My Name Is Na'er

"Who are you?"

Xuan Hao shook the grilled fish in his hand and asked tentatively, "Want some?"

The little girl seemed startled by his voice and shrank back, but the enticing aroma hooked her soul once more.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded lightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:

"Mhm... hungry..."

Xuan Hao narrowed his eyes and looked her over from head to toe.

There were no fluctuations of Soul Power around her, nor was there the distinctive aura of a transformed Soul Beast... She looked just like an ordinary human child who had gotten lost.

But out here in these desolate mountains, could an ordinary child have survived until now?

"Come here."

After thinking it over, Xuan Hao still beckoned her over and handed her the grilled fish. "This is for you."

Whatever her background was, he was a "fugitive" himself right now. The fewer complications, the better.

If this little girl was truly an ordinary person, giving her something to eat was nothing much.

And if she was some old monster hiding her strength... then he had even more reason to treat her well.

The little girl's eyes lit up. She cautiously walked over and accepted the grilled fish. After politely saying "thank you," she ignored the heat and began devouring it in huge bites.

The way she wolfed it down made it obvious that she was starving.

As Xuan Hao watched her, he started grilling another fish for himself and casually asked:

"Little Sister, what's your name? Where do you live? Why did you come all the way out here alone?"

The little girl paused mid-bite.

She raised her head, a bit of grease still on the corner of her mouth. Her purple eyes looked at Xuan Hao, filled with a heartbreaking confusion and helplessness.

"I... I don't know."

She shook her head, her voice low. "I don't remember... When I woke up, I was already here. I walked for a long, long time... I was so hungry..."

"Amnesia?" Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow.

Why was this plot so cliché?

Still, judging by the girl's expression, she did not seem to be lying.

"Then you must at least have a name, right?"

"A name..."

The little girl tilted her head and thought for a while, as though trying hard to remember something. At last, she said uncertainly:

"It seems... someone called me... Na'er?"

"Na'er?"

Xuan Hao's hands suddenly froze.

Silver hair... purple eyes... amnesia... Na'er...

This couldn't fucking be...

Gu Yuena?!

The Silver Dragon King who was still recovering beneath the Lake of Life?!

Why had she come out here? And why had she turned into this?

Xuan Hao felt his scalp go numb. Instinctively, he wanted to back away, but when he saw the little girl in front of him gnawing on the grilled fish without the slightest guard up, he forced himself to stop.

"Gege, what's wrong?"

Na'er seemed to notice that something was off with Xuan Hao and asked worriedly, "Are you hungry too? Then I... can give you half?"

As she spoke, she reluctantly held out the half-eaten grilled fish.

Looking at the small hand extended toward him, Xuan Hao gently pushed it back. "It's fine. I'm not hungry."

"You... eat more."

Something was wrong!

If Gu Yuena was here, then Di Tian was probably watching from the shadows too!

Fuck! Where was his danger perception?!

Why was there no reaction at all!?

Had Di Tian left after dropping Gu Yuena here?

Or had Gu Yuena used her spatial ability to teleport here on her own?

But how did she know where he was?

Because of when they had been in the Star Dou Great Forest before?

Though panic filled his heart, and he remained constantly on guard against the legendary Black Dragon King suddenly reaching a claw out of the void and swatting him into minced meat, Xuan Hao's hands never stopped moving.

"Here, be careful, it's hot."

Xuan Hao handed over the last grilled fish.

Na'er accepted the grilled fish. Though her movements remained refined, she did not eat slowly in the slightest. In less than half an hour, the more than ten black carp that had originally been piled into a small mountain were completely wiped out by the two of them.

"Burp~"

Na'er let out a soft, satisfied burp, then covered her mouth somewhat bashfully, her cheeks flushed red.

"Full?"

Xuan Hao handed her a handkerchief and asked tentatively, "Um... Na'er, do you remember where your home is? Or do you remember any family? Gege can take you back."

Na'er took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth. At his words, the light in her eyes dimmed. Hugging her knees, she stared blankly at the bonfire before her and shook her head.

"I don't remember... I really don't remember anything."

"My mind is completely empty. There's only one name... No matter how hard I try, I can't remember anything else."

Xuan Hao sighed.

It seemed she truly had amnesia. Or perhaps the Silver Dragon King's divine consciousness had sealed away her memories and "reset" her mind, leaving only her subconscious behind.

