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Nan Qiuqiu pulled a few gold soul coins out of her tiny pocket and waved them in front of the two kids, trying to tempt them into calling her "big sis."
Meteor curled his lips in disdain. Seriously? She thought a little cake was enough to buy him and Liuying off? No way.
"Big sis~"Liuying called out sweetly, and Nan Qiuqiu lit up with excitement, hugging Liuying and bouncing around like she'd won the lottery.
Meteor stared at Liuying in shock. Wait, Yingbao—just a piece of cake and you caved? Aren't you a proud knight of the Glamor Iron Cavalry, a mighty Moltenfire Knight? Where's that legendary battle power of yours? Shouldn't you be robbing this little rich girl instead?
Liuying looked at Nan Qiuqiu with a soft smile. She actually liked how friendly and outgoing Nan Qiuqiu was, and she enjoyed this vibe of making new friends. Pretending to be a cute little kid? Easy stuff—she just wanted to make the little girl happy. It totally wasn't about the cake. Nope.
After settling Liuying, Nan Qiuqiu turned to Meteor, her face full of hope. Meteor was still stunned from Liuying's "betrayal," but no way was he giving in. Not for any number of cakes. He wasn't a foodie like her.
Nan Qiuqiu bit her thumb in frustration. This Meteor kid was a tough nut to crack! But that just made her more determined—if someone was hard to win over, then of course Young Lady Qiuqiu had to be the one to do it. Her eyes sparkled with an idea and she glanced over at her little group of tagalongs.
One of them, a boy named Xiao Feng, leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Qiuqiu's eyes lit up, and she turned to Meteor and said, "Okay, how about this: if you call me big sis, I'll take you to my house to see some soul beasts. Deal?"
"Soul beasts?"Meteor looked at her with curiosity.
"Yep! My family raises soul beasts—really, really big ones. Some even breathe fire!"
She held out her arms wide to show how huge they were.
"Big sis."
Meteor didn't even hesitate.
It's not that he was easy to please—far from it. He'd seen all sorts of strange creatures on his way into this world, even actual star gods. But the soul beasts he'd only read about in novels in his past life? That was something new. What was one little "big sis" in exchange for that? It's not like it cost him anything, and he was technically younger than her, right? Meteor shamelessly told himself. As for dignity...what dignity?
Luan Yu watched as her two little brats surrendered without even putting up a fight. She shook her head helplessly. Seriously, so easy to win over.
Nan Shuishui chuckled softly and looked at Luan Yu. "I'm Nan Shuishui, head of the Earth Dragon Sect. You don't look like you're from Dragon City, are you?"
Both women looked to be in their thirties, and who knew who was older? Calling someone "little sister" was always safe—what woman doesn't like being called young?
Sure enough, Luan Yu beamed. "So you're Sister Nan! I've heard your name so many times around Dragon City. I'm from the Star Luo Empire, an eighth-level soul engineer. I came to Dragon City to find some rare metals in the Extreme North."
"Eighth-level soul engineer?"
Nan Shuishui's face shifted slightly. Even though she was a traditional soul master and had always looked down on the soul engineer profession, she had to admit—an eighth-level engineer wasn't just anybody.
Outside of the Sun Moon Empire, even the top engineers of the original three nations rarely reached that level. Being an eighth-level soul engineer meant at least Soul Sage level power, maybe even Soul Douluo. That put her on par with Shuishui.
She didn't doubt Luan Yu's claim about being from Star Luo either. Her accent gave it away, and besides, soul engineers from the Sun Moon Empire had all the rare metals they could ever want. No way would one come all this way to scavenge. Only engineers from the original three nations, who were less respected, would be struggling like this.
Still, she didn't look down on Luan Yu. Anyone who could become an eighth-level soul engineer in that kind of environment had to be seriously capable. Nan Shuishui may have been a traditional soul master, but she didn't reject soul tools. Her sect just went with the flow.
As the kids mingled, the two women shared a knowing smile. The little ones were having fun, and they were happy to watch from behind.
Meteor, on the other hand, was feeling very out of place. He had zero interest in playing with a bunch of kids. He was a man—a strong, dignified man! No way he was gonna join their little games. Meanwhile, Liuying had already blended right in, holding Nan Qiuqiu's hand and becoming besties in record time.
Nan Qiuqiu really liked this new "little sister" who called her big sis. Among her usual playmates—all kids from Earth Dragon Sect families—there were only a few boys who got to hang out with her. No girls. Not one.
Now she pointed at her little crew and said seriously, "From now on, Liuying is my sister. That makes her your Second Boss. Got it?"
The Earth Dragon Sect boys all looked super bummed. Calling a girl two years younger than them "Second Boss"? That was embarrassing as hell. But their Big Boss had spoken, and with her little devil personality, anyone who dared say no would be in for a world of pain.
So they could only force out a chorus: "Hello, Second Boss…"
Liuying found the whole thing hilarious and nodded happily.
Then Nan Qiuqiu pointed at Meteor. "And Meteor is gonna be my little brother, so you all have to call him... um, Second Bro Boss?"
"Pfft!"
Nan Shuishui and Luan Yu both covered their mouths, trying not to laugh out loud. These kids were too much.
Meteor's face turned green. "Second Bro Boss"? What kind of ridiculous name was that?! He quickly waved his hands. "Nope! Just call me Meteor, please!"
"Second Bro Boss"—what the hell kind of name was that? If people actually started calling him that, he'd die of second-hand embarrassment. You really couldn't expect a six-year-old girl to have any kind of naming skills.
Liuying couldn't stop giggling at Meteor's reaction. This was fun. So this was what a new life looked like. A fresh start. She was really starting to look forward to the future.
The Earth Dragon Sect boys looked at each other, then back at Nan Qiuqiu. She hesitated too—maybe even she thought "Second Bro Boss" sounded terrible. Finally, she waved her hand. "Forget it, just call him whatever."
Meteor and the Earth Dragon boys all let out a huge sigh of relief. That was a close one. Social death barely avoided.
Luan Yu tried to stifle a laugh and said to Nan Shuishui, "Your kid is something else, seriously."
Nan Shuishui just shook her head with a wry smile. Her little troublemaker—there was no controlling her. Barely a kid, and she'd already got a bunch of boys wrapped around her finger, all calling her "Big Boss." What was she gonna do when she grew up? Who'd dare marry her?
As the two women watched the group of kids messing around together, Luan Yu seemed to think of something and said, "Sister Nan, I know it's a bit of an ask, but... I wonder if I could trouble you for a favor."
She shamelessly referred to herself as the younger sister, completely ignoring the fact that she was a ninth-level soul engineer. But hey, she did use some "pills" to reach Titled Douluo rank faster, and honestly, she might really be younger than Nan Shuishui after all.
"....."