"I don't understand, I don't understand. I'm just a six-year-old girl, I can't understand these things."
Hu Liena shook her head, her golden hair swaying back and forth, speaking in a tone that was almost like begging.
"Alright, alright, alright, it's my brother who misunderstood."
"I won't say anything more, okay?"
Xie Yue put his hand on his forehead, his tone filled with helplessness.
He had already said so much, yet Hu Liena was throwing a tantrum about her age. This truly made Xie Yue feel both helpless and doting.
Back when they were children, a spirit master suddenly attacked their town. Under the protection of their parents, the two of them were incredibly lucky to escape the spirit master.
From then on, Hu Liena seemed to have grown up overnight. She no longer acted spoiled towards her brother, nor did she throw childish tantrums. She concealed everything, leaving only an arrogant and unyielding facade.
After such a long time, seeing Hu Liena revert to her childish ways again truly made Xie Yue happy.
The siblings sat on the grass, not speaking, just quietly staying together.
Hu Liena hugged her legs, burying her face in her knees, constantly replaying in her mind the details she had previously overlooked.
"Zhong, did I… did I really develop feelings of admiration for you at some point!"
"But, when did this start? Why do I have no recollection of it at all?"
Her slender hands pressed against her chest. She closed her eyes, continuously recalling the moments she had shared with Wang Zhong, feeling the beating heart within her chest.
She wanted to grasp that moment of unusual flutter.
That year, that day, a boy and a girl, covered in mud, their clothes tattered, supported each other as they arrived at a very ordinary orphanage located at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire.
The orphanage was built in the countryside, occupying an area of no more than two hundred square meters. It was backed by a high mountain, with forests on both sides. Stepping out of the main gate, a wide and long avenue led directly to the town.
Beside the avenue were contiguous fields that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was the height of summer, and lush green crops swayed in the fields with the breeze.
As soon as the two stepped through the gate, a little boy sitting on the ground in the courtyard, with his arms crossed and his small face scrunched up in a frown, looked up at the clouds drifting in the sky, deep in thought.
Moreover, his expression was serious and solemn.
As if noticing the two newcomers, the child lowered his head, revealing a pair of green eyes, a shade of green more vibrant than the flourishing crops outside.
The little boy sized them up, then extended a small hand and pointed towards the building behind him, saying indifferently, "Keep going straight in, on the left, the second room. That's the director's office."
"You can go and ask if he'll take you in."
"However, I hope you don't get your hopes up too high, because this orphanage seems to be facing financial difficulties."
The two children who had just arrived froze for a moment, but still thanked him politely.
As they took a few steps, the little boy suddenly called out to them, asking earnestly.
"Hey, do you have names? If so, what are they?"
"We do!"
"I am Xie Yue."
"I am Hu Liena."
"Oh, is that so."
After stating their names, under their gaze, the somewhat peculiar little boy's mood clearly began to droop. His posture of crossing his arms turned into resting his chin on his hands, his listless eyes staring blankly out the gate as he fell into silence.
Exchanging glances, Xie Yue and Hu Liena had no idea what was wrong with the person in front of them.
After waiting for a while, seeing that the boy was no longer paying them any attention, they turned and followed the route the little boy had indicated towards the director's office.
At noon, there were twenty-six children in the orphanage, gathered in the cafeteria, silently eating lunch.
A portion of vegetables, a portion of potatoes, and a bowl of congee were their entire meal.
The twenty-six children, mostly aged four or five, were at an age that should have been the most lively, active, and energetic. Yet, strangely, the cafeteria was quiet.
The silence was broken by the arrival of the director.
"Children, from today onwards, you have two new friends."
"His name is Xie Yue, and her name is Hu Liena. You all need to get along well from now on."
In the cafeteria, the old director, with white hair and beard, kindly introduced the new companions to the children.
"Okay!"
A chorus of crisp, innocent childish voices sounded in unison, filling the old director with warmth.
"I'm finished, I'm leaving."
At this moment, a different voice rang out. The little boy who had been sitting at the entrance, guiding Xie Yue and Hu Liena, picked up his meal tray and walked out as if no one else was there.
"Hahaha, look! This glutton is the first one to finish again. I was never wrong about him, believe me now."
At a table, a plump, fair-skinned, and robust child, slapping the table, shouted loudly.
But no one responded to him, making him look like a monkey entertaining himself and dancing enthusiastically.
"Xiao Zhuo, how can you speak like that?" The director angrily rebuked the胖 boy.
"I didn't say anything wrong. Isn't he the first one to finish?"
"He eats so quickly and so much. I think the reason the orphanage is short on money is because he came. They should kick him out!"
Facing the old director's scolding, the fat boy named Xiao Zhuo shrugged dismissively and yelled back.
"You, you, say that again!"
The old director, his beard bristling and his eyes wide with anger, pointed his withered hand at Xiao Zhuo, as if he would slap him if he spoke another word.
"The orphanage's financial problems are a matter for us old folks. What does it have to do with him!"
"You say he eats a lot, but do you eat less than him? Put away the three large bowls on your table before you speak."
Seeing the director genuinely angry, Xiao Zhuo visibly flinched.
Although the director was old, he was a genuine Soul Sect master, and even he felt a pang of fear.
"I can apologize!"
Having said that, Xiao Zhuo's face suddenly contorted into a mischievous grin, and he said with a smile.
"But you have to tell me what that thing is called! How can I apologize to something without a name!"
"Glutton, dog excrement, rotten egg, wilted cabbage, or perhaps… hmm… little slut."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken nonsense."
As he spoke, he couldn't straighten up from laughing, even raising his eyebrows triumphantly.
"Hey, this is going too far!"
Hu Liena couldn't help but exclaim indignantly.
The smile on Xiao Zhuo's face vanished instantly. He glared viciously at Hu Liena, then gritted his teeth and looked at the little boy, who hadn't even stopped walking. Despite being just a child, there was an unusual ferocity in his eyes.
"You shouldn't have spoken. Be careful of him. Never be alone somewhere."
As the little boy brushed past Hu Liena, he warned her in a very low voice.