Chapter 3: Past and Present Lives 

Late at night.

On a bed in the orphanage, Jing Shaoyu lay asleep, his face pale, his small body twisting uncomfortably as if he were trapped in a nightmare, pursued by something terrifying.

His forehead was damp with sweat, and suddenly, his eyes snapped open, his pupils dilating wildly. He bolted upright, his breaths coming in short gasps.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Na'er, lying beside him, was awakened by his movements. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked drowsily.

"It's nothing, just a dream." Jing Shaoyu turned to the little girl beside him, gently helping her lie back down, then lay back himself. "Go back to sleep; it's fine now."

"Oh." She mumbled softly, hugging him as she closed her eyes, soon drifting back to sleep.

Listening to Na'er's gentle breathing, Jing Shaoyu, however, couldn't fall back asleep.

"Who am I?" He stared up into the dark, his mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts. "Am I Jing Shaoyu? Or… someone else?"

He lay there, his gaze empty, lost in a haze of confusion that clouded his mind and wore on his spirit. Unknowingly, he slipped into unconsciousness—whether he fell asleep or fainted, he wasn't sure.

The next morning, Jing Shaoyu awoke to Na'er's cheerful voice calling him. The first thing he did was pat his body and feel his head. Confirming he was still intact, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Big Brother, what are you doing?" Na'er asked curiously, her large eyes filled with confusion.

"It's nothing." Jing Shaoyu flashed a sincere, happy smile at her. "Come on, let's go wash up."

"Okay!" Na'er nodded, sensing something a bit different about him today, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Is this heaven's punishment for me?" Jing Shaoyu thought as he led Na'er to the washroom, his head down and his eyes distant. Deep inside, he was screaming with frustration. "Why did I reincarnate? And why couldn't it be in a more exciting world? Why Douluo Continent of all places? And not just Douluo—this version, warped into the Tang Family's playground. Am I really that unlucky?!"

Jing Shaoyu felt utterly helpless.

Sometimes, regaining memories of a past life was more a burden than a blessing. It made you aware of things that stripped away the mystery and wonder, leaving you with a sense of hopelessness—just like Jing Shaoyu.

After waking up that morning, he realized where he was and understood what lay in store for this world. He knew without a doubt that he was already entangled in the grand scheme devised by the "selfless, righteous" God King Tang, a millennium-long plan. After all, the "Tang Family's Douluo Continent" wasn't famous for nothing.

Now, he could only hope that his spirit awakening wouldn't be disappointing, so he might at least have the ability to protect Director Jing Ziyuan and Aunt Lin Xin in the future.

But his gaze drifted unconsciously to the little girl beside him. Sensing his look, Na'er turned and beamed at him, her innocent face lighting up as she called out sweetly, "Big Brother, what is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to look at my adorable Na'er," Jing Shaoyu said with a smile.

"Heehee, Na'er also wants to look at her adorable Big Brother!" she replied with a giggle.

"Ugh…" Jing Shaoyu's face darkened slightly at being called "adorable." Helpless, he corrected her, "Na'er, Big Brother is a boy. Boys aren't 'adorable'; they're supposed to be 'handsome.'"

"Heehee, alright, Na'er understands," she answered obediently.

Is Na'er the Silver Dragon King's split personality? But how did he happen to find and bring her back? And what about Tang Wulin? Or is there some twist ahead, something that will drive Na'er away from the orphanage, leading her to Tang Wulin?

The questions left Jing Shaoyu frustrated and weary.

It wasn't that he was overthinking—this was, after all, the Tang Family's Douluo Continent. You could never predict the lengths they'd go to achieve their goals. The God King Tang had once used his own daughter as a pawn; how could he hesitate to manipulate small characters like them?

Reaching the washroom, Jing Shaoyu brushed his teeth and washed his face, waiting as Na'er did the same. He then took up the wooden comb from the sink and began combing her hair.

There was no denying it: combing a girl's hair was one way to earn her goodwill. For the past six months, Jing Shaoyu had been helping Na'er with her hair every morning, a quiet routine they both enjoyed.

By the time he had arranged her silver hair, Jing Ziyuan arrived to call them for breakfast.

Breakfast at the orphanage was simple: one egg each, along with buns and rice porridge—enough to fill them up.

Looking at his peeled egg, Jing Shaoyu felt a wave of disillusionment. Did the Douluo Continent even have egg-laying chickens? What if these chickens mutated, maybe developing some "evil fire" ability, and ended up evolving into phoenixes? Ha.

"A-Yu, what are you smiling about while staring at your egg?" Jing Ziyuan asked, noticing his amused expression.

"Mom, where did this egg come from?" Jing Shaoyu asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"From a chicken, of course," Jing Ziyuan replied, slightly puzzled. Realizing what he was hinting at, she added, "Our eggs are provided by the administrative office, a benefit for public servants. They come from White-Feathered Chickens raised for ten years, which are more nutritious than regular eggs."

"A ten-year White-Feathered Chicken? So it's a soul beast?" Jing Shaoyu's eyes brightened as he pressed further.

"More or less, though most White-Feathered Chickens don't live that long." Jing Ziyuan laughed. "Alright, hurry up and eat. When you're done, we'll go awaken your spirit."

"Okay!" At the mention of his spirit awakening, Jing Shaoyu forgot all about the egg and focused on his breakfast with eager anticipation.

"Mom, can I go with Big Brother?" Na'er asked with wide, hopeful eyes, looking at Jing Ziyuan.

"No, Na'er has to stay here with Aunt Lin Xin." Jing Ziyuan firmly rejected her request.

"But why?!" Na'er pouted, glaring at Jing Ziyuan. "Mom, you're being unfair!"

Despite her protests, Jing Ziyuan's decision remained unchanged. Even after breakfast, Na'er clung to Jing Shaoyu's sleeve, refusing to let him go.

"Na'er, don't be mad," Jing Shaoyu coaxed her gently. "When I come back, I'll bring you a candied hawthorn. How about that?"

"No!" Na'er declined, her big eyes brimming with an adorable pout that left Jing Shaoyu helpless. Ever since Na'er had joined the orphanage, he'd had zero resistance to her pleading gaze, and that hadn't changed.

However, Jing Ziyuan was not as easily swayed. She brought a bicycle from the courtyard, set it beside Jing Shaoyu, then picked up the reluctant Na'er and handed her to Aunt Lin Xin.

"A-Yu, hop on. Let's go." Jing Ziyuan tapped the side of the bicycle to snap him out of his daze.

"Oh, right!" Jing Shaoyu shook himself from his thoughts, quickly agreeing and sitting on the back seat.

Yes, a bicycle—he was actually seeing a bicycle here, on Douluo Continent! This was almost surreal.

But thinking about it, if this era had cars and trains, perhaps having bicycles wasn't so strange after all?

With Jing Shaoyu on the back, Jing Ziyuan pedaled out of the orphanage gates. He turned to see Aunt Lin Xin holding Na'er at the entrance, waving goodbye.

"Na'er, don't worry! I'll bring you back some candied hawthorn!" Jing Shaoyu shouted, waving back.