Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Although the afternoon sun was not as intense as at noon, it still shone warmly on the street.

What truly drew Tang Wulin to stop was not the sunlight itself, but the silvery sheen reflected in it.

A little girl was squatting by the roadside.

She looked even younger than Tang Wulin, her clothes were old, and her face was dirty; she looked like a little beggar on the street. But she had a rare head of short silver hair that naturally reflected a faint luster when the sunlight shone on it.

What's truly special is her eyes.

Those were enormous, crystal-clear purple eyes, like two amethysts, so clean they seemed almost unbelievable on this bustling street.

Tang Wulin couldn't explain why he stopped.

Perhaps it was because her silver hair was so unique, perhaps it was because her eyes were so beautiful, or perhaps it was because the faint, heavy warmth within him stirred slightly the moment he saw the little girl.

It was as if something was silently reminding him to look at her.

The little girl seemed to sense his gaze and slowly raised her head.

Eyes facing each other.

She didn't immediately look away, but stared at him blankly, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and wariness, like a little animal that had been stranded and didn't know whether it should trust people.

Tang Wulin was about to ask, "Why are you here all alone?" when someone else approached him first.

They were a few shady young men.

They had clearly noticed the little girl as well, and their eyes were filled with undisguised scrutiny.

"Wow, that's a really rare hair color," one of them said, squatting down with a smile. "Little girl, where are your family?"

The little girl lowered her head, didn't speak, but simply shook her head gently.

The young men exchanged glances.

"Silver hair, purple eyes..." another whispered, "Someone on the black market would definitely like this look, and it might even fetch a good price."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin frowned immediately.

Although he was young and didn't fully understand what the "underground black market" meant, the other person's eyes and tone were enough to make him instinctively feel that something was wrong.

That wasn't the look in someone's eyes.

It's more like looking at an object.

The young man in the lead reached out, grabbed the little girl's arm, and pulled her up from the ground.

"Come on, brother will take you to eat something delicious."

The little girl finally struggled to her feet, and a look of panic suddenly appeared in her big purple eyes.

She didn't speak, but her struggling movements said it all.

Several young men immediately surrounded her, blocking the view of outsiders. The leader, in particular, moved with practiced ease, hoisting the little girl onto his shoulder and turning to leave.

"What are you doing!"

A childish, angry shout suddenly rang out.

The young men were all startled and turned around to see a little boy, not even as tall as their waists, standing by the roadside, glaring at them angrily.

The little boy was exquisitely handsome, yet at this moment, his large eyes showed no fear, but rather a stubbornness.

The group was taken aback at first, then became furious and embarrassed.

"Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in other people's business?"

A young man behind him cursed and kicked Tang Wulin.

The kick came so fast that Tang Wulin couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying backward, rolling twice before being covered in dust.

My chest hurts a little, and my elbow is scraped.

But Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and got up almost instantly.

Before his awakening, that kick would probably have left him lying on the ground for half a day, unable to recover. But now, although he was in pain, it wasn't so bad that he couldn't get up. He himself didn't even realize that his body after awakening was slightly different from before.

"You bad people!"

Tang Wulin was so angry that his face turned red. He stumbled over and once again stood in front of those people.

The young man carrying the little girl's face also darkened completely.

This is, after all, a main street, and people around are already noticing the commotion. If this continues, it will only get more and more troublesome.

With a flick of his wrist, a dagger appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly, pointing directly at Tang Wulin.

"Get out of here if you don't want to die!"

In that instant, Tang Wulin's heart tightened.

dagger.

A true weapon.

He was only six years old after all, and even if he had just awakened his martial spirit and soul power, it was impossible for him not to be afraid. But when he looked at the silver-haired little girl being carried on his shoulder, and then at the fierce faces opposite him, he managed to suppress his fear.

"Bad people never get away with this!" he shouted. "Put her down!"

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and with a flash of dark light, the small black hammer reappeared in his palm.

Compared to that sharp dagger, this hammer was really insignificant.

It was small, blunt, dark, and even somewhat shabby. If it were anyone else, it probably wouldn't have any intimidating power at all. But Tang Wulin gripped the hammer handle tightly with both hands, his little face tense, and he actually managed to show a bit of an unyielding aura.

"I...I'm a student in the Soul Master class at Red Mountain Academy!" His voice was a little strained, but he still tried to shout as loudly as possible, "I have a Martial Soul and Soul Power! If you dare touch me, the academy and the Spirit Pagoda will not let you get away with it!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the young men immediately changed.

If they were just ordinary children, they might not actually be afraid.

The problem is, this is a child who has already awakened his soul power and officially entered the Soul Master class. Such children are recorded by both the academy and the Spirit Pagoda. If something happens, the Federation and the Spirit Pagoda will never treat him the way they would treat ordinary civilians.

Furthermore, many passersby have already seen this, and if they really make a big fuss, the consequences will be unbearable.

The group of people exchanged glances, their expressions all quite unpleasant.

The young man in the lead spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"unlucky!"

He didn't dare to continue, and loosened his grip, putting the little girl down from his shoulder.

The little girl stumbled and was about to fall.

Tang Wulin didn't care about anything else and rushed over to support her.

"Don't be afraid!"

While supporting her, he didn't forget to turn around and glare at those bad guys, trying his best to look like a real man who could protect people.

"Get out of here!"

The young men, their faces ashen, dared not delay any longer, no matter how unwilling they were. Seeing the growing crowd, they could only turn and run away, cursing under their breath.

Tang Wulin only secretly breathed a sigh of relief after their figures disappeared around the street corner.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, he realized that his back was soaked with sweat.

The kick he had just received still left a dull ache in his chest, and his palms were slightly numb from gripping the hammer too hard. Deeper still, that familiar burning sensation quietly rose from his lower abdomen and palms, lingering even after his martial spirit had returned to his body.

But he didn't have time to think about those things; instead, he looked down at the silver-haired little girl.

The closer they got, the more beautiful those purple eyes became, as if they could truly reflect a person's image. However, a thin layer of mist had already formed in those eyes, clearly indicating they were still frightened by what had just happened.

Seeing her like this, Tang Wulin immediately forgot that he had also been very scared just now, and hurriedly tried to comfort her.

"Don't cry, don't cry," he said awkwardly. "I've chased the bad guys away; they won't dare come back."

The little girl stared at him blankly, without saying a word.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Tang Wulin thought she was really scared, so he quickly patted his small chest again.

"I will protect you," he said earnestly. "I'm a man."

As soon as he said those words, even he felt that they suddenly seemed much more reliable.

The little girl looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears, and finally spoke for the first time.

"Weren't you...aren't you afraid just now?"

Tang Wulin was stunned.

Of course I'm afraid.

He was almost scared out of his wits by that dagger.

After thinking about it, he nodded obediently.

"I'm scared."

The little girl was clearly stunned.

Tang Wulin scratched his head and continued:

"But even if you're scared, you can't let bad guys take you away."

After saying that, he gave her a slightly silly but very sincere smile.

"My name is Tang Wulin," he said. "What's your name?"

The little girl paused, as if it had been a long while, before finally speaking softly.

"My name is... Na'er."