Reunion on the Beach

"One punch was all you could take? Pathetic."

Chen Xing shook out the fist of his Mecha and stood up.

He looked down at Black Crow, whose head had been driven into the deck. The man lay motionless, and Chen Xing's face filled with disgust.

He couldn't take a hit at all.

He turned his gaze to Black Crow's underlings. They sat collapsed on the ground, trembling as they stared at him in terror.

Chen Xing waved a finger of his Mecha in the air.

"Your boss dies and you fall apart like this? You Evil Soul Masters really can't handle pressure."

"P-please, sir, have mercy. Let us go!"

"Yes, sir! We... we were forced into this!"

The scar-faced man dropped to his knees in front of Chen Xing's Mecha and slammed his forehead against the ground, begging for his life. The others hurried to follow suit.

Chen Xing snorted. "Let you go?"

The Evil Soul Masters nodded frantically.

Instead, Chen Xing activated the annihilation cannon in his Mecha's palm. One blast each, and they were blown to bits.

"Whether to spare Evil Soul Masters like you is for the King of Hell to decide."

"My job is just to turn you to ash."

After dealing with these Evil Soul Masters, he turned to look at the passengers behind him.

"The danger's over for now. I'll be leaving."

He didn't want to stay aboard the train. He had saved everyone on it, and they were bound to crowd around to thank him.

He was no good at handling that sort of thing, so he left them with nothing but a dashing view of his back.

"A young hero! Doing good without seeking recognition—that's a true hero!"

The praise ringing out from the train behind him nearly made Chen Xing lose control of his Mecha mid-flight.

Good thing I got away fast.

Aolai City was less than ten li away now. He could easily fly back in his Mecha.

"Astral Express, I'm back."

A little over ten minutes later,

Chen Xing jumped out of the cockpit of his Purple-Rank Mecha.

The same beach. The same setting sun.

He looked up. The abandoned Astral Express still lay in its old spot.

For the past three years, this had been the first place he visited every time he came back.

"Big brother!"

A familiar voice suddenly called out behind him.

Chen Xing had barely turned to see who it was when someone rushed over and crashed straight into his arms.

It was Na'er.

"Big brother, you lied!"

Her small hands locked around his waist, and she buried her face against his chest.

"You promised you'd come back every month!"

Chen Xing looked down at Na'er in his arms and felt a sudden pang of guilt.

It really had been a long time this time—three months. Zhen Hua had taken on a major order, and Chen Xing had been busy helping him for ages. He simply hadn't been able to get away.

"Na'er, I..."

"You promised me!"

Na'er looked up. Tears filled her purple eyes, and the tip of her nose was red.

"You said you'd come back to see Na'er every month!"

"But Na'er waited three months..."

The more she spoke, the more hurt she sounded. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Na'er waited for you to come back every day..."

Seeing her like this, Chen Xing felt his guilt surge. He reached out and wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry. Your big brother was wrong."

Na'er sniffled.

"Then tell me. Will you do it again?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

Na'er stared at him for several seconds, as though checking whether he was lying. Then she buried her face in his chest again and said quietly,

"Then Na'er forgives you this time."

Chen Xing breathed a sigh of relief and patted her back.

The little girl had grown quite a bit taller in three years, but she hadn't grown any less clingy. If anything, she was even clingier now.

"Big brother."

Na'er's voice came muffled from against his chest.

"Hmm?"

"You smell like machine oil."

Chen Xing paused, then lowered his head to sniff his sleeve.

She was right. He had just climbed out of his Mecha, and the smell of metal and lubricant clung to him.

"Does it smell bad?"

Na'er shook her head and buried her face even deeper.

"No. It smells like you."

Warmth spread through Chen Xing's chest. He said nothing more and simply held her as they stood on the beach.

The sea wind whistled past, and the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.

Only after a long while did Na'er pull away. She had wiped away her tears, but her eyes were still red.

"Bro."

Another voice came from nearby.

Chen Xing turned and saw Tang Wulin standing a few steps away, holding a bulging bundle and smiling.

But Chen Xing could tell at a glance that the boy had something to say.

"Wulin, what is it?"

Tang Wulin opened his mouth, closed it again, and scratched the back of his head.

Seeing him hesitate, Chen Xing asked outright,

"Just say what's on your mind. Why keep it from me?"

Tang Wulin took a deep breath.

"Bro, I got into Eastsea Academy."

Chen Xing's eyes lit up.

"Eastsea Academy? That's great news!"

"Yeah. I passed the assessment, and I have to report there in a few days."

Tang Wulin nodded vigorously, unable to hide his smile any longer.

"Look at you." Chen Xing grinned and patted his shoulder. "That's my little brother."

Tang Wulin beamed. Then he pulled a silver bracelet from his pocket and held it out.

"Bro, this is for you."

"It's a storage heavy silver bracelet. Master Mang Tian gave it to me, and I remembered you'd always wanted a Storage Soul Tool."

Chen Xing froze for a moment.

He did remember telling Tang Ziran three years ago that he wanted a Storage Soul Tool. Money had been tight back then, and Tang Ziran had agonized over it for quite a while. He hadn't expected Tang Wulin to remember all this time.

"Keep it for yourself." Chen Xing pushed the bracelet back.

Tang Wulin grew anxious.

"Bro, haven't you always wanted one?"

"That was three years ago." Chen Xing lifted his wrist, showing the black bracelet around it. "Teacher Zhen Hua got me one ages ago. It's a lot more advanced than yours."

Tang Wulin looked down at the heavy silver bracelet in his hand, then at the clearly more refined black bracelet on Chen Xing's wrist. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Chen Xing's heart softened at the sight.

The first thing the boy had thought of when he got something good was giving it to his big brother.

"Wulin, I appreciate it." Chen Xing looked at him seriously. "But you earned this heavy silver bracelet yourself. You should keep it."

"But..."

"No buts." Chen Xing cut him off. "You're about to leave for Eastsea Academy. Having a Storage Soul Tool will make things much easier. As your big brother, I can't let you head off to school empty-handed, can I?"

Tang Wulin's eyes reddened slightly.

"Bro..."

"All right, stop fussing. Put it away. You'll need it later."

Tang Wulin fell silent for a few seconds. At last, he slipped the bracelet back onto his wrist. He lowered his head, his voice a little hoarse.

"Thanks, bro."

Chen Xing smiled without saying anything.

Looking at Tang Wulin's lowered head, Chen Xing suddenly had a thought.

This child should awaken his Golden Dragon Bloodline soon, shouldn't he?