Chapter 3 Far Away

The little girl stared blankly at everything that had just happened, her small mouth half-open, as if she had not yet recovered from the shock.

She gazed dully at the mutilated corpses of the three burly men, then her body went limp and she sat down on the ground, two streams of tears flowing from her eyes.

At first she sobbed softly, but then, as if recalling something sad, her crying suddenly grew louder.

Like a river bursting its banks, her wails broke the silence of the wasteland once more, like a heart-wrenching lament, pouring out the hardships and injustices of the world to heaven.

After who knows how long, the crying abruptly stopped.

The little girl had stood up again, her small fists clenched tightly. The black dirt and bloodstains on her face had been washed away by tears, revealing a delicate and fair countenance, though there seemed to be something more in her large eyes than before.

Suddenly, she dashed toward a large gray-white rock not far ahead.

Beneath the rock lay a bloody, mangled corpse in a pool of blood, barely recognizable as the burly man, long dead. Several zhang away was another corpse, that of the short man, now like a lump of mud, presumably the horse-faced man.

As for the Daoist surnamed Qi, the tall youth's punch from afar had caused him to explode entirely, leaving no bones or body, only some scraps of flesh and bloodstains nearby.

The little girl leaped to the foot of the rock. As she raised her hands, green nails several inches long grew from her ten fingers, and she slashed wildly at the burly man's remains.

Sounds of tearing air came as streaks of green claw light shot out, striking the remains.

Blood splattered everywhere. The already mutilated corpse was torn into a pile of shredded flesh in the blink of an eye.

Still not satisfied, she opened her mouth and spat out a jet of green flame, reducing the flesh to ashes, grinding bones and scattering dust.

Then she did the same to the horse-faced man's corpse before stopping.

After doing all this, the little girl's knees gave way, and she sat down again, panting heavily.

The little bit of magical power she had just recovered was once again exhausted.

"Father, Mother, Big Brother, Second Sister... one of the villains of the Blood Knife Society is finally dead. Though not by my hand, your great vengeance is a little avenged. Rest assured, as long as I have breath, one day I will storm Blood Mang Mountain and make the Blood Knife Society vanish from this world." After calming down a little, the little girl shifted her body, knelt facing a certain direction, and murmured.

After saying this, her eyes reddened again, on the verge of tears, but she forced them back.

"No crying. Father said people who cry often never grow up. I want to grow up fast!" said the little girl.

After a while, she choked back her tears, stood up again, and looked at the storage pouches left by the three burly men.

Her expression showed some disgust, but after a moment's hesitation, she picked them all up and put them away.

As the blazing sun moved westward, the sky grew dim, the wind picked up, howling, and the temperature dropped a bit.

Looking at the desolate surroundings, the little girl felt a little scared. She curled up slightly and instinctively moved closer to the only living person nearby, the tall youth.

After throwing that punch, the tall youth had returned to his earlier dazed state, standing woodenly in place, staring at his own feet, as if oblivious to what the little girl had just done.

"This... Brother Stone..." the little girl dared not get too close, calling out softly and hesitantly.

The tall youth showed no reaction.

"Brother Stone, my name is Liu Le'er. Thank you for killing those three villains just now. Though you are also human, Father said there are good people among humans too," the little girl said timidly.

The tall youth's body stirred. He finally reacted, lifting his head slightly to look at Liu Le'er.

Her figure was reflected in his pupils. A glimmer seemed to flash in his dull eyes, then they became hazy again, but his gaze remained fixed on Liu Le'er.

This startled Liu Le'er greatly, and she quickly stepped back a few paces.

But the tall youth just stared at her blankly, making no other move, not stirring an inch.

Liu Le'er breathed a sigh of relief, more certain that the youth's mind was indeed troubled. Her courage gradually grew, and she tried moving closer again, curiously examining the person before her.

In the earlier panic, she hadn't had time to look closely. Now that she was nearer, Liu Le'er could see more clearly.

