Douluo Dragon King: My Martial Soul is Kamen Rider!

Moonlight bathed the dirt road outside Donghai City, casting a soft glow. Ya Li held Na'er's hand, with Zhou Yang beside them, their steps slow and deliberate, avoiding the roadside weeds. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, all that remained were the chirping of insects and the gentle sound of the sea breeze.

After walking for about 15 minutes, a small courtyard surrounded by a wooden fence quietly nestled among the green trees came into view. It had no luxurious decorations, but every detail showed care and attention to detail.

The fence is filled with various plants, with roses and jasmine climbing all over the courtyard wall, all neatly tended. When the wind blows, the fragrance of grass and trees mixed with the faint scent of flowers wafts over. The house looks a bit old, but it retains a sense of life and is full of warmth. It is a place that has been carefully taken care of for a long time.

"We've arrived. This is our accommodation in Donghai City. It's not big, but it's quiet." Ya Li pushed open the wooden fence, turned around and smiled gently at Zhou Yang. Her tone was calm and without any formality. "You'll stay here temporarily until Donghai Academy starts. Don't feel constrained."

Na'er followed beside her, clutching Ya Li's clothes with her little hands. She would occasionally glare at Zhou Yang, her little mouth slightly pouting, her face full of dissatisfaction. However, she didn't say anything and just obediently followed Ya Li into the room.

The interior is clean and tidy, very well maintained. The simple decorations paired with the pure white paint create a white painting that is quite comfortable to look at.

Ya Li simply smiled and led Zhou Yang to a bedroom door, gently pushing it open: "This room has been empty for a while. I've cleaned it up, so you can stay here."

As Zhou Yang stepped inside, he was instantly enveloped by a gentle atmosphere, and a strong sense of familiarity welled up within him, as if it weren't the first time he had stepped into this place. The room was brightly lit, with light beige walls, light wood floors, a neat and soft bed, and a desk by the window. The overall atmosphere was bright and refreshing, simply yet comfortably furnished, remarkably similar to his bedroom at home, sharing the same sense of relaxation. He fell in love with it almost at first sight.

But hidden within this comfort was a particularly jarring place. Against the west wall of the room stood a completely transparent glass cabinet, filled with a number of strange and unusual devices. Unlike the heavy soul tools commonly found in Douluo Continent, these devices exuded a strong sense of technology, with sharp edges and intricate structures. At first glance, they bore an uncanny resemblance to the armored watch and knight's belt at his waist, arousing one's curiosity.

What Zhou Yang cared about even more was that the style of this room was completely different from the cozy pastoral style of the courtyard. It seemed to be specially designed for someone, exuding a sense of exclusivity.

"How is it? Do you like it here?" Yali stood at the door, her gaze falling on the glass cabinet. Her eyes instantly became complicated, her usual gentle smile gone, replaced by a faint sadness and a deep longing in her eyes, as if she were seeing someone important who had long since passed away through the cabinet.

"I really like it, thank you, Senior Yali." Zhou Yang nodded sincerely, his gaze involuntarily turning to the glass cabinet again. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked softly, "But Senior, these things in the cabinet look very special, are they... soul tools?"

Upon hearing this, Yali stiffened slightly, remained silent for a few seconds, and did not answer his question. She simply shook her head gently, her voice as light as a breeze: "It's nothing, just some old stuff. You must be tired from your journey, so get some rest. Call me anytime if you need anything." After saying that, she turned and left the room. The moment she closed the door, the sadness in her eyes deepened.

Seeing this, Zhou Yang wisely refrained from asking any further questions. He always knew his limits and wouldn't press others about things they didn't want to talk about. Even though he was curious about the things in the cabinet, he didn't reach out to touch or rummage through them. He simply put down his belongings and quietly looked around the room.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Na'er looked at the tightly closed door, her dissatisfaction deepening. Her little brows were furrowed, her heart filled with grievance and confusion. This room existed before Ya Li found and adopted her, and Ya Li had always treasured it, not allowing anyone to approach it, let alone live in it.

Na'er knew from a young age that the things in the glass cabinet were not to be touched. Even a speck of dust would make Ya Li extremely nervous. If they were actually damaged, even the gentle Ya Li would instantly become as terrifying as a demon.

Yali rarely opens this room on weekdays, only going in when she's cleaning. Occasionally, she can be seen sitting alone on the edge of the bed, sometimes for most of the day, quietly gazing out the window with a vacant and sorrowful look in her eyes, clearly missing someone.

