What Childhood Lacks May Take a Lifetime to Make Up For

The light of dawn filtered through the gauze curtains and spilled into the room from outside the window. Mottled spots of light fell across the bed, some landing on the eyelids of the young man meditating cross-legged, waking him.

"Phew—"

After a night of meditation, Ouyang Ling finished cultivating and exhaled a breath of turbid air. A visible mist turned into pale frost-filled vapor, leaving traces of frost in the air before him.

His eyes suddenly opened, a flash of azure passing through them.

"A new day, embrace the sun..."

He muttered as he stretched hard. Only after loosening up his legs did Ouyang Ling slowly climb out of bed and walk straight to the window, pulling aside the gauze curtain.

But in the next second, an unfamiliar face filled his vision.

"Whoa—"

They were practically face to face, separated by nothing more than a window.

Startled, Ouyang Ling immediately reacted on instinct as he would in battle, throwing a heavy punch without thinking.

Crack—

Amid the sound of the window breaking, the unfamiliar face spoke in Qian Renxue's pleasant yet helpless voice.

"Little Ling, why was your reaction so extreme?"

Her voice was like a pause button, stopping his fist just an inch from Qian Renxue's face as she leaned back.

"Xue'er?"

Qian Renxue responded by placing a hand along her jawline.

As her golden hair fell loose, rip—

Beneath the human-skin mask, her true appearance was revealed once more.

So she had been in disguise.

The moment he confirmed her identity, a helpless half-lidded look flashed through Ouyang Ling's eyes before being replaced by confusion.

He was not pretending. He genuinely did not understand.

"Why are you disguised at home?"

"Of course, because we're going out."

Soul power flickered from the bracelet on her wrist, and in the next moment, another human-skin mask appeared in Qian Renxue's hand.

She held one mask in each hand and waved them.

"But it won't just be me. It'll be both of us."

"Huh?"

In a corner of Heaven Dou City, the gates that were usually kept shut opened unusually today, and a young man and woman walked out.

Their appearances were utterly ordinary. If they were thrown into a crowd, people would probably only think they were a normal pair of siblings.

"Xue'er, do I really need to disguise myself too?"

Ouyang Ling suppressed his discomfort as he rubbed his cheek.

Honestly,

wearing a human-skin mask for the first time was itchy. It was uncomfortable, and he constantly had the urge to tear it off.

"Of course you do."

Qian Renxue held Ouyang Ling's hand, her attitude serious.

"If we want to go out and have fun without exposing my identity, we can never be too careful. And don't forget what I told you..."

She lowered her head and met the eyes of Ouyang Ling, who had just looked up.

Suddenly, a smile curled across Qian Renxue's lips.

"From now on, you're only allowed to call me Sister."

So beautiful!

Although the human-skin mask concealed Qian Renxue's true face and showed only an ordinary appearance, Ouyang Ling seemed to see through her eyes into her heart at that moment, clearly picturing her real features in his mind.

Moreover, Qian Renxue was dressed differently from usual today. The palace robes he had grown accustomed to seeing had been replaced by a fitting outfit.

Pale purple adornments and soft colors perfectly highlighted a young girl's purity, as well as her unique nobility. A pair of long trousers wrapped around her slender, long legs, accentuating their smooth curves, while the graceful figure of a girl in her youth was fully displayed...

All of it combined left Ouyang Ling dazed.

Fortunately, the human-skin mask hid his expression.

"Little Ling, what are you thinking about?"

While Ouyang Ling was lost in thought, Qian Renxue waved her hand repeatedly before his eyes. Only when his gaze refocused did she ask again, "Were you thinking about Sister's identity?"

"No."

Ouyang Ling shook his head in denial. He had known all along anyway.

"Then what were you thinking about just now?"

"I was just, just..."

Asked that question,

Ouyang Ling immediately became tongue-tied.

Should he answer honestly?

She might think he was a pervert.

Yet his hesitation was interpreted differently in Qian Renxue's eyes. Her gaze softened further. "After a while, Sister will tell you everything."

Hearing that, Ouyang Ling nodded. "All right."

His sincere response, along with the feelings revealed by the trust behind it, instantly put the little angel starved of affection in a wonderful mood.

Like a pair of real siblings, the two left the alley where the residence stood under Qian Renxue's lead and arrived on Heaven Dou City's main street, leisurely wandering through the bustling crowd...

Heaven Dou City truly deserved to be the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. Its streets were wide and clean, its shops numerous. Even in the height of summer, the streets remained packed with an endless flow of people.

The instant he fully stepped into it, Ouyang Ling inevitably froze in place. He could not remember how long it had been since he had found himself amid such lively scenes and experienced them firsthand.

But before he could stand there for long, the force tugging at his hand pulled him into the ease and bustle alongside her.

Perhaps because, ever since childhood, Qian Renxue had either been confined deep within Spirit Hall and unable to leave, or had needed to tread carefully while carrying out her undercover plan.

Having never truly relaxed and experienced such liveliness in all her life, Qian Renxue became much more spirited at that moment, displaying the happiness someone her age ought to have had.

Ouyang Ling watched, went along with her, and took it all in...

In the end, the big sister dragged her little brother around from stall to stall. The girl's light, sweet laughter was not especially loud, yet it brought a refreshing coolness to the heart amid the ease and comfort.

Before they knew it, they had reached the city center.

Suddenly, Qian Renxue stopped walking.

Feeling curious, Ouyang Ling followed her gaze and saw many children gathered around an old man's stall. The old man scooped up malt sugar and moved it about with sweeping strokes. Amid cries of amazement, artistic sugar paintings took shape.

Noticing what Qian Renxue wanted, he said, "Sister, let's go take a look. I want a sugar painting too." With an attitude that allowed no refusal, he tugged her toward the stall, forcing her to go along.

"Hey— Little Ling, slow down..."

They lined up, and when it was their turn,

Ouyang Ling held Qian Renxue's hand and looked over the sugar paintings already on display. "Sir, can you make anything?"

Seeing that they were a pair of siblings, the old man smiled warmly.

"As long as you can name it, I can make it for you."

"Then I want two angels."

Ouyang Ling quickly took out two copper soul coins from his pocket and handed them over. "When they're done, one for Sister and one for me."

"Why did you choose angels?"

Qian Renxue did not understand. She even wondered whether her little brother had noticed something.

Ouyang Ling raised his head and met her puzzled gaze. Then he suddenly smiled. "Because in my eyes, Sister is my angel."