Fireworks and warmth

Tang Wulin suppressed the tangled thoughts in his heart, slowly turned around, and went to sit beside Na'er at the table. Unable to find the right words for the moment, he simply began telling her about his day.

"Na'er, guess what? Uncle Mang Tian said I have a real talent for forging. Oh, right, you haven't met Uncle Mang Tian yet. Shall I take you to see him sometime?"

Na'er sat quietly beside him and listened, her gaze distant. She merely gave a wooden, soft reply. "Okay."

Looking into her empty, bewildered eyes, Tang Wulin swallowed everything he had been about to say. Gu Yuena was now like a pristine sheet of white paper. If the brush laid down somber ink, only lonely crows would remain upon it; if colorful inks carefully traced mountains, rivers, wind, and moonlight, they could paint all the world's captivating beauty.

He lowered his eyes to the quiet, innocent Na'er beside him, countless thoughts surging through his heart.

He could never set aside his deepest concern: even if he and Na'er never developed romantic feelings for one another, they absolutely must not reach the point of crossing blades as mortal enemies. But how could he resolve the blood feud spanning millions of years between humans and Soul Beasts, and the deeply rooted antagonism their races were born into?

It was a problem of staggering magnitude, a deadlock running through the entire Douluo Continent that no one could fully unravel.

After a long while, Tang Wulin gradually reached a decision.

He intended to slowly touch the heart of the innocent, bewildered Silver Dragon King before him with warmth and companionship. At the same time, he would use objective, clear-eyed reasoning to explain the roots of racial conflict to her—the struggle between humans and Soul Beasts had never arisen from either side being inherently evil, but was an inevitable conflict born of changing times and competition for resources needed to survive. He would guide Na'er step by step, helping her lay down her innate hatred of another race and establish a peaceful, tolerant heart.

Of course, dry reasoning was unsuitable for the young Na'er, and endless lectures would only make her resistant. He would hide these ideas inside interesting stories, beginning with the gentle, comforting Andersen's Fairy Tales. Like rain nourishing all things without a sound, they would nurture her heart, allowing kindness, equality, and tolerance to slowly take root, until those values and that inner character truly became part of her every word and deed.

A personalized plan to guide and raise the young Silver Dragon King thus took shape in Tang Wulin's heart. He intended to rest for a few days before putting it into practice step by step.

"Wulin, Na'er, come eat."

A gentle call from the kitchen interrupted Tang Wulin's thoughts.

Coming back to himself, he took Na'er's little hand, washed their hands together, and obediently went to sit at the dining table.

Inside the kitchen, however, the light was warm yellow, but the atmosphere was rather heavy. While arranging the bowls and chopsticks, Lang Yue told her husband Tang Ziran about what had happened that day, her heart aching and her voice full of tenderness. "Wulin studied forging with Master Mang Tian today. He hammered the metal so hard that the skin on both his palms wore away. Such a little child, and he never once cried out in pain."

Tang Ziran's hands abruptly paused around the bowls and chopsticks. His entire presence fell still, helplessness and heartache filling his expression.

After a moment, he slowly shook his head, yet an unwavering determination rose in his eyes. He spoke softly. "Do you think it doesn't hurt me too? But Wulin's innate Soul Power is only rank five, and his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, the most useless of them all. He's destined not to go far as a Soul Master, and it'll be hard for him to gain enough strength to protect himself. As his parents, we can't stay with him forever and keep him safe his whole life."

As his words faded, a deathly silence settled over the kitchen.

Husband and wife looked at each other without speaking, both hearts filled with bitter sorrow.

No one knew that this ordinary couple, living in seclusion in the unremarkable little coastal Aolai City in the East Sea, had never been ordinary people. Burdened by their past, they had withdrawn from conflict and deliberately hidden their abilities, willingly shedding all glory, status, and power. They sought only a peaceful, simple life, far from old grudges.

After dinner, the atmosphere in the house softened considerably. Through their constant companionship, Na'er, who had always been wooden, taciturn, and unresponsive to the outside world, gradually let down all her defenses around Tang Wulin. Dependence and affection entered her eyes, replacing their former emptiness and indifference.

