Even though Bai Ting found that little brat annoying, she had no choice but to take him along.
“Let’s go!”
“Mm.” Qiao Shan responded weakly.
He agreed, sure, but he never once looked at Bai Ting.
His attention was entirely fixed on Bai Ling, like a venomous snake staring down its prey, completely still.
That ‘pure’ gaze made Bai Ling blush uncontrollably.
She took a step back and hid behind Bai Ting.
Bai Ting knew her sister was timid by nature, and she also knew that now was the time to act like a proper big sister.
“Follow me.” With that, Bai Ting grabbed Bai Ling’s hand and led her away.
Qiao Shan watched as the beauty across from him was taken away hand-in-hand, and the jealousy in his heart was practically boiling over.
He wished it was his hand holding hers, not that damn third wheel’s.
Yeah, in his mind, Bai Ling was already his.
So anyone who got in the way of him building a relationship with her was an enemy, a third wheel.
Naturally, he wasn’t in a good mood.
But thinking it over, he still needed that third wheel to introduce him.
After all, she was Bai Ling’s sister.
If he pissed her off and she stopped letting Bai Ling hang out with him, then what? So he had no choice but to suck it up and try to get along with Bai Ling while dealing with the annoying sister.
Once they were outside, Bai Ting kept holding Bai Ling’s hand as they walked.
Bai Ling looked like a guest, and Bai Ting was the enthusiastic host showing her around.
Qiao Shan kept chattering away beside them, talking non-stop to Bai Ling.
Stuck between the two of them, Bai Ling felt like her head was about to explode.
On one side was her sister—if she didn’t respond, who knew when she’d get dragged into the ‘little black room’ for some ‘loving punishment.’ On the other side was a guest—being cold to him wouldn’t be polite either.
So she had no choice but to tough it out, even though she really just wanted to run away.
The two beside her kept talking, and finally, Bai Ting couldn’t take the little third wheel anymore.
She snapped, “Can you shut up already? Can’t you see my sister’s getting annoyed? And no one’s gonna think you’re mute if you stop talking.”
Back at home, Bai Ting had to play the obedient daughter, but now that they were out, her true personality came out easily.
Anyone who dared to lay a finger on Bai Ling? She wasn’t going to be nice to them.
“Oh please, if you hadn’t been yapping nonstop, would Bai Ling even have that expression? And besides, I’m a guest right now.
Is this how you treat guests? Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back and tell on you?” Qiao Shan wasn’t backing down at all and went full brat mode.
Hearing him bring up the elders at home to pressure her, Bai Ting was fuming, but she didn’t dare say more.
If this guy really went and tattled, all the good-girl image she’d built up in front of their parents would be ruined.
With a cold snort, Bai Ting turned to Bai Ling and said, “Let’s go.
Ignore him.” She was full-on sulking now.
“That’s not really nice,” Bai Ling said, not having the same temper as her sister.
“Let’s all go together.” The first part was to Bai Ting, the second directly to Qiao Shan.
Qiao Shan immediately lit up and happily trotted after them.
Bai Ting looked at him with pure disgust.
She hated the guy, but since Bai Ling had spoken up, she let it go.
Still, she couldn’t help but grumble, “Fine, you can come, but shut your mouth.
Otherwise, don’t bother following us.” Qiao Shan didn’t care at all about what Bai Ting said and just ignored her completely.
Meanwhile, the adults who had sent the kids off were discussing serious matters.
“Brother Bai Mo, the members of the Evil Temple hiding in various countries have started moving again.
And there’ve been frequent magical beast rampages in the Magic Beast Forest.
We’ve sent people to investigate, but there haven’t been any clear results,” Qiao Yun said, sitting on the sofa with a serious tone.
There was even a cold glint in his eyes.
Bai Mo sat silently, his face dark.
Clearly, this wasn’t good news for him either.
Seeing Bai Mo stay quiet, Qiao Yun continued, “So the higher-ups have decided to change the admission policy for the Magic Academy.
Kids with magical potential who can’t afford tuition will now be allowed to study for free.
One, so they can better protect themselves.
Two, to bring fresh blood into the country.
Of course, whether they choose to join the military afterward is up to them.
We won’t force them.
We’ll respect their decision.” Qiao Yun kept his eyes on Bai Mo, watching his expression.
Ever since Bai Mo retired, he rarely got involved in these matters.
Everything had been handed over to his second-in-command at the time—Qiao Yun.
But now, Qiao Yun really wanted to know what this former leader of the Magic Combat Unit thought about all this.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.
So what’s your plan?” Bai Mo had been staring at his teacup ever since he heard about the Evil Temple’s new movements.
“We plan to search each country for kids with potential and protect them as they enroll.
But if they refuse, that’s another matter.”
“Mm, that’s not a bad approach either.” Bai Mo agreed with the plan.
After all, if a country couldn’t even bring in fresh blood, it had no future.
“You didn’t come here today just to tell me this, did you?” Bai Mo knew Qiao Yun wouldn’t have come all this way just to deliver a message.
He was retired—he didn’t need to make decisions anymore.
It’s not like the country’s leadership was dead.
So clearly, Qiao Yun had something else to say.
Otherwise, he could’ve handled all this himself.
The leader of the Magic Combat Unit wasn’t just an empty title—every member of that team was a force to be reckoned with.
Qiao Yun gave a sheepish smile, not denying it.
That meant Bai Mo was right.
So he didn’t bother hiding it anymore and got straight to the point.
“I think your eldest daughter has a lot of magical talent, and she’s already old enough to enroll, so…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to.
He knew Bai Mo would understand.
Sure enough, Bai Mo’s face darkened even more.
But he also knew how serious this was, so he couldn’t say anything against it.
He just said in a low voice, “Let me think about it.”
Qiao Yun knew this wasn’t something you could force.
No parent would take this lightly.
They all knew how serious it was, so they were extra cautious.
It took over ten minutes before Bai Mo finally let out a soft sigh.
Even though he was retired, he could still do his part for the country when needed.
He had been a commoner once, climbing to his position through sheer effort.
To say he had no emotional attachment would be a lie.
No one knew that during those ten minutes, he had been fighting an intense internal battle.
Sending his beloved daughter to a place where her life could be in danger at any moment—he really didn’t want to.
He had chosen to retire and live in this remote place so his family could live peacefully, away from the destruction of war.
But now the country was in trouble again.
To say he didn’t want to help would also be a lie.
Everyone has a patriotic heart, and he was no exception—maybe even more so.
So when those two conflicting thoughts clashed, it was like a storm in his heart.
In the end, he comforted himself with the excuse, “It’s just school.
It’s not like it’s a life-or-death situation yet.”
Seeing Bai Mo sigh, Qiao Yun knew there was hope.
He didn’t know what kind of struggle Bai Mo had gone through in those ten minutes, but he didn’t care.
“You’re agreeing?” He got so excited he accidentally used the respectful title they used back in the unit.
Seeing how worked up he was, Bai Mo said helplessly, “What choice do I have? This is a national matter.
One more person means one more bit of strength.”
