The man's voice carried a lecherous snicker.
Hearing him, Chen Zhou suddenly fell silent for a moment. He turned his head slightly and looked toward the dim alley.
Then he calmly pointed into the alley. "Go take a look. If there really are people inside bullying men and forcing women, kill them all."
"Killing people won't be a problem, right? I mean, they're bullying men and forcing women, so killing them should be acceptable too, right?"
Chen Zhou paused, then turned his handsome little face toward the driver behind him.
The driver froze for a moment. Looking at Chen Zhou, he nodded very seriously.
"They're just a few thugs. Please wait here, young master. I'll go butcher them now."
The driver's voice was very calm—if anything, even calmer than Chen Zhou's.
After all, in Eastsea City, the Spirit Pagoda was the law of the land. Even the Tang Sect couldn't compare to the Spirit Pagoda's standing.
The Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City might be one of the weaker ones among the eighteen core Spirit Pagodas, but it still had a Spirit Ascension Platform.
Every year, the funding it received alone, along with the money it could bring in, amounted to an astronomical sum.
The Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda had extensive dealings with the Eastsea City Federation government and all kinds of civil and criminal agencies.
It gave out plenty of gifts, too. For a driver with an honorary position at the Spirit Pagoda, killing a few thugs was nothing to fret over.
As he hurried into the alley, screams rang out one after another.
Before long, the driver came back out, dragging a little girl behind him.
He held her by the back of her collar with one hand, as if he had a firm grip on the throat of her fate.
The little girl stared blankly at Chen Zhou, and he stared back at her in bewilderment.
Chen Zhou instinctively rubbed his eyes. He didn't know what Na'er was supposed to look like, but this little girl before him—shabbily dressed, her face filthy, and with a pair of beautiful purple eyes—he recognized her at a glance.
He had seen beautiful women, both before and after transmigrating. He had seen all kinds of so-called celebrities, but he had never seen anyone like the girl before him.
Even though she was only six, and the grime on her clothes and face obscured half her beauty, one look was enough to tell that she was a beauty in the making.
Her skin was like porcelain, caked with dirt, yet still impossibly fair.
Her soft, lustrous cheeks wore an expression of natural, vacant innocence.
Looking at the adorable little girl, Chen Zhou blinked. "Take her back with us too. She's probably an orphan. See if we can adopt her."
Chen Zhou said it as casually as if he were discussing the weather. The driver froze, then nodded.
The child was obviously lovable at first glance, and he hoped she would find a good home.
Chen Zhou couldn't understand why Na'er had appeared here, but he didn't dwell on it.
Her original destination had been Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda. Since Na'er had come here, perhaps it had something to do with that.
Of course, if one of the Soul Beasts came looking for her, they wouldn't be able to take her away if she was with him.
At this stage, though, Gu Yue and Na'er didn't seem to have split apart yet.
At the thought, Chen Zhou's expression grew increasingly strange.
"So the Gu Yuena in front of me is in her complete form? Hmm, this is getting interesting."
Chen Zhou muttered under his breath. Just then, Neuvillette's voice rang out from within his body:
[Let me warn you: she's only a nine-year-old child. I can sense that you're having some unusual thoughts about her, but right now, both of you are still children.]
Neuvillette trailed off. He had already realized that Chen Zhou was the Traveler.
He might not be very old, but he was definitely an adult.
Then Neuvillette turned his awareness toward Na'er. He could sense the terrifying power she contained.
And she seemed even more ancient than he was.
That feeling suddenly left Neuvillette speechless. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether the phrase "an old bull eating young grass" applied to Chen Zhou or to the little girl before him.
Still, considering the ages of their bodies, he fell silent for a moment before warning him:
[I know you're both probably quite old in your hearts, but you still look young. So don't entertain any improper thoughts.]
[Learn to act with honor and integrity. Don't always be scheming.]
Neuvillette cautioned Chen Zhou. Perhaps because he had entrusted his authority to him, he felt a rare, almost paternal affection for Chen Zhou.
Even the usually stern Chief Justice treated Chen Zhou with an unusual gentleness.
Chen Zhou, however, wasn't grateful at all!
Since Neuvillette was speaking inside his mind and nobody else could hear him, Chen Zhou answered helplessly in his thoughts:
[What are you thinking? Do you really think I'm that kind of person? I just feel sorry for the little girl. If I hadn't stepped in, she would've been bullied.]
[Do you even understand what would've happened if I hadn't been there?]
[I don't know, but I feel like what's happening now isn't much better.]
[Even though I'm still in Fontaine handling affairs, I'll be keeping an eye on you. You are not to do anything inappropriate to this girl.]
Neuvillette's voice carried a rare note of warning, leaving Chen Zhou speechless.
One of them had lived for tens of thousands of years, and the other was already an adult, yet after all that, this was still because their bodies were holding them back...
Chen Zhou didn't have any other ideas, though.
He had no expectations of Na'er at this stage. She was the heroine, after all, and she belonged with Tang Wulin.
His biggest dream right now was simply to live peacefully until he died. He didn't want to get involved in this.
He didn't know why Na'er had run into trouble and ended up here with him instead of in Aolai City, where he'd found her.
But it was obvious that Soul Beasts were following her.
If something went wrong and they discovered it after she regained her memories, that wouldn't be good for him.
Thinking this, Chen Zhou fell silent again. He hadn't had any improper thoughts to begin with, so why was he overthinking it?
"What a sin. Only someone with an impure heart would think impure thoughts."
Chen Zhou muttered softly, but this time Neuvillette didn't reply.
By then, the vehicle had pulled into the Spirit Pagoda. The driver glanced helplessly at the back seat. Chen Zhou was already climbing out, holding Na'er aloft with one hand.
Chen Zhou was small, and with his chubby little hand gripping the back of Na'er's collar, he looked rather odd.
But the driver said nothing as he watched his young master.
He planned to report the killings to Su Xin, then go back to his own duties.
Chen Zhou, meanwhile, carried the bewildered, wide-eyed Na'er into the elevator with a series of little thumping steps and slowly pressed the button to go up.