Watching the little girl obediently lean against him, Tang Wulin felt a stir in his heart. He decided to use their free time to patiently teach Na'er the most basic facts about the world of Soul Masters.

"Na'er, shall I tell you about Soul Masters and martial souls?"

When Na'er nodded lightly, he began slowly, making every word clear and easy to understand. "A martial soul is the fundamental power each of us is born with. Everyone's martial soul is different, and they come in all sorts of strange forms. Some are everyday objects, like books or sickles. Some are fierce or unusual beasts, while others are supreme divine weapons. Take Sky-reaching Douluo Yun Ming, who is widely recognized as the strongest person on the continent today. His martial soul is the invincible Sky-reaching Spear. One thrust can shatter ten thousand arts, and its might shakes the entire Douluo Continent."

As he explained, Tang Wulin slowly raised his right hand and, with a thought, stirred the faint Soul Power within him.

A wisp of pale blue light rose from his palm, and a slender, tender stalk of Blue Silver Grass slowly took root and appeared there. Its leaves were a clear azure blue, swaying gently in the breeze. It looked utterly unremarkable, no different from the trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass found everywhere on the continent.

But upon carefully studying the stem and the depths of its leaf veins, one could see extremely faint, almost transparent golden markings. Like gold threads as fine as hair, they quietly wound through the Blue Silver Grass, hidden so deeply that they were impossible to notice without intense scrutiny.

Seeing the change in his martial soul, Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly, astonishment filling his heart.

He clearly remembered that when his martial soul had first awakened, the Blue Silver Grass in his hand had been pure blue, without the slightest trace of another color. These hidden golden patterns had not existed at all. Yet in just a few short days, his Blue Silver Grass had quietly mutated.

This unexpected change brought Tang Wulin no joy whatsoever. Instead, his heart grew heavy, and deep unease welled up within him.

He knew perfectly well that his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline remained sealed in slumber, without the slightest sign of awakening. It could not possibly have altered his martial soul's form on its own.

With the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline ruled out, there was only one possible answer for the power that could quietly erode and alter his martial soul origin—the Golden Dragon King bloodline entrenched within him.

In an instant, the heart-rending pain from the day of his martial soul awakening swept through his mind again. Even after so many days, that agony, which had penetrated deep into his bones, remained painfully vivid. It sent a faint chill through the six-year-old Tang Wulin's body and made his heart tremble.

When the bloodline had been forcibly poured into his body that day, it had felt as though every inch of his bones was being crushed and rebuilt, his meridians torn apart inch by inch and then forced to heal. That ultimate agony, as though he stood on the brink of being ground to pieces, was not torment a six-year-old child could possibly bear.

Even recalling it now made him shudder.

The Golden Dragon King's tyrannical, savage power was influencing his body at every moment, and had even begun subtly changing his martial soul. This crisis lurking within him was far more dangerous and deadly than the conflict between humans and Soul Beasts.

Tang Wulin quietly watched the Blue Silver Grass concealing golden threads in his palm. After a long turmoil of thoughts, he finally suppressed all his dread and unease.

He concealed the odd look in his eyes and restored his usual expression. Gently circulating his Soul Power, he slowly withdrew the Blue Silver Grass from his hand and continued explaining to Na'er in a soft voice.

"That's the most basic knowledge about martial souls and Soul Power in the world of Soul Masters."

Na'er's clear eyes remained fixed on the right hand where his Blue Silver Grass had just appeared, filled with the curiosity and wonder unique to children. She lifted her fair, slender little hand and cautiously brought it closer, lightly touching the palm where the Blue Silver Grass had been. Her soft voice carried a hint of apprehension and hope as she looked up at Tang Wulin and asked quietly, "Big brother, then... will I have a martial soul someday too?"

Almost instinctively, Tang Wulin nodded and blurted out the standard answer. "Of course. Everyone on the Douluo Continent undergoes martial soul awakening at six, and everyone has a unique martial soul of their own. When you turn six, you'll definitely awaken yours too."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden flash of insight struck Tang Wulin. His composed expression abruptly froze, and the rest of what he meant to say caught in his throat.

