A Promise Beneath the Starry Sky

Lin Qing and Xiao Wu walked toward Dihun Village hand in hand, their shoulders brushing together.

Looking into the distance, the outlines of the mountains, trees, and village from his memories gradually became clearer.

As they entered the village, they met all the uncles and aunties. Seeing Lin Qing return, everyone warmly greeted him. Then, when they noticed Xiao Wu at his side, they began teasing them, making Xiao Wu blush shyly.

After finally dealing with all the aunties, they crossed the village's main road and came upon an ancient wooden house standing not far from the back mountain.

"This is my home. It's a little simple, so I hope you don't mind." Lin Qing led Xiao Wu into his courtyard. Looking at the rundown surroundings, he felt a little embarrassed.

"Is this where you've always lived? It's actually pretty nice." Xiao Wu's tone was full of curiosity, without the slightest hint of disdain. She happily looked around Lin Qing's home.

Seeing that Xiao Wu truly did not mind, Lin Qing let out a sigh of relief before opening the long-sealed door.

The moment the door opened, a cloud of dust billowed out.

"Cough, cough. Xiao Wu, it looks like we'll have to do some serious cleaning today."

"Leave it to Sister Xiao Wu! Just watch me clean this place until it's spotless!"

With that, Lin Qing and Xiao Wu began their grand cleanup.

They kept at it until evening before finally cleaning the entire house until it was spotless.

"Sister Xiao Wu is exhausted!" After finishing, Xiao Wu immediately flopped onto Lin Qing's bed and lay completely still, as though she had been drained dry.

"If you're tired, rest for a while. I'll go cook."

"You know how to cook, Lin Qing?"

"Of course. How else do you think I survived all these years?" Lin Qing said. "All right, you rest first. I'm going to cook."

With that, Lin Qing entered the kitchen. He washed the rice and set it to cook, then took out a kitchen knife to chop the vegetables and meat. He heated oil in a wok, tossed in the ingredients, picked up a spatula, and began stir-frying.

About half an hour later, Xiao Wu, who had been lying on the bed, twitched her nose as though she had caught the scent of some delicacy. She instantly sprang up. "It smells so good!"

Though she had been exhausted just moments ago, the aroma was simply too tempting. Xiao Wu could not resist getting out of bed and darting into the living room. On the large table were four dishes and a soup, filling the room with fragrance. At a glance, they were a perfect feast of color, aroma, and taste.

"Xiao Wu, you're up. Sit down and eat." Lin Qing emerged from the kitchen carrying a large wooden basin filled with rice, followed by their bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Qing served Xiao Wu a bowl of rice and placed it in front of her. "Eat up."

"All right, then Sister Xiao Wu won't hold back!" Xiao Wu stared at the dishes, practically drooling.

After taking her rice and chopsticks, Xiao Wu quickly picked up a slice of her favorite stir-fried carrot.

"Wow! This is so delicious!"

The moment Xiao Wu ate the carrot, she was completely won over. "It tastes even better than the food at Nuoding City's restaurants!"

Xiao Wu's table manners gradually became bolder as she swept through the food on the table like a whirlwind.

"Slow down. No one's going to fight you for it!" Watching Xiao Wu eat like a starving ghost reincarnated, Lin Qing affectionately placed more food in her bowl.

"Burp... I'm full!" After dinner, Xiao Wu half reclined and rubbed her stuffed belly. "Lin Qing, look, you made my stomach so big. You have to take responsibility!"

Lin Qing was thoroughly stunned by her words, but he quickly recovered and teased, "All right then, my Sister Xiao Wu. How do you want me to take responsibility?"

"That's easy. You'll be responsible for all of Sister Xiao Wu's meals from now on. How about it?" Xiao Wu looked at Lin Qing expectantly.

"All right. I'll take care of all of Sister Xiao Wu's meals from now on." Lin Qing looked at Xiao Wu fondly, then cleared away the mess on the table.

