My Two Divine Beast Uncles

Sunlight slanted into the room. Tang Wulin hunched over the desk, brow furrowed, one hand pressing down a sheet of plain paper while the other moved a pen. A soft scratching filled the room.

After a long while, Tang Wulin set down his pen, stretched, and let out a breath. Relief washed over him.

"Finally finished studying. I wonder what my next task will be?"

Tang Wulin stared out the window, a little dazed. Lately, every hour of his day had been packed: honing his abilities, cultivating Soul Power, learning to read and write, and, most importantly, filling his stomach.

Mu En had asked whether he wanted to set his work aside and rest for a while, but Tang Wulin had refused outright.

Whenever he thought of his mom and dad waiting for him in the future, he wanted to grow stronger as soon as possible. He could not even rest in peace.

Days of nonstop effort had left Tang Wulin wound tight, but he could not help it. Every time he closed his eyes, that scene came back to him.

"Wulin, two men claiming to be your uncles have arrived at the academy. Would you like to meet them?"

A gentle voice sounded beside Tang Wulin's ear. The next instant, Mu En appeared before him.

"My two uncles?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head. He had asked people to look up information about his father and mother and tell him what they found, but none of it had mentioned two uncles.

"That's right. Go meet them. Lord Sea God left behind some things for me to send to the Clear Sky Sect, and these two have come from there."

Mu En looked kindly at the puzzled Tang Wulin. He hoped the two men might help the boy relax.

Since his body had recovered, his strength had grown by the day. That also let him sense the terrifying power within those two middle-aged men. He even felt he was no match for them.

Was the Clear Sky Sect really that powerful?

A rare trace of bewilderment crossed Mu En's eyes.

But he soon composed himself and quietly waited for Tang Wulin's answer.

"Sorry for the trouble, Mu En. Please take me to meet them."

Tang Wulin broke into a bright smile. He was curious about these two uncles. When he heard about them, something stirred faintly in his heart, as though there were something about them that drew him in, though he had never even met them.

"Then let's go."

Mu En said nothing more. He took Tang Wulin straight to a meeting room in the Sea God Pavilion, where Niu Tian and Tai Tan were waiting.

When the door opened, Tang Wulin saw two middle-aged men who could not have looked more different. Before he could greet them, excitement spread across both their faces.

"He looks like her. He really does."

Niu Tian instinctively reached toward Tang Wulin, then realized the boy was too far away for him to touch.

"Big Brother, this is Sister Xiao Wu's child!"

Tai Tan's eyes gleamed, and a broad grin split his face. Even after all this time, they still remembered Sister Xiao Wu's aura. Though Tang Wulin was steeped in the aura of the Dragon Clan, the trace of Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit aura deep in his blood could never be erased.

"You must be Wulin."

Niu Tian spoke gently. In an instant, he was before Tang Wulin, crouching to study the boy's face.

"Wulin greets his two uncles."

Tang Wulin could feel their goodwill. He gave them a respectful bow.

"We're family. No need to be so formal."

Tai Tan squeezed over as well, beaming at Tang Wulin.

Niu Tian suddenly straightened and turned to Mu En. His voice held a rare note of respect.

"Could my brother and I spend some time alone with Wulin?"

"Alone?"

Mu En weighed the word, looking troubled. He did not know these two men, and since Tang San had asked him to protect Tang Wulin, he had to avoid putting the boy in danger.

"Surely you trust his power?"

Niu Tian pointed upward and asked again.

"Let's ask Wulin what he thinks."

Mu En still could not decide, so he left the choice to Tang Wulin.

"Huh? Me?"

Tang Wulin froze when the question came to him. Then he looked at Tai Tan's rather guileless face, clenched his fists slightly, and raised his head toward Mu En.

"I trust them."

Tang Wulin decided to trust his own instincts this once.

"Then I'll wait outside. Wulin saved this old man's life."

Mu En gave the two men a long, stern look before slowly leaving the meeting room.

With only Niu Tian, Tai Tan, and Tang Wulin left in the room, Niu Tian introduced them.

"My name is Niu Tian, and this is my younger brother, Tai Tan. Wulin, you can call us Uncle Da Ming and Uncle Er Ming."

"That's right. I'm your Uncle Er Ming."

Tai Tan scratched his head and grinned at Tang Wulin.

"Do you know the names Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape?"

What Tang San had told them had shocked Niu Tian and Tai Tan once they confirmed Tang Wulin's identity. Even so, they intended to tell him everything without holding back.

"Sky Azure Bull Python? Titan Giant Ape?"

Tang Wulin searched his memory for the two names. His eyes slowly widened in disbelief.

"Are you the two younger brothers who used to be by my mother's side?"

Tang Wulin had looked up information about his father and mother. He knew that when his mother was still a Soul Beast, she had two younger brothers, the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape. Later, they had even sacrificed themselves to help his father become a god.

No wonder Tang Wulin had not known who these uncles were. Who could have imagined that, after both beasts had sacrificed themselves, they would take human form and live for another ten thousand years?

"You're a clever boy, Wulin. Yes, that's us."

Niu Tian nodded approvingly and went on to explain.

"After your father became a god, Sister Xiao Wu—your mother—asked him to help us rebuild our Divine Beast Bodies. Later, he sealed part of our Cultivation and sent us down to the mortal world, where we could live freely on Douluo Continent."

Perhaps because Tang Wulin was still a child, Niu Tian left out the uglier details and made up a few things instead.

For instance, it had actually been Tang San who sent them down so he could interfere with Douluo Continent more easily.

"Hello, Uncle Da Ming. Hello, Uncle Er Ming."

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up, and he greeted them again. Their being Soul Beasts did not bother him at all. If anything, he was delighted to have two more uncles. In his era, Soul Beasts were almost never seen, and the human deaths he occasionally saw on television were caused by other humans. There was little room left for hatred between species or old divisions.

Besides, his father was asleep, his mother was in the Divine Realm, and his mom and dad were in the distant future. Having two close uncles appear out of nowhere made Tang Wulin happy from the bottom of his heart.

"Hahahaha!"

"Wulin, you're such a good boy."

Tai Tan could not resist ruffling Tang Wulin's little head. He took a heartfelt liking to the child. One look told him the boy was nothing like the Little Demoness at home, always causing trouble. And with a Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, the boy felt even more like family.

"Here, your uncle has a gift for you."

Tai Tan raised a thick arm and pulled a Stone Bed radiating cold from the empty air beside him.

Tang Wulin could not help shivering.