THUMP-THUMP
The moment the Xue Ying Monarch’s figure shattered and dissipated from the world, the heart of the woman holding the small child leaped violently! As she blinked her stunningly beautiful eyes, two streams of tears slowly trickled down her cheeks...
Only then was the woman’s face fully revealed. She was an otherworldly, peerless beauty. She had the same snow-white hair as the Xue Ying Monarch, but hers was more elegant, more crystalline, even faintly shimmering with light. Her exquisite face was stained with tears, and a single vermilion dot adorned the space between her brows. Her lips were slightly pursed, her expression full of sorrow, yet it could not conceal her magnificent grace.
"Yue’Er..."
"Mommy, you’re crying."
Hearing her mother’s call, the three-year-old girl named Yue’Er timidly peeked out from the woman’s embrace. She also had long, snow-white hair. But what was even more astonishing were her exquisite, beautiful features, which could captivate the soul of anyone who saw her. A mere three-year-old girl, yet she possessed a powerful Charming Power no weaker than a Charm Illusion Array! Right now, however, the girl’s fair, delicate face showed only anxiety. She... didn’t seem afraid. Or perhaps, in her innocence, she didn’t understand what was happening. All she knew was that they were on the run.
"Daddy... will he still come find us?"
Upon hearing this, Sasha fought back her tears and said, "Daddy... maybe he’ll come back. But Yue’Er, Mommy wants to tell you something, okay?"
"Okay." The little girl nodded obediently, looking ready to listen.
"Come closer, Mommy has a secret to tell you."
"Mm."
WHAP!
"Ah..."
With a soft thud, Sasha reached out and gently chopped the back of the little girl’s neck. The blow wasn’t heavy at all, but for a three-year-old, it was enough to make her pass out.
Gently holding the little girl who had gone limp in her arms, Sasha sighed softly. "Yue’Er, Mommy is so sorry... Our people live our entire lives for our partners. Once we give our hearts to another, that fate can never be changed. If your daddy lives, I live. If your daddy dies, I die. This is the destiny of my clan... Yue’Er, I’m afraid Mommy can’t escape the Demon Beast Forest with you. Besides, our clan has already been wiped out by the Jade-Scaled Qilin. There is nothing left for us here."
As she spoke, the woman called Sasha gently stroked the little girl’s hair and murmured, "Our clan’s features are too conspicuous, and Yue’Er, you simply know too much. You also possess the same heaven-defying Talent Secret Technique as your father. To protect you, Mommy has no choice but to resort to this. I will use all my power to completely seal away your memories and your appearance. Perhaps this will have a great impact on your future, but until you find your true love, this seal can never be broken. Unless... your power surpasses mine..."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman called Sasha picked up the unconscious girl and, with a light leap, vanished into the forest...
「The scene changes.」
Within Luofeng City in the Xuanling Empire, a moderately sized, respectable-looking building—though not overly extravagant—stood very close to the North City Gate. On the plaque by the door, the two gilded words "Mu Mansion" were clearly visible. It was now deep winter, with faint snowflakes drifting down from the sky, but anxious voices could be heard from within the Mu Mansion.
"Brother Feng! Chen’Er’s body is burning up! My Water Attribute isn’t helping to cool him down. What do we do?"
In a remote courtyard of the Mu Mansion, inside a room, a woman in a green dress was holding a child of about two. The child’s little face was flushed red, and he whimpered and muttered ceaselessly. His lips were already chapped and cracked, and there were even beads of blood gathering at the corners of his mouth.
"Chen’Er!" The man called Brother Feng hurriedly took Mu Chen, pulling his small body into his arms. He gently pressed a hand to the child’s chest, sending a strand of pure Primordial Power into his body. As the Primordial Power circulated, the condition of the child’s insides became clear to him.
"! Wan’Er! Chen’Er’s internal organs are all failing! I’m afraid... I’m afraid he’s not going to make it..."
The man called Brother Feng’s eyes were red-rimmed as he paced back and forth in the room, cradling the child, his face etched with worry. This man was Mufeng, and the woman was Bi Wan. But just then, a glint flashed in his eyes as the image of a person suddenly appeared in his mind.
"That’s it! Wan’Er, quick! Go get dressed! I’ve thought of someone! He might be the only one who can save our Chen’Er!"
"Him?"
