The little girl must have been starving; she eagerly grabbed the bowl of soup and began wolfing it down without a care for manners.
So ungraceful!
Incredibly ungraceful.
"Brother Lin, how do you plan to take care of this little girl? Keeping her with us might not be the best decision for her. Why not find a good family to foster her?" Xiang Fei asked.
They were all Immortals, and the dangerous tasks they undertook made them enemies with increasingly powerful foes. Keeping a re mortal around could only spell trouble.
Lin Fan replied, "I haven’t thought it through yet. Let’s just see how things go for now."
Qin Yang chid in from the side, "If we’re talking about the safest place, it has to be the Immortal Venerable Family. Why not bring her along for now? When we reach the Qin Family, I can personally make arrangents, no problem at all."
Xiang Fei nodded. "Mm, Brother Qin speaks truthfully and makes a good point."
Of course.
The Immortal Venerable Family, while safe, was governed by strict rules. Even if they took her in, she would only end up as a servant. Naturally, Xiang Fei kept such thoughts to himself, deciding to deal with it when the ti ca.
Not long after, Lin Fan asked, "Little girl, what’s your na?"
The rescued little girl kept her head down, as if she hadn’t heard him at all.
Qin Yang joked, "Haha, Brother Lin, could it be that you’ve saved a mute? Look at her, dirty and tattered like a little beggar. Honestly, I’ve never seen soone so pitiful."
Lin Fan smacked Qin Yang on the head in irritation. "Speak properly! She’s just a child. Are you even human?"
Qin Yang shrank back, rubbing his head, muttering to himself, "Brother Lin definitely has issues. Could it be he likes them young? But it’s not possible—look at this girl. She’s not much to look at, filthy, like an empty shell devoid of soul."
Lin Fan took out a set of clean clothes from his storage ring and tossed them to the girl. "If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. Go wash up yourself. Start fresh for a brighter life. Even in the fiercely competitive Immortal Realm, you need to look like a person at least."
Still no response.
She seed utterly dumbfounded.
"Sigh!"
Lin Fan stood up helplessly, then reached out, lifting the girl by the waist and walking off into the distance.
"Holy crap!"
"Brother Xiang, do you think Brother Lin is about to do sothing utterly beastly?" Qin Yang exclaid exaggeratively, his expression twisted in dramatic speculation. The re thought of Brother Lin acting on such ideas made him shudder.
Xiang Fei nearly smacked Qin Yang himself.
"Can’t you be serious for once? The idea that you belong to the Immortal Venerable Family is laughable. Who would believe it, given your shalessness? Whatever happened to your arrogance from earlier?"
Qin Yang raised his hands in surrender. "Arrogance? What use is that now? If anything, getting beaten down by Lin Fan taught more. Honestly, what’s your plan? I’m thinking of tagging along with Brother Lin for a while longer. It’s been a strangely fulfilling experience."
"Tag along, then. What else?" Xiang Fei glanced at Qin Yang.
Truth be told, sothing about Lin Fan’s deanor baffled him. Though it seed true Lin Fan had only recently ascended, certain peculiarities didn’t add up. What those discrepancies were, though, he couldn’t quite pin down.
But none of it really mattered.
The important thing now was following the flow.
Not far away.
By the riverside.
"I’ll wait here. You can wash over there. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, you’re safe," Lin Fan said.
Sigh!
Being too kind really was a hassle.
He, Lin Fan, had always preferred solo battles. Then he encountered two characters with boosted luck and ended up forming a temporary team. Now with an added little girl? Well, it wasn’t an issue per se. But a mortal was a completely different story—what a headache.
As their group expanded, managing it beca increasingly challenging.
Ti slipped by quickly.
"Huh? Why isn’t it done yet?" Lin Fan muttered, perplexed. It was normal for won to take their ti bathing, but a little girl too?
He glanced toward the river.
To his surprise, the girl hadn’t begun bathing at all. She had stripped down and sat silently by the riverbank, staring into the water as though thinking about sothing.
Lin Fan approached her. "You’ve already taken your clothes off. Why not go ahead and bathe?"
To others, she was nothing more than a burden.
Keeping her around brought no practical benefit. But to abandon her? How could his conscience allow it?
Kindness.
Oh heavens, why must the world burden , Lin Fan, with such kindness?
Still no answer.
The coldness persisted.
Lin Fan softened his tone. "You little rascal, are you really mute? Fine, asking you is pointless. It seems I’ll have to do it myself. Rember this, though—you’re the only one to ever have a future strongest in the Immortal Realm personally bathe you."
"Now that’s an honor you’ll carry for a lifeti."
Boasting ca naturally to him.
He fetched a ladle, filled it with water, and began rinsing her from the top.
"I don’t know what you’ve been through, but no matter what, don’t give up. If you feel like no one cares for you, then be the one to care for others. If the world feels cold to you, then warm it with your own light."
