Second Martial Soul, laying it all on the table (two chapters in one, please vote with monthly tickets)

"Xuan Yu's coming. She's already at the airport. Want to come pick her up with me?"

Ye Zhiqiu noticed that Nana's eyes were a little brighter than usual.

At her words, something stirred in Ye Zhiqiu's heart.

Was Lan Xuanyu finally coming?

He sifted through his memories of the original story. This was indeed when Lan Xuanyu came from Tianluo Star to Heaven Dou Star to see Nana.

Counting her age, she should have been eleven now, about the same age as him.

They had met quite a few times in the Simulation Pods, each time when Qian Lei summoned him through the Summoning Gate. He would leave after they finished fighting the Lava Hounds, so they had not actually spoken face-to-face all that often.

Still, their relationship was decent. After all, they had fought together for around three years. Lan Xuanyu had always been friendly toward him and Dong Qianqiu, and they got along well.

"Lan Xuanyu's coming?" Dong Qianqiu put away her Ice Spear and came over, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Her tone grew lighter as she said, "She's finally here! Didn't she say she should have arrived ages ago?"

"They were delayed on the way," Nana said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go." Dong Qianqiu slung her towel over her shoulder and turned to head outside.

Ye Zhiqiu stopped her. "Wait a second. You're all sweaty..."

Dong Qianqiu looked down at herself. A small patch of her short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat, and her hair was a little messy. After a moment's thought, she said, "Then I'll go change. I'll be quick."

She ran off at full speed, her dark blue ponytail tracing an arc behind her.

Ye Zhiqiu glanced at Nana and asked, "Teacher, is Lan Xuanyu coming for something in particular?"

Nana said, "She's been stuck at rank nineteen for a while. I'll help her break through to rank twenty while she's here."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded without asking anything else.

Of course, he knew why Lan Xuanyu was stuck at rank nineteen. The two bloodlines of her silver-patterned blue silver grass and gold-patterned blue silver grass were pulling against each other inside her body. She needed outside guidance to make a stable breakthrough.

And Nana, the Silver Dragon King herself, was naturally the ideal choice.

Soon, Dong Qianqiu returned in a clean white short-sleeved shirt. Lan Mengqin also put away her zither and came over. "I'm coming too."

The four of them left the training grounds one after another.

Nana walked in front, her silvery-white French braid swaying gently behind her.

Ye Zhiqiu followed, with Dong Qianqiu beside him and Lan Mengqin on his other side.

When they reached the academy gates, Ye Zhiqiu instinctively took two steps toward the parking lot, then suddenly stopped.

"Wait, Lan Xuanyu's coming with her parents, right?"

Nana nodded. "Yes. Lan Xiao and Nan Cheng are coming too."

Ye Zhiqiu thought for a moment, then said, "Driving wouldn't be very convenient, then. One car won't fit everyone. Let's take the bus instead."

Dong Qianqiu chuckled beside him. "So even you overlook things sometimes."

"I'm just being practical," Ye Zhiqiu said without a change in expression.

They walked to the bus stop and waited a few minutes before a silvery-white hoverbus approached from the distance. Its doors slid open, and they boarded.

Heaven Dou City had a highly developed public transportation system. The trip from the academy to the Interstellar Spaceport took about forty minutes, with one transfer along the way.

Ye Zhiqiu sat by the window, watching the low buildings of the academy district gradually give way to the high-rises of the commercial district, which in turn gave way to the open expanses surrounding the spaceport.

Forty minutes later, the bus stopped outside the arrivals hall of the Heaven Dou Interstellar Spaceport.

The Heaven Dou Interstellar Spaceport was Heaven Dou Star's largest interstellar transportation hub. The entire building had a sweeping domed structure, and its transparent alloy-glass curtain walls shimmered pale blue in the sunlight.

People bustled through the arrivals hall: travelers returning from other planets, family members there to pick them up, uniformed Federation staff, and several news reporters carrying cameras.

Nana stopped at the arrivals exit, and Ye Zhiqiu and the two girls stood beside her.

The four of them standing together were enough to draw attention even without doing anything.

A purple-eyed woman with silvery-white hair falling to her waist, a cool-looking girl with a dark blue ponytail, a white-haired girl with icy eyes, and a sharp-featured boy with black hair and black eyes.

Except for the boy, however, all three wore masks.

Passersby would instinctively steal a second glance. Some even turned back after walking past.

Ye Zhiqiu felt several gazes land on him, but his expression remained unchanged.

He was used to it. There was no helping it—being handsome really was a burden.

"Teacher Nana, why aren't they out yet?" Dong Qianqiu rose onto her tiptoes and peered down the exit passage.

