Outside Holy Soul Village.
Two small figures walked along, one behind the other.
They looked about five or six years old, a boy and a girl.
Both wore simple clothes, and judging by their features, they were clearly brother and sister.
The boy carried a basket almost as large as himself, packed full of wild vegetables. Its weight pressed down on him until he was panting.
"Big Brother, let Little San Niang carry it. You should rest a little," the little girl said, her eyes full of worry.
Fine beads of sweat covered Tang Yin's forehead, but his gaze remained resolute. "It's all right, little sister. Your big brother is perfectly strong."
Tang San Niang bit her lip with her pearly teeth, took a clean strip of cloth from inside her clothes, and carefully wiped her brother's sweat away.
A faint, sweet fragrance drifted to his nose.
Tang Yin lowered his eyes to the little girl before him, his gaze briefly turning dazed.
Transmigrating into Tang San's older brother was absurd enough.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined something even more absurd: Tang San, who should have been his younger brother, had become his little sister!
Her name was Tang San Niang.
She was ridiculously pretty.
Clearly, she had inherited Ah Yin's genes perfectly.
This...
After questioning his entire existence for two and a half years.
Tang Yin finally accepted reality.
Mostly because he no longer had time to question his existence.
Perhaps he had grown impatient with caring for two children.
When the siblings were a little over two, that old drunk Tang Hao simply gave up and stopped cooking for them.
Their lives went straight from eating one meal and going hungry the next to not getting a single meal at all.
Such behavior was utterly outrageous!
Tang Yin, who had been pretending to be an ordinary child all along, finally cracked.
He immediately took advantage of his status as a child to cry and make a fuss in front of Tang Hao, trying to awaken his fatherly love.
Instead, that useless Tang Hao flew into a rage and swung a vicious slap, knocking Tang San Niang, who stood nearby, to the ground.
The young Tang San Niang could not understand why her father had slapped her when her brother was the one crying.
In any case, that slap shattered the heart of Tang San Niang, who desperately longed for a father's love, and left Tang Yin utterly disillusioned with him.
With no other choice, Tang Yin could only shoulder the load.
He took it upon himself to bear the burden of caring for his little sister.
An eldest brother was like a father. That was no empty saying, but a weighty responsibility.
Everyone said Tang San was bad, but the newly transmigrated Tang San had not yet been steeped in Shrek Academy's toxic teachings.
She was merely a sheltered technical geek who had grown up in the Tang Sect and knew little of the world.
As for this older brother, the only person who could give her familial affection, she revered him utterly and clung to him deeply.
All her longing and hopes for family affection rested on Tang Yin.
She was also sweet and sensible in everyday life, making her all the more lovable.
"Big Brother, has your Mysterious Heaven Skill reached a bottleneck?" Little San Niang asked softly.
When Tang Yin was a little over two, he had begun working in the fields for Holy Soul Village's residents to support their little family.
Holy Soul Village had three hundred households, primarily growing vegetables and fruit to supply the residents of nearby Nuoding City.
Although Tang Yin was young, he could still help with tasks such as picking vegetables and fruit.
He was willing to endure hardship, and the kindhearted villagers were all happy to pay him with some food.
Naturally, Tang San Niang's heart ached for her brother, and she worried that his body could not take it.
Human hearts were made of flesh, after all, especially when it came to one's own flesh and blood.
Thus, one day, Tang Yin quite naturally "found" a martial arts manual called the "Mysterious Heaven Skill"-the complete version, with cultivation insights included.
"Yes, I reached the bottleneck a few days ago."
Tang Yin rubbed the little girl's head, his face full of affection.
Tang San Niang is so cute~
This is my own little sister, whom I raised with my own hands.
Though simply dressed, she looked as exquisite as carved jade and was utterly adorable.
Her rosy little cheeks resembled ripe apples, so tender that a gentle pinch seemed enough to squeeze water from them.
Upon reaching Old Jack's house, Tang Yin set down his basket and transferred most of the wild vegetables to a nearby handcart, leaving only a thin layer at the bottom.
Then he collected his pay for the day from Old Jack: two Copper Soul Coins.
Old Jack smiled kindly, the wrinkles on his face easing.
"Little Tang Yin, Little San Niang, tomorrow is the day you awaken your martial souls. Grandpa will come pick you up then."
