He slowly turned around and walked over to the little beggar.
He crouched down. "You did well. From now on, whoever dares bully you, kill them. Understand?"
The little beggar nodded, as if she only half understood.
"What's your name?"
The little beggar blinked her big eyes and shook her head.
"You don't have a name?"
She nodded.
"Would you like to come with me?"
The little beggar hesitated, then nodded.
Li Xinge grinned and held out his hand.
The little beggar looked at his fair hand, then at her own, and hesitated.
Her hand was dirty. She was afraid she'd stain his clean one.
But to her surprise, Li Xinge took her hand and pulled her up from the ground.
"Little girl, you've got a lot on your mind."
Li Xinge muttered under his breath.
The two of them walked one in front of the other, one tall, one small.
"How about taking my surname from now on?"
The little girl nodded.
"And what about a name?"
Li Xinge stroked his chin, and a mischievous idea suddenly came to him.
"How about Li Mochou?"
The little girl saw the sly glint in Li Xinge's eyes and shook her head.
Li Xinge burst out laughing. "You little brat, you're pretty clever. In that case, how about Li Wuyou? I hope you'll live your whole life free from worries and sorrow."
The little girl's eyes lit up, and she gave a smile that Li Xinge thought was terribly ugly.
"Looks like you really like that name. Then from now on, you'll be called Li Wuyou."
"And you can call me... Uncle!"
Li Xinge said with a grin.
"Un... cle."
Li Wuyou sounded out the two syllables, one by one, her voice a little halting.
"Hey, look at that! So you're not mute after all."
Li Xinge teased her.
Li Wuyou followed behind Li Xinge with her head lowered, a flicker of light shining in her eyes.
"Uncle."
[Name: Li Wuyou] [Age: 8] [Cultivation: None] [Talent: ???] [Special Physique: Heavenly Demon Sacred Body (Unawakened)]
It was late, and there was now a hungry, freezing little girl at his side, so Li Xinge decided not to continue traveling.
The two of them arrived at a large inn in town and went inside.
The innkeeper was a portly, middle-aged man who greeted them with a broad smile.
The well-traveled innkeeper had decades of experience and a sharp eye. At a glance, he could tell that although the young man's clothes weren't particularly luxurious, they were made of the finest silk.
The jade belt at his waist was priceless, too. He was surely the young master of some great family.
So the innkeeper spoke with great deference.
"Esteemed guest, will you be staying the night or dining?"
Li Xinge smiled faintly, took a gold ingot from his sleeve, and handed it to the innkeeper.
"Prepare a first-class room, and bring out a table of your signature dishes."
Then he pointed at Li Wuyou, who was clutching his clothes and looking timid.
"Then find a matron, get her some clean clothes, and give the little one a good wash."
The innkeeper carefully accepted the gold ingot, feeling its weight in his hand.
He became even more deferential. "Rest assured, esteemed guest. I'll see to everything perfectly."
Before long, the innkeeper had somehow found a middle-aged woman.
"Miss, come with me. I'll take you to bathe," the woman said, bowing.
But Li Wuyou was frightened and quickly hid behind Li Xinge.
Seeing this, Li Xinge felt rather helpless.
He turned around and spoke sternly to little Wuyou. "If you don't behave, Uncle won't look after you anymore."
The threat was undeniably effective.
Little Wuyou's eyes filled with tears, but she could only let the middle-aged woman lead her away. All the while, she kept looking back at Li Xinge with a pitiful expression.
"Sir, your private dining room is ready. Please follow me."
The innkeeper led Li Xinge to a seat by the window on the second floor.
"I'll tell the kitchen to prepare your meal. Please wait a moment, sir."
Li Xinge nodded.
It was mealtime, and the inn was packed. Judging by the clothes of the people coming and going, they all had some status in town. Commoners couldn't afford silk and brocade.
Li Xinge filled his cup with wine, his thoughts returning to the scene from half a quarter of an hour ago, when little Wuyou had been bullied by several young ruffians...
He'd originally planned to walk away. After all, he wasn't some great philanthropist who rushed to help whenever he saw injustice.
There was too much injustice in this world for him to deal with it all.
But one casual glance had left Li Xinge stunned.
The little beggar being bullied by the young ruffians had such powerful fortune that even his soul trembled.
His family's fortune was still white.
But the fortune above the little beggar's head was purplish red. How terrifying was that?
Li Xinge guessed that she might be the legendary Favorite of Heaven, a Child of Destiny.
As for him, he didn't count. He was just an utterly ordinary cheat user.
After guessing that the little beggar might be the legendary Child of Destiny, Li Xinge changed his mind and stepped in to save her.
If he could earn the friendship of a Child of Destiny, the rewards he might gain were beyond his wildest imagination.
And sure enough, after he saved Li Wuyou,
the white fortune of his Li Family began to show signs of turning green.
A Child of Destiny was truly terrifying!
Li Xinge couldn't help but marvel.
A quarter of an hour later, the middle-aged woman brought the freshly washed little Wuyou to Li Xinge.
With the grime washed away, little Wuyou had a slender figure and a head of long black hair falling over her shoulders.
She wore a green ruqun. Her young face was somewhat sallow and gaunt, but judging by her features, she would be a pretty little girl after a while of proper care.
"Wuyou, you must be hungry. Let's eat."
Li Xinge smiled.
The steaming dishes looked delicious, and they had already been served.
Little Wuyou stared fixedly at the table laden with delicacies and couldn't help swallowing.
She'd never even dared imagine such a thing before.
"What are you waiting for? Eat!"
Li Xinge urged her.
As he spoke, he put a chicken drumstick in Li Wuyou's bowl.
Seeing the drumstick, Li Wuyou's mouth watered.
She reached out and went straight for the drumstick with her hand.
Smack!
Li Wuyou snatched her hand back in pain and looked aggrievedly at Li Xinge, who had withdrawn his chopsticks.
"You have to use chopsticks when you eat. You can't grab food with your hands. I'll only teach you once."
Li Xinge said flatly, then used his chopsticks to pick up a slice of meat and demonstrate for her.
She copied him, though her clumsy movements were adorable.
"Hurry, hurry! Surround the inn!"
A commotion came from outside.
Dozens of burly men in tight-fitting robes, their faces fierce and their presence imposing, surrounded the entire inn until not even a drop of water could get through.
Li Xinge raised an eyebrow.
The troublemakers had arrived.
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