Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

It's unclear how much time passed before Tang Wulin slowly awoke from that quiet and heavy state.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dark outside.

The room was much darker than before, and a faint trace of the last rays of the sunset could be seen outside the window. But what startled him even more was Tang Ziran sitting not far from the bed.

"Dad?" Tang Wulin sat up abruptly, his eyes filled with surprise. "Why are you back so early?"

Tang Ziran smiled.

"It's getting late, it's almost dark," he said. "You've been sitting here for quite a while."

Tang Wulin was stunned.

He looked down at himself, then stretched his limbs, feeling an indescribable sense of relaxation throughout his body. Completely different from the feverish, heavy-hearted, and restless feeling he had experienced that afternoon, he now felt as if his body had been gently and softly cleansed, and even his mind was much clearer.

"Dad, I think I really learned how to meditate just now," he said excitedly. "I felt something very thin entering my body, and then my soul power started moving, and it seems to be a little stronger than before."

Tang Ziran listened, a hint of surprise flashing across her eyes.

one day.

On the very first day of class, this child had already touched the threshold of true meditation.

Lin Ximeng's teaching was excellent, but without the corresponding comprehension, it would have been impossible to master the basics so quickly.

"Yes, this is what meditation feels like." Tang Ziran nodded, praising him generously, "It seems my son has a good understanding."

Tang Wulin's eyes crinkled with laughter.

He was always especially happy to be praised by his father.

But before he could be happy for long, Tang Ziran's smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious.

"However, Dad has two things to tell you."

When Tang Wulin saw his father get serious, he immediately sat up straight as well.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

Tang Ziran looked at her son and asked the first question.

"This afternoon, you stopped those bad guys on the street. Did you think you were very brave?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback at first, but then nodded obediently.

"Hmm... a little."

"Courage is good," Tang Ziran said slowly, "but courage must be paired with wisdom. You're only six years old. Even if you've awakened your martial soul and soul power, you're far from being able to confront truly bad people head-on. The reason you were able to scare them away today was firstly because you revealed your identity as a soul master student, and secondly because some people around had noticed. But what if they were more aggressive, or if the location were more secluded?"

Tang Wulin was stunned.

During the day, he was only thinking about not being able to watch the bad guys take Na'er away, and he didn't think about anything else.

Tang Ziran continued:

"If you know you can't stop them by yourself, but you still rush in anyway, that's not bravery, that's recklessness. True bravery isn't about being unafraid of danger, but about knowing when to step in, and when to first find an adult, a patrol team, or someone nearby who can help."

Tang Wulin lowered his head and thought about it seriously for a while before nodding slightly.

"Dad, I know I was wrong."

Tang Ziran looked at her son, and her expression softened again.

"Good to know." He raised his hand and patted Tang Wulin's head. "A man can make mistakes, but he can't keep making the same mistakes."

"Yes!" Tang Wulin nodded vigorously.

Tang Ziran then smiled.

"Okay, the second thing."

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

"Is there a second thing?"

"Of course." Tang Ziran deliberately put on a stern face. "You're only six years old, and you're already bringing little girls home. And you even played the hero, saving a damsel in distress. Pretty impressive, huh?"

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red instantly.

"Dad!" he explained anxiously, "It's not what you think! Na'er was alone on the street and almost got kidnapped by bad guys, that's why I brought her back."

Tang Ziran finally couldn't help but laugh.

"So tell me, what do we do now?" he asked. "Your mother took her to the administrator to check, but they couldn't find her registration information, nor could they find any missing persons records that match the criteria. If they can't find her, according to the rules, she will most likely be sent to an orphanage."

"An orphanage?" Tang Wulin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hmm." Tang Ziran looked at him. "So, Dad wants to ask you, what do you think we should do?"

Tang Wulin was stunned.

He didn't actually know exactly what an orphanage meant, but just hearing those three words made him instinctively feel that it couldn't be a good place.

Na'er is so quiet and so small, and she was just scared by bad guys today... If we send her to a completely unfamiliar place, won't she be even more scared?

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin blurted out almost without hesitation:

"Dad, can we let her stay with us for now?"

Tang Ziran looked at him with a half-smile.

"Stay with us? It's not as simple as just taking care of another cat or dog. We need another mouth to feed, another bed to sleep in, and taking care of someone is no easy task."

Tang Wulin suddenly became anxious.

"I can take care of her!" he said quickly. "I can keep her company after school, and I can share my things with her. Anyway... anyway, she has nowhere else to go right now."

Tang Ziran looked at her son's serious expression and a smile appeared in her eyes.

"Let's go out and eat first," he said. "Your mother and Na'er are outside."

Tang Wulin immediately jumped off the bed, almost forgetting to put on his shoes, and hurriedly ran to the living room.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Na'er sitting at the dining table.

She had already reverted to her quiet demeanor from the daytime, her hands resting properly on her knees, head bowed, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and met Tang Wulin's surprised gaze.

"Na'er!"

