Chapter 412: Chapter 378: Helian Wanwan’s Reminder
The clothes were a bit too large, not quite fitting, but as long as they provided warmth, it was fine. Except for her red hair, the little girl was not much different from these people.
"Can you speak the common tongue?"
The so-called common tongue was the language of the Eastern people, sharing roots with the languages of other races, though there were some differences in pronunciation.
Although the pronunciations had some differences, when spoken, it truly sounded distinct from place to place, but the common tongue was the local dialect of Da Li Li Jing.
Li Jing had been the capital for over a thousand years, so gradually the way people spoke in Li Jing became the common tongue, unchanged for three dynasties.
The little girl blinked her big eyes, evidently confused.
It was unknown how she arrived at Li Hen City and then placed in the auction at Heaven-Dominating Tower, and now unable to communicate. Well, gestures would have to do for now.
There were pastries in the carriage, and the little girl was obviously starving. When Lin Miao handed her some food, she hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
Squatting in the corner of the carriage, she stuffed it into her mouth and devoured it ravenously.
This was the best thing she had eaten since being captured and taken from her homeland.
"This child is truly pitiful," Lin Miao sighed.
"Hmm, Junior Brother, what do you plan to do with her now that you’ve bought her?" Sun Youwei asked softly, looking at the little girl.
"Let’s nurture her first," Lin Miao bought this little girl partly because he felt sorry for her; the depth of her eyes pierced deeply into his heart. In his past life, he had a younger sister who passed away when she was very young. Also, he thought that different races were still human. As long as there was no inherent evil in their genes, peaceful coexistence was possible.
In the Southern Wilderness, over the years, different races had gradually been able to live under the same sky with the people of the Central Plains.
Their bloodlines were unusual, which made reproduction and heritage challenging. So, their ordinary clan members were not much different from the people of Eastern Lands.
Even those with bloodline inheritance were not necessarily stronger than the Martial Artists from the central lands, so they couldn’t stir up much trouble.
If there was any wrongdoing, it was when people from the Central Plains used the skin of different races to make human skin drums, which was no less brutal than what the different races did to the people of Central Plains!
A plate of snacks was clearly not enough, but Lin Miao was afraid she might choke, so he poured her a cup of tea and handed it over.
The little girl probably understood that Lin Miao and Sun Youwei were kind people. She drank the cup of water in one gulp, perhaps too hurriedly, causing her to choke and cough violently.
"Slow down, slow down, there’s plenty of water and food here, as much as you want..." Sun Youwei quickly comforted her.
By the time the carriage returned to the Snow Mountain Residence, it was already well into the night.
"Lianxin, please make some hot water to give the little girl a bath. For today, let’s just make do. Tomorrow, we’ll buy her a few sets of clothes," Lin Miao instructed Lianxin.
"Lin?"
"Mr. Helian."
"Lianxin and Liansuo call me Master, you should do the same. Always calling me Mr. creates a sense of distance," Helian Wanwan said.
"Yes, Master Helian," Lin Miao responded hastily, adding the surname before Master, to which Helian Wanwan did not object, as Lin Miao had his own master, and adding a surname to distinguish was appropriate.
"You spent such a large sum of silver to buy this girl, but it might lead to trouble," Helian Wanwan said. "Girls from other races often bring disasters. Given her unique background, there might be those who covet her, leading to endless trouble for you."
"I’m not considered part of the martial world, and I have an official identity. I only spent money to buy a girl from another race and didn’t break any laws. Whoever comes to trouble me, I’m not made of clay," Lin Miao smiled slightly.
"She carries special bloodline traits, and from the mark on her forehead, she has already awakened. As she grows, she will gradually gain control over the powerful energies within her. When the time comes, can you be sure you can control her?" Helian Wanwan asked.
"Control, why control? As long as she doesn’t break the law or commit heinous crimes, living uprightly, why would I need to control her?"
"People mean no harm to the tiger, but the tiger doesn’t necessarily feel the same."
"Master Helian, people from different races are people first, right? They have humanity, right? How many years have passed since the life-and-death battle with different races? We’ve driven them into the Southern Wilderness, and now their abilities and development can’t even match ours, so the chance of them overturning and becoming regional protagonists again is very slim," Lin Miao stated, "Besides, a little girl is not threatening."
"Alright, as long as you’re clear about it."
"Master Helian, I’ll give you a prescription. Use it for a while to regulate your body. It’ll help you advance to Celestial Essence," Lin Miao said.
"My body, I understand it well enough..." Helian Wanwan suddenly thought of her two disciples, who advanced quickly after following Lin Miao, and she instinctively stopped talking.
Lin Miao’s extraordinary qualities were already beyond her comprehension.
"This prescription I’ve prepared uses rather expensive medicines, but they are all available on the market. Li Hen City should have them," Lin Miao said, handing over the prescription he had prepared in advance.
Helian Wanwan reached out to take it: "How long should I take this prescription?"
