Na'er immediately ran out of the main hall of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. The atmosphere inside felt too oppressive, and she wanted to take a walk outside.
As she walked, Na'er curiously surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings. When she reached a corner, she spotted three children bullying a scrawny child huddled there.
"You damned bastard, hand over the money for your mother's treatment!"
Dai Huabin was bullying Huo Yuhao with two lackeys in tow, reaching out to snatch the tattered cloth bundle in his arms.
"No! This is the money that will save my mother's life!"
Huo Yuhao fiercely protected the cloth bundle against his chest, refusing to yield even if it meant death. His eyes were red, and his whole body trembled.
"Have you three no shame?! Three against one!"
Na'er immediately shouted at the sight. Looking at the pitiful little boy in the corner, she seemed to see herself three years ago, back when her brother had first picked her up.
Interrupted by the sudden shout, Dai Huabin immediately turned around.
"Who are you? What the hell is it to you?"
The moment Dai Huabin turned around, he saw an innocent, adorable girl standing nearby. He planted his hands on his hips and glared fiercely at Na'er, and his two lackeys did the same.
Dai Huabin looked furious at Na'er's sudden appearance. No one in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion could tell him what to do.
Huo Yuhao raised his head and looked at Na'er nearby. In his six years living at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, no one had ever cared about him. Everyone avoided them like the plague.
Na'er and Dai Huabin faced off.
"Huabin! What are you doing?!"
Dai Yaoheng strode over from nearby with his hands behind his back, his tone stern. Mu Changqing followed behind him.
Dai Yaoheng and Mu Changqing had been chatting happily in the main hall of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion before coming out for a walk and some fresh air, and had happened to hear Na'er's shout.
"B-Brother! Why are you here?"
Dai Huabin backed away several steps in fear, breaking out in a cold sweat. In the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, Dai Yaoheng was the person he feared most.
"Na'er, are you all right?"
Mu Changqing walked up behind Na'er and stroked her shoulder, his voice gentle.
"I'm fine! I just saw the three of them bullying one person, and it really pissed me off!"
"Brother, will you blame me for meddling?"
"No!"
Na'er leaned against Mu Changqing's shoulder, and they exchanged smiles.
From Na'er and Mu Changqing's conversation, Dai Yaoheng immediately understood what had happened, and his heart filled with anger.
"Are you itching for a beating?!"
"If you two little brats keep following him around making trouble, don't blame me for being merciless."
Dai Yaoheng walked over to Dai Huabin and twisted his ear hard. It immediately turned red.
"Ah! Brother, I was wrong!"
Dai Huabin cried out in pain and immediately began begging for mercy. His two lackeys instantly fled. Having a younger brother like this truly gave Dai Yaoheng a headache.
Mu Changqing stroked his chin.
Dai Yaoheng and Dai Huabin were born to the same mother, so why were their personalities so different?
"Senior Dai, you'd better give your brother a proper lesson first! Otherwise, in the future..."
Mu Changqing spoke meaningfully. Dai Yaoheng met his eyes for a moment and understood.
"Junior Mu, you've had to witness quite an embarrassing spectacle today!"
"Get back inside!"
Dai Yaoheng kicked Dai Huabin hard in the backside. Dai Huabin immediately fled, clutching his rear. Dai Yaoheng took gold soul coins out of his storage Soul Tool and placed them in Mu Changqing's palm, then immediately chased after Dai Huabin.
Mu Changqing held the silk pouch securely. Gold soul coins clinked inside; there were probably only a dozen or so.
"Little brother! Are you all right?"
Mu Changqing approached the corner tower, crouched down, and gently asked Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao wore cloth clothes washed so often they had faded white, and he was nothing but skin and bones.
"Thank you! If you hadn't been here today..."
As Huo Yuhao spoke, his eyes reddened. He wanted to get up, but the pain in his feet kept him from standing.
"It's all right! It was only a small effort."
Na'er also came over beside Changqing and gave Huo Yuhao a faint smile.
Mu Changqing had never expected Huo Yuhao's childhood to be so miserable. The original text had barely mentioned his childhood.
Mu Changqing immediately released his Soul Power to heal Huo Yuhao's wounds. Before long, Huo Yuhao could stand, his eyes revealing admiration.
Huo Yuhao had never expected this older brother and sister to be esteemed soul masters, and he immediately bowed in thanks.
Mu Changqing did not consider himself a good person, but as someone who had undergone nine years of compulsory education, he could not bear to see such a scene. Still, he would not become completely entangled in someone else's karma.
"Keep this pouch of gold soul coins safe! They might not bully you anymore, so don't worry!"
Mu Changqing stuffed the gold soul coins into Huo Yuhao's arms. Huo Yuhao wanted to refuse, but he could not prevail over Mu Changqing and could only reluctantly accept them.
"Let this big brother offer you a few more words!"
"As heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman should strive unceasingly to strengthen himself!"
"Neither wealth nor honor can corrupt him, neither poverty nor lowliness can sway him, and neither might nor force can bend him. Such is a true man!"
Mu Changqing lightly patted Huo Yuhao's thin shoulders, signaling for him to ponder those words carefully. Huo Yuhao rubbed the back of his head in bewilderment.
Whenever she had free time, Huo Yun'er would usually teach Huo Yuhao to read and write, but he truly did not understand these two sayings of Mu Changqing's.
"We'll be going now. Perhaps we'll meet again in the future!"
"Big brother, big sister, what are your names? My name is Huo Yuhao."
"My name is Mu Changqing."
"My name is Na'er!"
Holding hands, Na'er and Mu Changqing turned back to answer Huo Yuhao. After finally saying goodbye to him, they disappeared from sight.
Huo Yuhao tightly gripped the life-saving gold soul coins. Those two sayings of Mu Changqing's had already taken root in his mind.
"As heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman should strive unceasingly to strengthen himself!"
Huo Yuhao began walking slowly toward the woodshed.
Mu Changqing and Na'er left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion behind. As the sky gradually darkened, they returned to the inn.
Qian Duoduo, Fan Yu, and Bei Bei were sweeping through the food in the dining area. Mu Changqing and Na'er, the two bottomless pits, joined them.
"Let's go. Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to hit the road."
The five immediately slipped into the carriages. The fire horses neighed and immediately set off, swiftly leaving Star Luo City and heading toward Gengxin City, the City of Steel.
The two carriages traveled through the Star Luo Empire for two days and two nights before finally arriving at Gengxin City.
The whole of Gengxin City resembled a furnace, with heat constantly billowing into the sky.
"Brother, it's so hot here!"
Na'er pulled aside a curtain and poked her little head out. Warm air washed over her face.
"Of course it's hot here!"
Mu Changqing took out a towel and wiped the sweat from Na'er's forehead. He could not help but sigh with feeling.
The collision with the Sun Moon Continent four thousand years ago had completely changed the landscape of warfare. Coupled with the development of Soul Tools, hardly anyone used hidden weapons anymore, and Gengxin City, once incomparably glorious, had gradually fallen into decline.