"An old man. I saw him years ago when I was out hunting Magical Beasts. He lived alone in the depths of the Demon Beast Forest, but he didn’t show the slightest bit of fear. You can imagine how powerful he must be. Right now, he might be our only hope." Mufeng nodded, his expression suddenly resolute. He had made up his mind. No matter how powerful or arrogant that old man was, even if it meant trading his own life for Chen’Er’s, he would have no regrets.
"Is that true, Brother Feng? Then let’s go right now!" Bi Wan quickly put on her outer clothes and came to Mufeng’s side.
Seeing that Bi Wan was ready, Mufeng pushed the door open with one hand and rushed out. It was currently afternoon. Although it was winter, the sun was cold yet bright. Mufeng sprinted all the way. Fortunately, both of their Martial Artist Realms had long since surpassed that of a Martial Master, so their speed was much faster than an ordinary person’s.
It didn’t take long for Mufeng and Bi Wan, running at full speed, to leave Luofeng City. In the Outer Realm of the Demon Beast Forest, the snow was piled even higher, and their pace gradually slowed. Snowflakes still drifted from the sky. When one landed on Mu Chen’s face, it was instantly melted by his high temperature, turning into a wisp of white mist that rose into the air.
This phenomenon naturally did not escape Mufeng’s notice. ’It might be simple for a cold snowflake to melt,’ he thought, ’but for it to vaporize? What kind of high temperature would that take?’ Holding Chen’Er, Mufeng didn’t feel a trace of cold in the deep winter chill. In fact, he felt a little hot.
"Chen’Er’s breathing is too erratic. Wan’Er, I have to speed up. I’ll leave markers along the way for you to follow! Watch out for lurking Magical Beasts." With that, Mufeng instantly accelerated, leaping forward and leaving Bi Wan far behind in the blink of an eye. After pulling ahead, Mufeng glanced back once.
"Brother Feng, don’t worry about me! I can catch up on my own! I’m leaving Chen’Er to you!" Bi Wan shouted to Mufeng as she continued to bound through the snow, the anxiety in her eyes not lessening in the slightest.
Hearing her words, Mufeng nodded. He cradled Mu Chen with his right arm, and with a flick of his left, a sharp blast of Qi Force struck a conspicuous tree, leaving a special mark.
After doing this, Mufeng crouched down again and leaped forward. With every jump, he would send out a blast of Qi Force to make a mark, preventing Bi Wan from losing his trail.
Watching Mufeng disappear in a few flashes, tears welled up in Bi Wan’s eyes. A moment ago, in front of Mufeng, she had held back her tears. She hadn’t wanted to add to his pressure, forcing herself to stay calm while worrying about Chen’Er. Now that Mufeng was ahead, she could no longer bear the bitterness in her heart.
"SOB... Why must my family suffer so much?! Heavens, what did I do wrong in my past life to deserve this?!"
A cry of anguish she could no longer suppress burst from Bi Wan’s lips, and tears streamed from her eyes. The heart-wrenching sound should have echoed throughout the entire Demon Beast Forest, but in the end, the frozen air and cold snow muffled it, confining her sobs to a small area.
"Cold... so cold..."
Suddenly, a very faint voice drifted from somewhere nearby. Bi Wan’s wails subsided into quiet sobs. ’Perhaps this is just a woman’s way,’ she thought. ’Maybe after a good cry, everything will feel a little better.’
"Cold... sob... mm..."
Another soft murmur. This time, Bi Wan’s expression finally changed. "Who’s there?"
Unable to make out the whispered words, Bi Wan subconsciously assumed the sound came from a lurking Magical Beast. Water Attribute Elemental Power instantly swirled around the backs of her hands. With her arms held ready, palms out, she carefully scanned her surroundings.
"Cold... I’m so cold... Mommy..."
’That’s...’ This time, Bi Wan finally heard the murmured words clearly, and her expression changed abruptly. It was the voice of a child. As a mother, her senses were thousands of times more sensitive than those of a woman who had never given birth, especially when it came to the sounds of children.
However, the location of both sounds had been very faint. Bi Wan only knew the general direction was somewhere to her front left. But after taking a few steps, she suddenly noticed that a snowdrift ahead looked strange.
Normally, the fluffiness of fallen snow should be uniform throughout a drift, resulting in a rounded shape. But the drift in front of her was extremely odd. Its outer layer was round and fluffy, but the snow underneath seemed very compact, as if it had been deliberately pressed down by hand.
"Mommy... Mommy..."
Finally, this time Bi Wan clearly identified the source of the voice. It was, without a doubt, this snowdrift!
’It must be some family’s child who wandered into the Demon Beast Forest and got lost.’ This was Bi Wan’s first thought!