The memory ended, the girl's eyes were bloodshot. Her small fists clenched, trembling slightly.
"Little one... Little one wants to become very, very strong..."
"Then I can defeat the bad guys and protect those I want to protect..."
The five-year-old girl watched the Su family head die tragically while protecting her, and her state of mind underwent a drastic change.
Jing Feng's eyes were filled with grief. He reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair, "It's not your fault."
Upon hearing this, the girl gently pushed his hand away and remained silent.
Zhong Zi looked at the two corpses on the ground, his thin lips pursed, "Let's take the Su family head's body out first..."
Not long after, Vermilion Bird saw the returning group. "They're back."
Jiang Ye was bandaging the injured civilians and stood up, looking in their direction.
The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Zhong Zi was carrying someone wrapped in a white cloth. Beneath the cloth, an empty pant leg dangled...
Zhong Zi gently laid the person in his arms down. After a long while, he spoke in a deep voice.
"The Su family head... is dead..."
The civilians were deathly quiet. A woman covered her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
In an instant, all the civilians rushed towards the Su family head's body, crying out in grief.
"Su family head... How could this happen... How could this happen!"
"The Su family head was such a kind person! Heavens, how can you be so cruel!!!"
Every civilian had received help from the Su family head, to varying degrees.
They knew well of the Su family head's kindness and selflessness.
The woman's hands trembled, her throat felt tight, "It's all my fault... it's all my fault..."
Jiang Ye's eyes felt sore. The Su family head had toiled his entire life, only to end up like this...
At this moment, the girl, head bowed, tugged at Jing Feng's sleeve, "Please... teach little one how to become strong..."
"This..." Jing Feng frowned slightly. "Let's ask City Lord Bai for instructions first."
The girl bit her lower lip, her eyes swollen from crying. "Actually... little one has another request..."
...
By the time Jing Feng and the others returned to the Howling Dragon Academy, it was already late at night.
"I never thought the child's request would be so heart-wrenching," Vermilion Bird sighed.
Zhong Zi also felt a pang of sadness. A sculpture...
She wished they would hire the best sculptor to carve the Su family head...
When the white cloth covering the sculpture was lifted, it revealed the Su family head smiling gently, gazing at everyone.
And his leg, at the girl's request, was sculpted as if it were whole.
The little child stood quietly before the sculpture, gazing at it. Amidst the surrounding clamor, she only looked at the sculpture, silent.
The Su family head... he was never an incompetent cripple...
He was always a hero in the hearts of the people, protecting the city...
Suddenly, Zhong Zi and Dong Ling's expressions grew grave. They exchanged glances, both sensing residual spiritual energy fluctuations in the air.
Jiang Ye blinked, thinking he was hallucinating. "What's going on? Why has the courtyard become like this?"
The courtyard, which had been fine when they left, was now a pile of rubble, with signs of a struggle everywhere.
Jing Feng's brow furrowed, a sense of unease lingering in his heart. "It seems strong individuals had a fierce battle in the courtyard."
Judging by the spiritual energy residue, there were more than two people, and the fight was intense.
Jiang Ye tilted his head in confusion. "But why in our courtyard? What's so special about our courtyard?"
As he voiced the question, a possibility flashed in his mind. "Could it be because of the young mistress?"
Jing Feng and the others' faces changed drastically. By all accounts, Miss Bai should have returned from her trials long ago! Could it be that Miss Bai had met with misfortune!
Vermilion Bird anxiously scanned the surroundings. A small, intact room immediately caught her attention.
"Mistress!" she rushed over and flung open the door.
The atmosphere inside was suffocating. A man in purple robes with nine tails sat by the bed, his face darkened.
Bai Ran lay on the bed, her eyes tightly closed. Her face was pale, and beads of sweat constantly dripped from her forehead.
"Mistress! Mistress, what happened to her!" Vermilion Bird was filled with panic, desperately wanting an answer from Little Purple.
Jing Feng and the others also entered the room. But the moment they saw Bai Ran, a long sword was placed at Little Purple's neck.
Dong Ling, holding the sword, tilted his head and smiled. "Did you do this?"
"Impossible!" Vermilion Bird glared. "How could Little Purple harm Mistress!"
"Who are you, and why are you by Miss Bai's side? Why has Miss Bai become like this?"
Jing Feng clenched his fists. Bai Ran's complexion looked extremely weak, her breath intermittent, as if she could fade away at any moment.
Little Purple narrowed his eyes, his expression terribly grim. "Why aren't you asking about her current condition? Is she in danger?"
Jing Feng froze in place, and the smile on Dong Ling's face instantly vanished as he slowly lowered his sword.
"My name is Little Purple. I am the Emperor of the Demon Race, and her closest person."
Emperor of the Demon Race... Jing Feng clenched his fists, looking at the nine tails behind him.
Indeed, rumors had it that the Demon Emperor was a powerful nine-tailed fox...
Little Purple looked at Bai Ran on the bed, a deep, unyielding worry in his eyes. "The little one encountered the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation. She is not in mortal danger..."
"What!" Vermilion Bird shrieked. "Mistress encountered the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation!!!"
For a moment, the entire room was filled with a chilling gloom.
The Leaf of Heavenly Revelation was known to everyone in the Nine Heavens. They had always thought it was just a baseless tale...
"The little one saw the scenes from the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation, was stimulated, and coincidentally, the third layer of the seal was broken, leading to this state."
Fortunately, the little one released him from the spatial realm before she fell unconscious, otherwise, he could only have fretted within the space.
Zhong Zi hesitated before speaking. "Do you know what the King saw?"
Little Purple glanced at him, his tone heavy. "Bodies strewn everywhere. All of the little one's family and friends were brutally murdered."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Zi's heart shuddered. Could it be that the King personally...
Another deathly silence descended. Everyone knew that the prophecy of the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation would never be wrong.
This prediction was different from the deductions of Dongfang Wuji and Baili Xiao. The scenes displayed by the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation were bound to happen one day in the future.
It was a foregone conclusion.
Little Purple stared intently at Zhong Zi, his attitude icy. "Your complexion looks a bit unpleasant."
He had noticed it earlier when he was in the spatial realm; this person seemed to be concealing something important from the little one.
Could it be related to the scenes predicted by the Leaf of Heavenly Revelation...
Vermilion Bird gritted her teeth and turned to Zhong Zi. "What exactly are you hiding! Mistress is like this now! And you still won't say anything!"