb a powerful Soul Ring beyond my body's limits and take the first step toward changing my fate!

But...

Qian Renxue's heart suddenly tightened.

She had just given the Whale Rubber back to her eldest brother!

When he had shared it with them, he had known nothing of its true value.

He had simply thought it was nutritious.

That was why he had generously offered it to his younger siblings to help them grow stronger.

Now Third had explained how precious Whale Rubber was.

Once her eldest brother knew it was a priceless treasure that could strengthen the body, would he still give it to her?

After all, he was probably so lazy because he feared hardship and exhaustion.

Now that he knew there was a shortcut,

would he still give her the Whale Rubber?

Of course.

He probably won't give it to me now.

Qian Renxue's expression turned deeply conflicted at the thought.

But when Qian Renchuan noticed her conflicted gaze, he smiled faintly and, without the slightest hesitation, pressed the half piece of Whale Rubber back into her hand.

"Here, little sister. Take it."

"If this Whale Rubber really does what Third says, hurry up and refine it."

"With this, you won't have to suffer through carrying those heavy stones up the mountain every day."

"A young lady shouldn't be covered in scars."

"And Third, you've always been frail. With this Whale Rubber to give you a solid foundation, your cultivation will be much more effective."

Boom!

In an instant,

Qian Renxue trembled all over.

She stared blankly at the Whale Rubber in her hand, unable to believe it.

He really gave me a treasure like this?

Even knowing it can strengthen the body, he didn't hesitate for a moment?

Without thinking,

Qian Renxue looked up at Qian Renchuan.

His eyes held nothing but sincerity and warmth. Not a trace of it was false.

A powerful wave of emotion rose in Qian Renxue's heart.

It was the warmth of family she had never known

from childhood to adulthood,

from her previous life to this one.