Tang Wulin immediately ran to her side and naturally took her hand.

Na'er's hands were still cool, but this time, the faint burning sensation in Tang Wulin's palms had subsided noticeably compared to the daytime. However, he still didn't realize this; he just felt inexplicably happy to see her still there.

Lang Yue was just putting the last dish on the table when she saw her son come out, and she sighed softly.

"The administrators can't find any records of this child," she said. "According to the rules, if we can't find any more clues, we'll have to send him to an orphanage first."

"don't want!"

Without even thinking, Tang Wulin immediately spread his arms to block Na'er.

"Mom, please don't send her to the orphanage, okay?"

His small frame wasn't wide enough; when he opened his arms, he couldn't even completely cover Na'er. Yet, it was precisely this small gesture that stunned Na'er, who was sitting in the chair.

She looked up at Tang Wulin's back, and a thin layer of mist slowly rose in her large purple eyes.

Lang Yue looked at her son and deliberately asked, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just leave him at home without asking anything, can we?"

Tang Wulin hurriedly turned around to look at Na'er.

"Na'er, would you like to stay at my house?" he asked earnestly. "My mom is a great cook, and my dad is a very nice person. You can stay here for now, and I'll take care of you."

He paused here, as if suddenly remembering something, and his eyes lit up.

"Besides, I've always wanted a younger sister." He said it with great seriousness, "Why don't you stay and be my sister?"

The room suddenly fell silent.

Na'er stared at him blankly, as if she hadn't expected to hear such a sentence.

Tang Wulin became nervous again when he saw that she didn't speak.

"I...I'm serious," he quickly added. "I'll protect you from now on. I can protect you today, and I can in the future. If you stay here, I'll call you my sister."

Na'er looked at him, and the moisture that had been gently shimmering in her purple eyes could no longer be contained, and her eyes instantly turned red.

But she didn't cry; she just nodded very, very lightly.

"Um."

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment, then jumped up.

"Great! I have a little sister!"

Seeing their son's overjoyed expression, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and tenderness in each other's eyes.

Things are not that simple.

Raising another child is never a simple matter for a family like the Tangs; it's never a matter of simply asking "Is it okay?" But right now, Na'er really has nowhere else to go, and their son has clearly made up his mind to protect this little girl.

Finally, Lang Yue sighed softly.

"Then let her stay here for now," she said. "At least until we find her family, she can stay with us."

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room instantly warmed up.

"Mom is the best!" Tang Wulin immediately rushed over and hugged Lang Yue's arm.

"Alright, alright, let's eat first." Lang Yue smiled and patted his head. "If you don't eat now, the food will get cold."

It turns out that sometimes a child's appetite is really beyond one's control.

Lang Yue had prepared extra food for dinner tonight, thinking that with a new child in the family, she should at least have enough. But after dinner, she realized that she had underestimated the two little ones.

Tang Wulin's appetite had already increased significantly due to the changes after his awakening, and after a whole day of fussing, he was eating like a bottomless pit.

Na'er, despite her petite and quiet appearance, ate just as fast as him. Her eating movements weren't unsightly; in fact, they could be described as quiet and graceful. Yet, she ate bowl after bowl at an astonishing speed.

When all the food on the table, including the lunch Lang Yue had prepared for Tang Ziran for the next day, was completely devoured, the couple were utterly stunned.

"You two..." Lang Yue looked at the empty bowl on the table, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Tang Wulin patted his stomach and glanced at Na'er with lingering interest.

Na'er also looked up at the empty rice bowl, then at him.

The two looked at each other and both saw in each other's eyes that it seemed like they weren't quite full yet.

This scene made Tang Ziran and Lang Yue both annoyed and amused.

"I'm afraid we'll have to buy rice more often from now on," Tang Ziran said, rubbing her temples helplessly.

There were only two rooms in the house, and since Na'er was staying temporarily, it was impossible for her to sleep with the adults. In the end, Tang Ziran and Tang Wulin set up a simple little bed in the smaller room, which barely solved the sleeping problem.

As night deepened, the house finally fell silent.

Na'er seemed truly exhausted, and soon fell asleep. She remained quiet in her sleep, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible, her short silver hair spread across the pillow, looking like a small ball of moonlight.

Tang Wulin, however, did not go to sleep immediately.

He sat on the edge of his small bed, looked at Na'er who was already asleep, and then looked down at his hands.

Today he learned how to meditate.

Today he also gained a younger sister.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, and a clearer idea emerged than before.

He used to want to become a Soul Master because it was his childhood dream.

Now, it seems he has another reason to want to become stronger.

He has to protect his sister.

Once the idea popped into my head, it became exceptionally firm.

Tang Wulin quietly sat cross-legged, careful not to wake Na'er, and whispered something to the sleeping girl:

"I'm going to meditate."

"From now on, I will protect you."

After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes again, trying to sink into that quiet and heavy world.

This time, he knew more clearly than he had in the afternoon why he needed to keep going.