“Good child…”
Wu Ming’s hand brushed against the top of Hou Linghua’s head. Hou Linghua shook her head uncomfortably, and when the warm sensation vanished, a feeling of unease began to stir in her heart.
In the brief moment she was dazed, Wu Ming had already started walking away on her own.
How could she just leave like that!
Hou Linghua immediately chased after her, firmly grabbing Wu Ming’s sleeve.
“Big sister…”
“Is there something else?”
The gaze Wu Ming cast upon her was incredibly pure, making her pursuit seem utterly nonsensical. The agitation in Hou Linghua’s heart grew even stronger.
Why could she provoke her like that and then act as if nothing had happened?
“Is ‘good child’… not enough?”
Wu Ming chuckled. Was this child asking for another reward?
Hmm… she was just a stranger. Whether she was a good child or not had nothing to do with her. Why should she reward her for that?
But… the other party was just a child.
Young children were such simple beings, and she ought to protect that simplicity.
“Tell me, what else do you want?”
Wu Ming squatted down, leveling her gaze with the child’s.
However, Hou Linghua only felt that Wu Ming’s attitude was far too frivolous.
Listen to her! Those words made it sound like she was the one begging her!
Who did she, Hou Linghua, think she was! The fact that she even noticed this person was a blessing the woman had earned over several lifetimes!
“We haven’t even exchanged names…”
Wu Ming had only acted on a whim, catching sight of someone who looked pleasing to the eye and wanting to pass on some good fortune. She never intended to have a deep acquaintance with the child before her.
She would be leaving soon anyway; why leave any lingering ties here?
“Just think of me as a nameless, kind-hearted hero.”
Hou Linghua’s expression grew even darker. She had taken the initiative to make an acquaintance, and this person actually rejected her! Rejected her! How could she reject her!
People who didn’t listen should be turned into her venomous puppets to stay by her side forever!
Once made into a puppet, she would obey her eternally!
“Alright, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have brushed you off. I… my name is Teng Wu.”
The obvious disappointment on the child’s face caused Wu Ming to start blaming herself. This was just a child!
As for the name she had made up on the spot… using her foster mother’s surname was fine.
Currently, she was just a wood-chopper. To call herself “Wu Ming” (Nameless) was too pretentious; doing so would be for fear that Hou Danxue wouldn’t be able to find her.
“Teng Wu… I am called Hou Linghua.”
“It’s a beautiful name. Just like your facial markings, it makes one’s eyes light up.”
“Mm. Since we’ve exchanged names, we are friends now, right?”
Huh? This… how could someone force a friendship?
Following being forced into being a foster daughter, Wu Ming had now been forced to gain a friend.
The child’s enthusiasm made her reluctant to say anything hurtful. She could only agree with the other’s viewpoint.
“Ah… right, right. We are friends now.”
“Excellent. Friends should stay together. I’m going to follow you!”
“Wait! Little Hou Linghua! Don’t you have anything else to do?”
“You are my newly made friend. Following you is my biggest and most important task.”
What a clingy little brat…
What on earth was she thinking… in a moment of heat, she had invited trouble upon herself…
To make the child feel bored and leave as quickly as possible, Wu Ming chose to chop wood.
She was busy! She didn’t have time to play around!
Hou Linghua watched as Wu Ming gathered her internal energy into her bare hands to split the firewood. Her eyebrows twitched violently.
If she hadn’t been certain that the woman was a big oaf, she would have thought this was an attempt to intimidate her.
For internal strength to reach such a level… why had she never heard of such a character before?
She looked good and was powerful; she was simply too perfect to be her venomous puppet!
Her gaze roamed over Wu Ming’s body, watching the muscles bulge slightly as she exerted force, catching glimpses of her abdominal muscles through the gaps in her clothes during her movements, and staring into Wu Ming’s sharp eyes.
Hou Linghua was… beyond satisfied.
Wu Ming kept performing the repetitive motions. She had long since grown bored, yet she discovered the clingy brat was staring at her with sparkling eyes, not bored at all.
Children, she supposed, were beings who found everything novel…
It seemed… she wouldn’t be able to drive her away.
The courtyard full of wood was finally chopped. Wu Ming stacked the wood neatly and then looked at Hou Linghua.
“Where is your family?”
She was going to send her away!
“Family? My family doesn’t want me. I ran away on my own.”
“Ran away on your own? You… then how does a child like you survive?” And even managed to run into the City Lord’s estate?
Would the City Lord be so kind as to use his own residence to house homeless children?
Besides… the other’s appearance didn’t look like that of a normal child…
“Survival… I naturally have my ways.”
How reckless! How arrogant!
Respect immediately rose in Wu Ming’s heart.
Don’t look at how short she was; perhaps her experience wandering the martial world was greater than her own.
“Senior!”
If it weren’t for the current height difference making Wu Ming feel embarrassed, she might have actively asked to become her disciple.
Wu Ming’s admiration was very gratifying to Hou Linghua. she tilted her head up slightly, trying to project an aura of power, but because of her youthful appearance, it had no intimidating effect and only made one want to laugh.
“You’ve asked so many questions; now it’s my turn to ask you. What is your background?”
Wu Ming naturally wouldn’t say she was the Lady who had run away from the Hou family. She omitted that part of her experience.
“To think you reached such a realm just by figuring it out yourself?”
