A Daughter of the Gu Family: Gu Lanxi

Gu Family Village.

This was the village that had been ransacked by bandits.

The entire village was in chaos, with cries rising and falling one after another.

When Su Mo arrived, he saw a dozen or so men carrying the bodies of the deceased, and behind the village, on an empty patch of ground, large pits had been dug, clearly prepared for burying the dead.

Su Mo stepped forward to ask and learned that these men were the village's hunting team, who had survived only because they were out hunting.

"Young Master, you saved so many women of our Gu Family Village and killed all the bandits, avenging us greatly. Great kindness needs no thanks; please accept my bow!"

The Hunting Team Leader, upon learning that Su Mo had rescued the women, immediately bowed to him with respect.

"Elder Brother, no need for formalities. First, let's bury the dead and let them rest in peace!"

Su Mo waved his hand at the Hunting Team Leader and said.

"Alright!"

The Hunting Team Leader nodded heavily and, without another word, went back to carrying the bodies of the fallen villagers.

"Hm?"

Su Mo swept his gaze around and saw the stunningly beautiful girl from before, kneeling before a corpse and weeping.

That corpse was the white-haired old man he had seen earlier.

"So, she was that old man's granddaughter." Su Mo understood at once.

He walked over, crouched down, and gently patted the girl's shoulder, comforting her: "The departed have passed on; miss, please restrain your grief."

The girl seemed not to hear Su Mo's words and continued to sob softly.

"Sigh!"

Su Mo sighed inwardly. Parting through life and death was always the most painful thing.

"Young Master, Xi'er is an orphan. Since childhood, I had no father or mother, abandoned in the wilderness. Grandfather picked me up and raised me."

Then, the girl spoke softly, her voice filled with bitterness: "Grandfather treated me as his own, always leaving the best for Xi'er, never letting Xi'er suffer any hardship. Now that Grandfather has met such a calamity, Xi'er's heart is full of self-blame."

"Why am I not a martial artist?"

"If I were a powerful martial artist, I could have protected Grandfather, I could have protected our village!"

"If I were a powerful martial artist, Grandfather wouldn't have died, and so many villagers wouldn't have died!"

"... "

The girl kept speaking, as if talking to Su Mo, or perhaps to herself.

Her body trembled with her words, and large teardrops kept rolling down from her eyelids.

Su Mo listened quietly, saying nothing.

The Law of the Jungle—the strong prey on the weak. This was the tragedy of the powerless!

After a long while, the girl finally stopped sobbing.

"Miss, you must pull yourself together. Your grandfather's spirit in heaven wouldn't want to see you like this." Su Mo could only keep comforting her.

"Young Master, I'm sorry for making a fool of myself!"

The girl wiped the tears from her face, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine. Let's bury your grandfather now, so the elder can rest in peace."

Su Mo said, and together they buried the old man behind the village.

After the burial, Su Mo prepared to leave.

By then, all the villagers of Gu Family Village had buried the dead and came again to thank Su Mo.

Su Mo returned all the valuables he had taken from the bandits to them and was about to depart.

"Young Master!"

Just then, a soft call rang out. Su Mo turned to look and saw the green-robed girl.

"Xi'er... Xi'er wishes to follow you, Young Master. Would you be willing to take Xi'er in?"

The girl moved lightly, stepping gracefully to stand before Su Mo, biting her silver teeth as if she had made some kind of decision.

After speaking, her large, autumn-water-like eyes fixed intently on Su Mo, as if she feared he might refuse.

Su Mo was startled, not understanding why the girl would make such a request.

"Miss, why do you want to follow me?"

Having a beauty willing to follow him, Su Mo naturally didn't mind.

But he still needed to understand her intentions; he couldn't just happily take her home because she was beautiful.

"Xi'er wants to follow you, Young Master, to cultivate the martial path."

The girl's slightly youthful face was full of determination: "I can tell that you, Young Master, are a good person. Only by following you can Xi'er have a chance to become strong in the future."

"Young Master, rest assured, Xi'er will never be a burden to you. I can cook, wash clothes, and handle all household chores. Even if I have to serve as a maid or slave, Xi'er is willing. I beg you, Young Master, to take me in!"

The young girl looked pitiful, her big eyes full of anticipation. After speaking, she made as if to kneel.

Su Mo reached out a hand and quickly stopped her, saying, "Since you're willing to follow me, then come along! I'll teach you how to cultivate in the future."

"Of course, if you ever want to leave later on, I won't stop you."

Su Mo sighed inwardly. This young girl appeared frail on the outside, but her heart was quite strong, and her resolve was firm.

"Thank you, Young Master!"

A rare smile finally appeared on the young girl's face, blooming like a hundred flowers, captivating to behold.

Afterward, Su Mo led the young girl back to Linyang City.

The two of them didn't ride horses but walked the entire way back to Linyang City on foot.

Although the young girl hadn't awakened her martial spirit and wasn't a true martial artist, she was still at the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering. Walking several dozen li posed no problem for her.

Along the way, Su Mo chatted with her a lot and gained a general understanding of the young girl.

The young girl's name was Gu Lanxi—a very pleasant-sounding name.

She was fourteen this year, and after the Year-End Festival two months later, she would turn fifteen, about the same age as Su Mo.

By evening, the two of them had returned to the Su family mansion.

"Heavens! Where did Su Mo find such a beautiful woman?"

"That waste probably knows he doesn't have long to live and is starting to show his true colors!"

"That's probably it! Sigh, good cabbage always gets rooted by pigs!"

As Su Mo led Gu Lanxi through the Su family mansion, the young girl's stunning beauty immediately drew many sidelong glances.

Many Su family disciples muttered sour remarks, both envious and jealous of Su Mo, but mostly disdainful.

Bringing the young girl to his own courtyard, Su Mo arranged a room for her.

Su Mo's courtyard had four rooms in total. He occupied one himself, while the others sat empty.

"Xi'er, you'll stay here from now on!"

Su Mo tidied up the room for the young girl and prepared some daily necessities for her. "If you need anything in the future, just tell me directly."

"Mm, thank you, Young Master!" The young girl nodded lightly.

"As for cultivation, I'll buy you some pills when I have time so you can complete Body Tempering as soon as possible."

Su Mo added, "Once you finish Body Tempering, I'll find a way to help you awaken your martial spirit!"

"Mm, I'm troubling you, Young Master!"

The young girl felt a bit moved and was very respectful toward Su Mo.

"Haha! Xi'er, you don't need to be so polite. I'm a pretty casual person."

Su Mo smiled slightly and said, "From now on, don't call me Young Master anymore. It sounds awkward. Just call me by my name!"

"Th-this... how could that be!"

The young girl quickly waved her hands and said anxiously, "Young Master has done Xi'er a great kindness. How could I address you directly by name? That would be a grave disrespect! Besides, Xi'er is only Young Master's maidservant now. I wouldn't dare address you like that!"

Huh!

Su Mo was speechless. This girl was way too formal!

"Who said you're my maidservant? From now on, you're my little sister. Yes, my little sister." Su Mo said seriously.

Hearing Su Mo's words, the young girl's eyes, as clear as autumn water, widened, and she stared at Su Mo without blinking.

"What? You don't want to?" Su Mo deliberately put on a stern face, feigning anger.

"No... no, Xi'er is willing!"

The young girl's cheeks flushed red, and she was deeply moved inside.

"Haha! Come on, call me 'Brother' first and let me hear it." Su Mo curled his lips into a smile and teased.

"Uh... Brother Su Mo!"

The young girl's face instantly turned crimson with shyness. She didn't dare lift her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Haha..." Su Mo burst into laughter.