"Let's go for a walk and help the food settle," Lin Qing said, taking Xiao Wu's hand.

"Sure. I did eat a little too much."

Then Lin Qing and Xiao Wu walked hand in hand along the village paths beneath the night sky.

As they strolled beneath the moonlight, they eventually arrived at a hilltop. The view there was excellent, with open surroundings and hardly any tall trees. From the hilltop, they could see the entire village below.

Most of the households in the village had already put out their lights. There was little entertainment in the countryside, and people generally went to sleep after dinner, since they had to get up early the next morning to tend their crops.

Looking up, without the trees blocking their view, they could see nearly the entire sky.

A full moon hung high in the night sky, while countless stars dotted the heavens. Starlight blanketed the sky, making this night somewhat brighter than the previous ones.

Lin Qing led Xiao Wu to sit on the large rock where he often sat as a child. Gazing at the moon above, his thoughts gradually drifted far away.

"A jug of wine amid the flowers, drinking alone with no companion. I raise my cup to invite the bright moon; with my shadow, we become three." Looking at the full moon in the sky, Lin Qing seemed to see his own reflection upon it and suddenly recalled this poem.

Though Lin Qing had no wine at his side, nor was he "without a companion." Beside him sat an adorable girl.

Looking at Xiao Wu, Lin Qing felt that at this moment, he truly had someone to care about in this world.

As his state of mind rose, a wave of Soul Power suddenly erupted around Lin Qing. He directly broke through one level, reaching level seventeen.

"Lin Qing, what's wrong? Why did your Soul Power suddenly erupt?" Xiao Wu asked worriedly.

"It's nothing. I accidentally broke through and didn't control it well."

"What! You broke through again?" Xiao Wu immediately glared at Lin Qing through gritted teeth.

Over the past three months, even with the talent of a Shapeshifting Soul Beast, Xiao Wu had only barely raised her Soul Power by one level, reaching level fourteen. Yet Lin Qing kept breaking through at every turn. His cultivation talent was so terrifying that he rose one level each month, leaving even Xiao Wu, a Shapeshifting Soul Beast, shocked by his talent.

Seeing the aggrieved look in Xiao Wu's eyes, Lin Qing felt a little awkward. He could only change the subject. "Xiao Wu, do you want to hear about my childhood?"

"When I was little..." Before Xiao Wu could respond, Lin Qing began telling the story on his own.

When he spoke of some of his embarrassing childhood stories, Xiao Wu burst into laughter. But when he spoke of losing his parents at the age of three, a trace of pity rose in her heart.

"Xiao Wu, I no longer have any family." As he spoke, Lin Qing stood up, turned toward Xiao Wu, and said, "So, Xiao Wu, are you willing to become my family?"

Xiao Wu was clearly stunned for a moment. Then she stood and walked toward Lin Qing, brushing past him to stand in front of him. Her left arm hung at her side while her right hand grasped her left arm from behind. She turned around and leaned forward slightly.

Lin Qing turned along with Xiao Wu, and the two simply gazed into each other's eyes.

"Lin Qing, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If one day, many people wanted to kill me, and those people were stronger than you, what would you do?"

"I won't let that happen. I'll protect you and never let you suffer even the slightest harm, even if it means becoming an enemy of the entire world!" As Lin Qing spoke those words, his aura condensed around him. His gaze sharpened, and he radiated an imposing presence that seemed to look down upon the world.

Seeing Lin Qing like this, Xiao Wu smiled faintly and softly stepped up to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, rose onto her tiptoes, and lightly kissed the corner of his lips. Then she brought her lips to his ear and breathed softly, "Thank you, Lin Qing."

Feeling Xiao Wu's breath, Lin Qing opened his arms and wrapped them around her waist. "No need to thank me. After all, we're family, aren't we?"

"Yes, we're family."

"Xiao Wu, let's go home."

"Mm."

With that, Lin Qing exerted both arms and lifted Xiao Wu into a bridal carry, then returned home with light steps.