Hou Linghua was even more satisfied with Wu Ming. Such a uniquely gifted body would surely become the most powerful venomous puppet under her command!
She could hardly wait to strike…
Hou Linghua approached the oblivious Wu Ming step by step. As long as… as long as she touched her… she could…
“Ah—!”
Who was it! To barge in at this moment! They had ruined her plans!
Wu Ming’s spirit became alert due to the sudden scream. Hou Linghua knew she had lost her golden opportunity to act.
Teng Ruzhi, who was being stared at by the two, patted her chest hard. “Scared me to death. So it’s the honored guest. Why has the honored guest come to such a crude place?”
She hadn’t reacted in time and thought some filthy thing had snuck into the City Lord’s estate. Fortunately, she had long heard of this mysterious honored guest within the estate, so she didn’t make a fool of herself.
“I… like Big Sister.”
Teng Ruzhi suddenly smiled broadly. “Good, good, you two play! I’ll go make some delicious food for you.”
Oh my~ this newly recognized foster daughter of hers was truly extraordinary; even the City Lord’s mysterious guest was drawn to her.
Hou Linghua’s grand ambitions were extinguished by Teng Ruzhi’s attitude.
She was being treated as a child again…
Dammit!
They simply didn’t realize how difficult a child wandering the martial world could be!
The familiar warm sensation returned to the top of her head. Hou Linghua looked up instinctively and saw a sense of shared plight in Wu Ming’s eyes.
Ha—at her height, she was treated exactly the same way as herself by that woman!
She was a child too, haha!
Wu Ming only realized her offense when she met Hou Linghua’s gaze—she had patted a Senior’s head. She had treated the Senior like a child, and the Senior was surely unhappy now.
Wu Ming quickly withdrew her hand. When the warmth on Hou Linghua’s head vanished, her expression turned gloomy. Wu Ming became even more certain of her thought.
Children hated being treated like children!
Moreover, the one before her was an old hand of the martial world! How could she treat her like a child to be coddled!
Wu Ming’s hand was grabbed. Hou Linghua pulled Wu Ming’s hand back and pressed it onto her own fluffy hair.
“I want pets. Smooth my hair!”
“Huh?”
Senior, why did you suddenly become so cute?
Clearly not a child, yet pretending to be one to act cute—Hou Linghua didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.
She was so wicked; why would she feel guilt or shame over a minor deception?
The warm sensation that made her whole body feel cozy appeared on her head again, but the agitation in Hou Linghua’s heart began once more.
She wanted more…
Hugs… snuggles… kisses… and was there anything deeper?
Just a head pat—how could that be enough! This didn’t satisfy her at all!
Strange? What was wrong with her?
How could she crave intimacy with a human??
Clearly, because of her status as an “anomaly,” she detested normal people…
Hou Linghua’s expression shifted unpredictably. Wu Ming had no idea what she was thinking.
She’s a child; a volatile mood is perfectly normal.
Since Hou Linghua didn’t speak, Wu Ming kept stroking her hair, smoothing it out to satisfy her request.
Then… Hou Linghua suddenly broke away from her hand. With an incredibly swift and agile movement, she climbed onto Wu Ming’s body. Wu Ming saw the girl’s face approaching infinitely close.
At the critical moment, fortunately, her reactions were fast enough; she used her palm to block the space between them.
“You… you…”
Wu Ming was so shocked she couldn’t form a complete sentence.
Was she… was she almost forcibly kissed by a child?
This was too fantastical, wasn’t it?
“I… this thought just wouldn’t go away, so I wanted to experiment.”
Children… impulsive…
But was this really normal?!
Wu Ming’s heart was in a state of collapse.
She pulled Hou Linghua off her and tried to reason with her.
“Only two people who love each other can do this! Where did you learn all this!”
“Love each other… but… how can a person love a mysterious existence?”
Love? How could it be love?
She clearly just wanted to claim the other for herself.
To turn her into her venomous puppet! Then she could do whatever she wanted to that body!
“How is it impossible? I once fell in love with someone at first sight.”
“…You have someone you love?!!”
Hou Linghua felt as if her heart had been brutally torn apart.
But she was a monster; she shouldn’t have such feelings.
What did she do wrong?!
She had only just begun to feel the stirrings of emotion; why did she have to endure such a heartless rejection?
Who was the person she loved? Could they be better than her?
No! In this world, besides that old hag Bai Yingqiu, who else could compare to her?
The person she loved should be her! It should only be her!
“Love… although many things happened… but… I suppose I do love them… wait, no, why am I discussing this with you! You are still young; you don’t need to understand these matters of love and passion.”
Wu Ming looked down at the child and realized her state was wrong.
What kind of person would have purple mist rising from their entire body?
Could she be having a qi deviation??
It’s over! She had caused a perfectly good child to fall into a qi deviation with just a few words??
She was guilty!
Hou Linghua was just about to turn the woman into her venomous puppet, but just as the mist was about to invade the other, she paused.
Teng Wu had someone else in her heart. Even if she made her into a puppet, so what?
She felt disgusted!
Physical impurities were easy to handle, but how could she ever wash the other’s heart clean?
“What… will it take for you to give up on that person?”
Taking advantage of the moment, she asked the question, Wu Ming knocked her unconscious.
She had a qi deviation! She needed a doctor!