Chapter 249: Chapter 244: Wan Xian’Er
Watching the girl, soaked and curled into a ball, Mu Chen, for some reason, was reminded of his younger self. Back then, he had also been bullied often, left to curl up against a tree and cry alone. It wasn’t until Mu Bingling appeared that he found someone to rely on.
The girl’s incessantly trembling shoulders softened the already gentle-hearted Mu Chen. His Primordial Power dissipated, and the dragon-transformed Profound Dragon Arm swiftly receded, revealing his arm’s original appearance.
He casually picked up the longsword that lay on the ground, its cold gleam exposed. He flicked the sword blade instinctively and gave a wry smile. "Just my luck. This girl must be the young lady of some great family. Otherwise, who would casually toss aside a Heavenly Peak longsword?"
Slowly, he walked over to the girl’s side. Holding the longsword, he said, "Miss, this is your sword. Believe it or not, I can only say that it wasn’t intentional. I apologize for what happened just now. Also, if you don’t dry your clothes with Primordial Power soon, you’ll catch a cold."
But the girl didn’t even raise her head. She continued to weep, "Go away! Just go away! I don’t want your apology, and I don’t need you to meddle! You’re just a filthy scoundrel! *Sob*... Grandpa was right, people from the outside are all bad guys! *Waaaah*..."
Hearing this, Mu Chen shook his head helplessly. He stuck the longsword into the ground beside her, then turned and quickly walked away. As his footsteps grew faint and finally disappeared, the girl’s sobs grew even louder. "You big jerk!" she muttered constantly. "How could you be so irresponsible? After seeing everything, you just leave like that! *Sob*... I want to go home! *Waaaah*..."
But just as she was cursing Mu Chen in her heart, the sound of his fading footsteps returned. Though naive, the girl didn’t immediately look up. She kept her head down, still sniffling, but her ears were on high alert. *That scoundrel, that pervert, he’s back again. What does he want? Don’t tell me he wants to bully me again.*
Suddenly, after a rustling sound, a wave of warmth rose up beside her. The girl slowly turned her head and saw that a fire had been started. On the other side of the fire, a very handsome blue-haired youth was intently prodding the firewood, helping it burn more fully to release more heat.
By the firelight, she could see the youth’s face clearly. She had to admit, while he wasn’t as strikingly handsome as the men who pursued her in her clan, his focused expression held a calm, unruffled aura—the kind born from weathering great storms. It was as if she saw a shadow of her own father in this boy who was about her age.
Having arranged the firewood, Mu Chen looked up and happened to see the girl sneaking a peek at him. He paused for a moment, then said a little sheepishly, "You’ve stopped crying?"
With red-rimmed eyes, the girl shot Mu Chen a fierce glare. "Why are you back? Didn’t I tell you to go away?"
*A young girl’s thoughts are just so contradictory,* he mused. But how could Mu Chen argue with a child? He ignored her words and took two large, fresh cuts of Magical Beast Meat from his Storage Ring, skewering them on prepared branches. He smiled faintly. "I was planning to leave, but not right now. You should know, the Moonlit Lake is a place much like the Demon Beast Forest. And because of its connection to the moonlight, the Magical Beasts here are bound to be nocturnal. Although you possess the strength of the peak Martial Sect realm, I still can’t just leave a girl like you alone in this forest. Don’t worry, I’ll be gone by morning."
As he spoke, Mu Chen placed the skewered meat over the fire and began to turn the branches with focused attention. Listening to his gentle voice, the girl felt her resolve waver. *Could it be that he really didn’t do it on purpose? Impossible. Father said that men who peek at women bathing are never good people. If a man sees a woman’s body, you either have to kill him or make him take responsibility. I can’t beat him, so I have to make him take responsibility!*
Mu Chen, busy roasting the meat, had no idea about the girl’s unusual train of thought. If he had known, his face would have surely been covered in dark lines, sweating profusely. Watching him constantly turn the branches, the girl tilted her head curiously. "What are you doing?"
Mu Chen’s lips twitched. *As expected of a young lady from a great family,* he thought. *She doesn’t even know what roasting meat is.* Patiently, he smiled. "This is roasted meat. It’s a way of cooking food."
"...Oh..." The girl nodded, seeming to only half-understand. She suddenly scooted closer to the fire. Feeling its warmth, she spread her pale, slender fingers and quietly warmed herself.
At that moment, the firelight cast the girl’s face in exceptionally clear detail. Mu Chen glanced up, and his expression froze. If he had to use a single phrase to describe her, it would be that she seemed to have stepped right out of a painting. On her fair cheeks, her curved, willow-leaf brows were slightly furrowed, as if some trouble lingered in her heart. Below them, a pair of charming Phoenix Eyes gave off an alluring feeling. Her bright, cold eyes stared into the warm fire, reflecting little points of starlight. The occasional flicker of intense flame made her blink her indifferent eyes, her long, slightly curled eyelashes fluttering with each movement. Her small, delicate nose was sharp and straight. Her soft, pink lips were pressed tightly together, looking almost saintly in the firelight.
