"Elder Xuan, this is..."
Just as Mu Changqing was about to voice his question to Xuan Zi, the little girl before him suddenly interrupted him.
Not far away, a white figure suddenly crawled out of a small opening. It was a little girl.
The little girl looked only five or six years old. She had silvery-white hair and wore a somewhat tattered white dress.
Although her fair little face was covered in dirt, his incomparably beautiful features were still visible. She would definitely be a beauty when she grew up.
Looking at the three people who had suddenly appeared, Na'er bit her lip and curled into a ball in fear, but her bewildered eyes gazed at Mu Changqing.
???, !!!
"Why would such a little girl appear here in the mixed zone?!"
Xuan Zi exclaimed when he saw Na'er suddenly appear, but he immediately released his Soul Power. After determining that she was not a Soul Beast in human form, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Bei Bei said nothing, but seeing his older brother's dumbstruck expression, he stroked his chin and sank into thought.
Mu Changqing could be certain that the silver-haired girl before him was the Silver Dragon King, because the Golden Dragon King bloodline within him began to boil.
If he were not the Silver Dragon King, how could she suddenly appear beside Mu Changqing? An ordinary human girl living in this mixed zone would have long since been dead beyond dead.
There was a strange rule in Douluo: wherever the Golden Dragon King appeared, the Silver Dragon King was bound to respawn. The two inherently nurtured and counteracted each other, devouring one another.
Looking at the little girl before him, Mu Changqing felt an urge to devour her under the influence of his Golden Dragon King bloodline, but the impulse was faint, and he suppressed it.
"Little girl, what's your name? Where are your mom and dad? Why did you appear all alone in this new great forest?"
Xuan Zi put away his languid demeanor and asked Na'er in a very gentle voice, afraid of frightening her.
"I..., I..."
The little girl's lips moved, but she could not say anything, as though the words were stuck in her throat.
Seeing this, Xuan Zi immediately released his Soul Power and infused it into her body.
Under the effects of his Soul Power, the little girl stopped trembling, though she remained curled into a ball. Xuan Zi also breathed a sigh of relief.
This child might have gotten separated from her parents while accompanying them to hunt for souls in the Star Dou Great Forest. Otherwise, her parents might have abandoned her in the Star Dou Great Forest because they disliked her intellectual disability.
It was not as though Shrek Academy had never picked up orphans in the Star Dou Great Forest. Thirty years ago, Xuan Zi had picked up an orphan too, and that orphan was now a senior teacher at Shrek Academy.
Looking at the pretty, adorable little girl before him, a question arose in Xuan Zi's mind.
Could this filthy girl in ragged clothes be a feral child raised by Soul Beasts?
Such things were not unheard of. Shrek Academy had found feral children before, though most had intellectual problems.
Xuan Zi noticed that the little girl's eyes were fixed on Mu Changqing. Her gaze had never left him, as though it were welded to him.
"Changqing, come here!"
Xuan Zi beckoned to Mu Changqing. Mu Changqing immediately came before the little girl, and Xuan Zi stepped back a few paces.
"Little girl, what's your name?"
Mu Changqing crouched down until his eyes were level with hers. His voice was very gentle.
"My..., name... is..., Na'er!"
Na'er spoke with great difficulty, halting between words. She suddenly threw herself into Mu Changqing's arms, wrapping her hands tightly around his neck.
Na'er pressed her fair little face against Mu Changqing's chest, afraid he would suddenly leave.
"Na'er, do you still remember what happened before?"
Suppressing the urge to devour Na'er brought on by the Golden Dragon King bloodline within him, Mu Changqing stroked her fair little face.
Na'er's eyes held a hint of confusion, but she remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Mu Changqing could be certain that Na'er had lost her memory.
Hearing Na'er's somewhat inarticulate voice, Xuan Zi took it all in.
Xuan Zi was ninety percent certain that Na'er had been raised by Soul Beasts. Na'er also really liked staying close to Mu Changqing.
Xuan Zi suspected that her Martial Soul might be mutually attracted to Mu Changqing's Martial Soul. They might even have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill in the future.
Otherwise, how could he explain why Na'er was so fond of Mu Changqing?
Xuan Zi stroked his chin in thought. Forget it. Shrek can certainly afford to raise one child. If her Martial Soul is of very high quality, Shrek will have struck it rich too.
"Na'er, would you like to be my little sister?"
Mu Changqing stroked Na'er's long silvery-white hair with one hand and gently patted her back with the other.
"Yes... I... do. From... now... on, I... am... your... little... sister!"
Na'er answered Mu Changqing with great effort, but her eyes revealed strength and determination.
The good news was that Mu Changqing had gotten a Dragon King little sister for free. The bad news...
"All right, since she's following you, Changqing, take good care of her from now on!"
A smile appeared on Xuan Zi's face. He stroked his chin, looking at Na'er as though he were looking at a rare treasure.
"Elder Xuan, what's this herb called? I feel like my Martial Soul craves it too!"
Bei Bei had already crouched down and was carefully examining the herb not far away that was emitting fire elements.
Everyone looked at the herb. It had green vines covered in thorny spikes, with an enormous red fruit growing at the end of a vine. Filled with energy, it faintly emitted a scorching red glow like molten rock.
"This herb is called Dragon Saliva Grass. A hundred-year-old one can improve the bloodline of fire-attribute lesser dragons, while a thousand-year-old one is attractive to most dragons."
"This Dragon Saliva Grass is two thousand years old. It's quite rare, or it wouldn't have attracted a Soul Beast like the Tyrannosaurus!"
"Hundred-year-old Dragon Saliva Grass is common, but thousand-year-old ones are hard to come by. Outside, all the major factions would fight until their heads split over this!"
As Xuan Zi explained it to them, he deftly harvested the Dragon Saliva Grass and placed it inside his Soul Tool.
With the Dragon Saliva Grass harvested, the temperature inside the cave plummeted. Before long, Mu Changqing began to feel a chill.
Mu Changqing immediately took out a padded coat and slipped it over Na'er's frail body.
"All right, Changqing, go outside and absorb your first Soul Ring."
As Xuan Zi spoke, he walked out of the cave without looking back, with Bei Bei following close behind.
Mu Changqing held Na'er by her slender arm and was about to head out of the cave when she suddenly let go of his hand.
She crawled back into the hole. Under Mu Changqing's astonished gaze, she held a dark green crystal rich with the breath of life and quickly stuffed it into his hand.
Mu Changqing naturally knew what it was and immediately put it away in his storage Soul Tool. His hand gently stroked Na'er's fair cheek.
"Thank you!"
Na'er rubbed her fair little face against Mu Changqing's palm in response.
The two figures walked out of the cave hand in hand.
"Big Brother, you two, hurry up!"
Bei Bei's young voice echoed through the cave.