Let Nature Take Its Course

"It's you." The cool, icy sensation on my face, this familiar gesture—it was him that night after all.

"What's wrong with this old man? Haven't seen each other for a few years and the little girl doesn't recognize me anymore? Call me Grandpa and let me hear it." Guang Ling pulled his hand back, looking at the two pinch marks on the girl's fair cheeks, and lifted his chin proudly. His age was certainly enough to warrant being called Grandpa by this girl.

"Are you dreaming?" Qingxi touched the spot on her face where the pain lingered, looking at the youth before her in silence.

Grandpa, indeed...

"Then..." A trace of panic flashed through his amber eyes, and Guang Ling feigned composure. "Calling me Dad is fine too."

Qingxi looked at him in silence, making Guang Ling grow increasingly flustered. "Then... what do you want to call me?"

This was nothing like what Third Brother said it would be.

Qingxi frowned in annoyance. She walked to the room door and tugged at it, but it wouldn't open.

"You think you can run after entering this old man's room, you little liar..." Guang Ling raised an eyebrow, sat leisurely on the windowsill, and watched the sulking girl with amusement.

The bright moonlight fell upon him, dyeing him in a layer of holy radiance. The youth looked proud and playful, like an immortal who had strayed into the mortal realm.

Qingxi glared at the youth, sat down on a nearby chair, and slowly closed her eyes.

The guilt of breaking her promise, the complex joy of reunion, and the perverse humor of someone wanting to be a father made her emotions more complicated than ever before.

She had once imagined what it would be like to meet her big brother again; perhaps they would look at each other and smile, saying, "Long time no see."

Instead, it was: "Call me Grandpa... Call me Dad..."

Shameless!!!

Moreover, what made her even more anxious was the eerie nature of this inexplicable reunion.

Seeing that the little girl seemed truly angry, a flicker of helplessness crossed Guang Ling's eyes. He stood up, jumped off the windowsill, and walked to Qingxi's side.

His slightly chilly palm rested on her head, and Guang Ling affectionately ruffled her hair, his tone helpless. "Little liar, I haven't even gotten angry yet, and you're the one throwing a fit."

"Do you know how worried I was, searching for you for six years? We agreed I'd come to pick you up in half a year..."

"I won't ask where you went, nor do I care about the forces behind you; I only hope you can return safely."

Guang Ling's gaze was tender. In truth, a month after he had entrusted her to the Soto City Spirit Hall all those years ago, he had regretted it.

His Guang Ling Hall was so vast; surely he didn't need to fear being unable to support one little girl.

It was just a pity that when he returned to Soto City, the little girl was already gone, leaving behind only a letter and a page of medicinal prescriptions.

It was said she had been taken away by her clansmen.

Guang Ling naturally didn't believe it. The powers in this world were limited to those few; if such a genius had truly appeared, how could they have escaped the eyes and ears of the Spirit Hall, and why would they help the Spirit Hall?

Recalling the effects of that prescription and the girl's background, a glimmer of light flashed in Guang Ling's eyes. His appearance this time did indeed involve a certain mission, but he had no intention of paying it any mind.

Being able to see the little girl again was already his good fortune.

"Don't be angry with this old man anymore, girl." Guang Ling closed his eyes and carefully pulled the little girl into his arms.

At that moment, the little girl he had been thinking of day and night had finally returned to his side.

Qingxi leaned stiffly against the youth's chest. This embrace was clearly cold, yet she felt inexplicably at peace.

Countless emotions and unspeakable suspicions ultimately dissolved into a silent sigh.

Forget it...

She slowly closed her eyes and let her head rest gently against the youth.

Let everything... take its natural course.

A long time later, Guang Ling placed the sleeping girl on the bed, carefully removed her shoes, and thoughtfully tucked her in.

"Sleep well, I'll be back soon." He hooked a strand of the girl's hair, turned, and transformed into a streak of white light, departing.

Once he left, Qingxi slowly opened her eyes. Looking in the direction the youth had vanished, her gaze flickered. She took the Storage Bag from her waist, placed it on the bed, and followed behind him, concealing her presence.

Flying over forests and deserts, they arrived at a desolate small town. Most of the houses in the town were dilapidated and lifeless, without a trace of human activity.

Several prison carts carrying captives slowly entered the town, surrounded by Spirit Masters dressed in black. The lowest cultivation level among them was above the Spirit King rank, and there were even two Spirit Douluos leading the group.

"You lackeys of the Spirit Hall, be sensible and let me go, or my brother will surely wash your Soto City Spirit Temple in blood!" A fierce-looking middle-aged man in the prison cart shouted frantically. A thick scent of blood radiated from him; he had clearly killed many people.

Judging by his cultivation, he was even above those two Spirit Douluos, with a Spirit Power as high as level 89.

Yet, even so, he remained imprisoned in the cart, unable to move.

A white light cut through the night, and Guang Ling landed slowly. The black-clad figures around him all placed their right hands on their chests, bowed, and shouted in unison: "My Lord!"

"Hmm." Guang Ling nodded haughtily, his gaze falling on the middle-aged man at the front of the carts. He sneered, "A mere Spirit Douluo, daring to spout such wild words?"

He snapped his fingers, and a frozen corpse appeared on the ground. The man's face was filled with terror, as if he had seen something truly horrific before his death.

"Your brother? Just a Spirit Master who had barely stepped into level 90, and you have the nerve to shout in front of this old man." Guang Ling lifted his chin, his tone filled with disdain.

"Big Brother!!" The previously ferocious Spirit Master let out a shrill cry, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

Guang Ling raised his hand, and the sand and soil on the ground began to tremble. A downward passage appeared before everyone's eyes, emitting a foul, bloody stench.

"Hurry up, throw them all down." Guang Ling bent his knees slightly, jumped onto the eaves of a nearby house, and sat down. He watched the scene below coldly, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden eaves.

"Yes." One of the leading Spirit Douluos nodded and broke the seals on all the prison carts.

In the presence of a Title Douluo capable of easily killing a level 90 Spirit Master, the captured Evil Spirit Masters no longer dared to act out, obediently filing into the tunnel leading to Slaughter City one by one.

Seeing that everyone had entered, Guang Ling closed the passage, stood up, and brushed the dust off his cloak. "That's enough, you all head back now."

If he returned too late and that little girl went missing again, what would he do?

Although Guang Ling could track her location through the arrow he had given the little girl, it would be useless once she was out of range.

"My Lord, are you not returning with us?"

What answered that Spirit Douluo was a sharp glare from Guang Ling.

He let out a cold snort, unfurled his ice wings, and flew off in the direction of Soto City.

Qingxi had watched the entire process; although she was somewhat interested in that passage, she chose to return to the Spirit Hall in Soto City first.

Guang Ling entered through the window and walked lightly to the bedside. Seeing the black-haired girl fast asleep on the bed, he let out a sigh of relief that was almost imperceptible.

The side of the bed sank slightly as Guang Ling climbed up, sat cross-legged on the other side, and fell into meditation.

Beneath the covers, Qingxi tucked away the thumb-thick Universe Staff in her hand and slowly drifted off to sleep.