Unstable Element

In an instant, the air pressure around them seemed to drop. As the saying goes, some rejoice while others worry—and for Sui Ming, it was both.

The joy was from successfully scamming a huge pile of money.
The worry was that the casino’s enforcers seemed to have locked onto him.

After handing over sixty-five chips to the middle-aged man who had helped him, Sui Ming immediately cashed out the rest and bolted for the door.

He knew all too well the shady nature of these casinos. They wouldn’t touch you in front of other customers, sure—but stabbing you in the back? Absolutely on the table.

So why wait? Run now!

And just as Sui Ming was about to initiate his grand escape, the middle-aged man fondly looked down at the chips he hadn’t expected to gain and chuckled,
“If I were still here, nothing would’ve happened to the boy.”

“What an interesting kid…” murmured Heikale.

“Bai Ling, RUN! The debt collectors are coming!!”

Sui Ming kicked open the door, grabbed Bai Ling’s hand, and sprinted as fast as a jet plane.

“Did you lose your dignity and bet it away or something?!”

“No—Where did you even get that idea?!”

When Sui Ming glanced back, sure enough, several thugs with iron rods were in hot pursuit.

“There he is! After him!”

“I pulled out their cheating core—of course they’ll want to kill me!”

Panicking, Sui Ming pulled out the blue card—the Gude Bank black card. Even the well-informed Bai Ling was stunned at its value.

“Wait, wait, wait… that’s ten thousand—ten thousand Fal?! Did you sell someone?! That’s so much money!!”

“Forget about that right now. Priority is getting out of here alive with the money! I’m already on my way to becoming a five-star wanted criminal!”

So said Sui Ming—the man already worth a 100 million Fal bounty.

Thus began the classic cat-and-mouse chase.

Despite both being rather powerful individuals, for some reason they were running like mad from a bunch of dumb muscle-heads.

“Huff… Sui Ming… Why… are we even running?” asked Bai Ling mid-sprint.

“Huh? Because obeying the law is every imperial citizen’s duty—we can’t break the rules…”

“You’re the Empire’s most wanted fugitive, ranked Level One. Why do you care about the rules anymore?!”

“You’re right, screw it!”

Suddenly, Bai Ling spun on her heels and charged straight at the thugs swinging iron rods.

“Yeah! What am I doing obeying the law when I’m already wanted?! Screw you all—let’s fight!”

Back in the 21st century, Sui Ming was an elite youth—and a professional assassin, no less. He wasn’t about to take this lying down.

He metaphorically rolled up his sleeves and joined the fray.

From a nearby alley came screams of agony. Miserable howls echoed like wails from hell, sending shivers down the spines of all who heard them.
Anyone passing by might have assumed some sinister black-market deal was going down.

Though in truth, plenty of people saw exactly what happened.

Eventually, a filthy figure staggered out of the alley.

Sui Ming glanced up and noticed the way people were staring at him. Without hesitation, he grabbed Bai Ling’s hand and quickly fled the scene.

…But of course, that’s not how it looked to everyone else.

From beneath Bai Ling’s slightly dirt-streaked black cloak, a few pure-white strands of hair peeked out. Her small, delicate figure was hard to ignore.

To bystanders, it looked exactly like a disheveled white-haired man dragging off a little girl.

Tomorrow’s headline would probably read:
[White-Haired Pervert Caught Abducting Loli]

Unbeknownst to Sui Ming, his already battered reputation took another hit.

Back at the Xi family residence—

“Young master… what’s this now?”

Uncle Ai looked slightly puzzled, eyeing the small girl Sui Ming had brought home.

Bai Ling, half-hiding behind Sui Ming’s back, trembled slightly. Her pale cheeks were tinted with a deep red.

This was her first time showing her true form in front of someone else.

(Sui Ming didn’t count. He was a weirdo.)

“As you can see,” said Sui Ming, rubbing Bai Ling’s white hair, “I hired a new bodyguard.”

Bai Ling blushed even harder.

“Uh… Young Master, may I speak with you in private?”

Inside the kitchen—

“Young Master, do you know the true identity of that girl?”

For once, Ai wore a serious expression—he clearly feared the girl sitting innocently at the dining table.

“She’s just a baby dragon, right? What’s the big deal? Isn’t that common or something?”

Ai didn’t even question how this “former genius” didn’t know about dragons. He began explaining calmly:

“Young Master, perhaps you’re unaware, but on the continent of Tanggrelia, the terror of dragons is not mere myth.”

“Even a newborn dragon can reach [Mortal Dust] Tier 2. And that’s without receiving the proper Baptism.”

“As for adult dragons—their scales are tougher than [True Manifestation]-level magic, and their fire breath can annihilate entire armies.”

“They’re one of the most powerful species in terms of individual combat strength across the entire continent.”

“The only reason they haven’t conquered the world is their abysmal birth rate. Otherwise… I can’t think of anything that could stop them.”

“And your little friend is no ordinary dragon. She’s a pure-blooded Silver Dragon. And not just that—her bloodline concentration is extremely high.”

“To reach Mortal Dust Tier 4 without even being Baptized… that’s no ordinary dragon.”

“To place such an unstable element at your side… Young Master, are you truly at ease?”

“If you accidentally offend her… do you have the power to bear the wrath of the dragon race?”

“They’re known across the continent for their extreme protectiveness.”

“If I really do offend her,” said Sui Ming, his eyes clear and firm, “then I’ll accept whatever consequences come.”

“But I can’t just watch a child crawl alone through the mud of this cruel world.”

“Childhood should be the happiest time in a person’s life. I don’t want her to be exposed to the world’s ugliness so soon.”

“No matter what kind of city-destroying dragon she may become in the future… right now, she’s just a hungry, helpless little girl to me.”

Ai stared at him for a long moment… then smiled.
“If the Young Master has made up his mind, then I’ve nothing more to say. I’ll respect your wishes.”

Behind the wall, unseen by either of them—

The white-haired girl was already crying uncontrollably.

Pearl-like tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall.

But not even those tears could hide the chaotic tide of emotions churning in her heart.

“In this world… are there really people… this kind?”