Chapter 48

Under the blue sky, white clouds drifted by, and a not-so-wide path extended to the horizon on the emerald green ground. The distant mountains were faintly visible, and the nearby fields were bustling with activity. In the Bing World, which was still at the second level of civilization, there was no pollution, and the pristine natural scenery made He Ping feel a sense of tranquility. Such scenes were rare in the forest of steel and concrete and the sea of cement and asphalt.

On this not-so-wide path, a small group was moving forward at a steady pace. Most of the group were soldiers riding war horses, wearing armor, and holding weapons. In the middle of the group, a carriage pulled by four horses was particularly eye-catching. The number of horses and the luxurious interior and exterior of the carriage indicated that the person inside was no ordinary individual. At least in the Qingyang territory, this person could walk around with a swagger.

Inside the carriage, He Ping, who had just retracted his gaze from the window, looked at Zhao Xiaoyue across from him, his eyes twitching slightly. During the days he spent in Zhao Zheng's camp, Zhao Zheng and the others could not always accompany He Ping. They had their own military duties to attend to, and the soldiers needed training. Only He Ping was a complete idler. Apart from him, there was another idler in the camp, and that was Zhao Xiaoyue.

Therefore, whenever he had time, he mostly spent it with Zhao Xiaoyue. Zhao Xiaoyue was very beautiful, and although she was still young, she was definitely a beauty with immense potential. Among the women He Ping had interacted with, Zhao Xiaoyue was definitely one of the top. He Ping had to admit this. Originally, being with such a young beauty, He Ping, who had experienced a long and tragic life in his previous life, was very satisfied. However, he underestimated the power of a girl's coquettishness at this age.

Zhao Xiaoyue was very smart, definitely not the kind of brat He Ping had seen in his previous life. She had a good sense of propriety, and although she was only in her teens, she already displayed the demeanor of a well-bred young lady. Most importantly, she had a kind heart and was a good girl. Perhaps because of this, He Ping mistook her for Zhao Yuke when they first met, as in his memory, Zhao Yuke was also a kind-hearted girl, even to a fault.

However, what Zhao Xiaoyue seemed to have in excess was her intelligence. The most obvious external manifestation of this was her strong curiosity. She was at a critical stage of absorbing a lot of knowledge and was about to undergo a transformation. She was intensely curious about everything in the outside world and wanted to understand it all. He Ping, who was clearly different from the others around him, became her current subject of study. When Zhao Zheng interacted with He Ping, he was very cautious and did not overly investigate He Ping's background. But Zhao Xiaoyue was different.

If He Ping did not believe that he had a good eye for people and that Zhao Xiaoyue's pure eyes only contained a desire to explore the unknown without any ulterior motives, he might have thought that Zhao Zheng was trying to indirectly find out about his background through Zhao Xiaoyue. Of course, if he really thought that, he would be misunderstanding Zhao Zheng. Zhao Zheng was not that petty. In fact, he not only did not ask Zhao Xiaoyue to investigate He Ping, but he also instructed her not to pry into things unnecessarily.

"Brother He Ping, you said your hometown is very far from here. How far exactly? Is it farther than the capital of Tianhua? Or farther than the capital of Okland?" Seeing that He Ping's attention had finally returned from the outside scenery, Zhao Xiaoyue promptly asked her question. Over the past few days, their conversations had mostly been a series of questions and answers. He Ping's extensive knowledge amazed Zhao Xiaoyue. Other boys her age were still playing with wooden sticks and climbing trees to steal bird eggs, while He Ping's maturity was very attractive to her.

"Far, very far, much farther. Although I haven't been to the capitals of Tianhua and Okland, I can be sure that my hometown is even farther away, so far that I can't return now." He Ping was not lying, but he was not telling the whole truth either. During these days of questioning, He Ping had mostly been evading Zhao Xiaoyue's inquiries. In Zhao Xiaoyue's current impression, He Ping's hometown was in some remote corner of the Bing World.

As for He Ping's hairstyle and clothing, Zhao Xiaoyue interpreted them as customs from He Ping's hometown. He Ping's extensive knowledge and mature thinking were seen by Zhao Xiaoyue as exceptional talent and intelligence. Although she was considered a prodigy in Qingyang City, she was far inferior to He Ping. Therefore, He Ping's status in Zhao Xiaoyue's eyes grew higher each day, from respect to admiration. However, He Ping's ability to casually produce many things was something Zhao Xiaoyue could never understand, and He Ping never explained it clearly.

"Brother He Ping, do you miss your home?" The little girl was very kind and sensitive to people's emotions. When He Ping mentioned that his hometown was very far away, she immediately grasped the key point.

"Yes." He Ping nodded, seeing no need to hide it: "Brother has been away from home for many years, and I can hardly remember what my parents look like. If I could return now, I would go back without hesitation."

"Many years?" Zhao Xiaoyue said, puzzled: "But Brother He Ping isn't that old, right? If you've been away from home for many years, does that mean you left home when you were very young?"

"Hehe, you could say that." He Ping said vaguely, as there was no way to explain it. Although He Ping looked only in his teens, in his previous life, he was already a middle-aged man. The "many years" he referred to were actually the years since 2000.

"It's okay." Zhao Xiaoyue gently held He Ping's hand, comforting him: "It's okay, Brother He Ping. No matter how long you've been away, you will eventually be reunited with your parents. And... and there's me... and Father and the others. In the Qingyang territory, we are your family."

He Ping felt the soft and smooth little hand in his and used his free hand to pat Zhao Xiaoyue's small head. Although He Ping was an only child, he thought that if he had a sister, she would probably be like the blushing girl in front of him.

"Ah, right." Feeling He Ping's affectionate gesture, the slightly shy Zhao Xiaoyue quickly changed the topic: "What are Brother He Ping's parents like? Why did they leave you when you were young?"

"They are the best people in the world." He Ping's face showed a nostalgic expression as he said: "My father is handsome and generous, and my mother is young, beautiful, and gentle. They are the best parents in the world. However, they were betrayed by a villain and had no choice but to separate from me..."

[PS: This is the third update today! Sorry, it's a bit late. I couldn't log in for some reason, but it's working now.]