He abruptly came to his senses, the original story from his previous life surfacing clearly in his mind.

In the original story, Na'er had indeed participated in the normal martial soul awakening ceremony when she turned six. Yet the Awakening Stones had never glowed at all, from beginning to end. She had awakened no martial soul, as though she were an anomaly born without one.

But on second thought, the one by his side now was not the Na'er personality who had split off later in the original story, leaving her power incomplete. She was the young Silver Dragon King with her origin intact, having lost none of her power.

Logically, a complete Silver Dragon King bloodline stood far above every human martial soul and beast martial soul on the continent. Failure to awaken a martial soul should have been impossible.

Yet upon thinking more deeply, the Dragon Clan already transcended the human Soul Master system. The Silver Dragon King was one of the origins split from the Dragon God. She herself was a supreme being, so why would she need a martial soul governed by human rules?

The setting sun sank completely beneath the horizon, and all the rosy light faded from the sky. Thick darkness spread across the heavens, quietly enveloping all of Aolai City.

Night had deepened, and it was time to sleep.

Holding Na'er's little hand, Tang Wulin pushed open the bedroom door and entered the small but cozy room with her. Two little beds stood side by side inside. One was his usual bed, while the other was a simple bed his parents had built from thick wooden boards especially for Na'er. The beds were so close that they could reach out and touch each other.

The light in the room dimmed. Just as Tang Wulin was about to lie down and sleep, a small, soft figure suddenly lifted the covers and slipped straight into his bed.

With her warm, soft body pressed against him, Tang Wulin instantly went rigid. He froze in bewilderment, at a loss for what to do. "Na'er, you..."

"Big brother, I'm scared."

The little girl's soft voice sounded beside his ear. In the darkness, her eyes shone with a faint, lustrous glow, like amethysts polished to perfect clarity. Clear and beautiful, they were especially striking in the dim room.

Looking at her timid, dependent expression, Tang Wulin inexplicably felt an indescribable unease rise in his heart.

He possessed an adult's soul and the mature mind of someone from the twenty-first century. Faced with an innocent little girl, he should have handled things calmly and comforted her easily. Yet as he looked at the obedient, clingy Na'er before him, an inexplicable sense of dissonance lingered in his heart. Everything felt strange, though he could not say exactly what was wrong.

Deep within his previously tranquil sea of consciousness, a pair of vast, boundless pale blue eyes, filled with a sky of stars, slowly opened.

Those eyes were majestic, mysterious, and supremely domineering, containing an unsurpassed power capable of destroying heaven and earth. It seemed an entire galaxy had been gathered into their pupils. An invisible pressure spread outward, making the whole spiritual sea tremble violently. Then a blurred, pale golden humanoid apparition slowly emerged. His aura was restrained, yet he naturally carried the regal bearing of a king who looked down upon all things.

After only a brief instant, the golden figure closed his eyes again and sank back into silence deep within the spiritual sea. Every disturbance subsided in a moment.

At that same instant, the inexplicable unease in Tang Wulin's heart receded completely like a tide, leaving him calm again.

He scratched his head, utterly puzzled. He did not understand where that sudden panic had come from, but he did not dwell on it.

Looking at Na'er nestled tightly against him, her eyes full of dependence, Tang Wulin remembered his plan to raise the young Silver Dragon King, along with the Andersen's Fairy Tales he intended to use to guide her character.

He gently lay back, slowed his words, and began telling a bedtime story in a soft, soothing voice.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Snow White. She was kindhearted, but the wicked queen grew jealous of her..."

The gentle sound of the story flowed through the quiet bedroom. The night was tender as the boy softly told his fairy tale, while the innocent silver-haired girl beside him nestled quietly in his arms and listened.

After several days together, the thin layer of wariness in Na'er's heart completely dissolved, and she truly became part of Tang Wulin's warm, peaceful little family. She was quiet and clingy, depending on Tang Wulin for everything, while the distant chill in her expression gradually gave way to softness.