Awakening their martial souls-!
Tang Yin's eyes lit up, excitement stirring in his heart.
After enduring so many years, he had finally reached six.
He could awaken his martial soul!
According to the original course of events, Tang San Niang would awaken with innate full soul power thanks to her cultivation at the peak of the Mysterious Heaven Skill's first level.
And his current cultivation was the same as hers.
Surely, his result would not be much worse.
The moment to change my destiny is almost here!
By the time they returned to the shabby, dilapidated Blacksmith Shop, dusk was approaching.
A strong reek of alcohol assaulted their noses.
Tang Yin's brow creased almost imperceptibly, a flicker of disgust passing through his eyes.
That useless Tang Hao kept a very regular schedule.
He slept through the morning, took on a little work at noon to earn drinking money, bought booze and drank in the afternoon, then spent the evening wallowing in misery, barking "Ah Yin, Ah Yin" like a dog. What an absolute piece of work!
He was not like Tang San, whose head was stuffed with feudal thinking. He had not the slightest affection for a scumbag like Tang Hao. Even giving him a full meal in the future would count as mercy.
If you father a child but refuse to raise them, what right do you have to call yourself a father?!
In any case, Tang Yin refused to acknowledge him as one.
While caring for his little sister Tang San Niang, Tang Yin also worked hard to guide her toward a sound outlook on life, the world, and values.
He truly shouldered his responsibilities as an older brother.
It was worth mentioning that Tang Yin had noticed Tang San Niang's behavior and mannerisms had been feminine since childhood, suggesting that she had likely been a woman in her previous life as well.
Perhaps something had gone slightly awry when God rolled the dice.
That was the only guess Tang Yin could make.
Once home, they ignored the useless Tang Hao, who was drinking.
The siblings busied themselves preparing dinner.
Tang Yin was a resourceful thinker, after all. By now, he could not only earn food but had also saved some soul coins, occasionally cooking meat dishes to keep himself and Little San Niang healthy.
After some bustling about, they set wild vegetable and lean pork soup, dry-fried wild vegetable blossoms, and stir-fried shredded potatoes on the table.
Two dishes and a soup. Though simple, they looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful, and the wood-fired cooking lent them a distinctive farmhouse flavor.
Tang San Niang called out, "Dad, dinner's ready."
Tang Hao staggered out of his room.
His face was sallow and his eyes dull. His whole body gave off a thick stench mixed with alcohol, making him extremely unpleasant to smell.
Tang Hao wolfed down his food and, without a word, started back toward his room to continue drinking.
Tang San Niang stopped him. "Dad, please wait."
"What is it?" Tang Hao turned back impatiently and glared at Tang San Niang.
Tang San Niang shrank back in fear and asked timidly, "Tomorrow is our martial soul awakening. Could you come with Big Brother and me?"
At those words, Tang Hao glanced at his expressionless eldest son beside her.
"No," Tang Hao refused coldly, then returned to his room to keep drinking.
Tang San Niang flung herself into Tang Yin's arms, her eyes wet with tears, feeling terribly wronged.
Tang Yin sighed.
Tang San Niang had never even tried to put on an act since childhood. Combined with the fact that she was a girl, she was destined to be unable to carry on Tang Hao's ambitions, so naturally, he had no fondness for her.
Early the next morning.
"Little Tang Yin, Little San Niang, Grandpa's here to pick you up," Old Jack called from outside the door.
The more sensible the two children were, the deeper his loathing for Tang Hao grew.
He could not even be bothered to enter the house.
At the dining table, Little San Niang glanced at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao said coldly, "Remember to come back at noon to cook."
Those utterly outrageous words nearly made Tang Yin lose his composure.
When someone was speechless enough, they really could laugh.
Truly worthy of that useless Tang Hao.
Inside the Spirit Hall Branch at the center of Holy Soul Village, a hexagonal formation produced a pale golden dome of light.
Tang San Niang stood within the dome. Golden light swirled in her right palm as a stalk of Blue Silver Grass bearing natural golden markings slowly emerged.
At the sight.
Tang Yin froze for a moment.
What the hell? Little San Niang actually broke all the rules.
She directly awakened the martial soul,
Blue Silver Emperor?!!!
Before you continue