"I heard their spacecraft ran into Interstellar Pirates on the way. They're probably being questioned as part of the standard procedure. They should be out soon," Nana said.

"Interstellar Pirates?" Dong Qianqiu froze, then frowned. "Are they all right?"

"They should be." Nana's voice remained calm, but Ye Zhiqiu noticed her fingers lightly rubbing the hem of her clothes. That tiny gesture showed that she was worried too.

As they waited, Dong Qianqiu muttered, "Xuan Yu has the worst luck. She even runs into pirates just taking a spacecraft."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled. "Bad luck is part of your strength too."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?"

"You'll understand when something happens to you someday."

As the two spoke, a commotion arose near the exit passage.

A group of people in black suits emerged, their steps orderly. They formed a semicircle around two people, shielding them in the center.

But the group blocked the view, making it impossible to tell whether those two were men or women.

"Who's that? Why such a grand entourage?" Dong Qianqiu asked quietly.

"Looks like some celebrity," Lan Mengqin said.

Ye Zhiqiu narrowed his eyes and rose onto his tiptoes to look too. That's Tang Le, right? What a shame. I couldn't see him.

After another twenty-odd minutes, Lan Xuanyu and her family finally appeared in the exit passage.

Lan Xuanyu walked at the front, wearing a light blue short-sleeved jacket. Her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail. Her blue eyes swept across the crowd before landing unerringly on Nana.

"Teacher Nana!"

She called out, then broke into a run.

Her black ponytail bounced behind her as she darted through the crowd, covering the distance in a few swift strides. She threw her arms open and hugged Nana tightly.

"I missed you so much!"

The impact pushed Nana half a step backward, but she immediately raised a hand and gently patted Lan Xuanyu's back.

"You've gotten thinner."

"No, I haven't! I've gained a whole kilogram!"

"Then why do you feel lighter?"

"You haven't hugged me in too long. Your sense of weight is off."

Standing beside them, Ye Zhiqiu watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching.

The two sounded just like mother and daughter. They had not known each other for particularly long, yet that closeness could not be faked. Though, to be fair, they really were mother and daughter.

Lan Xuanyu held on for quite a while before letting go. She turned to Dong Qianqiu, her eyes lighting up. "Qianqiu! Long time no see!"

"Long time no see," Dong Qianqiu said with a nod, a faint smile touching her lips.

Lan Xuanyu looked at Ye Zhiqiu next. "Well, well, Ye Zhiqiu. You came too."

"Yep. A handsome guy welcoming a guest from afar."

"You still talk like you're asking for a beating."

"You're still just as blunt."

Lan Xuanyu laughed, then paused as her gaze fell on Lan Mengqin beside them.

"And this is...?"

"Lan Mengqin. My friend and teammate," Dong Qianqiu introduced her.

"Hello." Lan Mengqin gave a slight nod.

"Hello, hello." Lan Xuanyu hurriedly nodded back, then turned and called behind her, "Dad! Mom! Over here!"

Lan Xiao and Nan Cheng came over from behind. Both looked like ordinary people. Lan Xiao wore thin-framed glasses and looked gentle and scholarly, while Nan Cheng had a warm, graceful air, her arm linked through her husband's.

"Teacher Nana, long time no see," Lan Xiao greeted her with a smile.

"Long time no see." Nana nodded.

Standing beside them, Ye Zhiqiu watched the happy family and silently marveled.

In this timeline, although Lan Xuanyu had become a girl, her family was still just as warm and loving as in the original story.

"All right, let's head back instead of standing around here," Nana said.

They left the spaceport together. Ye Zhiqiu checked the time and said, "Let's take taxis back. There are too many of us for the bus to be convenient."

"Sure. We'll leave the arrangements to you." Lan Xiao nodded.

Ye Zhiqiu then called two hover taxis. He rode with Dong Qianqiu and Lan Mengqin, while Nana took the other with Lan Xuanyu and her family.

The cars merged into Heaven Dou City's aerial traffic and headed toward the academy.

Sitting in the back seat, Dong Qianqiu watched the buildings slide past the window and suddenly asked, "Xuan Yu ran into Interstellar Pirates on the way? She wasn't hurt, was she?"

"She didn't look hurt. They probably dealt with it without any trouble," Ye Zhiqiu said.

"That's good." Dong Qianqiu nodded.

Beside her, Lan Mengqin turned a page in her book and asked casually, "You two seem pretty close to that Lan Xuanyu?"

"We've fought together quite a few times in Douluo World," Dong Qianqiu said.