"Seven days, twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. After taking the medicine, immediately perform the practice and circulate qi for a full one hundred and eight cycles," Lin Miao instructed.
"Alright, I will do as you say. If it truly helps me break through to the Celestial Essence realm, you don’t need to repay the money I lent you. Consider it a dowry for the two sisters, Lianxin and Liansuo," said Helian Wanwan.
Lin Miao never intended to renege on his debt, but since Helian Wanwan said so, he couldn’t refuse. After all, she was the mentor of the two sisters, Lianxin and Liansuo, intending to prepare a dowry for her disciples—how could he reject that?
"Mr. Helian, it’s getting late, you should rest early."
Helian Wanwan nodded. Although she didn’t gain much from the auction, Lin Miao’s prescription was likely more valuable than the not-yet-mature Celestial Essence Fruit.
...
Sun Youwei instructed Ling Yu’Er to bathe the little girl.
Aside from the torture of shackles, the little girl from the Fire Spirit Race was covered in bruises, with no good skin to be seen.
Especially her hands and feet, which were full of frostbite. Although she belonged to the Fire Spirit Race and possessed the ability to control fire, allowing better resistance to cold than ordinary people.
However, in the Southern Wilderness, the temperature was much higher than in the north; here, it was often minus ten degrees or more. How could a young girl endure such severe cold?
Fortunately, she had awakened her bloodline; otherwise, she would have frozen to death long ago.
After the bath, Ling Yu’Er brought out the healing ointment and frostbite cream.
To Lin Miao, these medicines were common stock in the vehicle, used as needed for emergencies.
"Don’t move, this is medicine for your wounds." Ling Yu’Er gently sprinkled the medicinal powder on the wounds, but the sudden cool sensation made the petite girl instinctively flinch.
She was still somewhat frightened; since being captured, no one had treated her so kindly, providing clothes, food, a hot water bath, and even healing her wounds.
"How does it feel? Is it better? This is top-quality golden sore medicine, homemade by my master..." Ling Yu’Er chatted as she applied the medicine.
"Mm..."
"This is frostbite cream; rub it on your hands and feet. You’ll recover soon. Tonight, sleep with me, and if you’re uncomfortable, we’ll add another bed tomorrow." Ling Yu’Er briskly packed her small medicine box.
"By the way, can you speak, or do you not understand our language?" Ling Yu’Er finally remembered; from the beginning, it was mostly her talking while the other only responded with ’uh’ sounds, never hearing a complete sentence.
The young girl was clever too. She knew Ling Yu’Er was speaking to her, even if it wasn’t her native language, understanding some parts nevertheless.
Suddenly finding herself in an unfamiliar environment, she felt uneasy, choosing silence as her greatest protection.
"Alright, it’s late, time to sleep." Ling Yu’Er climbed into bed, lying opposite her. The bed was big enough to fit two young girls.
...
Under the lamplight, Lin Miao was deliberating over a formula, one that could dye the young girl’s red hair black, masking her identity as a foreign race.
Such a formula wasn’t difficult; finding fading-resistant dye would be the challenge...
In Li Hen City, all sorts of odd things were available—it shouldn’t be hard to find.
He also promised Baili Bingyun to accompany Muyun to the Maze Valley, reportedly containing two mature Celestial Essence Fruits, amounting to at least four.
But out of four, only two could be taken; two must be left for the beasts guarding them. After all, why should they give years of service for nothing?
Such a perilous venture couldn’t involve his senior sister, yet she couldn’t be left in Li Hen City either; they must head together to Yingfeng Valley.
"I’ll give this formula to Mrs. Qiao at ’Lin’s’ tomorrow, telling him to prepare. I’ll need it when I return from Yingfeng Valley."
"Yes, master," Lin Mao received the order.
...
In the southern part of the city, at the headquarters of the Skull Association.
"Foster Father, I secured a Celestial Essence Fruit at the auction and come to present it to you, wishing you success in advancing to the Celestial Essence realm and becoming a Celestial Lord!" Yuan Dong, who acquired the fruit, rushed back under the protection of the two Vajra protectors and went directly to Tianya’s secluded meditation spot.
"Dong’er, well done. Bring the Celestial Essence Fruit to me," said the voice of Tianya, the head.
"Yes, Foster Father." Yuan Dong, kneeling, carefully held the box containing the fruit, and pushed open the door to enter.
"This is the Celestial Essence Fruit, excellent. With this, my confidence in breaking through increases. Dong’er, I will go into closed cultivation; the Skull Association’s matters are yours to manage," Tianya, having received the fruit, immediately decided on his closure and entrusted all to his foster son Yuan Dong.
"Rest assured, Foster Father. When you emerge, the Skull Association shall be mightier than ever. Neither the Heaven-Dominating Tower nor the Embroidery Shop will loom over us again!" Yuan Dong proclaimed.
"Mm, you may leave; I need to bathe and prepare for retreat."
"Yes, Foster Father," Yuan Dong said respectfully, bowing and exiting the room.
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