Bai Xiaoxue asked in confusion, “What’s the interesting thing?”
Lin Yun replied, “Just now, two strange guys buried a box right in front of our door.”
As he spoke, he led Bai Xiaoxue to the big tree.
Hearing this, Bai Xiaoxue frowned. “Isn’t it kind of wrong for us to secretly mess with other people’s stuff?”
Deep down, she was still a very kind-hearted girl.
But Lin Yun was different. He snorted and said, “Those two didn’t look like good people. It seemed like they buried a girl’s corpse under here.”
“What? Seriously?”
Bai Xiaoxue was startled.
At the same time, Lin Yun had already started digging.
Not long after, he unearthed the black box from earlier. Judging by the surface, it was made of good material and even had a big lock on it.
To be cautious, Lin Yun didn’t open the box on the spot. Instead, he carried it into the orphanage and shut the gate.
“Bai Xiaoxue, step back a little. I’m going to open it.”
Lin Yun was worried the box might be rigged. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but he didn’t want Bai Xiaoxue to get hurt.
“Okay. Be careful, Director.”
Bai Xiaoxue obediently stepped back and kept a safe distance.
She looked at the large lock and couldn’t help but ask, “Director, don’t we need a key?”
Hearing that, Lin Yun casually stretched out his hand and crushed the lock with ease. Then he turned to look at Bai Xiaoxue and said, “Key? What key?”
“Uh…”
Bai Xiaoxue muttered to herself, thinking they’d be in serious trouble if they got caught. That would cost a lot of money…
At that moment, Lin Yun opened the black box.
Only then did he realize that the inside was etched with many miniature formation arrays, apparently to maintain ventilation within the box.
But the most eye-catching part was the small girl with purple hair curled up inside the box.
She looked to be about the same age as Bai Xiaoxue and wore a sleek black night outfit.
“A little girl hidden in here?”
Lin Yun frowned slightly. Bai Xiaoxue couldn’t help but ask, “Is she the corpse you mentioned earlier, Director?”
“Uh… probably.”
While the two were talking, the purple-haired girl’s eyelids suddenly twitched.
Then she suddenly sat up and shouted sharply, “You bastards! Even if I die, I won’t forgive you!”
For a moment, six eyes stared at one another.
The courtyard fell silent…
Bai Xiaoxue screamed. Her little face turned pale from fright, and her voice trembled, “Dir-director! Sh-she came back from the dead!”
Even Lin Yun had been startled.
Damn it! Do zombies really exist in this world?!
Lin Yun quickly shielded Bai Xiaoxue behind him and cautiously said to the girl, “If you’re seeking revenge, go after the ones who killed you. It wasn’t us!”
His reaction made the purple-haired girl pause in confusion.
“What do you mean? Weren’t you the ones who captured me?”
“Capture you? I don’t even know you.”
Lin Yun raised an eyebrow. The more he looked, the more alive this girl seemed.
She stared back at him, full of caution. “If you don’t know me, why am I here?”
Lin Yun answered truthfully, “Not long ago, I saw two people bury this box underground. I was curious and dug it up, and found you inside.”
After learning the truth, the purple-haired girl furrowed her brow. “Looks like I really fell for their trick…”
Lin Yun asked curiously, “So… you’re not a ghost?”
Hearing that, the purple-haired girl gave him a sidelong glance and snorted, “Of course not. Have you ever seen a ghost as cute as me?”
Now that the truth was out, Lin Yun sighed in relief and looked helplessly behind him. “She said she’s not a ghost anymore. You can stop being scared, right?”
Bai Xiaoxue peeked out from behind Lin Yun like a curious but frightened kitten, only daring to show half her head as she carefully observed the girl in front.
Seeing she was human, she finally relaxed and asked, “Then why were you locked in a box?”
The purple-haired girl said coldly, “Those two wanted to trade me for black crystals. They probably locked me up here to avoid being discovered.”
“So… those two were human traffickers?”
“Pretty much. They make a living by kidnapping and selling children.”
“Well then, they seriously deserve to die…”
Among all the criminals Lin Yun despised, human traffickers were definitely in the top three. Anyone he caught should be sliced to pieces.
Because of that, he felt a tinge of pity for the girl before him.
He gently asked, “Little one, what’s your name? Where’s your home?”
The purple-haired girl immediately answered, “This princess… I mean, I’m Qing Yue.”
She seemed to realize she slipped up and quickly corrected herself, then continued, “As for home… I can’t go back anymore.”
Lin Yun frowned slightly and asked, “What about your parents?”
“They passed away when I was very young.”
“So you’ve been wandering all this time?”
“Not exactly. I used to live with my grandpa, but he passed away last winter too.”
When she mentioned her parents, her tone was calm, but when she spoke about her grandpa, her voice clearly wavered.
“I’m sorry. My condolences…”
Lin Yun sighed and asked again, “So now you’re on your own?”
Qing Yue immediately corrected him with a serious expression. “It’s called… making a home across the world!”
Lin Yun chuckled helplessly. Was there really a difference between those words?
But on second thought, maybe the term ‘wandering’ touched a nerve for her.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yun asked cautiously, “Since you don’t have a fixed home, I run an orphanage that takes in and raises homeless children. Would you be interested in staying?”
“Orphanage?”
“Yeah, the place you’re in right now.”
Qing Yue looked around and soon glanced at Lin Yun suspiciously. “Don’t try to fool me. I’ve seen orphanages before. They’re just fronts for some powers to buy and train children as assassins.”
It was clear that although she was young, she had seen a lot and was extremely cautious and clever.
Seeing that she was suspicious of the director, Bai Xiaoxue stepped forward to defend him.
“Director would never do that! He’s a good person. He treats me really well and would never do something so shameless!”
Her sincere words carried a certain level of credibility.
Lin Yun also smiled and said, “Think about it. If I were really like you said, wouldn’t I have already forced myself on you?”
“That’s true…”
Qing Yue found that reasonable. In fact, she was already a little tempted.
After all, she had been hiding and running for so long. She came to Outrealm City just to find a place where she could settle down.
If she really could stay here safely, it would be a good thing.
Then Lin Yun asked, “So, have you thought about it?”
Qing Yue hesitated for a moment and said, “But what if those traffickers come back? They’re very strong. If they…”
Before she could finish, Lin Yun smiled.
“I thought it was something serious. Just a couple of traffickers? If they dare show up, I’ll make sure they never leave alive.”
“So you’re that strong?”
“Just a little.”
Lin Yun smiled confidently. “But it’s more than enough to protect you.”
Hearing this, Qing Yue finally felt at ease. “If that’s the case, then I’m willing to stay!”
Lin Yun nodded with a smile. “Great, then welcome to the big family of the Outrealm Orphanage!”
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the mission: Take in the second orphan!]
[You have received a reward: New building – Heavenly Dao Academy! Basic Martial Arts Gift Pack!]
[Please select a location within the orphanage and deploy the new building!]