Holy Soul Village!

After Tang San closed the door, Yu Xiaogang set down the book in his hands and looked out at the horizon beyond the window.

He always felt that the aura around Yun Tian occasionally gave him an inscrutable sense of unease, yet whenever he tried to discern it carefully, he noticed nothing at all.

Perhaps he was overthinking it.

Early the next morning, outside Notting City's eastern gate.

A carriage bound for Holy Soul Village was parked by the roadside. The driver was a farmer in his fifties. Apparently, he was a fellow villager from Tang San's hometown and happened to be heading back, so he gave the three of them a ride along the way.

Xiao Wu was the first to jump into the carriage. She picked a good seat by the window, patted the spot beside her, and called to Tang San, "Tang San, sit here!"

Tang San's ears reddened again as he quickly climbed aboard.

Yun Tian was the last to get on, naturally taking a seat opposite the two of them.

Leaning against the carriage wall with his arms folded, he closed his eyes as if dozing, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

Tang San sat beside Xiao Wu, close enough to catch the faint scent of grass and leaves from her hair.

This should have been the wonderful journey he had long looked forward to, but Yun Tian was sitting across from them. Though his eyes were closed as if he were asleep, Tang San always felt that the other boy saw everything.

The carriage rumbled onto the main road, its wheels making a steady sound as they rolled over the gravel.

The fields slowly streamed backward beyond the window. Warm sunlight spilled into the carriage, stretching the shadows of the three of them to varying lengths.

Xiao Wu soon began to grow sleepy, her head gradually tilting toward Tang San's shoulder.

Tang San's body stiffened. He neither dared to move nor had the heart to dodge, so he sat there ramrod straight.

Even when his ears had turned completely red, he did not dare turn around to see what expression Yun Tian had on his face.

Yun Tian still had his eyes closed, but the smile on his lips deepened.

Holy Soul Village, he had arrived.

By the time the carriage stopped at the entrance to Holy Soul Village, the sun had already begun to set.

Yun Tian jumped down onto the soft dirt road and looked over the quiet little village.

It was much as he had imagined. The village of a hundred or so households was built against the mountainside, wisps of cooking smoke curling up from the rooftops. Several villagers carrying hoes were slowly making their way home along the field ridges.

The branches of the old locust tree at the village entrance swayed gently in the evening breeze. Several elders sat beneath it to cool off, curiously raising their heads to examine the unfamiliar arrivals.

"So this is Holy Soul Village?" Xiao Wu jumped down from the carriage and looked around. "It's pretty quiet."

"There aren't many people in Holy Soul Village. Everyone's probably busy."

Tang San got down carrying both their bundles, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward the village blacksmith's shop.

No smoke rose from its chimney, and a thin layer of dust had settled over the anvil outside, as though no one had touched it in a long time.

His brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of unease rose in his heart.

Yun Tian saw it all.

He knew what was about to happen.

Tang Hao had already left, leaving only a letter behind in the blacksmith's shop.

It was actually for Tang San's protection.

After reading that letter, Tang San would run to the back mountain in a daze. Xiao Wu would chase after him to comfort him, and then the two would become sworn siblings beneath the stars.

And he could conveniently appear at the scene of that oath.

"Alright, you two should go home and take a look first."

Yun Tian took the initiative to speak, his tone relaxed and casual. "I'll take a stroll around the village. Don't worry about me. I'll find my way over before dinner."

Tang San had wanted to politely say, "Let's go together."

But the words reached his lips before he swallowed them back down.

His wish to spend some time alone with Xiao Wu had been spoiled by Yun Tian tagging along the entire way.

But now that Yun Tian had voluntarily said he wanted to walk around separately, Tang San naturally would not refuse.

"Alright. Just don't go too far. There are mountains behind the village, and it's easy to get lost."

After reminding him, Tang San led Xiao Wu toward the blacksmith's shop.

Yun Tian stood where he was and watched their backs disappear around the corner of a village lane before turning and slowly strolling toward the back mountain.

He was in no hurry. As he walked, he admired the scenery of Holy Soul Village, occasionally stopping to exchange a few words with old farmers by the roadside.

About half an hour later, the sky had already darkened, and dusk outlined the distant mountains in a deep blue silhouette.

Yun Tian estimated that the timing was about right and followed the small path behind the village toward the back mountain.

The back mountain of Holy Soul Village was a gently sloping woodland covered in waist-high wild grass and low shrubs. A dirt trail worn down by footsteps wound upward, leading to a relatively level patch of grass halfway up the mountain.

From afar, Yun Tian spotted the two small figures.

Tang San knelt on the grass with his head lowered, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Xiao Wu crouched beside him, gently patting his back as her lips moved softly, saying something.

Yun Tian stopped behind a thick pine tree not far away, leaning against its trunk as he watched quietly.

Tang San's broken voice drifted over, carrying suppressed sobs. "...I never had a mother growing up. My father raised me. Even though he always drank and was always drunk, he never truly abandoned me... and now even he has left..."

Xiao Wu's voice was as gentle as the wind. "You still have me, Tang San. Did you forget? I said at the academy that you're my best friend."

Tang San raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed.

He looked at the girl before him, with her scorpion braid and sparkling eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Only after taking several deep breaths did he seem to make up his mind. He stood up and said in a hoarse but earnest voice, "Xiao Wu, if you don't mind, I want to... take you as my little sister. From now on, I'll protect you. I'll protect you with my life."

Xiao Wu froze, staring at him with wide eyes for a long time.

The evening breeze swept past, lifting the loose strands of hair before her forehead and revealing her smooth brow.

"If one day a very powerful enemy wants to kill me, what will you do?"

"You want to be my big brother and protect me. If we have to face many powerful enemies in the future, what will you do?"

Xiao Wu asked a soul-searching question.

Tang San's expression turned solemn. "Then they'll have to step over my corpse first! I'll definitely die before you do!"

Xiao Wu froze.

Then she smiled, brilliantly, and nodded hard. "Alright! Then from now on, you're my big brother! Big Brother Tang San!"

The tears in Tang San's eyes finally rolled down, but he smiled too, a little disheveled yet exceptionally relieved.

He wiped his face, stood up, and looked toward the stretch of deep blue sky overhead, dyed by the twilight. It was as if he were looking at someone, his lips moving silently.

Dad, it's alright that you've left.

I still have Xiao Wu.

Yun Tian leaned against the pine trunk, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

This trip had indeed not been for nothing.

The scene of those sworn siblings from the original story was truly unfolding before his eyes, even more moving than he had imagined.

But... this was exactly the moment he had been waiting for.

Yun Tian stepped out from the shadow of the tree, deliberately stepping on a dead branch and producing a crisp snapping sound.

"Crack."

Tang San and Xiao Wu turned their heads at the same time, alert. The two of them almost instinctively assumed defensive stances.

Blue Silver Grass had already spread from Tang San's palm, while the hidden weapons in his sleeves were ready.

Xiao Wu crouched slightly, balancing on the tips of her toes, ready to spring into action at any moment.

Only after seeing who it was did the two of them simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.