Aolai City was especially lively and bustling these past few days, with festive lanterns and decorations throughout the little coastal city. The annual seaside fireworks festival arrived as scheduled, a long-standing local tradition. On this day, couples from all over the city would go together to the coast at Aolai Ice and gaze up at the fireworks filling the sky across the rolling blue sea. Night, ocean, and brilliant fireworks blended together, creating the most romantic moment of the year for the entire little city.

Toward evening, Na'er changed into a soft pink dress that set off her snow-white skin. Her delicate little face resembled a finely sculpted doll's, and her amethyst-like eyes were clear and bright. She looked up slightly at Tang Wulin beside her, a hint of anticipation hidden in her gaze.

Noticing that she kept silently watching the lively street outside the window, Tang Wulin softened his voice and asked gently, "What's wrong, Na'er? Is there something you want?"

Clutching the edge of her skirt with her little hands, Na'er lowered her chin slightly and spoke in a timid whisper. "Big brother, I want to go outside and play. Can we go to the seaside and watch the fireworks?"

"Of course." Tang Wulin's expression was gentle as he reached out and lightly stroked her soft hair.

After they said goodbye to Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, Tang Wulin held Na'er's slender little hand firmly and slowly entered the crowds on the street. This was the first time he had taken the little girl out to properly experience Aolai City's uniquely lively nightlife.

Vendors lined both sides of the street, their calls rising one after another without pause.

"Candied hawthorn skewers! Freshly made, sweet, tart, and crisp! Five yuan a skewer!"

"Fragrant roasted chicken legs! Five yuan for one, ten yuan for two!"

People thronged the streets and alleys. Laughter mingled with the aromas of food, washing over them with the full warmth of everyday life. This was Na'er's first true experience of such a lively, vibrant street scene. Her amethyst eyes opened wide as she looked around curiously, filled with innocent wonder.

Suddenly, a rich, tempting fried aroma drifted into her nose. Na'er's gaze immediately fixed on a nearby snack stall, her eyes lighting up. But a moment later, that light dimmed again, and she considerately looked away, not daring to reveal her craving.

Tang Wulin followed her earlier gaze and immediately spotted the steaming fried chicken wishbone stall. Looking down at the reserved little girl beside him, he asked gently, "Na'er, you want some chicken wishbones, don't you?"

Na'er nervously tightened her little hands around the edge of her skirt and shook her head lightly, not wanting her big brother to spend money on her.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin said nothing more. He bent down and lifted her directly onto his shoulders, settling her securely astride his neck. The sudden sensation of leaving the ground made Na'er cry out instinctively, her little hands hurriedly grabbing Tang Wulin's hair. After a moment, she quieted down.

Her view immediately broadened from his shoulders. The crowded throng could no longer block her sight, and her earlier apprehension about the crowd vanished, replaced by irrepressible excitement.

Supporting Na'er's calves securely, Tang Wulin walked up to the chicken wishbone stall. The owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, his face lined by years of labor, his expression gentle and honest.

Tang Wulin reached inside his clothes and took out a neat stack of Federation Credits. These three hundred Federation Credits had not come from his parents' support. He had earned every bit through his own hard work and genuine skill, sitting at the forging bench day after day and hammering metal one stroke at a time.

"Sir, how much are the chicken wishbones?"

The stall owner looked up and spotted Na'er sitting on the boy's shoulders. His eyes brightened, and he praised her with a smile. "Oh my, this little girl looks just like a porcelain doll. What a sweetheart. Fifteen yuan per jin, and buy one jin, get half a jin free."

Tang Wulin thought briefly. Remembering that both he and Na'er had large appetites, and that they would still want to snack after watching the fireworks that evening, he said, "Then give me four jin."

"That much?" The stall owner paused, a little surprised, but naturally he would not turn away business. He readily agreed. "No problem. I'll weigh out the full amount right away, fried nice and golden-crisp!"

With that, the owner deftly lifted the strainer from the sizzling oil and scooped out a generous load of golden, crispy chicken wishbones. He carefully weighed and packed them, wrapping them in layers of greaseproof paper bags to keep the heat from escaping, then handed them to Tang Wulin.

