Taking Na'er Home

She looked at Bai Wulin. In those eyes brimming with stars and mist, his concerned, anxious face was clearly reflected.

Beneath that gaze, aside from confusion, there was also an extremely faint, almost imperceptible dependence, like a drowning person instinctively clutching at a piece of driftwood floating by.

A powerful impulse surged within Bai Lin. Hei Lin, curled up in a corner of the sea of consciousness, seemed to let out a disdainful snort, but the sound was instantly drowned out by the tenderness and sense of responsibility rising in Bai Lin's heart.

With almost no hesitation, he held out his hand to Na'er.

That hand still carried a child's innocence, yet he stretched it out as straight as he could, filled with resolute goodwill.

"Na'er."

His voice was especially clear and warm in the evening breeze.

"It's so cold here, and it'll be completely dark soon."

"It's not safe for you to stay here alone."

He paused. Looking at the girl's violet eyes, which reflected the lamplight and himself, his tone became even firmer.

"How about..."

"You come home with me first?"

"My dad and mom are good people. They'll definitely find a way to help you!"

Na'er's eyelashes fluttered violently, like startled butterfly wings.

She looked at the hand held out before her, then raised her head to look into Bai Lin's clean, untainted eyes.

There was only pure concern and invitation in them, none of the things her subconscious had guarded against.

Time seemed to freeze for several seconds.

The wind brushed through her silver hair, carrying the faint scent of distant food and the warmth of home.

At last, the dense mist in her eyes seemed to be pierced open by this warm light.

An exceedingly tiny, almost imperceptible curve slowly bloomed at the corner of her pale, delicate lips.

Her smile was shallow and faint, like the first tiny flower bud blooming as ice and snow melted in early spring. It carried a cautious test and the weak relief of someone who had survived a disaster.

She nodded gently.

Her voice was still soft, but it held the slightest trace of life.

"...Mm."

A tiny hand, so cold it seemed to have no warmth at all, reached out hesitantly and tentatively. Trembling faintly, it gently settled into Bai Lin's warm palm.

The instant their skin touched, Bai Lin felt that little hand was as icy as cold jade in late autumn, yet unbelievably soft.

He immediately clasped it carefully but firmly, passing the warmth of his palm to her.

"Then let's go quickly!"

"Otherwise Mom and Dad will really worry themselves sick!"

Bai Lin pulled Na'er to her feet, his face breaking into a bright smile of relief.

Holding this lost little moon's hand, he turned toward home, his steps much lighter.

Behind them, the streetlights lit up one after another in silence.

Soft, dim yellow light spilled down, stretching the two children's figures—one large, one small, one before the other—long and thin, until they finally met upon the road home.

At the edges of the glow, it blurred into the countless lights gradually appearing across the city, like a warm river of light silently guiding their way.

Bai Lin tightly held that icy little hand, as though he were holding a lost star, and walked with steady steps toward that warm realm of light called home.

Deep within the sea of consciousness, Hei Lin, who occupied a dark corner, still had his eyes closed, but the corners of his lips seemed to dip downward ever so slightly.

Holding Na'er's icy little hand, Bai Lin ran lightly through the last stretch of the familiar alley.

The warm yellow soul guide lamp outside their home was already lit, casting a hazy, warm glow into the deepening night.

At the edge of that glow, a tall, familiar figure was anxiously leaning out to look around. It was his father, Tang Ziran.

His brows were tightly furrowed. One hand pressed against the doorframe, while the other had already grasped the lapel of his coat. He was clearly preparing to go out and search for his son, who had not returned.

"Dad!"

Bai Lin called out from afar, his voice carrying the excitement of returning home and a faint, nearly imperceptible nervousness over bringing Na'er back.

Tang Ziran abruptly turned his head. The moment he saw his son, his furrowed brows relaxed, and the anxiety on his face melted like ice and snow, turning into pure concern.

Yet before the relief on his face could fully spread, his sharp gaze caught the small, unfamiliar silver-haired figure beside his son.

He froze, confusion and a gentle question appearing in his eyes at once.

"Son, you're finally back!"

"You worried us to death!"

Tang Ziran hurried over, habitually reaching out to ruffle his son's hair, but his gaze fell upon Na'er.

"This is...?"

Bai Lin's heart skipped a beat.

Deep within the sea of consciousness, Hei Lin, who occupied that dark corner, seemed to let out an extremely faint, mocking snort.

Bai Lin instinctively tightened his grip on Na'er's hand, feeling the subtle tremble coming from her fingertips.

He took a deep breath, lifted his little face, and tried to make his voice sound clear and steady.

He told them everything: how he had found Na'er curled up alone by the roadside on his way home, how she could not remember where she came from, and how she had nowhere to go.

As for the Tiger Talisman that had torn apart his soul, and that version of himself in the sea of consciousness filled with violent malice...

He pressed his lips together and forcibly buried that storm-like secret in the deepest part of his heart.

That was a storm that belonged to him alone.

As Tang Ziran listened to his son's account, the surprise on his face gradually deepened, eventually becoming a gentle solemnity.

He crouched down and looked levelly at Na'er, who hid behind his son, revealing only half of her pale little face and moonlight-like silver hair. His voice was gentler than usual.

"Poor child..."

"It's so cold outside. Come, get inside first."

The warm light and fragrance of food enveloped the two children like a tangible embrace.

Their mother, Lang Yue, appeared in the kitchen doorway wearing an apron. The worry on her face turned to relief when she saw her son, only for Na'er's presence to bring a new surprise.

Bai Lin hurriedly repeated Na'er's story.

Lang Yue's gaze fell upon Na'er's slender body and those pale violet eyes filled with confusion. A woman's innate soft-heartedness was immediately stirred. Especially when she thought of the disappointment her son had suffered today because of his martial soul awakening, her pity deepened even further.

"Good child, you must be starving, aren't you?"

Lang Yue untied her apron and hurried over. A warm, wholehearted smile bloomed on her face, dispelling the last chill of restraint from Na'er.

"Auntie just made dinner. There's plenty of food!"

"Come, Linlin, quickly take Na'er to wash her hands. We'll eat together!"

She naturally reached out to take Na'er's hand.

But Na'er shrank back behind Bai Lin like a startled fawn, almost hiding her entire small body behind his not-yet-broad back. Only a pair of timid violet eyes remained visible. She quickly glanced at Lang Yue, then lowered them again.

A voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz drifted out from behind Bai Lin.

"...Thank you, Auntie."