"To keep that fierce tiger from hurting you, I ran all the way, ran for my life. Several times along the way, I nearly got eaten by that tiger."
"In the end, I don't know whether it was luck or what, but halfway through the chase, that tiger stopped pursuing me. I was so happy to have shaken it off, though by then I was already covered in wounds."
"But for your safety, I still struggled all the way to the cave. The moment I arrived outside, I saw you leave with a strange boy."
"You were smiling so happily then. You were so pretty when you smiled as a child. I had neither father nor mother; ever since I could remember, I had lived alone in the mountains and forests."
"Do you know? That was the first time I had ever seen such a beautiful little girl. But I knew I was no match for you. Back then, in my eyes, you were a lofty little swan, while I was only a toad on the ground."
"I watched you leave and could only silently bless you in my heart, praying that you would be safe and peaceful for the rest of your life."
"But our fate had not yet run its course. I still met you again. Do you know how excited I was when I saw you then?"
"I never thought I would be able to see you again. So when you said you wanted to go to the Great Wasteland, I agreed almost without hesitation."
"Because I knew that might have been my only chance—my only chance to hold on to you tightly."
Taiyuan stroked Liu Bing's silky hair, his face full of affection as he spoke.
Liu Bing stood frozen where she was, her eyes fixed