Su Qiu turned his head and exchanged a glance with his uncle, Su Wuyan.
At once, both of them saw the same thing in each other's eyes, barely suppressed laughter, their lips twitching as they struggled not to burst out laughing.
"Ahem." Afraid that he might lose control if he stayed any longer, Su Wuyan quickly grabbed Su Qiu and started pulling him outside.
"Old Chen, I suddenly remembered that I still need to handle Xiao Qiu's school enrollment. We'll be heading off first."
Every year after Awakening Day came the start of the school term. All six-year-old children would begin attending school to receive formal education.
This was a regulation of the Sun-Moon Federation: every child must complete nine years of compulsory education, three years in junior academy and six years in intermediate academy.
These nine years were free of charge, part of the Federation's public welfare policy.
Further education in higher academies, however, depended on personal ability, either outstanding academic performance or a hefty tuition fee.
If neither was possible, vocational institutes were the only option.
With martial soul awakening completed, the next step was enrollment in the junior academy.
According to Su Wuyan, he would personally guide Su Qiu in matters related to soul masters, while Mu Chen would handle forging instruction. Sending Su Qiu to school was mainly for general education and interaction with peers, important for the mental and emotional growth of a child.
Thus, Su Wuyan brought Su Qiu along to complete enrollment procedures at Eastsea Junior Academy.
On the way, however, they encountered a striking little girl.
She had rare silver short hair that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, instantly drawing attention.
She was crouching by the roadside, her dirty face and worn clothes making her look pitiful, like a little beggar.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the girl abruptly raised her head. Her clear violet eyes locked onto Su Qiu's.
Something was wrong.
A chill ran down Su Qiu's spine, a faint sense of unease flashing through his mind, gone as quickly as it came.
In that instant, his Intuition had sounded a warning, only to fall silent for reasons he could not understand.
Unable to figure it out, Su Qiu quietly stepped behind Su Wuyan.
"Little sister, where are your parents?" At that moment, several hooligan-looking youths approached the girl.
After getting a clear look at her, greed slowly crept into their eyes.
"Such rare silver hair, and those beautiful eyes too. Tsk, tsk."
One of the youths squatted down, speaking in a frivolous tone. "Little sister, where's your family?"
The girl shook her head slightly without speaking.
Taking advantage, the youth grinned. "You must be hungry. Big brother will take you to eat something nice. After you're full, we'll help you find your family, alright?"
This time the girl shook her head more firmly.
Pretending not to notice, the youth reached out anyway, while the others surrounded her.
"A bunch of animals," Su Qiu muttered, unable to watch any longer. Suppressing his doubts, he rushed forward.
Su Wuyan made no move, silently observing. After all, they were just a few hooligans without even a trace of soul power, surely he, a Super Douluo, didn't need to step in personally.
Charging into the group and standing in front of the girl, Su Qiu immediately cursed, "Idiots, your daddy's here!"
"A little brat trying to play hero, huh?" One of the youths, after seeing Su Qiu's equally delicate appearance, suddenly lit up. What luck today, two for the price of one.
Bro… seriously?
The disgusting look enraged Su Qiu, and he attacked instantly.
He might not have fought much in either his previous life or this one,
but he had stats.
A simple elbow strike slammed into the youth's chest, sending him flying like a kite with snapped strings. With a cracking sound of broken bones, the man collapsed to the ground.
The horrifying sight made the others turn and run immediately.
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
A green soul ring rose into view. A roaring gale appeared, dragging them back together in a tangled heap.
Su Qiu stepped forward and delivered an elbow to each of them, knocking every last one unconscious.
After finishing, he turned to the girl.
"It's alright now. Do you have any family?"
The girl remained silent, only shaking her head.
"Then I guess you don't," Su Qiu said with a bright smile. "Don't be afraid. I don't either."
"You brat!" Su Wuyan, who had been watching nearby, finally walked over and smacked him lightly on the head.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to see how Su Qiu would handle the situation.
"So, what are you planning to do next?"
"What else? Call the authorities and let the administrative officers handle it."
"Heh, I thought you'd take responsibility and bring her home to raise her. She's quite a cute little girl."
"And how would that make me any different from those animals?" Su Qiu replied irritably. "Besides, when you meet a homeless girl, what kind of decent person's first reaction is to kidnap her home? Of course you call the authorities first!"
Su Wuyan fell silent. That reasoning was perfectly sound.
"Nana…" A voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Who said that?" Su Qiu dug at his ear.
The girl's small hand tugged at the corner of his clothes. Looking shy, her cheeks slightly flushed, she lowered her head and whispered softly, "M-my name is Na'er. I… I'm willing to go home with you."
Su Wuyan: "Hm?"
Su Qiu: "Huh?"
"I just saved your life, and now you're trying to stick to me?"
The girl froze, her violet eyes gradually misting with tears, on the verge of crying.
Su Wuyan thought to himself: This kid is hopeless.
Su Qiu raised his hand impatiently, intending to pull her fingers off his clothes, but suddenly stopped.
Huh?
Na'er?
That name sounded familiar.
Na'er!
A chill shot straight from his spine to the top of his head. Su Qiu looked at the girl again more carefully.
Silver hair, check.
Living on the streets, check.
Even the name matched.
Oh no.
So that brief flash of Intuition earlier had been this!
…Just let her keep holding on.
Su Qiu quietly lowered his raised hand.
It wasn't cowardice, it was common sense.
This was the Silver Dragon King!
The harmless-looking little girl in front of him housed the most powerful being of this era, the Silver Dragon King herself!
Why was she here in Eastsea City? Wasn't she supposed to be in Aolai City?
Then get harassed by hooligans, almost abducted, and rescued by Tang Wulin…
Wait. That sequence sounded awfully familiar.
Damn it, wasn't that exactly what he had just done?!
Su Qiu was horrified. It felt as though he had just walked straight into a carefully laid script.
Swallowing nervously, he looked into Na'er's eyes again, and for a moment thought he could see a dragon hidden deep within them.
"D-don't cry," Su Qiu said haltingly. "I'm begging you."
Hearing that, Na'er sniffed hard and forced her tears back. If big brother said not to cry, then she wouldn't cry.
"Yes… that's right. Good."
Let's just wait for the administrative officers to arrive, he thought. Pass the problem over to them. Her "family" certainly wouldn't be found, unless he somehow managed to locate Di Tian. In that case, maybe he could just send her to an orphanage instead.
On the street, the boy stood frozen in place. The girl quietly held onto the corner of his clothes, drawing curious glances from passersby.
Su Wuyan had already disappeared, he had taken the hooligans away, planning to quietly dispose of them.