The awkward Bai Yushan
A six-year-old child with innate level-three Soul Power, without the support of any Soul Spirit, could utterly overwhelm a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster head-on through physical strength alone. No one would believe it if they heard it, but Chen Qingquan had seen it with his own eyes.
Yet Chen Qingquan was puzzled. Although he had been purged and demoted to a retirement posting, surely no faction could have moved into Aolai City without him receiving any word!
Who had recruited Bai Yushan? The Federation? The Spirit Pagoda? The Tang Sect?
Or was it... Shrek?
Before Chen Qingquan could question Bai Yushan, Bi Ji appeared beside the car at some point and gently knocked on the passenger-side window.
Chen Qingquan hurriedly rolled down the window.
Bi Ji stood outside the window, her long emerald hair drifting gently in the night breeze, her aqua-green dress gleaming faintly beneath the streetlights. She wore a gentle smile, like a mother waiting for her child to come home.
"Hello, I'm Yushan's director. May I ask who you are?"
Chen Qingquan sounded very polite, but his gaze was appraising. His eyes swept over Bi Ji as he quickly assessed the woman's strength in his mind. He could not gauge her depths, which meant her Soul Power cultivation was at least above his.
Chen Qingquan murmured under his breath, "It seems she's at least a Soul Emperor-level expert!"
Bi Ji smiled.
"I suppose I count as Xiaoshan's guardian now. I'm a healing-type Soul Master, and I work at the Spirit Pagoda."
As she spoke, Bi Ji handed over her Level 6 Soul Engineer certificate.
Chen Qingquan took the certificate and opened it for a look. It bore Bi Ji's photograph, the embossed seal of the Federation Soul Engineer Association, and her Soul Master rank and registration information. Level 6 Soul Engineer, healing type, registered at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
He returned the certificate to Bi Ji and nodded.
The Spirit Pagoda was one of the Federation's largest Soul Master organizations, with influence spanning the entire continent. If she belonged to the Spirit Pagoda, she certainly had the means to buy a manor in Aolai City without alerting anyone.
But Chen Qingquan still felt somewhat uncomfortable. He had nothing against the Spirit Pagoda; rather, he was worried that Bai Yushan had been recruited so easily. That child's talent was far too great, so great that any faction would try every possible means to win him over. And once a faction set its sights on him, the child's future would no longer belong to him.
Chen Qingquan said toward the back seat, "You little brat, stay home tomorrow."
Bai Yushan grinned. "Middle-aged geezer, take me there again next week, will you?"
Chen Qingquan snorted coldly. "Don't even think about it!"
He had finally seen it clearly: the darker, filthier, and more violence-ridden a corner was, the more Bai Yushan yearned for it.
That child was like darkness itself, curled up wherever there was light, only to stretch out the moment he entered the dark, like a fish taking to water.
Chen Qingquan made up his mind. He absolutely had to steer this little brat with limitless prospects back onto the right track!
Bai Yushan clicked his tongue softly and opened the car door indifferently.
"Even if you don't take me, I know how to get there anyway!"
Black lines covered Chen Qingquan's forehead. An innately evil little brat!
But he knew Bai Yushan was telling the truth. The child had memorized the entire route after just one visit, so sneaking over there himself would be no trouble at all.
Seeing that something was off about Chen Qingquan's expression, Bi Ji hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, sorry, Director Chen. I'll discipline him when we get back!"
As she spoke, Bi Ji smacked the back of Bai Yushan's head, looking exactly like him when he smacked Na'er.
Smack! It was not hard, but it was loud.
Bai Yushan pitched forward, his head nearly hitting the car door. He turned and stared wide-eyed at Bi Ji, his expression both angry and helpless.
"Hmph!"
Bai Yushan was displeased, but he did not fight back. She was his big financial backer, paying three hundred thousand a month; hit her, and that would be gone. For money's sake, he endured it.
It absolutely was not because he could not beat her!
Watching this, the corner of Chen Qingquan's mouth twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Then I'll head back first."
He started the car, turned it around, and drove away from the manor.
Bai Yushan stood at the manor's entrance, watching the taillights disappear into the night, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Middle-aged geezer, see you next week."
Bai Yushan stood at the manor's entrance, watching the taillights disappear into the night, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. The streetlights stretched his shadow long, and the night breeze blew through his messy hair with a hint of chill.
Bi Ji reached out, took Bai Yushan's hand, and walked into the manor.
Bai Yushan's hand stiffened for a moment.
That hand was very soft and warm, like a piece of warm jade. The warmth of her palm passed through his skin, carrying a reassuring strength. He lowered his head to glance at Bi Ji's hand holding his, then raised it again, pretending nothing had happened as he let her lead him forward.
Bi Ji's fingers curled gently, enclosing the little hand in her palm. She said nothing, merely leading him along the bluestone path, across the lawn, and toward the brightly lit villa.
The night breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a faint scent of salt and flowers. The blades of grass on the lawn swayed gently in the wind with a rustling sound. A few fireflies flew in the distance, their green points of light blinking in the darkness.
Bai Yushan followed beside Bi Ji, his steps much slower than usual.
It was not because he was tired. It was because that hand was holding his, and he did not want to walk too fast.
He could not quite describe the feeling. It was neither comfortable nor unpleasant, but something very unfamiliar, as though something was blocking his chest, yet also as though something was melting inside it.
Whether in his previous life or this one, as an orphan, he had never had anyone hold his hand like this, never had anyone wait for him to come home at night, never had anyone tell him, "The food's warmed up," after he returned.
He was not used to this feeling, but he did not dislike it either.
Bi Ji pushed open the villa's door, and warm yellow light spilled out from inside, falling over them both.
The moment they stepped through the door, a silver missile shot straight into Bai Yushan's arms.
Na'er's body carried a milky scent as she crashed straight into Bai Yushan's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her head in his chest, her whole body clinging to him like a koala. Her short silver hair brushed his chin, soft and ticklish.
Bai Yushan securely caught Na'er's petite body, and a milky fragrance wafted into his face. The scent was faint and fresh, like freshly squeezed milk mixed with morning dew, making one unable to resist taking another sniff.
"Big brother! Why did you come home so late!"
Na'er's voice came from against Bai Yushan's chest, muffled and tearful. She kept burrowing her head against his chest, her short silver hair brushing his neck and making it itch.
Feeling Na'er continually burrowing her head against his chest in his arms, Bai Yushan was extremely unaccustomed to it. His body was taut as a fully drawn bowstring, and he did not know where to put his hands. All he could do was gently support Na'er's little bottom.