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"Thank you."

Tang Wulin looked at Na'er, who was standing on tiptoe and wiping his sweat with her cool little hands. His voice still trembled slightly as he murmured his thanks.

He could feel how light Na'er's fingers were, brushing across his cheek like feathers and carrying a faint, cool fragrance.

"Mm."

Na'er responded softly and said nothing more.

She merely blinked her large purple eyes and continued carefully wiping the cold sweat from Tang Wulin's forehead. She even meticulously wiped away the bit of dust at his temples.

Her movements were clumsy, yet exceptionally focused, as if this were the most important thing in the world right now.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Tang Wulin couldn't help asking as he looked at her little face so close to his own.

This was what troubled him most.

He had personally killed three people just now. He must have looked terrifying.

He had only just turned six, yet he had killed three people in one go. He was afraid others would hate him or even fear him because of it.

Na'er stopped what she was doing, tilted her head as she looked at him, and revealed a hint of confusion.

Her eyelashes were long, like two little fans, fluttering softly.

"Why?"

she asked, her voice soft and sweet like cotton candy.

"Because I killed people."

Tang Wulin lowered his head and looked at his palms.

Those hands had just held a spear capable of reducing people to ashes, yet now they trembled faintly.

"But the people you killed were all bad guys."

Na'er spoke as if it were only natural, her eyes so clear that there was not a trace of impurity in them.

"They bullied me, and they wanted to bully you too. You were protecting me."

Hearing Na'er's answer, the taut string in Tang Wulin's heart suddenly loosened, and the boulder pressing on his chest seemed to grow much lighter.

He raised his head to meet Na'er's pure purple eyes, and at last, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

That was right. The ones he had killed were bad guys.

He had been protecting the people he wanted to protect.

"Where are your father and mother?"

Tang Wulin continued asking, his tone much gentler now.

The smile on Na'er's face disappeared, replaced by deeper confusion.

She furrowed her tiny brows and thought hard for a long time before finally shaking her head.

"Mm, I don't know."

Her voice lowered, carrying a trace of barely perceptible disappointment.

"I don't remember anything."

"Then what's your name?"

Tang Wulin continued asking.

"I... My name is Na'er."

Na'er repeated it, her eyes still lost and vacant.

"Na'er."

Tang Wulin repeated the name and thought it sounded lovely. Looking at Na'er standing all alone, a powerful urge to protect her surged within him.

He thought for a moment, then looked seriously into Na'er's eyes and said,

"Na'er, do you want to come home with me? My father and mother can help find your father and mother. My mother's cooking is really delicious."

Na'er looked into Tang Wulin's sincere eyes and fell silent for several seconds.

Then she stretched out her tiny hand and tightly clasped Tang Wulin's.

Her hand was cool, but soft.

She lifted her head and gave Tang Wulin a faint smile.

That smile was like melting ice and snow in early spring, pure and beautiful, instantly illuminating the entire gloomy alley.

"Okay."

"Then let's go!"

Tang Wulin smiled as well and tightly squeezed Na'er's hand in return.

All the fear and unease in his heart vanished at that moment.

Holding Na'er's hand, he turned and prepared to head home.

"Tang Wulin, aren't you taking your steamed buns?"

Jin Qiu floated in midair, looking at the large cloth sack Tang Wulin had casually tossed into the corner, and couldn't help reminding him.

The mouth of the sack was still open, revealing seven or eight remaining white flour steamed buns inside.

"Oh, right!"

Only after Jin Qiu reminded him did Tang Wulin suddenly remember that he still had a large bag of steamed buns to take.

He patted his head and smiled sheepishly.

"I almost forgot."

"Na'er, wait here a moment. I'll go get something."

Tang Wulin released Na'er's hand, ran over to pick up the cloth sack, packed away the remaining steamed buns, and tied the opening tightly shut.

He had spent several dozen Federation credits on them. He couldn't waste them.

Carrying the sack, he turned around and was about to call Na'er over when his gaze fell upon her feet.

