Nanli Purgatory (First Update! Please Vote!)

The drumbeats vanished.

The firelight vanished as well.

Xiao Man dragged the basket forward with all her might. Silence fell around her, and all those clamor-filled sounds were flung far behind her...

Torrential rain poured down between heaven and earth. The wild wind was like countless giant hands tugging her back, yet her small, stubborn body kept running forward with her head lowered. She heard rustling sounds in the forest.

Beyond the high walls, there were beasts that devoured people.

Boom!

An explosion descended from the sky, bleaching the entire earth silver-white. Xiao Man slammed into a figure and fell backward onto her backside, only to be supported by a gentle force.

The girl stared blankly at the young man in white before her.

The lightning flashed past.

The world returned to darkness.

But a glimmer of light had appeared before her.

"Brother Gu... I've got her."

Standing amid the Mountain Rain, Bai Xiu sent his thoughts through the communicator.

Then he looked at the pitiful little girl carrying the enormous basket and held out a hand, naturally taking the basket from her and slinging it over his own back.

As he took the basket, he glanced at the baby inside.

The baby was still neither crying nor fussing. Through the gaps in the bamboo, it calmly watched him as well.

"You're... here to pick me up?"

Xiao Man was dazed. It was not until the white-clad figure tugged at her sleeve and rose to continue south that she realized she had not resisted at all...

This young man carried an aura very similar to Gu Shen's.

"Mm."

Bai Xiu said softly, "I'm one of Gu Shen's people."

Though she had already guessed his identity, Xiao Man felt much more at ease after asking.

She struggled to say, "The basket's