Na'er didn't know who that person was, but based on her intuition from her half-silver dragon king body, she was certain that he must be a bad man, otherwise he wouldn't have made Teacher Yali sad for so long.

But now, this room, which even she had to be wary of and which Ya Li had treasured for many years, was given directly to a stranger she had just met. This kind of special treatment was something that even Ya Li's half-daughter, who had been with her for many years, had never received. How could she not be angry?

Completely unaware of this, Zhou Yang only felt that the room was decorated in a way that was pleasing to the eye and so comfortable that he felt like he was back home. He even secretly thought that it would be a very pleasant thing to live in such an environment in the future. He was completely unaware of the special treatment he was receiving.

After settling his luggage, Zhou Yang prepared to wash up and rest. As soon as he reached the bathroom door, he found that Ya Li had already prepared all the toiletries in great detail. Somewhat surprisingly, the toiletries were quite to his liking.

Zhou Yang didn't think much of it. When he finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, he found that his dirty clothes had been taken away, along with the soul tool containing the clothes.

At a glance, he saw a brand new blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt and trousers folded in a basket by the door. The fabric was soft and skin-friendly, and when he got closer, it had a light lavender scent after being washed and dried. Apart from being a little too big, the style was quite to his liking.

As for the soul tool he used to store his clothes, it was nowhere to be found; without these, he would have no clothes to wear.

Zhou Yang didn't have the habit of running around naked like Hino Eiji. Although he sensed something was wrong, he had no choice but to change into those clothes.

Everything was so natural that Zhou Yang felt uneasy.

Fear—this was the first time Zhou Yang had this thought since awakening his martial spirit.

Compared to the terrifying enemy, this excessively natural warmth gave him a strange feeling that something incredibly heavy was hidden behind it all.

Fortunately, he quickly realized that Tang Ziran's family had shown genuine kindness, and he slowly relaxed, secretly comforting himself: he must have been overthinking it. Senior Yali was a gentle and kind person, and her kindness to him was probably just out of simple enthusiasm.

He recalled Ya Li's experience in the original story, how she overdraws her soul power to save ordinary people and loses her ability to have children forever, and a feeling of sympathy arose in his heart.

These behaviors are probably all due to Yali's compensatory psychology, which is why she likes to take care of people.

Thinking about all this, it all seems to make sense.

After all, Yali couldn't possibly be trying to train him, could she?

Alas, she was a mother who lost the chance to become a mother; it was this chaotic world that ruined her.

Back in his room, he saw his storage soul tool, opened it and checked it. Nothing inside had been touched, and everything was still there. His dirty clothes that he had changed out of were nowhere to be found; Yali must have taken them to help him wash them.

Just as Zhou Yang finished tidying his clothes, Ya Li walked to the door. When she saw him dressed, her eyes widened in surprise, and she froze on the spot, her gaze fixed on Zhou Yang. A sense of déjà vu instantly overwhelmed her, and the image slowly overlapped with the one in her memory.

However, she quickly composed herself, regaining her usual gentle demeanor, and said with a smile, "Alright, you should get some rest. I'll take Na'er to wash up too."

In the bathroom, the warm water was gurgling. Na'er rubbed her hands together and couldn't help but look up at Ya Li, asking softly, "Teacher, who is that room prepared for? Why are you so nice to Zhou Yang, even nicer to me?"

Yali was gently and patiently drying Na'er's hair. When she heard Na'er's question, she paused, her voice tinged with a hint of suppressed sadness: "That was once the room of someone very important to the teacher, but he's no longer here."

The tone shifted abruptly, and Ya Li's smile returned, tinged with a hint of teasing. She said, "As for Zhou Yang, when I saw him, I wanted to take extra care of him. It's not easy for him being all alone out there."

Although the change was rapid, Na'er still sensed the sadness in Ya Li's words. She didn't ask any more questions, obediently shut her mouth, and let Ya Li take care of everything for her.

After washing up, the two walked out of the bathroom. The living room was quiet and still. Ya Li led Na'er quietly to Zhou Yang's room and peeked through a crack in the door. They saw that Zhou Yang was already fast asleep in bed, his brows slightly relaxed. He was sleeping soundly and even drooling slightly. He looked less composed than usual and more childish, which was rather inappropriate.

Seeing him like this, Na'er couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Just as she was about to wake him, Ya Li gently pulled her back, shook her head, and gestured for her not to disturb his rest. The two quietly closed the door, slipped away, and went back to their respective rooms to rest.