Only you are willing to accompany me

Just as the sounds of slaughter shook the heavens before the gates of the Clear Sky Sect, and the light from clashing soul skills illuminated half the horizon.

Deep within the distant Martial Soul Hall, in a quiet courtyard reserved for honored guests behind the Pope Palace, a completely different scene unfolded.

Sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows upon the polished floor.

The air was permeated with the faint scent of incense, so tranquil it felt as if it were isolated from the rest of the world.

Ye Qing looked on with a headache at the little blonde girl sitting opposite him, who was propping up her small head with her hands, blinking eyes as bright and beautiful as a reflection of the galaxy, and gazing at him with a look of pure innocence.

Ever since Qian Daoliu had "forcibly" sent her over to keep him company, this girl seemed to have latched onto him.

They had to eat together, she would crowd over when he read, and she even insisted on watching from the side when he practiced, under the pretext that "Grandfather told me to accompany you."

"I say, Xiao Xue..."

Ye Qing set down the book on continental geography he had been holding and rubbed his throbbing temples, his tone tinged with helplessness: "If you have nothing to do, can't you go cultivate on your own? Or go find other children your age to play with? Why do you keep coming to me?"

He was truly finding it hard to cope.

It wasn't that he disliked Qian Renxue; quite the contrary.

The girl was as cute as jade, and her personality, for now, did not seem spoiled; rather, it carried a sense of loneliness and simplicity born from being protected too well.

But the problem was, his mental age was no longer that of a child, and his mind was filled with too many things that needed to be digested and planned.

Therefore, he really didn't have the heart to play house with a genuine little girl.

After all, according to the original timeline, in at most thirty years, this Martial Soul Hall, which had stood on the Douluo Continent for ten thousand years and was backed by a deity, would be destroyed.

Although he didn't have much affection for Martial Soul Hall, he didn't want to see this power destroyed at the hands of Tang San.

If the world had become a better place after the fall of Martial Soul Hall, he wouldn't have been so resistant.

But the problem was, after Martial Soul Hall was gone, the lives of the common people not only failed to improve but actually grew worse, to the point where they had to pay soul masters out of their own pockets just to awaken their martial souls.

This situation persisted for over ten thousand years, so letting Martial Soul Hall exist and successfully unify the Douluo Continent was the best choice.

This would not only allow the Sun Moon Continent to be integrated into the Douluo Continent thousands of years later, but it would also reduce the number of wars and the existence of Evil Soul Masters.

To put it bluntly, if Martial Soul Hall were still around, the Holy Spirit Cult of ten thousand years later wouldn't even have the chance to become the number one power on the Douluo Continent; they would have been nipped in the bud by Martial Soul Hall from the very beginning.

As the force inheriting the legacy of the Angel God, no one knew better than them how to deal with Evil Soul Masters.

After all, the Angel God of ten thousand years ago had achieved godhood by relying on the power of faith gained from slaying Evil Soul Masters.

Upon hearing this, the innocent smile on Qian Renxue's face, as delicate as a porcelain doll, faltered slightly.

Immediately, a faint, imperceptible layer of disappointment and grievance veiled those amethyst-like eyes.

She lowered the hand supporting her chin, her small body leaning forward slightly, her voice soft and thin, carrying a pitiful quality unique to a child that made one unable to refuse:

"But... Grandfather told me to accompany you."

Having said this, she paused, her long golden eyelashes drooping to cast a small shadow on her fair eyelids, before her voice grew even quieter:

"And... they... don't play with me."

The "they" here clearly referred to the other children in Martial Soul Hall.

Perhaps it was because their status was insufficient, perhaps they feared her identity as the daughter of the Pope and granddaughter of the Grand Pontiff, or perhaps it was the invisible barrier created by her own overly outstanding talent and martial soul.

She lifted her small face, looking at Ye Qing with timid eyes filled with cautious anticipation and a trace of imperceptible reliance:

"Only you... are willing to keep me company."

"I..."

Ye Qing opened his mouth, but the words "I don't want to play with you either," which were on the verge of spilling out, were swallowed back down the moment he caught sight of the clear loneliness and hope in Qian Renxue's eyes.

He looked at her, and a complex, indescribable emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.

Yes, this little girl with golden hair and purple eyes, as exquisite as an angel, was truly pitiful in the original trajectory of fate.

Her father, Qian Xunji, would fall at the hands of Tang Hao in the near future.

Her mother, Bibi Dong, viewed her as a product of shame and had never given her a shred of warmth, only coldness and disgust.

Most tragically, at such a young age, she would be forced to leave the familiar and warm Martial Soul City, infiltrate the treacherous and intrigue-filled imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire, and live under a false name, playing another identity to carry out that almost impossible plan to usurp the throne.

That departure would last for twenty whole years!

Her best years would be buried in disguise, schemes, and loneliness.

And in the end?

The plan would fail, and her identity would be exposed.

Her own grandfather, Qian Daoliu, would resolutely sacrifice himself to help her achieve godhood.

Yet, even so, she would ultimately fail to escape the tragic ending of her godhood shattering, the collapse of the Spirit Hall Empire, and dying of old age in the mortal realm.

She was only six years old, an age that should have been innocent and doted upon, yet she had already faintly sensed the loneliness behind being a genius and an heir, as well as the indifference from her closest kin.

Thinking of this, the impatience and irritability in Ye Qing's heart quietly dissipated, replaced by a faint sense of pity and a sigh.

He wore a smile that was as gentle and harmless as possible, and said softly:

"Well... alright then."

He reached out and gently ruffled Qian Renxue's soft golden hair; the texture was exquisite.

"From now on, whenever you want, you can come find me. However, there may be times when I need to cultivate or ponder matters, so I won't always be able to play with you."

He was well aware that once the business with the Clear Sky Sect was concluded and he had retrieved Ah Yin, he would leave the Martial Soul Hall and head for Heaven Dou City.

By then, the days he and Qian Renxue could meet would likely be numbered, and they might even end up worlds apart.

Since that was the case, during this childhood of hers that could still be considered carefree, offering a bit of trivial companionship when she took the initiative to draw near didn't seem like such a big deal.

Sure enough, upon hearing these words from Ye Qing that sounded almost like a promise, Qian Renxue's beautiful purple eyes instantly lit up, as if stars were blooming within them.

The small face that had previously worn a trace of grievance immediately blossomed into an incredibly radiant, pure smile, and she nodded vigorously:

"Mm! Thank you, Brother Ye Qing!"

The way she called him "brother" was crisp and natural, carrying the unique intimacy of a child.

Hearing this, Ye Qing felt a slight stir in his heart.

However, Qian Renxue's happy smile had not lasted long before it was abruptly frozen by a sudden, unfamiliar, yet exceptionally melodious female voice that rang out from outside the courtyard.

"God Child, may I... may I come in?"