"Hiss..."
"I don't know. Maybe someone put it by the foot of my bed."
Chen An thought for a moment, but still refused.
But he vaguely sensed that Xiao Wu definitely hadn't come to him just because of a book.
"Sister Xiao Wu, you must have something else to ask me, right?"
Surprise flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes. Her right hand, suspended in midair, suddenly loosened, and the book fell heavily to the floor. A sheet of drawing paper popped out.
"Sorry."
"Huh? You know, this ice-blue flower is actually pretty!"
Chen An bent down to pick up the paper, taking particular care to wipe the dust off it.
Xiao Wu sighed. "Xiao An, can you do me a favor?"
Chen An chuckled and said confidently, "Of course! You're the boss. How could your little brother refuse to help?!"
"Thank you." The corners of Xiao Wu's lips lifted, her face quietly reddening. "Could you pick the flower in the drawing for me?"
"Huh?"
"Of course! Something that simple is no problem!"
"Tell me where it is, and I'll pick it for you tomorrow, Sister Xiao Wu!"
Chen An radiated confidence from head to toe.
In ancient times, beacon fires toyed with the feudal lords; today, a thousand-mile journey to pick a flower would win a rabbit's smile!
Seeing Chen An's inexplicable excitement, Xiao Wu promptly doused him with cold water. "It's not as easy as you think. You need the strength of a Titled Douluo!"
At those words.
Chen An instantly calmed down. "A Titled Douluo? Then I probably can't. I might never reach that level in my lifetime."
"Sigh!"
"As long as you can do it, I can promise you one thing."
Xiao Wu held her hands before her chest and tapped them together, looking utterly adorable.
"Really?"
"Anything at all?"
Chen An instantly perked up, wishing he could get that damned flower right this instant.
"Mm-hmm..." Xiao Wu's face was already scarlet. With her fists clenched, she really wanted to teach this blockhead a lesson.
Chen An asked curiously, "Does Xiao San know?"
"No." Xiao Wu's brows knitted tightly, a trace of displeasure flitting through her eyes.
Late that night.
Chen An lay in bed, completely unable to sleep, his mind constantly dwelling on that ice-blue flower.
"What kind of flower needs a Titled Douluo's strength to pick?"
"It's not an immortal herb like Lovesick Heartbreak Red."
"Wait!"
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Chen An.
Could this ice-blue flower also be an immortal herb, capable of concealing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's presence?
But why would Xiao Wu choose someone whose Martial Soul was the trash Martial Soul, Lone Bamboo?
"Damn system, show me my stats!"
Chen An urgently wanted to confirm the idea in his mind.
[Ding-dong, displaying the Return to Simplicity System panel Host: Chen An Age: Six Martial Souls: Lone Bamboo, bamboo flute Soul Power: Rank fifteen System-bound object: Lone Bamboo Hidden Easter egg: First Soul Ring's Soul Skill carries the Dendro Element and possesses growth properties Additional hidden Easter egg: Lone Bamboo Martial Soul carries Ultimate Ice and possesses growth properties Current Dendro Element purity: 50% Martial Soul Ultimate Ice purity: 50%]
"Holy shit!"
"Ultimate Ice? When did this damn system secretly start pulling its weight?"
Chen An was so surprised that he sat straight up in bed.
He suddenly realized that the bone-piercing chill during his spar with Xiao Wu had come from Ultimate Ice.
"I think I get it."
"Besides a Titled Douluo, an ultimate power can get it done too."
Chen An shook his head. "I'd better wait until the Ultimate Ice purity reaches 100%!"
In the days that followed.
The three of them led leisurely yet fulfilling lives.
Whenever Chen An had time, he found somewhere quiet to cultivate his Soul Power.
Tang San attended classes while earning money through part-time forging.
Xiao Wu alone had things easiest. Every so often, she helped the work-study students teach the upper-year students a lesson, and Sister Xiao Wu's reputation soon spread throughout the school.
"Sister Xiao Wu, you're not joking, are you?"
Chen An pinched his cheek. The pain told him he wasn't dreaming.
"What?"
"If you don't want to, forget it. I'll go ask Xiao San!"
Xiao Wu pouted, looking utterly adorable in her anger.
"Then go ahead." Chen An didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"You... you really are a blockhead!" Xiao Wu was so angry that she left without looking back.
Chen An took a deep breath, slowly soothing the little heart pounding wildly in his chest.
I really have no way around this!
She wants to spend the vacation at my home, but the problem is, I need to have a home first!
Chen An felt truly helpless. Surely he couldn't just take Xiao Wu to stay at the orphanage?
"Sigh!"
"As expected, God King Tang's fortune won't be cut off that easily!"
The vacation arrived right on schedule.
Chen An returned once more to the place where his own dream had begun.
Holy Soul Village's orphanage.
To put it plainly, it was an unused little wooden hut in the village where nobody lived.
At first, there had been four or five orphans inside. Later, kindhearted people gradually took them all in, until Chen An alone remained.
"Grandpa Laike?"
"Grandpa Laike, Xiao An's back!"
The orphanage's caretaker was Old Laike, an old man about as gentle as Old Jack.
"Huh?"
"Why isn't anyone here?"
Chen An turned the wooden hut upside down, but didn't catch so much as a glimpse of Old Laike.
Only then did he discover an iron box beneath the stone table where Old Laike often sat.
He cleaned off the dirt and took a thin sheet of yellow paper from inside.
Although puzzled, Chen An patiently began reading it silently.
"Xiao An, seeing these words is like seeing me in person. It's Old Laike.
After waiting all these years, I finally saw you arrive.
Now I can go back. This place is far too lonely and boring, but I hope you have fun.
If you want to know more, you might as well have a chat with the Titan Giant Ape, the overlord of Star Dou Great Forest!"
Boom!
After reading it, Chen An felt as though ants had crawled all over his body.
What was this?
Old Laike was actually a transmigrator too?
Wait!
Old Laike... an old visitor. So his name had been hinting at it all along?
The more Chen An thought about it, the more terrified he felt, but on second thought, he felt it was nothing much.
Old Laike had never shown him any hostility growing up, and keeping him by his side without letting him be adopted had probably been his idea too.
"Hehe..."
"Xiao An, guess who?"
A pair of cold little hands covered Chen An's eyes from behind.
At the familiar voice, Chen An's panic instantly dissipated.
"Sister Xiao Wu?"
"What brings you here?"
Xiao Wu thought for a moment, then said, "Xiao San told me, so I stopped by to have a look."
Chen An gently pried Xiao Wu's hands away. He really couldn't feel happy right now. "Sigh, I'm an orphan. This is my home."
"It's pretty nice!" Xiao Wu showed no trace of distaste.
"Don't you think it's shabby?" Chen An felt very puzzled.
Xiao Wu smiled. "It's fine. Xiao San said we're both welcome at his house anytime."
"Forget it."
"I'm still more used to living here!"
Chen An refused without even considering it. He had sworn to become a man who surpassed God King Tang.
"Okay!"
"Then I'll stay here with you."
Xiao Wu blinked, looking at Chen An with a sweet, innocent expression, seeking his opinion.
"Why?" Chen An asked in confusion.
Xiao Wu froze for a moment.
She rubbed her rabbit ears, thinking for a long time before saying:
"You're my little brother."
"When my little brother's in trouble, of course I have to lend a hand as the boss!"