"Waiting for others’ pity will forever be the path of the weak. The strong forge ahead and create the lives they want for themselves."
"If your parents were to see you like this, they’d surely be heartbroken."
Lin Fan gently patted the girl’s head.
Drip!
Drip!
Perhaps his words had hit a nerve, for the girl’s tears began to fall, mingling with the river water.
Lin Fan’s acuity allowed him to sense her emotions instantly.
But what could he say? Little girls were especially fragile emotionally. Yet in a cutthroat world like the Immortal Realm, without the power to defend oneself, everything else was aningless. If only his strength were great enough, who would dare stop him from spreading Martial Arts?
The girl’s eyes remained as lifeless as before, detached from all around her.
But as the river’s current gently flowed by, subtle changes began to erge.
...
Qin Yang, hearing movent, turned around and remarked with a grin, "Well now, this little girl cleans up nicely. With her delicate features, she’ll definitely make it onto the Flower List when she grows up. Brother Lin, I see you’ve been plotting this all along!"
Xiang Fei cast a surprised glance at the girl. Indeed, the contrast with her earlier filthy appearance was striking.
Lin Fan replied, "For now, I haven’t gotten much out of her. Given the circumstances, let’s just call her ’Little Girl’ for the ti being."
"Brother Lin, how do you plan on handling her? Honestly, she seems a bit unusual. While she may not compare to so of the extraordinary prodigies out there, she’s got potential. Why not take her as a disciple?" Xiang Fei quipped half-jokingly.
Lin Fan chuckled. "Let’s save that for later. I don’t have those intentions for now."
The incident with the Heavenly Court Inspection Team’s annihilation had already reached their network.
As such, reinforcents were dispatched imdiately to investigate.
Anyone bold enough to attack the Inspection Team faced only one outco: death.
Fortunately, the Butterfly Fairy wasn’t the petty type to report such matters to her superiors.
Otherwise, Lin Fan would have been hunted relentlessly.
The re thought sent a chill down his spine.
Days later.
Lin Fan led the group to a town.
Xiang Fei knew soone who lived here.
"Brother Lin, it shouldn’t be an issue for my friend to adopt the little girl. He and his wife have already retired from worldly affairs. Caring for one child would be no trouble at all," Xiang Fei suggested, clearly finding the situation burdenso.
In tis of danger, who would have the capacity to protect her?
"Alright." Lin Fan agreed with Xiang Fei’s reasoning.
Leaving the girl here ensured her safety—a stable life, if nothing else.
Before long, they arrived at a teahouse.
In the back courtyard.
"Mr. Zhang, this is a little girl we rescued during our travels. Bringing her along with us is impractical. We were hoping you and your wife might care for her. Would that be too much trouble?" Xiang Fei inquired.
The middle-aged man before them was an old acquaintance of Xiang Fei’s.
They shared a bond forged in life-and-death experiences. anwhile, the woman beside him took an imdiate liking to the little girl, though the child shrank away in fear at her touch.
The woman’s heart ached visibly. Clearly, the girl had suffered much.
"Of course. My wife and I don’t have children of our own. We’ll treat her as if she’s our own daughter," Mr. Zhang said, agreeing instantly at the sight of the girl. Though timid and wary now, she appeared clever and quick-witted.
His wife had been injured in her youth, leaving them unable to conceive. The arrival of a child into their lives seed like a fulfillnt of dreams long out of reach.
Lin Fan patted the girl on the head. "From now on, you’ll have a ho. No more wandering around. These two will treat you like their own child. You must also honor and cherish them, alright?"
The little girl stood motionless, head bowed, silent.
The response unsettled Mr. Zhang and his wife.
Xiang Fei pulled them aside and softly explained the girl’s circumstances, omitting the matter of slaughtering the Heavenly Court Inspection Team.
After all, such knowledge was dangerous.
The fewer people aware, the better.
The woman, being sensitive by nature, felt even greater pity for the girl after hearing her story.
Lin Fan gently nudged the girl forward. "Go on."
Then, turning to the couple, he cupped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you both for your care. She’s just an unfortunate child."
"Don’t worry, dear friend. My wife and I will care for her as if she’s our own daughter," Mr. Zhang assured, returning the gesture. Though uncertain of Lin Fan’s identity, he trusted in Xiang Fei’s character—their connection implied Lin Fan was no ordinary figure.
Xiang Fei said, "Brother Lin, let’s go."
"Okay."
Having delivered the girl into safety, it was ti to leave.
But as Lin Fan turned to go, soone tugged at his sleeve. Looking back, he saw the little girl.
Little girl, be good now. I’ll co see you when I have ti. This is the best place for you. You’ll be happy here," Lin Fan said with a fond smile as he caressed her head.
But the girl still didn’t let go, her face unwavering with determination, just as before.
"Be obedient," Lin Fan said again.
To his surprise, the girl spoke at last. Though her voice was soft, she indeed spoke aloud.
"Don’t..."
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