Outside the little cabin.
Jiang Xuan slowly walked up to Qing Qi.
“Miss Qing Qi, thank you for saving me! By the way, why are you living all alone in this little cabin?”
Upon hearing Jiang Xuan’s question, Qing Qi paused stirring the fish soup, her eyes suddenly reddening.
“Big brother, it’s because… I… I…”
Noticing the change in Qing Qi’s expression, Jiang Xuan realized he may have said something wrong, so he quickly corrected himself:
“If Miss Qing Qi has something difficult to say, it’s perfectly fine to keep it to yourself!”
After calming her emotions, Qing Qi handed over a bowl of fish soup to Jiang Xuan.
She then slowly spoke:
“Big brother, my mother was originally a female general of the Sunset Sect Dynasty. She achieved countless military feats and was a highly respected commander.
But one day, she brought back a prisoner of war from the battlefield.
He was a handsome man, supposedly the Emperor of a Small Imperial Dynasty.
Because my mother had such great military accomplishments, the Empress of the Sunset Sect Dynasty directly gifted that ‘prisoner’ to her.
Initially, my mother felt sorry for him and took care of him in every possible way.
But the Emperor wasn’t grateful at all; he was always trying to escape from my mother, but each time, she caught him.
Later on, after spending time with that Emperor from the Small Imperial Dynasty, my mother developed some peculiar feelings.
Faced with that Emperor who repeatedly tried to escape, even my mother’s good temper wore thin.
According to her, she spent a month completely conquering that Emperor, and then I was born.
And that Emperor from the Small Imperial Dynasty is actually my father.
When I was little, I lived comfortably, every day having everything handed to me.
Life was quite affluent back then, but a few years ago, news of my mother’s disappearance on the battlefield came.
Many soldiers believed she had died in battle.
For me, at that moment, the sky fell.
My father, defenseless, couldn’t hold onto the possessions my mother left behind.
For my safety, he fled the Imperial City of the Sunset Sect Dynasty with me overnight.
After a long time, he brought me to this secluded spot on the edge of the Sunset Sect Dynasty to hide from my mother’s old enemies.
I thought my father would stay here with me, but he said he missed my mother and believed she was just missing and must still be alive.
He said he would go find her, and eventually, we would be reunited as a family, asking me to wait for him here.
Later, my father left, and I believed his words, waiting in the little cabin.
But I waited for five whole years, still empty-handed. During those five years, I haven’t spoken to anyone until I found you, big brother.
Big brother, will you also leave me like my father did, soon?
Big brother, can you stay with me for a while? I… I don’t want to be alone anymore.
I… I will cook for you, I will take good care of you. Anything you want, I can give you… I just hope you can stay, even if it’s just for a few days…”
Listening to Qing Qi’s heartfelt words, Jiang Xuan felt a pang of emotion.
What a pitiful girl! A mother who died in battle, a father who vanished, and here she is, broken yet strong.
Compared to Qing Qi, Jiang Xuan had led a life of luxury, never experiencing such hardships. Yet, he understood her feelings.
Broken but resilient, it reminded him so much of his own struggles while earning spirit stones to serve his benefactor.
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan felt that this experience seemed strangely familiar, but he didn’t dwell on it.
Instead, he set down the fish soup and gently wiped Qing Qi’s tears.
“Miss Qing Qi, you don’t need to worry. I have no plans to leave here for the time being.
Compared to the turmoil outside, this place is like a paradise, and it’s where I long to be.”
As Jiang Xuan finished speaking, Qing Qi’s eyes flickered and she hugged him tightly.
“Really? That’s wonderful! Then I’ll count on big brother to guide me from now on. By the way, little Qi still doesn’t know big brother’s name.”
“I’m Jiang Xuan, from a Small Imperial Dynasty. Although I’m not quite sure how I ended up here, I feel lucky to have met you, Miss Qing Qi.”
At that moment, Qing Qi happily took Jiang Xuan’s hand.
“Come on, let’s make a pinky promise! It’s settled then—big brother will stay here to accompany me.”
“Okay, let’s make a pinky promise.”
At that moment, Jiang Xuan privately thought:
Sigh, what a lovely girl! What were all those other people I met before?
This time, I’ll train hard, become strong, and then leave this place.
Then I’ll help this poor girl find her missing parents.
…
After finishing the fish soup, Jiang Xuan and Qing Qi lay on a small hillside, enjoying the sunset, with Qing Qi leaning against Jiang Xuan.
Gazing at the picturesque scenery, Jiang Xuan felt that all his fatigue from the past few days had somehow been healed.
Ever since Nangong Liu Yun, his fiancée, showed up, Jiang Xuan realized he hadn’t had any time or space for himself.
He had never relaxed or rested.
Now, living this unintentional yet comfortable life felt like a dream come true for Jiang Xuan.
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan seemed to think of something and sat up abruptly.
Qing Qi, startled, asked nervously, “Big brother, what’s wrong?”
As Jiang Xuan slowly sighed, he said, “It’s nothing. Just for a moment, I felt like this was all just a dream.
I got a bit too excited there; sorry for scaring you, little Qi.
Let’s keep enjoying this beautiful sunset! Today’s sunset is a bit too dazzling.”
As Jiang Xuan finished speaking, Qing Qi suddenly asked, “Big brother, are you… also waiting for someone in your heart, just like me?”
Hearing Qing Qi’s question, images of Nangong Liu Yun and Xia Xiao Yu flashed in Jiang Xuan’s mind.
But on the surface, he shook his head, saying, “Some people just aren’t meant to meet now. I’ll talk about it once I’m stronger.
Little Qi, thank you for saving me! Don’t worry, when I become strong, I’ll definitely help you find your parents.”
“Hmm? Could it be that big brother has talent for cultivation? As far as I know, men with cultivation talent are one in a million, just like my father.”
“Uh-huh, I do have some talent. But little Qi, you have to keep it a secret! When the time comes, I’ll protect you.”
When Jiang Xuan said this, he reached out to pat Qing Qi’s small head.
Since being rescued and spending time with Qing Qi, Jiang Xuan found her personality very attractive.
Strong, kind, sensible, warm, and caring—she was like a rare gem in this female-dominated world.
But Jiang Xuan knew that this gem felt more like an unattainable ideal in his heart.
This ideal, he must protect at all costs.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Xuan said to Qing Qi, “Little Qi, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take you as my sworn sister.”
As the words left his mouth, Jiang Xuan didn’t notice the subtle, dark glint in Qing Qi’s eyes.
On the surface, she hugged Jiang Xuan’s arm and acted cutely, “That’s great! Big brother is willing to be close to me, then I gladly accept!”
Hearing Qing Qi say this, Jiang Xuan immediately perked up.
“Little Qi, wait here. I’ll go find some ingredients and make a delicious dinner for you later, both to thank you for saving me and to celebrate our friendship.”
Watching Jiang Xuan’s departing figure, Qing Qi licked her red lips, her earlier joy now vanished.
Murmuring to herself, she said, “Looks like being a little junior sister isn’t working out. After all this time, I still haven’t won Jiang Gongzi’s heart. Well, I can’t blame myself for that.
Things are getting more and more interesting. He thinks I’m just a small and cute girl, and treats me like a little sister.
He has quite the nerve! I wonder what his reaction will be when he learns the truth. Will he reveal a look of despair when he finds out? Will he completely fall into the dream I’ve woven for him?
And it seems Jiang Gongzi has many secrets hidden within him too. A beautiful youth with cultivation talent, how fun it will be to bully him!”