The youth was tall, with long fingers. His muscles were not particularly bulky, yet he gave off a sense of containing infinite strength.

His eyes were vacant and listless, but his pupils were pitch black. Staring at them for long seemed to suck one's soul in. The skin exposed was slightly dark and extremely smooth, bearing not a single mark from the fierce battle just now.

The blue clothes he wore looked ordinary, yet after being struck by lightning and slashed by blades, they showed no damage.

All this, along with the fact that he had earlier sucked the unusual blood mist into his mouth, indicated that he was definitely not an ordinary person, nor a mortal.

How could a mortal kill three cultivators with magical artifacts in just a few moves?

The little girl stared at the tall youth, lost in thought. He still showed no reaction, and she grew more relaxed. Perhaps it was the childishness that came after a great ordeal, she walked around the tall youth in a circle.

The youth's eyes never left Liu Le'er, as if something about her attracted him.

Perhaps because the youth's appearance had saved her from disaster and helped her kill three enemies, the little girl felt the tall youth seemed more and more familiar.

"Eh!"

Liu Le'er let out a soft exclamation. On the tall youth's chest, a small dark green ornament was faintly visible, crystal clear, of unknown nature.

She wanted to lift his clothes to see it clearly, but she dared not.

At that moment, the wind grew stronger. The sky churned with clouds, and large dark clouds gathered, hanging low and heavy, making the surrounding light even dimmer.

Boom!

A thick bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating half the sky, accompanied by a huge thunderclap, and rain poured down in torrents.

"Ah!"

Liu Le'er cried out in surprise, instinctively ducking under the tall youth, hugging his thigh, her small body trembling.

She was of fox demon lineage and had an inexplicable fear of heavenly thunder.

A glimmer of light seemed to flicker in the tall youth's eyes, but it quickly dimmed again. Whether intentionally or not, he bent down slightly, his tall body sheltering Liu Le'er, blocking the endless wind and rain outside.

A warmth surged in the little girl's heart. She no longer feared the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning outside, but felt at peace, much like when she was in her father's arms.

The rain came quickly and went quickly. Before long, the clouds parted and the rain stopped, releasing a fresh scent of grass and trees.

Liu Le'er shook off the rainwater, giggled, took the tall youth's hand, and flicked the water droplets off his clothes.

The blue clothes on his body seemed to be made of some special material. Raindrops landed on them like on lotus leaves, forming beads that rolled off without soaking in.

The tall youth showed no reaction to the little girl's actions, but he did not object, letting her do as she pleased.

"By the way, Brother Stone, Le'er doesn't know your name yet," Liu Le'er said, pulling the tall youth and trying to make him sit down.

The tall youth actually obeyed, slowly sitting down, but still did not speak.

"Brother Stone, why did you appear here?"

"Brother Stone, that punch was amazing! Can you teach Le'er?"

"Brother Stone..."

Liu Le'er was unwilling to give up. She tried several ways to communicate with him, but no matter what she said, the youth showed no reaction. She felt disappointed again.

"Brother Stone, though I don't know who you are, you killed people from the Blood Knife Society. Come with me and leave this place," the little girl said after thinking for a while, finally making up her mind. She grabbed the tall youth's broad hand and pleaded.

Though the tall youth was dazed, after Liu Le'er talked and gestured for a while, he seemed to understand something. He blinked and finally followed the little girl as she slowly left.

Twilight deepened, the setting sun like blood.

The entire wasteland, bathed in the afterglow, became somewhat golden and dazzling.

A large and a small figure walked toward the direction of the setting sun, gradually fading away. The wind carried Liu Le'er's cheerful voice, speaking alone.

"Brother Stone, I know you're very strong, but the Blood Knife Society still has many bad people!"

"It's getting late. You must be hungry."

"Once we leave here, Le'er will catch a few wild birds and roast them for you. Le'er is a good cook!"

"Brother Stone, from now on, Le'er will treat you like a real brother!"