Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Probably that was exactly the reason why she was an innocent, untainted, and unsuspicious stranger.
“Wutian, you have not disturbed me or anything. Other than my father and Yi, I have met no one else all these years. You are the first person I have ever met, Wutian. Would you stay for a few days to keep me company?” said Shishi with a sweet smile, her voice was almost pleading.
“Aren’t you afraid that I am a bad guy?”
“You are not a bad guy. Yi can read people’s minds. If you were evil, it wouldn’t have allowed you to come near and touch it.”
The Flying Fox made a low sound as it licked her hand with her scarlet tongue. She could not help but cackle.
“Yi says you are filled with deep hatred and inconsolable sorrow, but you will not hurt me and we can be friends.” She gently stroked Yi’s fur, her voice crisp and pleasant, her eyes filled with anticipation.
This girl was too adorable. Wutian could not bring himself to reject her. “It would be unbecoming of me to say no to such a beautiful place and an adorable girl like you,” said Wutian after some thought.
“Yeah! I am glad that you agree!” The girl jumped up and down and danced on the meadow in excitement like an elf.
She curled her hand around Wutian’s arm as if it was a natural thing to do. “Wutian, you look good when you smile. So don’t put on that sad face again. You should be happy and worry-free like me, only then you will not grow old!”
Wutian nodded with a smile. Shishi’s kindness and innocence were contagious. For a moment, he had forgotten his worries and was relaxed.
“Let me bring you to meet Flora. It is beautiful, and you will like it. But let me warn you; don’t you bully it. It is my best friend.”
“Let me tell you a secret. I forgot to water Flora yesterday, and it almost died. When I visited it in the morning, it sat stooped in the flowerpot. I was so sad. But I am happy that it has regained its vitality again.”
While she walked Wutian to the gazebo, she jumped and danced and babbled continuously, as if she wanted to say what she had not gotten the opportunity to say in the past twelve years at once.
A smile spread across Wutian’s face as he listened quietly.
The place was beautiful and serene, far away from the outside world. It was an excellent venue for cultivating one’s mind and body. So, Wutian thought he might as well open his heart, forget everything else to relax.
Shishi and he went to meet Flora, which turned out to be a ubiquitous flower that grew all over the mountains. But Shishi treated it like a friend, carefully nurturing, trimming and watering it, day after day, year after year.
Little Tian was elated. Warned not to do anything to Yi, but so long as it could stay here, there would be plenty of opportunities. But the Flying Fox seemed not to give it the chance; it followed closely Shishi and Wutian so that Little Tian could do nothing about it.
Little Tian became restless, itching to push its luck.
“Look at the auspicious deer over there, and also the beautiful phoenix. Wow! There are ten over white qilins there. Look, Wutian! They have come out to say hello to you!”
Groups of monster beasts emerged and dallied around Shishi. They were horrific but appeared docile like sheep in front of this little angel.
Wutian had visited many places, seen different types of flowers and harmless, intelligent beasts today. It was indeed a land of purity, a place with no killing, dispute, hatred, or greed. Life was pure and simple here.
At night, the silver moon hung in the sky accompanied by a sea of stars as two humans and two beasts sat by the pond, gazing at the moon.
Shishi looked up. “My father says every star in the sky represents a person. And he is the brightest star in the sky. So, everything when I miss him, I would gaze at the stars here, hoping to find the star that represents him. But every time, I find that all the stars are equally bright. I wonder which one is Father. Do you know which one, Wutian?”
She hugged her legs in her arms, her petite body curled up to herself. The reflection of the moon in her black gem-like, beautiful eyes told of her loneliness and her missing of her father.
“Your father is right, Shishi. Everyone is a star. And among the stars is my family. When they are not around, they will quietly watch and care for us from above. They have never left us but quietly guard us.”
He used to be like her, gazing up at the stars at night, hoping that his parents would suddenly appear. But sixteen years had since passed, yet they were nowhere to be seen. It was only an elusive dream. But he did not want Shishi to feel disappointed and sad because of her father’s lie. So, he did not tell her the truth.
“Look, Shishi, that bright star up there must be your father. He was twinkling and winking at you!” Wutian pointed up at the sky with a smile.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I will not lie to you.” Wutian nodded at her.
“Father, I have finally found you! I miss you so much!” Shishi called out at the sky with delight.
Tonight, Shishi talked a lot. Wutian had roughly figured out something: Shishi was no ordinary person, her father could be a powerful man, probably one of the top figures around the Greendragon subcontinent. But Shishi had not clearly said why his father had left her living here alone.
It was late at night, and Shishi was too tired, finally falling asleep in Wutian’s arms. She felt so lonely, holding his hand so tightly as if she was scared that she would find him gone when she woke up.