Carrying the fragrant chicken wishbones in one hand and supporting Na'er on his shoulders with the other, Tang Wulin continued strolling along the coast. Farther along by the sea, many visitors had already taken their places to await that night's fireworks display. The evening breeze carried the faint saltiness of seawater mixed with the aroma of fried food. Na'er leaned over the top of Tang Wulin's head, occasionally picking up a warm chicken wishbone with her little hand to nibble. Her purple eyes curved into tiny crescents, filled entirely with security and joy.

Noticing that she kept silently watching the lively street outside the window, Tang Wulin softened his voice and asked gently, "What's wrong, Na'er? Is there something you want?"

Holding half a chicken wishbone, Na'er lowered her little head close to Tang Wulin's ear and whispered timidly, "Big brother, I want candied hawthorn."

"Okay, let's go buy some." Tang Wulin turned and made his way familiarly toward the candied hawthorn stall by the street. Having grown up in Aolai City, he often visited this stall and had long since become acquainted with its owner.

The owner spotted him at once, then looked at the exquisite, picture-perfect Na'er sitting on Tang Wulin's shoulders. With an easy familiarity, he teased, "Well, Wulin, you've got a little girl riding on your shoulders now? Since when did you have a little sister?"

Tang Wulin lifted a hand to support Na'er's calf securely, smiling warmly. "Sir, this is Na'er, the little sister our family adopted. She's my family. We'll be coming here often from now on, so you'll have to give us a better price."

The owner laughed heartily. "Of course, no problem! Who doesn't know you love sweets and have a frighteningly big appetite?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head sheepishly, took out his Federation Credits, and paid twenty yuan for four hawthorn skewers coated in gleaming sugar. The generous owner remembered their long acquaintance and slipped him one extra.

Na'er sat securely on her big brother's shoulders, holding a bright red candied hawthorn skewer in one little hand and a paper bag in the other, occasionally taking a bite of crispy chicken wishbone. Her pink little face was full of relaxed contentment. Passing pedestrians invariably gave the siblings a second glance. Both were remarkably good-looking and stood out so much in the crowd that it was hard not to notice them.

Strolling along, the two soon reached Aolai City's seaside. The crowds there were somewhat thinner than on the main street, but people still thronged the shore, and the annual seaside fireworks festival was about to officially begin. Looking out, they could see viewing platforms built near the sea, with elegant pavilions and towers arranged among them. Many well-to-do visitors waited atop the platforms for the nighttime spectacle, while ordinary visitors gathered in small groups along the shore, holding various small fireworks and awaiting nightfall.

Before long, a succession of hissing fuses cut through the evening breeze.

Whoosh—bang!

Points of light pierced the night and soared upward, bursting into brilliant fireworks above the dark blue sea. In an instant, red, orange, yellow, and green fireworks painted the night sky in dazzling colors. Their flowing light reflected on the shimmering waves.

Na'er instantly forgot the chicken wishbones she had been enjoying. Her amethyst eyes opened wide as she stared up at the fireworks blooming across the sky, completely absorbed.

"Are they nice?" Tang Wulin turned his head, looking gently at the little girl on his shoulders.

Na'er murmured softly, "So bright."

Tang Wulin patiently corrected her softly spoken wording, guiding her gently. "Na'er, you should say, 'So beautiful.'"

"So beautiful," Na'er repeated softly, unwilling to take her eyes off the fireworks continually blooming overhead for even a moment.

The siblings stood quietly amid the crowd. The evening breeze brushed past with the faint scent of seawater, while fireworks rose and fell in succession, filling the sky with flowing light.

Not far away, in the shadow of a reef, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue stood quietly without approaching to disturb them. Ever since Tang Wulin had taken Na'er out, they had secretly followed, silently protecting the two children from a safe distance. Their gentle gazes rested on the boy carrying the little girl, their eyes filled with peace and warmth. As long as the children were safe and happy, this was the finest scene they could wish for.