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

[Not sure what picture to use for this one, so here's my wife Firefly.]

Chen Xing was going to make a Pistol!

That was right, a Pistol from Blue Star.

The Equalizer of All Beings.

Even 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 now, it would be enough for him.

Another half hour passed.

He successfully created a silver-gray Pistol with Illusory Creation.

It had no Soul Power and needed bullets, but having it still put his mind at ease.

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

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

He 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 his face, she was staring at the pistol on his desk.

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

"Chen Xing, were you doing magic?"

Chen Xing paused, then smiled.

It seemed Na'er had been peeking in for a while.

"Come in."

Na'er obediently walked inside and thoughtfully 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.

"Take a look. It's real."

Na'er took the Pistol and ran her fingers 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 bright eyes and thought:

He's amazing...

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

Then he bent down and looked into Na'er's eyes.

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

Na'er nodded firmly.

"Mm! Na'er won't tell anyone."

But then she thought of Lang Yue and hesitated.

"Not even Auntie?"

Chen Xing considered it.

"Not for now. We can tell her later."

"Okay."

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

Seeing how well-behaved she was stirred a strange feeling in Chen Xing.

In the original story, she was supposed to be the Silver Dragon King. Yet the girl standing before him now was just a child with nowhere to go.

He reached out and stroked her head.

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

Na'er murmured her agreement and followed him out of the room.

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

Tang Wulin came in.

The moment Chen Xing saw him, he frowned slightly.

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

But his eyes were remarkably bright.

"Chen Xing! I'm back!"

Chen Xing leaned against the sofa and 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 quickly, clearly still excited.

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

That caught Chen Xing's attention.

Tang Wulin had worked hard in the original story too, but Chen Xing didn't remember him taking the initiative to practice extra this early.

Still, that 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.

"Chen Xing, who's she?"

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

"That's about it. She had nowhere to go, so I brought her home."

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

Then he broke into a grin and waved to her.

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

Na'er answered timidly:

"I'm Na'er..."

Tang Wulin scratched his head.

"Does that mean you're my little sister now too?"

Na'er froze for a moment,

then gave a small nod.

Tang Wulin grinned even wider.

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

Watching his brother's excitement, Chen Xing couldn't help smiling.

But he soon steered the conversation back.

"Wulin, what did you learn at the academy today? Tell me about it."

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

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you need not fear a hundred battles.

Learning more could only help.

As soon as Tang Wulin heard that Chen Xing wanted to know, he perked right up.

"Chen Xing, listen to this..."

Tang Wulin launched into a long, rapid-fire explanation.

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

"Record it and analyze it."

"Recording now, pom."

When Tang Wulin finished, Chen Xing thought for a moment before asking, "Wulin, this is pretty interesting. Could you tell me what you learned every day when you get home?"

"No problem!"

"Even better if you could bring back some books on the subject."

Tang Wulin thumped his chest.

"I'll ask my teacher to lend me some tomorrow!"

Chen Xing nodded, satisfied.

Tang Wulin really would do anything he asked!

As for that bastard Tang San, he could stay far away. Chen Xing wasn't letting him corrupt such a good little brother!

Tang Ziran came home not long afterward.

He smelled dinner as soon as he walked in and was about to head for the table when he stopped in his tracks.

A silver-haired little girl he had never seen before was sitting on the sofa, looking 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 had nowhere to go. I'll explain in a bit."

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

Na'er looked up and greeted him timidly:

"Hello, Uncle..."

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

Chen Xing watched him go and understood.

He hadn't objected, which meant he agreed.

At dinner, Lang Yue made an extra dish.

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

"Na'er, what's wrong?"

Na'er blushed and explained quietly:

"I was afraid you'd dislike me if I kept eating like that..."

Her answer made Chen Xing laugh.

The little girl was innocent, but sensitive.

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

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

"It's fine. I couldn't like you more, so how could I dislike you? Go on, eat."

Na'er looked at the meat in her bowl, her eyes reddening slightly. She nodded hard and started eating heartily again.

When he had nearly finished eating, Chen Xing set down his chopsticks.

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

Tang Ziran kept eating as he asked casually:

"What is it?"

"I want a Storage Soul Tool."

Tang Ziran's hand paused as he reached for some food.

He put down his chopsticks, looking a little troubled.

"Well, those..."