Chapter 6

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In a vast and desolate wilderness, the cold wind howled incessantly, and large snowflakes fell heavily, turning everything white as far as the eye could see.

Although the sun had not yet set, the forest was already quite dim under the heavy snowfall.

A barely visible path wound through the forest, almost indistinguishable under the thick layer of snow. At the end of this path, a faint light glowed, bringing a hint of warmth to the icy and snowy landscape.

The source of the light was the only mountain shrine in this vast forest.

Due to its remote location, the shrine had long been abandoned, with the outer gate and walls collapsed. Only the main hall, a dilapidated structure, stood alone.

The door of the main hall was long gone, and a tattered straw mat hung loosely over the doorway, barely shielding the wind and snow.

Through the holes in the straw mat, one could see inside the empty hall, where a tall young man in a green robe sat cross-legged. Despite sitting on the ground, his posture was exceptionally straight, but his face was expressionless, as lifeless as the broken clay statue of the deity behind him, rigid and dull.

The tall young man held a small, frail girl in his arms, who was the little fox demon, Liuer.

“Ugh...”

At that moment, a low moan came from the young man's arms.

Liuer's small head nudged against his arm, and her face, which had been buried in his chest, moved slightly, revealing her cheeks. Her usually delicate and lovely face was now flushed with illness. Even in her sleep, her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes rolled restlessly under her closed eyelids, as if she were having a terrifying nightmare.

“No... don’t... uh uh...”

With a murmur, Liuer's arms, which were wrapped around the young man's arm, tightened subconsciously.

Her leg, which had been tucked in, kicked out restlessly, and her body twisted, showing signs of discomfort. Her face, which had been partially exposed, was once again buried in the young man's chest.

The young man, who had been staring straight ahead, seemed to sense something and lowered his head to look at the girl in his arms. His expressionless eyes showed a hint of confusion, but mostly remained blank.

“Shi... ge... ge...”

Another indistinct murmur came from the young man's arms, like the buzzing of a fly, barely audible.

For some reason, perhaps due to the light, the young man's face seemed to soften slightly, and his previously hollow eyes gained a bit of brightness.

Without getting up, he shifted his position on the ground, using his body to block the cold wind that seeped in. He moved his arm slightly, pulling the girl's leg back into his embrace and holding her a bit tighter.

The girl's body moved and nudged against him a few times, her small head pressing into his chest. Her movements gradually slowed, and her breathing became steady.

Outside the hall, the sky had long since turned dark, and the wind and snow, which had been raging, gradually subsided.

...

On the waist of a hundred-meter-tall green mountain, at the entrance of a cave over three meters high, a tall young man stood with his back to the entrance.

Liuer stood behind him, one hand gripping the hem of his robe and the other hugging his leg, her small face peering out nervously, pale with tension.

A few dozen meters in front of them stood a massive gray bear, as tall as two adults, standing on its hind legs with its front paws raised.

The bear had a fearsome white horn on its head, and its blood-red mouth, with lips curled back, revealed sharp, white fangs. It growled menacingly, drooling a thin, foul-smelling saliva.

Even the tall young man, who was usually imposing, looked like a small child in comparison to the bear.

However, his face remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the bear, dark and lifeless.

The bear stared at the young man for a moment, then, for some reason, its face showed a hint of fear. It suddenly growled and took two steps back, lowered its front paws, and fled in a mad dash.

Seeing this, Liuer's expression relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief. Then, she scratched her head in confusion, walked around to the front of the young man, and looked up at him.

She stared at his expressionless face for a long time but saw no change, and a look of disappointment crossed her face.

“Brother Shi, I know you're not an ordinary person, but it's a pity you can't speak. If you could, you could talk to Liuer. Sigh...” Liuer sighed like a little adult, took the young man's large hand, and turned to walk back into the cave.

The young man said nothing, but his gaze fell on the small, white hand of the girl holding his, and he followed her into the cave.

...

On a vast, unknown prairie, it was the height of spring, with new grass sprouting and the air filled with the fresh scent of greenery.

A girl of about eight or nine years old, holding a cluster of delicate yellow flowers, rode on the shoulders of a tall, robust young man, moving leisurely forward.

Compared to two years ago, the young man had not changed at all, still wearing the same green robe. However, Liuer had changed significantly.

The girl had grown taller, and her face had lost some of its childishness, revealing a rare gentleness and charm, clearly a beauty in the making, with the potential to be a great beauty in the future.

She skillfully wove the yellow flowers into a garland, humming a light and cheerful tune, her voice clear and melodious, like the chirping of a lark.

“Done!”

Before the song ended, Liuer stopped her hands, and a beautiful garland with tightly packed flowers was complete.

She held the garland in both hands, examined it from all angles, nodded in satisfaction, and then placed it carefully on the young man's head.

The garland fit perfectly, with the densest part of the flowers resting just above his forehead.

The tall young man seemed to notice, raised his hand to touch the garland, and then slowly withdrew it.

Liuer was used to the young man's lack of reaction and, seeing the green string around his neck, giggled and playfully reached out to grab it, pretending to lift it.

The young man, as if by instinct, grabbed the string and held the dark green pendant at the end, refusing to let go.

“Brother Shi, you're so stingy. You always do this. I just want to take a look...” Liuer pouted.

Although she said this, she was not really angry. Over the past two years, the young man had never spoken to her, and he rarely reacted to anything except for the pendant.

Because of this, Liuer would occasionally tease him with it.

...

Time passed quickly, and several more years went by.

A beautiful girl of about thirteen or fourteen, wearing a white dress, with long black hair reaching her waist, walked along a sandy road, her hands behind her back, and her feet in light pink boots.

Behind her followed a tall young man in a green robe, his expression wooden and his steps slow.

Their walking speeds were different, but the distance between them did not widen much.

Liuer, walking in front, saw a magnificent green city at the end of the road, with many people coming and going at the city gate, like tiny sparrows.

She frowned and stopped.

“Mingyuan City...” Liuer squinted and slowly said the name.

The tall young man walked up beside her and stopped, looking at the city in the distance.

“It looks like a large human city...” Liuer murmured, her expression uncertain.

In the past five years, to cure the young man's condition, they had visited some human towns, but they had never approached a city of this size.

“Brother Shi, if you get better, can you help Liuer take revenge?” Liuer looked up at the young man and whispered, not sure if she was asking him or herself.

The young man seemed to react, his gaze slowly returning from the distance to look at the girl, but he remained silent.

“What am I saying? Even if Brother Shi is very strong, how could he possibly defeat so many bad people from the Blood Knife Sect?” Liuer's expression turned gloomy, and tears began to fall, dripping into the sand.

At that moment, she felt a warm touch on her head. She looked up to see the young man gently stroking her head, his eyes unusually gentle.

For some reason, Liuer felt an overwhelming sense of security and a newfound courage, as if no difficulty could deter her.

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, grabbed the young man's large hand, and walked determinedly toward the city gate.