Cai'er: This Is Our Home

If it weren't for Cai'er, facing that unfathomable white-robed figure, he would never have had the courage to accept such a dangerous "high-difficulty mission." After all, how many times in his life would he encounter a mission where he wouldn't die, and the enemy would even protect him, Long Xuanye?

Not to mention the immense gains he had now.

Saint Cai'er's hands stopped moving.

She turned her head and smiled at him. Her already beautiful eyes seemed to hold the vastness of the starry sky, sparkling brightly.

"It's okay, we're family."

She paused, then added softly in a tone tinged with affection, "Xuanye is such a polite and good child."

The slight sense of gratitude Long Xuanye had just felt was instantly choked back by her words, leaving him with a heart full of helplessness.

Is this right??

You're calling me a child...

Whatever.

With my current physique, being called a "child" is... not entirely wrong.

Yes, that's it!

He collected his thoughts, his expression turning serious.

"We need to find a new place to live. It's not safe here anymore."

The astonishing commotion last night would have undoubtedly attracted countless prying eyes. Staying any longer would be like walking into a trap.

Saint Cai'er nodded without any objection.

She was alone and had no belongings to pack. Standing up, she led the way towards the cave entrance, then turned back and extended her fair hand to him.

Long Xuanye took her hand. The warmth and complete trust in the young girl's palm completely calmed his turbulent emotions.

The two walked out of the cave.

Night had fallen deep, and the cold wind was like a knife, whistling across the wilderness.

Yet, Long Xuanye felt no chill. The Chaos Spirit Furnace in his Qi Sea was like a small sun, continuously radiating warmth and shielding him from the wind and snow.

With strength far exceeding his past, their speed was incredible.

In just half the night, they had traveled dozens of miles to an old place.

This was the town where Long Xuanye had first awakened his System, the place it had told him to buy supplies from, only for it to be destroyed by monsters. Now, only a few dilapidated thatched huts swayed in the wind.

Upon seeing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in Saint Cai'er's eyes.

She circled a thatched hut, finding that many daily necessities like pottery jars and wooden stools were still intact. She then pulled Long Xuanye towards the relatively most complete house.

Just as the two were making simple arrangements to use this place as a temporary residence, Saint Cai'er's body suddenly swayed. She tripped over something and was about to fall.

"Careful!"

Long Xuanye's reaction was incredibly fast now. He lunged forward and, with an outstretched arm, firmly supported her waist.

At that very moment, he unintentionally met her gaze.

Her eyes, which should have been as clear as amethysts, were now covered with a faint, deathly gray-white film.

Long Xuanye's heart sank.

He suddenly remembered that during the fight against the white-robed figure, Cai'er had forcibly activated the Reincarnation Sacred Sword, prematurely using a power that did not belong to her.

Long Xuanye's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, his breathing momentarily catching.

"Your eyes..."

Saint Cai'er wasn't surprised by his discovery. She simply blinked, but the gray-white film remained.

"The Trial of Reincarnation has begun early," her voice was soft but exceptionally calm. "The price is my five senses."

"However, because I activated the power of the Sacred Sword, I didn't go blind immediately. My vision is just slowly deteriorating," she paused and added, "And I can still speak for now."

Long Xuanye listened as she recounted the cruel reality in such a composed tone, a tightness forming in his chest.

Sensing his tense emotions, Saint Cai'er instead gently patted his hand.

"Don't worry, 'Mommy' will take good care of you."

The words Long Xuanye had been about to say were once again blocked.

The heavy sorrow mixed with a hint of wry warmth in his heart ultimately turned into a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.

Should I retort?

But in this atmosphere, if I say the wrong thing, Cai'er will be sad, right?

Then I'll just say nothing...

Ugh, that doesn't feel right either.

Long Xuanye felt a moment of helplessness.

The two said no more, and tacitly began to tidy up the dilapidated hut.

Saint Cai'er clearly had a knack for wilderness survival. She quickly found a large bundle of clean, dry grass outside and carefully laid it in a corner, arranging it into a simple makeshift bed.

Long Xuanye, relying on his adult experience, reassembled several broken wooden planks, managing to construct a table. He then found a relatively intact piece of tattered cloth to use as a tablecloth.

Though the hut was crude, under their arrangement, it gradually began to resemble a "home."

Saint Cai'er looked at the scene before her, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"This will be our home from now on!"

Long Xuanye looked at the thin sweat beading on her forehead and her eyes, which shone even brighter with joy. He couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, this will be our home from now on," he said softly. "This is the border, so people from the Assassin's Sanctuary shouldn't find us easily."

Hearing this, Saint Cai'er quietly clenched his hand.

If only I could live like this with Xuanye forever.

At the Assassin's Sanctuary, everyone had told her what was "right." It was right to undergo trials, right to endure pain, right to become the sharpest sword. She could only endure.

But now, she had chosen Xuanye.

She no longer wanted to be a "right" person. She just wanted to be his "mother."

That was enough.

Just as the warm atmosphere was gently flowing, Long Xuanye's expression suddenly darkened!

In the air, a trace of dark energy flashed and vanished!

"Go!"

He didn't have time to explain. He yanked Saint Cai'er and lunged to the side!

Almost at the same instant!

Swish--!

A claw attack, as black as ink, whistled past the edge of their clothes and slammed heavily into the wooden pillar of the thatched hut behind them!

"Bang!"

Wood chips flew everywhere!

"You dodged pretty fast?"

A hoarse voice rang out from the darkness, laced with a hint of mockery.

Five tall figures slowly emerged.

Leading them was a demon nearly two meters tall, with dark green skin. The claws on its hands gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight.

"Shadow Eater Squad, on patrol duty at the border. We stumbled upon two human brats. Perfect, your blood will be our sacrifice!"

Long Xuanye's gaze quickly swept over the five demons before him.

The leader, the dark green-skinned demon, was a fourth-tier Bone Erosion Demon. The pale white bone blade in its hand exuded an ominous aura, and its presence was the most stable among the five demons.

Behind him were three third-tier demons.

One, gaunt and surrounded by a faint green aura, was a Rotting Mist Demon.

One with exceptionally large claws and bone spurs at its joints was a Sharp Claw Demon.

And another, carrying a bone bow, its sinister eyes darting around in the shadows, was a Dark Arrow Demon.

As for the fifth one