If he had only seen her and not heard her speak, Mu Chen would have assumed she was an arrogant, ice-queen type of woman. But having interacted with her, he knew she was as simple as a blank sheet of paper, utterly pure. Suddenly, the image of her figure, clad in soaked clothes, flashed through his mind. His face couldn’t help but flush red again. Fortunately, under the fire’s glow, his strange reaction went unnoticed by the girl. Otherwise, he would have been called a scoundrel again.
*Sizzle...*
As the last two drops of oil dripped into the fire with a sizzle, Mu Chen’s roasted meat was finally done. The skin was golden brown. He sprinkled on some essential seasonings, and in an instant, a rich aroma filled the air. The girl sitting by the fire stared intently at the roast in his hands, swallowing her saliva without a word.
She had been away from home for two months. Except for a single meal at a restaurant on the first day, she had spent the entire time eating wild fruits. Unwilling to kill, she hadn’t eaten a single bite of meat. The savory aroma wafting from Mu Chen’s hands was naturally an endless temptation for her.
Seeing her expression, Mu Chen found it both amusing and a little strange. To see a look of hopeful envy on a face as cold as frost... the feeling truly was something that words couldn’t describe.
"Hungry? This is for you." Mu Chen handed the large, freshly roasted piece of meat to the girl and smiled. "Go on, eat. It should taste alright."
But to his surprise, the frosty girl shook her head. "Daddy told me I must never accept things from strangers, or I’ll be bullied."
Mu Chen was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. He tore off a small piece of the Magical Beast Meat and popped it into his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, he said, "You can trust me now, right?"
The frosty girl looked at him suspiciously. Only after he swallowed the meat did she happily accept it. She held it before her delicate nose to sniff it, then took a big bite. "Ah!"
After handing the roast to the frosty girl, Mu Chen turned to his own portion. But he had just looked down when he heard a cry from across the fire. He looked up to see the frosty girl’s eyes welling up with tears. She was constantly sucking in cool air, staring at the roast with a wronged expression. Mu Chen sighed helplessly, took the meat from her hand, and gently blew on it. "Freshly roasted meat is very hot," he said as he blew. "You have to eat it slowly, or you’ll burn your tongue."
With that, Mu Chen stuck the roast into the ground and took a small, milky-white flask from his Storage Ring. The moment the flask appeared, the temperature of the surrounding fire dropped noticeably.
"This is Ice Spring. If your tongue still hurts after sucking in all that air, it means it’s burned. Hold a mouthful of this, and it’ll feel better in a moment." Having learned from the roasted meat incident, this time Mu Chen tipped his head back and took a gulp of the Ice Spring himself before handing the flask to the girl.
The girl doubtfully took a small sip of the Ice Spring from the flask. As soon as it entered her mouth, she felt a cool, soft liquid slide in. A chill instantly filled her mouth, and the sharp pain on the tip of her tongue immediately began to fade. Remembering Mu Chen had told her to hold it in her mouth, she didn’t swallow, but kept it there for a moment. Just as he’d said, after a little while, she couldn’t feel any pain in her tongue at all.
Looking at the Ice Spring in her hand with curiosity, the girl said in surprise, "What magical stuff."
Hearing this, Mu Chen smiled faintly. "It’s actually just a very common type of water. I’m guessing what you’re used to drinking is of a much higher grade. Come on, the roast should be the right temperature now. Go ahead and eat."
The girl nodded and took the roast from Mu Chen. She had learned her lesson this time, gently tearing off a small piece and chewing it carefully instead of taking a huge bite like before.
Seeing that she seemed not to have eaten meat in a long time, Mu Chen couldn’t help but feel puzzled. No matter how he looked at her, her background was clearly anything but simple. So why was she living in such a sorry state? "Have you not eaten meat in a long time?" he asked.
The girl seemed to be savoring the delicious roast, her mouth stuffed full, so she just nodded to confirm that was the case.
Mu Chen asked again, "So what do you eat every day?"
The girl swallowed the meat in her mouth and said softly, "Wild fruits."
"Wild fruits?" Mu Chen’s brow furrowed. This didn’t make sense. "Did you not bring any Purple Elemental Crystals with you when you left home?"
The girl nodded. "I did. Father said those were for buying things. But when I got to a town, I found an old beggar. He was so pitiful. I felt so bad for him, so I gave all those purple stones to him."
"The purple stones? You gave them all to an old beggar?" Mu Chen’s mouth twitched a few times. In his heart, however, a hint of fondness for the girl bloomed. *Another kind and simple girl.* It was just that her kindness and simplicity didn’t seem to match her face at all.
"What’s your name, then?"
"Wan Xian’Er..."
