A Good Little Brother Who'd Do Anything for Me! Tang San, Stay Away.

[Didn't know what picture to use for this one, so here's my wife Firefly.]

Chen Xing wanted to make a pistol!

That was right, a pistol from Blue Star.

The Equalizer of All Beings.

Granted, in an age when Battle Armor was everywhere and Soul Tools were a dime a dozen,

an ordinary pistol could only do so much damage.

But for him right now, it would just about do.

Another half hour passed.

He successfully created a silver-gray pistol with Imagenesis.

It had no Soul Power and needed bullets, but he felt much more at ease with it around.

Only then did Chen Xing lean back in his chair and let out a breath.

Just then, he heard a faint sound at the door.

Chen Xing turned and saw Na'er standing in the doorway.

She had changed into a clean white dress and washed her hair. She looked much tidier now.

But instead of looking at Chen Xing, she stared at the pistol on his desk.

When she noticed him looking at her, she asked cautiously,

"Brother Chen Xing, are you doing magic?"

Chen Xing paused, then smiled.

Na'er must have been peeking in from the doorway for a while.

"Come in."

Na'er obediently walked in and even closed the door behind her.

She came up to Chen Xing and tilted her little face toward him.

Chen Xing picked up the pistol and handed it to her.

"See? It's real."

Na'er took it and ran a finger over its surface.

It was cold to the touch.

She didn't know what it was, but she had a vague feeling it was something powerful.

She looked up at Chen Xing again with her big, sparkling eyes and thought,

He's amazing...

Chen Xing took the pistol back and set it on the desk.

Then he bent down and looked Na'er in the eyes.

"Na'er, this is my secret. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

Na'er nodded firmly.

"Mm! I won't tell anyone."

But then she thought of Lang Yue and hesitated.

"Not even Auntie?"

Chen Xing considered it.

"Not yet. We can tell her later."

"Okay."

Na'er nodded again and stood quietly beside him without another word.

Looking at her well-behaved little face, Chen Xing felt something strange stir inside him.

In the original story, she was supposed to be the Silver Dragon King. Yet here she stood before him, just a homeless little girl.

He reached out and patted her head.

"Come on. Let's sit in the living room while we wait for dinner."

"Mm," Na'er said, following him out of the room.

They had barely sat down in the living room when the door opened.

Tang Wulin walked in.

Chen Xing frowned slightly at the sight of him.

Tang Wulin's forehead was covered in sweat, the back of his school uniform was soaked, his face was flushed, and he was breathing a little hard.

But his eyes were astonishingly bright.

"Big brother! I'm home!"

Leaning against the sofa, Chen Xing asked,

"Why are you so late today?"

Tang Wulin changed his shoes, ran over, and plopped down beside him.

"I didn't come straight home after school. I went to see my teacher."

"What for?"

"I asked a ton of questions about cultivating Soul Power and using my Martial Soul."

Tang Wulin spoke rapidly, clearly still excited.

"My teacher also taught me a few Meditation tricks. I practiced at the academy for a while before coming home."

Chen Xing's interest stirred.

Tang Wulin had worked hard in the original story too, but Chen Xing didn't remember him doing extra practice on his own this early.

That also explained why Tang Wulin hadn't been there to save Na'er.

Only after finishing his story did Tang Wulin notice the unfamiliar girl sitting nearby.

"Big brother, who's she?"

Chen Xing briefly explained what had happened on the way home from school.

"So she had nowhere to go, and I brought her back."

Tang Wulin looked at Na'er, then at Chen Xing.

Then he grinned and waved at her.

"Hi! I'm Tang Wulin, Chen Xing's little brother!"

Na'er replied timidly,

"I'm Na'er..."

Tang Wulin scratched his head.

"So you're my little sister now too?"

Na'er froze for a moment,

then gave a small nod.

Tang Wulin's grin grew wider.

"That's great! I've always wanted a little sister!"

Chen Xing watched his excited little brother, the corners of his mouth lifting despite himself.

But he soon steered the conversation back.

"Wulin, what did you learn at the academy today? Tell your big brother."

Chen Xing didn't intend to become a Soul Master, but this was Douluo Continent. The people he dealt with in the future might well be Soul Masters.

Know yourself and your opponent, and you could win every battle.

Learning more could only help.

The moment Tang Wulin heard Chen Xing wanted to know, he perked right up.

"Big brother, let me tell you..."

Tang Wulin launched into a long, rapid explanation.

Chen Xing listened and nodded, while speaking to AI Pom-Pom in his head.

"Record it and analyze it."

"Recording now, pom."

Once Tang Wulin finished, Chen Xing thought for a moment and said, "Wulin, this is pretty interesting. Could you tell me what you learn every day when you get home?"

"No problem!"

"And it'd be even better if you could bring back some books on it."

Tang Wulin thumped his chest.

"I'll borrow some from my teacher tomorrow!"

Chen Xing nodded in satisfaction.

Tang Wulin really would do anything he asked!

As for a certain bastard, stay the hell away. Don't corrupt my good little brother!

Before long, Tang Ziran came home too.

The aroma of dinner greeted him as he stepped inside. He was about to head for the table when he stopped short.

An unfamiliar silver-haired little girl sat on the sofa, leafing through a picture book with Tang Wulin.

Tang Ziran turned to Lang Yue.

Lang Yue poked her head out of the kitchen and said softly,

"Chen Xing brought her home. She has nowhere to go. I'll explain everything in a bit."

Tang Ziran was silent for a few seconds. Then he went over to the sofa, crouched down, and looked at Na'er.

Na'er raised her head and greeted him shyly.

"Hello, Uncle..."

Tang Ziran looked into her violet eyes. He seemed about to say something, but in the end, he merely sighed and went to wash his hands.

Chen Xing watched him walk away. He understood.

No objection meant he agreed.

At dinner, Lang Yue had made an extra dish.

Chen Xing noticed that Na'er ate just as quickly as Tang Wulin at first. Then she gradually slowed down, glancing at him now and then.

"Na'er, what's wrong?"

Na'er blushed and explained in a small voice,

"I was afraid you'd hate me if I ate like that, big brother..."

Chen Xing couldn't help laughing.

The little girl was innocent, but sensitive.

She was worried her table manners would make him dislike her.

Chen Xing didn't care about that. He put a piece of meat in her bowl.

"It's fine. I already like you so much, how could I hate you? Go on, eat."

Na'er looked at the meat in her bowl. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded hard before digging in again.

When he was nearly done eating, Chen Xing set down his chopsticks.

"Dad, there's something I want to talk to you about."

Still eating, Tang Ziran asked casually,

"What is it?"

"I want a Storage Soul Tool."

Tang Ziran's chopsticks paused midair.

He put them down, looking troubled.

"That..."