Na'er stood barefoot on the cold bluestone path. Her toes were slightly red from the chill, while the soles of her feet bore tiny scratches and bits of dirt.

Her feet were very small, and she looked pitiful.

"Na'er, aren't you wearing shoes?"

Tang Wulin asked in confusion.

Na'er lowered her head to look at her feet, then lifted it again and shook her head blankly.

Tang Wulin frowned.

There was still some distance to his home. The bluestone path was cold and covered with little pebbles. If Na'er kept walking barefoot like this, she would surely rub her feet raw.

He thought for a moment, then slung the bag of steamed buns over his shoulder, crouched down, and said to Na'er,

"Na'er, how about I carry you?"

"Okay." Na'er nodded without the slightest hesitation.

She walked behind Tang Wulin, stretched out her little arms, and wrapped them around his neck.

Tang Wulin supported the backs of her knees with both hands and gently lifted her onto his back.

Na'er was very light, as light as a feather. Tang Wulin did not feel tired at all carrying her.

Her silver hair draped down and brushed against Tang Wulin's neck, making it a little itchy.

She gently rested her face against Tang Wulin's shoulder. Her breathing was steady, carrying that faint, cool fragrance.

"What a heartwarming sight."

Jin Qiu floated beside them, watching the two tiny figures one behind the other, and couldn't help sighing.

There was a faint smile at the corner of his lips, but his eyes were somewhat complicated.

Still, they need to be more careful next time. They even forgot to destroy the evidence.

He silently thought to himself.

His spiritual sense had long taken in everything around them.

Just as Tang Wulin turned away with Na'er on his back, Zi Ji, who had been concealed behind the old locust tree, flashed into the alley like a ghost.

Zi Ji stood in the middle of the alley, her gaze grave as she swept her eyes over the surroundings.

The alley was empty. Only several faint patches of blood, already beginning to congeal, remained on the ground, along with the folding dagger that had fallen into a corner.

An extremely faint remnant of destructive aura lingered in the air, cold and tyrannical enough to make even her soul tremble instinctively.

The three youths had not left behind even a speck of bone or a fragment of soul. They had been completely erased from this world.

Zi Ji's heart sank to the bottom.

She had lived for three hundred thousand years and seen countless powerful soul masters and soul beasts, yet she had never witnessed such a clean and decisive method of killing.

To completely break down a person's body and soul without leaving even the slightest trace required, at minimum, the power of an Ultimate Douluo—perhaps something even stronger.

Moreover, for one brief instant, she had felt every sound in the entire alley being completely sealed away.

She could only see the figures inside moving, but she could not hear any sound.

Such absolute control over space and sound far exceeded her understanding.

"Bi Ji, hurry back and report this to our lord."

Through their private communication channel, Zi Ji spoke in a low, urgent voice.

"There is definitely a super powerhouse nearby whom we cannot contend with. His aura terrifies me, and he has concealed himself so well that I cannot sense his exact location at all."

As she spoke, she waved her hand and released a mass of dark energy, completely swallowing the bloodstains and dagger on the ground without leaving behind even a speck of dust.

In the blink of an eye, the alley returned to its original state, as if that harrowing slaughter had never happened.

"Our lord's plan absolutely cannot go wrong.

The appearance of this unknown powerhouse is an enormous variable.

We must let our lord know about this as soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll go back now."

Bi Ji's voice also turned solemn.

"Demon Empress, be careful. Keep a close watch on Miss Na'er and that little boy. If anything happens, notify me immediately."

"Don't worry."

Zi Ji replied in a deep voice, "I will follow them the entire time.

Miss Na'er has successfully gone home with that little boy. The first step of the plan has been completed.

Next, we only need to ensure her safety."

The communication ended.

Zi Ji gave the empty alley one last look, then flashed away and merged into the shadows once more, silently following behind Tang Wulin and Na'er.

The two children she had escorted all this way, however, knew nothing of it.

Tang Wulin carried Na'er on his back as he walked briskly down the road home.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering mottled patches of light and shadow over them.

Na'er lay quietly on his back with her eyes closed, a faint smile on her lips.