She was sleeping soundly and smiling in her dream. Wutian took off his outer garment and pulled it over her to shield her from the chilly wind while being careful not to wake her up.
Perhaps their intention is to protect us and shield us from dangers. But little do they understand our craving for family love. So long as we could stay together with family, we would feel happy and warm, no matter how dangerous and hard life is!
Wutian quietly gazed up at the night sky and felt sorry for Shishi, and for himself. They were of the same type of persons who had never tasted love from their parents.
The next day, the sun gradually rose, driving away the chilly night wind.
Wutian carried up the girl, who was still sound asleep, into the house. He placed her on the bed, pulled the blanket over her with a genuine smile on his face.
He then came to the edge of the cliff and started to inhale and exhale as part of his daily practice.
It was a beautiful morning. A rainbow appeared in the sky and cast a beautiful coat of colors on his body. The Essene energy was rolling in from all directions, turning the place into a world of fog.
Wutian felt refreshed as the level of Essence energy here was several times higher than that of the outside world. Practicing cultivation here would get twice the result, with half the effort. The Essence energy in his Sea of Qi was growing. Like the swell of the spring, it surged continuously with a soft glow.
The air was clean, with no impurity. In this place of serenity and back to nature, far away from the outside world, he could feel his spirit gradually transcend to a never-before-seen realm.
He had a hunch that, soon, his Essence energy would transmute to become an elixir. He would complete the Reborn Alpha stage and enter the Reborn Beta stage.
Shishi woke and saw that Wutian was not around. She started to look for him, calling out aloud. Her eyes welled up and finally, tears flowed down her cheeks. At last, she found him at the edge of a cliff and plunged into his arms and cried.
“I thought you left me. I felt so sad.”
She gripped Wutian’s sleeve tightly and cried, her petite body trembled, fearing that she would be alone again.
“Why would I leave you behind, you silly girl? Stop crying. Or else, your eyes will look like that of the panda.” As Wutian comforted her softly, the thought of taking care of this lonely girl rose within him.
But the thought went away quickly, as he could not have possibly stayed here for the rest of his life. He had to seek revenge, and his parents had not been found yet.
“I am not a panda.” She finally laughed. She was innocent and beautiful, like a butterfly dancing around the garden.
“Let me bring you somewhere, where there are many shiny things.” She held Wutian’s hand and brought him through the garden, past the pond toward the back of the house.
Yi quickly followed, its white fur glittering with soft light under the sun. Its eyes moved in liveliness and intelligence.
Little Tian had not given up yet and was still having the thought of getting its hands on Yi. It knew that it was impossible to eat the Flying Fox now. But it was determined to get at least a tiny chunk of its meat or a drop of its blood.
Shishi and Wutian quickly arrived at the edge on the other side of the cliff. There was a mound of about fifteen-feet tall with lush green grass covering and blooming flowers. There was a cave on the mound. Inside was pitch-dark, an abode of the fairies and immortals.
Shishi was very familiar with the place. She entered the cave without hesitation. Extending her hand, a milky glow appeared on her hand in the form of a light ball. The soft and beautiful light illuminated the entire cave.
“The light being!”
Wutian was stunned by the fact that Shishi was a rare light being. No wonder the Flying Fox wanted to stay around her, and those hideous monster beasts were so close to her.
Light signifies hope, purity, and darkness-dispelling. It revealed the good side of things, soothing the hearts to make them ethereal.
Light is a strange power. Only the pure hearts and minds, and people of kindness could inherit the Light, and get its recognition.
“Why are you looking so surprised?” Shishi tilted her head in puzzlement.
Wutian smiled but said nothing. The purer the heart of the light beings, the faster their speed of cultivation. He had figured out why Shishi had been left alone here. It was for her own good. Her parents probably did not want the outside world to taint her so she could keep her innocence.
“Caw!” Little Tian jumped onto Shishi’s shoulder to enjoy the soft light fusing into its body.
“Ow, ow!” How dare the ugly thing jumped onto Shishi’s shoulder. Yi was not too happy. It stood on two legs at over a meter tall, chasing away Little Tian with his claws.
Little Tian hopped left and right, dodging the attack. It pointed at the Flying Fox, carrying its belly and cawing as if sneering, “Shrink to my size if you can!”
“You shouldn’t bully Little Tian, Yi. It is very adorable,” said Shishi with a smile, not bothered by the sticky stuff on Little Tian’s body.
“Ow!” Yi felt unfairly treated. How could Shishi scold her because of this damn creature? So Yi glared back.
Shishi walked ahead to illuminate the path with the light in her hand. She stopped only after making a few paces. “Aren’t these shiny things beautiful, Wutian?”