A Jiu led her to the gathering of ugly stones.
It was also where Grandma used to meditate most often.
Fumbling in the dark, Tuoba Yan reached out and touched it. He immediately felt a familiar aura and gasped, "Sister A Jiu, this stone is a meteorite fragment from Black Star in the Ninth Great Galaxy, seven hundred million light-years away."
A Jiu was once again bewildered, "Then... then is it really a fragment of a star?"
Back then, she saw shooting stars falling and felt they would land somewhere. She wondered if picking one up would make it glow.
But she never imagined that a star fragment would look so ugly.
Tuoba Yan then realized that Sister Jiu didn't understand, "Yes, it's a fragment of a star."
"Then it glowed when it was in the sky, why doesn't it now? Do stars have lives, and this one is just dead?"
A Jiu looked up at the sky with interest.
"You could say that, but the light of stars is actually reflected sunlight. In the end, stars themselves don't emit light."
A Jiu nodded. The sun's light was very strong, even stars relied on it to shine.
Tuoba Yan looked at A Jiu, who was gazing at the sky with a confused expression, and added, "I'll take you to see the Milky Way someday. There are so many, many stars in it."
"Really? Are there any fish?"
"There's the Pisces constellation."
"Oh."
A Jiu was mesmerized. Those stars were truly beautiful. Did the Pisces constellation mean there were only two fish in the Milky Way?
Imagining fish swimming in the sky, A Jiu found it incredibly wondrous.
Unconsciously, A Jiu felt as if only she and the stars existed in the world.
Until dawn, when Tuoba Yan woke her up.
A Jiu's eyes snapped open, only to find Tuoba Yan's clothes covering her. The frost and dew that had settled on them were heavy and had soaked through.
A Jiu suddenly realized, "I'm going back now."
"Sister Jiu, what's the hurry..."
A Jiu heard him calling from behind but still bolted into Ma Peng's cave:
"How is it? Any news?"
As soon as A Jiu finished speaking, she noticed the cave was packed, with at least a hundred people standing three layers deep.
"Ten brothers are dead, and the munitions were seized by Nan Ming Wang's men." The voice was familiar, and A Jiu knew it was her father's, immediately putting her mind at ease.
However, everyone turned to look at her now.
Seeing Meng Jiuer, they automatically parted a path. A Jiu saw her father, whose clothes were torn and stained with blood.
"Daddy, are you injured?" A Jiu rushed forward to check.
Before Meng Shaode could comfort her, Ma Peng chuckled, "Miss Jiu'er, there's no need to worry, they're just superficial wounds."
"Yes, my daughter, your father is fine." Meng Shaode felt a desire to retreat.
Building one's own domain was indeed exciting, but this first venture out had been a brush with death. He himself didn't fear death, but he had a wife, children, and elders. If something were to happen to him and he couldn't return, he would die with regret.
Even though her father was smiling casually, A Jiu's heart ached as she looked at the shallow and deep wounds on his body.
"So it was you who robbed the Qi army." An irreverent voice came from outside.
Everyone turned to look.
Tuoba Yan swaggered in, arms crossed:
"Were you ambushed by Nan Ming Wang's men? If I had known it was Uncle Meng, I would have told my subordinates to show mercy."
At these words, Ma Peng's pupils widened, and everyone looked at Tuoba Yan with suspicion.
This was classified information; how did he know? And this young man's face was unfamiliar.
Even Ma Peng's lips twitched a few times.
What did he mean by "if I had known, I would have told my subordinates to show mercy"? Wasn't that a blatant admission that they were his men?
A Jiu's eyes widened too, "Tuoba Yan, don't talk nonsense."
"Sister Jiu'er, I'm not talking nonsense. I don't have the program to lie," Tuoba Yan said, smiling like a child, completely missing Jiu'er's good intentions.
As he spoke, everyone drew their swords, their eyes menacing, and a palpable killing intent filled the cave.
Ma Peng also realized something was wrong. If this person was allied with such a strong backer as Nan Ming Wang, why would he come here to be an outlaw?
That wouldn't even fool a three-year-old.
Just then, Meng Shaode's pupils contracted, "You son of a bitch, you dared to lead men to attack your father-in-law? Are you tired of living?"
With that, he lunged forward, intending to slap Tuoba Yan.