【Huh? What’s wrong with Fifth Senior Brother? Why does he suddenly look so furious?】
Hearing Sheng Sheng’s inner voice, Guan Yuanbai forcibly suppressed the expression on his face, managing to give her a strained, twisted smile.
【Eek, Fifth Senior Brother’s smile looks so awful.】
Guan Yuanbai: “…”
Do you know how hard it is for me to squeeze out a smile right now?
I’m about to explode.
Guan Yuanbai let out a sigh. No, he had to calm down.
His Cultivation Base wasn’t as high as Jiang Qingjiu’s, so he had only just noticed that faint, elusive restraint—
He absolutely must not reveal that he could hear his junior sister’s inner voice.
For now, it seemed only he could hear it.
Thinking this, a profound sense of responsibility welled up in Guan Yuanbai’s heart.
He looked resolutely at his junior sister lying on the bed.
Since he could hear her inner voice, he must be the true Child of Destiny!
He would protect Yunmiao Sect and his junior sister.
He absolutely must not let any villains come near his poor junior sister.
All intruders would be dealt with!
Guan Yuanbai thought with a cold expression.
“Brat, what are you thinking? Your face is so expressive!”
Just as Guan Yuanbai’s emotions were surging fiercely inside, a large hand landed on the back of his head.
Thump!
Guan Yuanbai was slapped so hard by the newcomer that he sat down on the floor.
“Who?”
Who dared to slap the head of the Child of Destiny?
Guan Yuanbai turned around angrily, only to meet a familiar face.
“Why is Martial Uncle here?”
The Child of Destiny instantly cowered like a dog.
The newcomer wore a gray Daoist robe, his hair messy, but his beard still flowed gracefully, lending his face an air of immortal elegance.
Martial Uncle said irritably, “Of course I came to see Sheng Sheng! Did you think I came to watch you act crazy?”
“You’ve even squeezed Sheng Sheng’s hand red!”
Only then did Guan Yuanbai notice the red marks on Sheng Sheng’s small hand from his grip.
“I’ve been foolish again. I’m sorry, Junior Sister!”
Guan Yuanbai immediately discarded his chuunibyou spirit.
Like a dog that had done something wrong, his ears and tail drooped, looking utterly dejected.
The eldest senior brother, who had followed behind Martial Uncle, sat by the bed and took the junior sister’s pulse.
He wore a loose white robe with a high collar that covered his neck, appearing ethereal and divine, with an otherworldly aura and an exceptionally beautiful smile.
His slender, jade-like fingers brushed over Sheng Sheng’s reddened little hand, and the red marks vanished instantly.
【Eldest Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother, I’ve missed you so much, wuwu!】
Looking at his junior sister, who excitedly threw herself into his arms, Wen Rugu smiled and said, “Sheng Sheng, are you feeling better now?”
【Yes, yes, much better!】
Sheng Sheng nodded excitedly. Even though her eldest senior brother couldn’t hear her, she wanted to respond to him in her heart.
“That’s good. Sheng Sheng, take another Medicinal Pill that Martial Uncle just refined. Once the effects kick in, you’ll be able to speak.”
Beside them, Martial Uncle patted Sheng Sheng’s head, showing a kind smile.
【It’s so good that Martial Uncle is still here too.】
Sheng Sheng’s eyes lit up, eagerly wanting to regain her ability to speak.
The Medicinal Pill melted in her mouth, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance, completely different from the low-grade, bitter pills she would later take.
This was because Martial Uncle knew she disliked bitterness and had deliberately added an ingredient to adjust the flavor while refining the pill, treating it like candy to coax her into taking it.
As the pill entered her mouth, the wound on her neck didn’t hurt as much anymore.
But as the effects began to take hold, she also started to feel drowsy.
Sheng Sheng's current body was only five years old, and having just been injured and reborn, she had experienced intense grief and joy in a short span of time, leaving her utterly exhausted.
However, everything that had happened so far felt too perfect, making her reluctant to fall asleep for fear it might all turn out to be a beautiful dream.
She feared that upon waking, she would still be Guan Shengsheng—the one whose memories had been forcibly extracted through Soul Searching, her mind left broken.
【It’s truly wonderful to be reborn, but I’m so afraid this is just a beautiful dream.】
【Senior Brother didn’t end up framed and betrayed while searching for Master’s remains, dying a tragic death in the Endless Sea, his body lost and soul scattered.】
【And Uncle didn’t end up tortured and killed, his bones ground to dust, all to protect the sect and us…】
“!”
