Douluo Dalu: The Abandoned Child

That next week was a difficult one, especially for Dugu Bo, who spent the entire first day persuading Dugu Xin to leave with Bei. By the end of the day, he succeeded, though it was evident that Dugu Xin's heart remained heavy. The rest of the week, Dugu Xin set aside his usual training with Liu Erlong to spend every possible moment with his daughter.

The day before their departure began in chaos for Dugu Bei. A sudden attack startled him awake, followed by a sharp pain on his forehead. He groaned, muttering, "Fuck!" Though the impact wasn't severe, it successfully woke him up. Rubbing his eyes, Bei scanned the room, his gaze landing on the object responsible: a small toy.

Standing a few feet away was an angry little girl, his cousin, Dugu Yan. Her arms were crossed, and her expression was one of pure indignation.

"I hate you!" she shouted. "You're stealing my daddy!"

Bei sighed, his dizziness making him even less inclined to deal with a tantrum. Yet, he knew ignoring her wasn't an option. Forcing himself upright, he gave her a soft smile.

"Come here, Little Snake," he said gently.

Dugu Yan hesitated, her lip quivering. But after a moment, she shuffled closer, clutching the edge of his blanket. Bei pulled her into a hug, speaking softly.

"I'm not stealing your daddy, little one. I'm just borrowing him for a while so he can train. There are bad people in the world, and he wants to be strong enough to protect you and everyone he loves. Your dad is coming with me because he wants to be a hero for you. But don't worry; he will come back. I promise."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "You promise?" she whispered.

Bei nodded solemnly. "I promise, Little Snake."

Satisfied, Dugu Yan wiped her tears and declared, "Okay, but you better bring him back!" Then, she turned and scampered out of the room. Bei flopped back onto his bed, but sleep eluded him. With a resigned sigh, he decided to head to breakfast.

When Bei entered the dining hall, he was greeted with laughter. Dugu Bo smirked as he set down his chopsticks.

"Late as usual, lazy brat," Dugu Bo teased. "We had to send Xiao Yan to wake you up. Should I send her every morning?"

Bei shot back with a grin. "Careful, Grandpa. You're old enough to need her help just to stand up."

The room erupted in laughter as Dugu Bo playfully scowled. Liu Erlong chuckled and leaned back in her chair.

"Speaking of responsibility, Bei," she said, smirking. "Are you sure you're ready for this journey? Or should we give you a few more days to laze around?"

Bei ignored her and turned to Dugu Xin. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Dugu Xin nodded but glanced at his daughter with a pained expression. Dugu Yan, sitting beside him, placed her tiny hand on his arm and said confidently, "It's okay, Daddy. Cousin Bei promised to bring you back to me."

The sincerity in her voice brought a moment of silence to the table. Dugu Xin ruffled her hair, smiling gratefully at Bei.

The rest of breakfast was lively, but when it was about to finish, Dugu Yan suddenly spoke up. "Daddy, I learned a new word today!"

Dugu Xin's eyes lit up. "Really? So early in the morning, and you're already learning? My little genius. What word did you learn?"

Bei's heart sank. A bad feeling crept over him as Dugu Yan's innocent smile widened.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed proudly.

The room froze. All eyes turned to Bei, who was suddenly very interested in a spot on the wall. Dugu Xin's face darkened as he glared at his nephew.

"Run," he said under his breath. Then, louder, "Run!"

Bei bolted from the room as laughter and outrage erupted behind him.

The next morning, the group gathered at the gates of the Asura Academy. Bei arrived showing a fresh black eye. Dugu Bo was especially hard against him last night while they were training.

"Nice look," Liu Erlong smirked. "Didn't know you were a fan of one-eyed pandas."

Bei just crossed his arms. "Ha ha, very funny"

Before she could say something else, Dugu Xin arrived with his belongings. He looked ready but glanced back at the academy, his eyes lingering on Dugu Yan, who waved energetically from Dugu Bo's arms.

"Take care of her, Dad," Dugu Xin said, his voice thick with emotion.

Dugu Bo nodded. "I will. Don't worry about her, focus on your training. And Bei," he added, "if you come back with more bad habits, I'll make sure you regret it."

Bei laughed but nodded earnestly. "Copy, Grandpa."

With that, the group departed. As they walked away, Bei looked back at the academy gates for a second, but then he continued walking without looking back. Vast Sea City awaited them.