Love This World for Me

"Dad!"

"Mom!"

On the grassy lakeshore, a small figure slowly lowered his head and stared blankly at everything before him.

"Child, have your mother and father gone missing?"

A gentle voice sounded beside Tang Wulin's ear, finally rousing him from his daze. He looked up and saw who had spoken.

It was an old man with a spine bent nearly ninety degrees and a face full of wrinkles. He looked as though a gust of wind might blow out the last of his years.

"Grandpa, are you all right?"

Tang Wulin couldn't bear the sight. Forgetting what had just happened, he hurried over and helped the old man stand.

Surprise flickered through Mu En's clouded eyes. Perhaps moved by the child's kindness, he smiled faintly.

"I'm fine, child. It's an old condition."

Mu En raised a hand and gently patted the back of Tang Wulin's hand, then repeated his question.

"But let's talk about you first. Can't you find your mother and father?"

Tang Wulin hesitated. He didn't know who this grandpa was, or whether he should tell him what had happened.

"Yes."

The memories kept surfacing, and Tang Wulin's spirits sank again. That was all the answer he gave.

"Then why not stay with this old man for now? I'll send someone to look for your parents."

Mu En studied the delicate little boy before him. He had exceptionally beautiful eyes, but they were filled with sorrow.

Mu En was curious about where this child who had suddenly appeared on Sea God Island had come from.

"Go to your house, Grandpa?"

Tang Wulin looked around. Ancient trees towered overhead, their endless canopy hiding most of the sky. A colossal tree rose from the earth, its bark gleaming faintly like molten gold. Its branches stretched freely in every direction, brilliant golden light flowing across its leaves. Farther away lay a vast expanse of white mist.

Where was the house? Where had he ended up?

"I'd better not trouble you. But could you help me call the police? Please contact the Federation police. My home is in Aolai City. They should be able to reach my mom and dad."

Tang Wulin lowered his head again, his voice faltering. Perhaps, deep down, he already knew what the answer would be.

Federation? Police? Aolai City?

Mu En searched his two hundred years of memories for anything he knew about those words.

Nothing.

He had never heard of them.

Mu En frowned. The Federation sounded like some kind of governing power, but the continent was ruled by empires.

He looked again at Tang Wulin's clothes, so unlike the fashions of the day. Waves surged through his heart.

"I'm sorry, child. I don't know what the Federation police are, or where Aolai City is."

"I'm sorry."

Apology filled Mu En's eyes. No matter how one looked at it, a child losing his parents was a damn awful thing.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I'll be troubling you for a while."

Tang Wulin stepped back and bowed sharply. Tears the size of beans pattered onto the grass.

When Tang Wulin remained bent over for a long time, Mu En sighed heavily and reached out to rub his head.

"Come, child. Follow me."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Tang Wulin straightened, sniffed, and wiped the tears from his face before following Mu En.

"Actually, don't be afraid, child."

Mu En's figure blurred, and in an instant he was behind Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin felt a tug at the back of his neck. He instinctively slipped his fingers between his tightening collar and his throat. Only when his feet left the ground did he realize the old man had grabbed him and flown into the sky.

Wait!

"Grandpa, you're a Titled Douluo!"

Tang Wulin knew that the clearest sign of a Titled Douluo was the ability to fly without revealing his Martial Soul. His eyes widened. He had been chatting with a Titled Douluo—and that Titled Douluo had invited him home!

For a moment, even the grief of being separated from his parents faded a little.

"That's right. But I was injured, and my back isn't what it used to be. Walking is difficult, so I'm afraid you'll have to come with me like this."

"It's fine, it's fine! Your Excellency, you can do it however you like."

Tang Wulin stared wide-eyed as the scenery below sped backward.

Fortunately, Sea God Island wasn't large. Mu En soon brought Tang Wulin to the Sea God Pavilion.

"Our predecessors carved this building without harming the Golden Ancient Tree. This old man is staying here for now."

Back in his trusty reclining chair at last, Mu En leisurely introduced the place to Tang Wulin.

"Your predecessors were amazing."

Tang Wulin's mouth hung open. Growing up in an ordinary family in Aolai City, he had never seen anything like it.

Seeing the shock on Tang Wulin's face, Mu En couldn't help chuckling. Then he laughed at himself. Who would have thought that he, the mighty Dragon God Douluo, would have a day like this?

"Oh, Your Excellency, my name is Tang Wulin. It's an honor to meet you."

As if suddenly remembering that the old man before him was a legendary Titled Douluo, someone who stood at the very top, Tang Wulin grew stiff. Even his voice faltered.

"Don't call me Your Excellency. Just call me Elder Mu."

Mu En's gentle voice calmed Tang Wulin's unease. Only then did he notice the warmth suffusing his whole body as he stood there.

"All right, Elder Mu."

Realizing that this Titled Douluo was probably a good person, Tang Wulin marveled at his luck.

"Elder Mu, I'm sorry I didn't answer your question earlier."

Tang Wulin's voice was full of apology. Facing a Titled Douluo, he couldn't imagine what he had that the man might want, so he stopped holding back.

"The main thing is, I don't know what happened either."

Mu En watched Tang Wulin sink into confusion again. Rather than interrupt him, he waited quietly for him to remember.

Tang Wulin still remembered that bustling morning. Red Mountain Academy had been full of children who had come to awaken their Martial Souls, along with their parents. He and his dad had been there too.

With the Spirit Transmitter's help, he had finally awakened his Martial Soul. Two of them, in fact!

But the Spirit Transmitter's expression had looked strange—part bewilderment, part wild delight.

He had watched the man jump and dance, shouting, "Soft Bone Rabbit! Clear Sky Hammer! Innate Full Soul Power! A promotion and a raise! I've struck it rich!"

Then a blinding golden light flashed. The world spun around Tang Wulin. In his daze, he seemed to see his dad still waiting outside the door and his mom cooking at home.

When he rubbed his eyes and looked again, a boy had suddenly appeared before him. The boy was beautiful and handsome, clad head to toe in golden armor. His black eyes held emotions Tang Wulin couldn't understand, though something about him looked familiar.

The figure simply gazed at him, growing fainter and fainter until he vanished.

Tang Wulin saw the boy's lips move, but he couldn't make out the words. He closed his eyes and opened them again, and found himself somewhere unfamiliar.

Only later did he learn that the figure was called Tang Wulin, and that what he had said was—

"Love this world for me."