"Oh." Lan Mengqin made a sound of acknowledgment and did not pursue it.

The staff apartment complex for Heaven Dou Academy's intermediate division stood in a quiet corner.

Nana's apartment had three bedrooms, with a modest living room just inside the entrance.

A cultivation room adjoined the living room. Its floor was covered with dark, soft flooring, and its walls had been soundproofed. Several training aids stood in one corner, apparently prepared specifically for teaching.

The whole apartment was simply and cheerfully furnished, with gleaming windows and spotless surfaces. There were no unnecessary decorations, but everything sat in exactly the right place.

The moment Lan Xuanyu entered, she took a deep breath and smiled. "Teacher Nana, it smells so nice in here. Just like you."

Nana put her keys in the tray by the entrance, then glanced back at her with a smile. "Have a seat, everyone."

Lan Xuanyu made herself at home. After changing her shoes, she entered the living room and sat on the sofa, looking around. "It's much cleaner than I imagined."

"What did you imagine?" Dong Qianqiu asked, sitting opposite her.

"I thought Teacher's room would be really bare. You know, one bed, one table, one chair, and nothing extra," Lan Xuanyu said, gesturing.

Dong Qianqiu thought for a moment. "That's about right. It is pretty simple, just with a few more things than you described."

Lan Mengqin sat beside Dong Qianqiu. She had barely spoken since entering. Her gaze swept around the room, then settled on Lan Xuanyu, studying her for a few moments.

Ye Zhiqiu sat in the armchair beside them, crossed his legs, and leaned back. "You ran into pirates on the way? What happened?"

At the question, Lan Xuanyu's expression turned a little peculiar. She was unsure whether she should tell them.

She hesitated, then said, "We did. It was around the third day of the voyage. The spacecraft's alarms suddenly started blaring, and they said five pirate scout ships had surrounded us."

"Five?" Dong Qianqiu frowned, her tone grave. "Then how did you get away?"

Lan Xuanyu opened her mouth, then considered her wording. "Things were pretty urgent. The spacecraft only had twelve civilian mechas, and they were completely outmatched. I told the captain I'd practiced piloting fighters in simulation pods, and then..."

"Then you flew out in a fighter to fight them?" Ye Zhiqiu raised his eyebrows. Well, that's unexpected. Even as a girl, Lan Xuanyu is just as brave.

"Yeah."

Dong Qianqiu froze, astonished. "You actually went? You're only rank nineteen!"

A little embarrassed, Lan Xuanyu rubbed her nose. "It was an emergency. I didn't think too much about it. Besides, I really had practiced piloting fighters plenty of times in simulation pods. It was better than sitting there waiting to die, so I took an Interstellar Fighter out."

"And then?" Lan Mengqin asked curiously. She truly had not expected this little girl to be so brave.

"Then... I shot down several pirate mechas. But afterward, they deployed a stealth warship and trapped me in something called an Interstellar Capture Net. I almost got shot down," Lan Xuanyu said.

"Then how did you escape?" Dong Qianqiu pressed.

Lan Xuanyu's expression grew even stranger. She paused before saying, "Things were already incredibly dangerous. While I was trying to figure out what to do, I suddenly felt everything around me stop for a moment. Then the pirates' spacecraft and mechas seemed... seemed to be destroyed all at once by something."

Her gaze wandered as she continued, "I don't know what happened either. Anyway, in just an instant, all the pirate ships exploded, and then it was over, as if nothing had happened."

Dong Qianqiu looked thoroughly bewildered. "You mean something appeared just as you were about to be shot down and wiped out all those pirates?"

"I can't explain it either. That's just what happened. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even see what did it."

Ye Zhiqiu leaned back in his chair, reaching his own conclusion. Tang Le must have intervened.

Rather than pursuing the matter, he changed the subject. "Anyway, what matters is that you arrived safely. You mainly came to break through to rank twenty?"

"Yeah. I've been stuck for quite a while. Teacher told me to come here so she could watch over me during the breakthrough," Lan Xuanyu said with a nod.

"Then spend the next few days getting ready. Let us know if you need any help," Ye Zhiqiu said.

"Sure."

Dong Qianqiu smiled too. "If you need sparring partners, we're both here."

Lan Mengqin smiled at that. "I'm here too."

Lan Xuanyu looked at the three of them and smiled. "You three really are close."

"Of course. The Ice and Snow Goddess plus the academy's number-one handsome guy—Heaven Dou Academy's strongest combination," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile, his skin even "thinner" than paper.

Dong Qianqiu rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Could you stop being so full of yourself?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

"If that mouth of yours could say a little less, the whole world would finally have some peace."