’I have to get her out of there, quickly.’
Driven by maternal instinct, Bi Wan didn’t think twice. Her hands, already suffused with Primordial Power, immediately began digging away the piled-up snow. But when the snow was completely cleared, the sight within almost made Bi Wan, who had just managed to calm down, burst into tears all over again.
In the snowdrift, a little girl with a plain face, dark hair, and tightly shut eyes was curled up in the center, dressed in extremely thin clothes. She looked to be only about three years old. Her small arms and fingers had long been ravaged by the biting cold, turning her skin purple. There were even frostbite marks on her face.
Bi Wan let out a sob and quickly lifted the stiff, frozen girl out of the snow. The tears she had just held back began to stream down her face uncontrollably once more.
’Who could be so heartless? To have a perfectly good child and abandon her, burying her here! My family wants a healthy child, but even the heavens won’t grant us that chance! We are all star-crossed souls!’
As if the scene had struck a chord with her, the maternal love in Bi Wan’s heart erupted once more. She quickly took off the Snow Floss coat she was wearing and wrapped the little girl tightly in it. She herself was now left in only a thin layer of clothing, having rushed out in a hurry, grabbing only the coat from her room when Mufeng had announced his plan.
But the little girl had been freezing for too long. Her whole body was colder than ice, and a constant whimper escaped her purple lips. Her breaths were shallow, more air leaving her than coming in.
Seeing this, Bi Wan hurriedly transferred her own Primordial Power into the girl’s body. Although it was only the Primordial Power of a Martial Artist Realm cultivator, it was Water Attribute Elemental Power—the best for healing! So, as this Pure Elemental Power from her own body entered the girl, the child’s body temperature clearly began to rise.
’Looks like she can be saved!’
At this thought, Bi Wan redoubled her efforts, recklessly pouring her Primordial Power into the girl. The gentleness of Water Attribute Elemental Power was something anyone could withstand, so Bi Wan wasn’t worried that her power would be too much for the girl’s body to handle.
But Bi Wan, whose Martial Artist Realm was not very high to begin with, had little Primordial Power to spare. Back home, she had already used a large amount of her Pure Elemental Power to sustain Mu Chen’s condition. When she left, she had used even more to enhance her speed, hoping to find the old man who could save Mu Chen as quickly as possible. Bi Wan’s Primordial Power was already severely depleted, yet here she was, drawing from her already-drained Dantian, using her foundational power to treat this girl. The final result was...
THUMP.
After the dull sound, Bi Wan, still tightly holding the little girl whose complexion had now returned to normal, collapsed unconscious on the ground...
Further ahead, deep in the Demon Beast Forest, Mufeng opened his right palm and struck a tree, leaving a Qi Force mark, before heading directly toward a direction obscured by mountain rocks.
He remembered clearly. That was the place where he had recuperated after being injured while hunting a Magical Beast half a year ago. The old man was very proud, but he had still saved him.
"Wan’Er, you have to hurry. With you here, I can rest a little easier," Mufeng sighed softly. Cradling Mu Chen, he walked toward the misshapen rock formation. Having been here once before, Mufeng navigated the familiar path to the old man’s residence—a stone grotto!
At this moment, the faint smell of smoke was drifting out of the grotto. Clearly, someone was inside. Mufeng was overjoyed at the sight. He hurried to the front of the cave and, using his Primordial Power, knocked twice on the round stone door.
"Benefactor! Benefactor!"
Mufeng called out as he knocked. For one, he was afraid the old man wouldn’t hear him. Secondly, he was worried about Mu Chen’s condition and wanted the old man to start treatment immediately.
"Brat, why is it you again?" The stone door didn’t open, but an extremely impatient voice came from within. "This old man is busy with dinner. Go away."
Mufeng grew anxious and quickly said, "Benefactor! It’s like this—"
"I already told you, this old man is eating dinner. Go away! Otherwise, don’t blame this old man for not showing you any courtesy." Before Mufeng could finish, the old man cut him off, his voice filled with indifference.
Mufeng said sorrowfully, "Benefactor, this junior truly has an urgent matter to ask of you!"
SWOOSH!
BANG!
Suddenly, a gentle yet powerful surge of Primordial Power shot out from behind the stone door, slamming viciously into Mufeng’s left shoulder. The strike was incredibly precise. It didn’t hit Mufeng’s chest, where he cradled Mu Chen, nor his right arm, which held Mu Chen’s body. Instead, it struck the shoulder of his left arm, which was frozen in the act of knocking.
Moreover, the control of this Primordial Power attack was masterful. It didn’t knock Mufeng down or send him flying, but merely pushed his body back several meters, preventing him from approaching the stone door.
"First warning! This old man’s words aren’t just farts! Either get lost or die! Otherwise, don’t blame me for crushing your limbs!"