"Then what do you plan to do next? You can't stay in these remote mountains forever, can you?"

Na'er raised her head and looked blankly at the dense forest around them. A trace of fear flickered in her eyes before she lowered her head again, remaining silent.

She did not know where to go, nor did she know what to do.

Seeing her pitiful appearance, that inexplicable sense of closeness welled up in Xuan Hao's heart once more. Perhaps because he possessed the Silver Dragon Spirit as well, he felt an innate fondness toward the girl before him.

Besides... if Di Tian really was watching from the shadows, then if he left this ancestor here and ignored her, he would probably be swatted into minced meat by a black dragon claw the very next second.

"Alright."

Xuan Hao stood up, brushed the grass clippings from his buttocks, and extended a hand toward Na'er.

"Since you have nowhere to go, how about... you follow me for now?"

Na'er froze for a moment. A flash of delight appeared in her eyes, only to turn into hesitation in the next instant. "B-But... would I cause trouble for Gege? I can't do anything, and I eat a lot too..."

"Don't worry. I can afford to raise one little girl," Xuan Hao said.

"Besides, a little girl like you out here in the wilderness—if a wild beast carries you off, or human traffickers abduct and sell you, that would be real trouble."

"Follow me, and at least you'll have a hot meal to eat."

Na'er looked at Xuan Hao's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, then finally extended her own small hand and gently took his.

"Mm... Thank you, Gege."

"Let's go."

Xuan Hao pulled her up, but just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell upon her thin, tattered clothes.

The outfit was clearly too large for her, and several holes had already been torn into it by branches, revealing the fair skin beneath.

"This outfit won't do. It's too conspicuous, and it won't keep you warm either."

Xuan Hao thought for a moment and rummaged through his Storage Ring. He had no girls' clothing, so he could only dig out several sets of old clothes he had worn when he was six or seven.

"Here, I used to wear this."

Xuan Hao handed her a set of moon-white fitted clothes. "They're boys' clothes, but the material is good and they're sturdy. Go change behind those trees."

Na'er hugged the clothes to her chest, her cheeks faintly red as she cast him a shy glance.

"Go on, I won't look." Xuan Hao turned around, his back facing the woods. "I'll stand guard here. Call me if you need anything."

After a rustling sound.

Before long, Na'er walked out.

"G-Gege, I'm changed..."

Xuan Hao turned around. When he saw Na'er clearly, he froze.

The filthy little beggar from before had vanished, replaced by a valiant little boy... no, a little girl.

Her short silver hair gleamed under the sunlight, and the white fitted clothes accentuated her upright figure. Though the outfit was somewhat oversized and hung loosely from her body, it could not conceal her cool and noble bearing.

What made Xuan Hao feel the strangest was...

After changing into his old clothes, this girl looked as though she had been carved from the same mold as him!

The same silver hair, the same exquisitely beautiful features, even the same aloof aura that kept strangers at a distance.

The only difference was her mismatched blue and purple eyes.

If they went out and claimed to be biological siblings, probably no one would doubt them. Even if they said they were twins, people would believe it.

"It's just that these clothes... are a little too big."

Though he had worn them when he was six, he had developed early and stood taller than children his age. Na'er, on the other hand, looked somewhat malnourished—thin and small.

The sleeves were far too long, and the pant legs dragged along the ground. The clothes hung loosely on her, making her look as though she had secretly put on an adult's outfit.

"Don't move."

Xuan Hao sighed and took out a sewing kit and a small pair of scissors from his storage ring.

"Sit down."

Na'er obediently sat on a rock. Watching Xuan Hao approach with needle and thread, she widened her eyes in surprise. "Gege... you know how to sew?"

Deep down, she had always thought such delicate work was something girls did.

"What's so strange about that?"

Xuan Hao crouched in front of her, skillfully rolling up the overly long pant legs, trimming them, threading the needle, and sewing. "I used to be poor. When my clothes tore, I couldn't afford new ones, so I could only mend them myself. Sometimes, I even had to pick up other people's scraps and make clothes out of them."

"If I hadn't known how to do this back then, I'd have frozen to death in winter and died of shame in summer."

Hearing Xuan Hao speak so casually about those hard days, Na'er suddenly felt a sour ache well up in her heart.

Although she had lost her memories, she instinctively felt that such a life was far removed from her.

Yet this Gege before her, who looked so noble and distinguished, had actually suffered through so much?