After much effort, almost wearing out his lips,
he finally managed to stop the little girl from crying.
But now she clung to Dongfang Jing's neck like a koala,refusing to let go no matter what he said.
The young man looked helpless, lifted his sister's bottom, and let her sit on his lap. Then he gently tapped her delicate cheek with his fingertips, a smile playing on his lips: "Yao'er, look what this is."
"Hmm?"
The girl felt an itch on her head, as if something furry had brushed past.
Dongfang Jing used his martial spirit to conjure a mirror, reflecting their images.
Now, Dongfang Yao finally saw the creature above her head and was overjoyed: "Wow! It's Little Squirrel!"
She reached out and grabbed it.
The squirrel immediately made a 'crunch' sound of dissatisfaction.
It tried to struggle and bit the girl's hand.
But under the silver-haired boy's sharp, cold gaze, it gave up resisting, letting Dongfang Yao knead and play with it.
Dongfang Jing nodded in satisfaction. He simply thought the squirrel was quite intelligent and had a pleasing appearance, posing no threat, which was why he decided to take it home as a pet.
He was worried his little girl would be bored alone, so he wanted to give her some company.
After all, he had embarked on the path of Soul Master cultivation,and he probably wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her as before. He ruffled his sister's hair: "There will be plenty of time to play with it later. Come on, do you remember what we promised?"
Hearing this, Dongfang Yao immediately slid off his lap, jumping for joy: "I remember! I remember! We're going to the city to play!"
"Okay, let's go, brother will take you, and we can bring the squirrel too."
"Yay~" The boy took his sister all day, exploring the commercial street and sampling many delicious snacks.
In the afterglow of the setting sun,
looking at his sister's pure and radiant smile, Dongfang Jing etched this scene firmly into his heart.
Entering Sunset Forest and risking everything to absorb a thousand-year-old soul ring was far too reckless.
Thankfully, he survived, but even now, thinking back, he still feels a lingering fear.
On their way back to the inn, the two passed a magnificent palace.
It was the Spirit Hall of Winchester City.
Only after they had walked a distance did Dongfang Yao quietly tug at the boy's sleeve: "Brother, will you join the Spirit Hall too?"
Because their parents were members of the Spirit Hall, she was curious whether her brother would choose the same path.
Dongfang Jing remained silent, simply shaking his head.
Dongfang Yao understood, and then pressed on: "Then brother, what level is your soul power now? Aren't you going to register with the Spirit Hall?"
Hearing this, Dongfang Jing looked at the little girl with considerable surprise: "You know all this?"
He knew his sister was clever and precocious.
But did she know too much?
Dongfang Yao huffed unconvinced: "Don't underestimate me, I know that as long as you register your soul master status with the Spirit Hall, you can receive gold soul coins every month!"
Oh, so she's a little money-grubber.
Dongfang Jing chuckled and put her index finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.
"I'll tell you when we get back."
"Okay."
After the two returned to the Seven Treasures Inn, Dongfang Jing locked the door from the inside. He then used his mirror image to pass through the walls on all sides to prevent eavesdropping.
Better safe than sorry.
However, when the mirror image reached the next room, the scene that flashed through his mind left him speechless.
A fat man was conducting a paid lesson with a heavily made-up woman.
Dongfang Yao didn't quite understand what her brother was doing.
Wait, why did she have another brother? And this brother could pass through walls?!
After waiting a while, seeing that Dongfang Jing hadn't opened his eyes, she tugged at his hand: "Brother, are you done?"
"Ah? Oh, right, this mirror image that looks exactly like me is an ability derived from my martial soul. I was just checking if there were any bad guys nearby."
"Oh, I see?"
"Yao'er, what do you think of the Spirit Hall?" Dongfang Jing asked seriously.
Dongfang Yao pondered for a moment, then, like a student answering a question, raised her right hand high: "The Spirit Hall will awaken spirits for all children, and will also provide subsidies to ordinary spirit masters. Becoming a member of the Spirit Hall offers very generous benefits, and they are also the mediators between the two great empires of Tian Dou and Xing Luo. Hmm, it should be pretty good, right?"
The little girl gave her answer hesitantly at the end.
She knew that her parents had joined the Spirit Hall.
Although they were low-level members, they were still able to provide for their family without worrying about food and clothing.
Even though her parents were gone, the Spirit Hall still awakened her brother's spirit for free, and in the future, they would also awaken her spirit.
Therefore, Dongfang Yao thought the Spirit Hall was very good.
If nothing unexpected happened, she might choose to join them when she grew up.
But judging from her brother's expression, he didn't seem to like the Spirit Hall?
"The Spirit Hall has indeed done a lot of practical things for the continent, especially for ordinary people and orphans like us, it's almost like giving us a second life," Dongfang Jing said calmly, revealing no emotion.
He subtly changed the subject: "But Yao'er, the world isn't black and white. No matter how great an organization is, when it possesses too much power and too much authority, it will inevitably breed another side."
Dongfang Yao was intelligent, but she lacked experience and could only see the surface of things.
So she listened attentively to her brother's words.
In her heart, nothing was as great as her brother.
"I once heard my father mention that the funds for the Soul Master subsidies actually came from the treasuries of the two great empires, with the Spirit Hall responsible for distributing and implementing them. This alone has allowed the Spirit Hall to accumulate immeasurable prestige in the hearts of countless Soul Masters—especially commoner Soul Masters."
"The empires provide the money, and the Spirit Hall gains the title. In the long run, the vast majority of talented Soul Masters will naturally be drawn to the Spirit Hall, making its power grow stronger day by day. As for the two great empires… seemingly holding a prestigious position, in reality, their Soul Master power is constantly being eroded, and their control over the grassroots is far inferior to that of the Spirit Hall."
He looked at his sister, his voice gentle yet carrying a hint of profound meaning: "Do you think this is a situation the empires want to see? Or is it that they actually have no other choice?"
Dongfang Yao blinked, seemingly understanding somewhat, but not entirely.
"Brother, you mean...the Empire is actually helpless too?"
"You could say that. The Spirit Hall's system is complete, penetrating every village; the Empire simply can't replace it. Moreover, the Spirit Hall's top-tier Soul Master power may even surpass that of the Empire."
He didn't continue, only ruffling his sister's hair: "These things are still far from us. You just need to know that neither the Spirit Hall nor the Empire is absolutely light or dark. The important thing is that we ourselves must understand the path we're on."
Dongfang Yao nodded, seemingly understanding,hugging the little squirrel in her arms tightly, as if digesting her brother's words.
Dongfang Jing looked at her innocent face, his eyes soft yet firm.
He wouldn't completely deny the Spirit Hall; after all, it had indeed brought hope to countless people.
But he was even more unwilling to let his sister only see the light others showed her.
This world is complex. The Spirit Hall has its goodness, but also its ever-expanding ambition the Empire has its helplessness, but also its arrogance and limitations.
And he, Dongfang Jing, would never allow his and his sister's future to be bound by either side's framework.
He was going to walk a path that belonged to him.
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(End of Chapter)