Mufeng’s expression changed drastically. He knew the old man’s temperament very well, but it was precisely because he knew that he was unwilling to give up this sliver of a chance to save Mu Chen. Gritting his teeth, Mufeng—a man who had always lived by his pride—knelt on the ground with a THUD!
"Benefactor!" Mufeng’s voice trembled. "I know your strength is unfathomable! And I know you could kill me without lifting a finger! But before you do, please let me finish! The one this junior holds in his arms is my two-year-old son! He’s only two! But because of a stubborn malady, his whole body is burning up! I have tried every method I can to suppress it, but nothing has worked! All this junior asks for now is to trade my life for a brief chance at survival for my son! I beg you, Benefactor, please grant my request!"
With that, Mufeng curled his body, about to kowtow to the ground. But the instant he lowered his head, a gentle stream of Primordial Power lifted him up. Mufeng was stunned. In his perception, the Primordial Power supporting him was extremely gentle and weak, as soft as a veil. Yet when he subconsciously tried to resist, he found he couldn’t move an inch.
"Hah..." A sigh came from within the grotto. "So this is the boy from the Direct Lineage? Nothing special. Life in a Low-class Empire has ground away your pride. Forget it! Forget it! This old man cannot accept your bow! This is the first time you have knelt, but I hope it is your last! You must remember, the only ones you should kneel to are your parents and the heavens and earth! If everyone in the family was like you, crying at the drop of a hat and kneeling to kowtow over every little thing, you’d bring shame to us all!"
Mufeng was completely bewildered. He had no idea what the old man was talking about, but judging from his tone, it seemed he had relented. Did this mean he was going to help?
"Does this mean you agree to help me, Benefactor?" Mufeng couldn’t hide his excitement; it was written all over his face. Ever since Mu Chen was born, Mufeng had devoted all his attention to his son. But because of *that incident*, Mu Chen had become crippled. This weighed on him heavily, yet he was utterly helpless.
"Heh... Go away."
Hearing this, Mufeng’s burgeoning excitement vanished without a trace, replaced by an icy chill.
"Haha... Stinking brat, what’s with that expression?!" The old man sitting inside the grotto suddenly laughed, a hearty, booming laugh. "Your joy and despair are plain to see. How can you ever achieve anything great? How can you raise your child properly? This old man doesn’t want to help you because your son doesn’t need my help at all! Go back. The one who can help you is on your way back. Before dinner, I already divined what would happen today. I knew you would come here. Go. Find your wife, and your child will be saved. That is all the help I can give you! Now, get lost!"
A great shout, accompanied by a huge, powerful wave of Primordial Power, blew Mufeng backward. When Mufeng came to his senses, he found himself already at the turn in the road he had passed earlier. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with immense confusion.
’The person who can help me isn’t here? They’re with my wife?’
He repeated the old man’s words out loud. Though phrased as a question, in his heart, he already believed eighty or ninety percent of what the old man had said.
’Whatever! Since the Benefactor said it, I’ll have to take the gamble!’
With that, Mufeng followed the trail of marks he had left and set off on his return journey.
...
An hour later, Bi Wan, dizzy from having fainted, suddenly felt a cold touch on her face. Slowly opening her eyes, she was met with a pair of ice-blue eyes filled with confusion and radiating infinite purity. They held so much bewilderment, yet despite that, Bi Wan found them breathtakingly beautiful. The cold sensation on her cheek came from a small, delicate hand, still tinged with a faint purple.
She reached out and gently took the small hand. It was ice-cold to the touch. Bi Wan smiled faintly. "You’re awake?"
The little girl blinked, looked at Bi Wan’s clothes, then at the Snow Floss coat wrapped around her, and nodded with a slight smile in her eyes.
Seeing the girl’s obedient and lovely appearance, Bi Wan’s heart flooded with maternal love. She quickly scrambled up from the ground, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her. But she fought through it, lifted the little girl from the ground, and held her in her arms.
Just then, the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow came from ahead. Bi Wan instinctively looked up and saw a figure land right beside her.
Their eyes met. Bi Wan stared at Mu Chen in Mufeng’s arms, while Mufeng stared at the little girl in Bi Wan’s. Their eyes were filled with astonishment.
"Why are you back so soon?" Bi Wan asked curiously, then added with excitement, "Is Chen’Er all better?"
"Sigh." Mufeng shook his head. "He’s not. That expert told me to come back and find you. He said the person who can save Chen’Er is by your side. Looking at it now, perhaps what the old man said is true."
Bi Wan froze. "The person you mentioned who can heal Chen’Er... you don’t mean... her, do you?"
As she said this, Bi Wan instinctively looked down at the little girl, who was currently staring with curious eyes at Mu Chen in Mufeng’s arms. This... was perhaps a fateful encounter...