Wen Rugu’s fingers trembled.
His usually steady temperament was stirred into turbulent waves by his junior sister’s inner thoughts.
But as the senior disciple of the Yunmiao Sect, he quickly regained his composure.
“It’s alright, little junior sister. Rest well.”
“When you wake up, I’ll buy you some candied hawthorn, okay?”
Wen Rugu’s eyes deepened slightly as he gently soothed Sheng Sheng, watching her clutch his robe tightly as she drifted off to sleep.
“Uncle, you…”
Wen Rugu glanced at the uncle standing nearby, not needing to finish his sentence.
He saw his uncle stroking his beard, his expression subtle, nodding lightly.
No words were necessary.
They understood each other perfectly.
Wen Rugu breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that his uncle could also hear it.
“Uncle, Senior Brother, I want to enter the Sword Burial Valley to cultivate!”
Meanwhile, Guan Yuanbai was nearly driven mad with rage.
He paced back and forth like an agitated, wild dog.
Even his red hair stood on end, vividly illustrating what it meant to be “fuming with anger.”
How could their sect members meet such a fate?
No, absolutely not!
Guan Yuanbai was seething.
He had to grow stronger quickly, eliminate all enemies, and protect the Yunmiao Sect.
If before he had been somewhat lazy and in no hurry to reach the Golden Core Stage, now he wished he could break through on the spot.
Seeing Guan Yuanbai in this state, the uncle chuckled.
He stepped forward and patted Guan Yuanbai’s shoulder.
“Good, good lad! If you’d had this drive earlier, I believe you’d have already broken through to the Golden Core Stage!”
“Come, I’ll take you to the Sword Burial Valley right now!”
“Yes!”
Guan Yuanbai’s expression was resolute.
To protect everyone, he had to become even stronger!
Wen Rugu noticed the uncle’s hand swaying lightly behind his back and smiled faintly.
It was just as well—his fifth junior brother always needed pressure to find motivation.
“Then, I’ll stay here to look after our little junior sister.”
“Second Junior Sister couldn’t reach Master and has already gone down the mountain.”
“Third Junior Brother and Fourth Junior Sister are on their way back to the sect.”
“Everyone is very worried about our little junior sister.”
“Fifth Junior Brother, I believe you’ll reach the Golden Core Stage soon.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. The day I emerge from seclusion will be the day I reach the Golden Core Stage!”
The young man was filled with ambition, his sword almost trembling with eagerness, as if it longed to slay all enemies.
But he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage!
He couldn’t kill anyone yet.
However, a Child of Destiny never admits defeat!
Guan Yuanbai was already impatient to begin his cultivation.
His heart brimmed with wild aspirations—wishing to reach the Golden Core Stage in a day, the Nascent Soul Stage in two, and the Soul Emergence Stage in three…
All the way to the Great Ascension, to kill all who dared harm his little junior sister and the Yunmiao Sect!
After the two had left, the little junior sister’s room fell into silence once more.
Wen Rugu sorted through the future he had just learned from his junior sister’s inner thoughts, pressing his temples with a slight headache.
“Is that the so-called… Heavenly Fate?”
Even in her sleep, Sheng Sheng was not at ease, her small hand still clutching the corner of Wen Rugu’s robe.
Her adorable little face was scrunched up pitifully.
“Unfortunately, I’ve always been the one who least believes in Heavenly Fate.”
Wen Rugu gently stroked Sheng Sheng’s furrowed brow, his eyes cold.
Though he didn’t know why he could hear his junior sister’s inner thoughts, he would protect her well.
He didn’t care whether his junior sister was reborn or not.
No matter what, she was the junior sister he had raised with his own hands.
As long as Wen Rugu lived, he would never let anyone harm even a single hair on her head.
“Hmm?”
Wen Rugu’s gaze fell on the torn hole in the blanket.
He frowned slightly. It seemed his fifth junior brother had been tugging at the blanket earlier.
He hadn’t expected it to tear his junior sister’s blanket.
Wen Rugu sighed softly, took out the needle and thread he always carried with him, and began to mend it meticulously.
Sunlight from outside the window fell on his gentle and refined features, the coldness in his eyes fading away, replaced only by a faint warmth and kindness.
【Mother… Mother…】
A soft murmur sounded.
Half-asleep, Sheng Sheng seemed to see her mother mending her blanket.
She even sewed a delicate little flower.
Sunlight poured in, warming the heart.
“…”
Wen Rugu’s expression, however, stiffened slightly.