War had stripped them of their homes—and their dignity as human beings.
"Big Brother Goku, they're so pitiful! Can we help them, please?"
A girl as lovely as carved jade clung to Goku's right arm, shaking it insistently. Her skin was alabaster and faintly luminous, her hair midnight-black and glossy, her aura bright and pure. Though still cherub-faced with lingering youth, her features already hinted at stunning beauty to come. Her voice was sweet and clear, a sound that lifted the heart.
She had just turned twelve. This was Yue'er—Ji Ru Qianlong.
Goku looked into Yue'er's starry eyes and surrendered with a helpless smile. He ruffled her silky hair and sighed. "You little imp—you just can't resist meddling, can you?" With a casual wave, a soft white light—unseen by ordinary eyes—washed over the band of refugees and sank into their bodies.
In an instant, color returned to their faces. Exhaustion fell away; they straightened, renewed strength coursing through their limbs.
"This should see them safely to wherever they're headed," Goku said, smiling at Yue'er. "Will that do?"
"I knew you were the best, Big Brother Goku!" Yue'er beamed, tugged his hand so he bent down, and stole a quick peck on his cheek.
"Oh? A sneak attack? Then it's my turn!" Goku laughed, scooped her up, and planted playful kisses on her chubby cheeks.
"No! Don't—!" Yue'er squealed with laughter, twisting to evade him. The warm scene drew soft smiles from Nongyu and the others. With him by their side, they could still find happiness in a world aflame.
Amid teasing and laughter, they soon came upon a small lake. Sunlight scattered across the ripples like a field of stars.
"Up ahead should be Mirror Lake Medical Manor," Chi Lian said, hand on hip, striking a bewitching pose that could set any heart ablaze. "Quite the hidden retreat."
"Let's go," Goku replied with a light smile. Taking Yue'er's hand, he led Xiao Li and the others forward—walking gently over the water toward the manor.
White cranes wheeled overhead. Mist drifted in veils. The place felt like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
"Look—there it is!" Yue'er pointed to the buildings appearing at the edge of their sight, delight shining in her eyes.
They came ashore and stopped beneath the plaque above the gate. Goku shook his head with a faint smile. "So Duanmu Rong kept her old 'Three No-Saves' rules."
Yue'er read aloud, giggling: "First: No saving Qin people. Second: No saving anyone with the surname Gai. Third: No saving those injured in duels born of brutality and arrogance." She glanced up. "Sister Rong is interesting—so many rules for saving people."
Though Goku had focused on teaching her Han characters, Yue'er had also learned Yan script from her mother, once the Crown Princess of Yan.
Goku's smile softened as he watched Yue'er. In another path, she should have grown up here with Duanmu Rong… Fate was strange. Perhaps that very thought was why he had brought Yue'er along today.
"Goku… sir?"
A door opened, and a young woman stepped out. Seeing the visitors at the gate, surprise flickered in her eyes.
"Miss Duanmu," Goku said with an easy smile, "I hope you don't mind that we've come uninvited."
"On the contrary—your presence at Mirror Lake is an honor to the Mo Family. Please, come in."
"So you're the 'Sister Rong' Big Brother Goku mentioned?" Yue'er gazed at Duanmu Rong, studying her up and down like a tiny inspector, then nodded in satisfaction. "You're really beautiful!"
"And this is…?" Duanmu Rong asked gently.
"Hello! I'm Ji Ru Qianlong—but you can call me Yue'er," the girl said with perfect manners.
"Yue'er…" Duanmu Rong repeated, nodding, her expression as calm and clear as always.
In the sitting room, Duanmu Rong sat with poise. "How did you know of Mirror Lake Medical Manor, Sir Goku? And what brings you here?"
"Can't I come without a reason?" he teased.
"That was presumptuous of me," she replied, inclining her head.
"Heh. In truth, I'm here to wait for a few people."
"To wait… for someone?" She looked puzzled. Who could merit his waiting at this secluded clinic?
"If nothing goes awry, they'll arrive tomorrow morning. We'll need a room for the night. You don't mind, do you?"
"You are the Mo Family's benefactor—and mine. Stay as long as you wish," Duanmu Rong said. "I have patients to tend to, so please make yourselves at home."
As the sun sank and night deepened, Goku told Xue Nu and the others, "I'm going out for a walk. You all should stay here for now."
"What's the fun? I'm coming too!" Yue'er clung to his arm, eyes bright with pleading.
"Is it Shaoyu and Tianming?" Xiao Li asked.
Goku nodded. "They'll run into some trouble tonight. I'll take a look. Wait for me here." He stepped out with Yue'er at his side.
A round moon climbed the sky. Wolves howled.
Under moonlight, a carriage raced across a barren plain, and behind it surged a vast pack of starving wolves—their green-lit eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
The wolves poured forward like a living tide, a red haze seeming to stain the night. Their howls heralded the cruelty to come. In moments they had closed the distance, fetid breath gusting from snarling maws. Under the moon, their claws flashed silver.
Darkness thickened. The wolves encircled the carriage and Xiang Liang's party completely, a ring of hunger and hate.
The guards tightened their grips, eyes fixed on the shifting ring of green-lit pupils. Fear crawled up their spines.
"Don't worry, Uncle—I'll protect you!" Tianming declared, hefting Gai Nie's sword, Yuanhong.
"Do you truly wish to grow stronger?" Gai Nie asked solemnly.
"Yes!"
"Then prove it. With your sword."
"Yes, sir!"
Elated, Tianming leapt from the carriage, brandishing Yuanhong, and faced the wolves without flinching.
Gai Nie settled cross-legged, regulating his breath and gathering what strength he could. He knew well: Tianming and the others could not withstand the wolf pack—nor the Wolf King lurking among them. He had to buy time, recover—if only a little.
"So it begins? Come, then!" Shaoyu spun his spear and shouted to the night, eyes fearless.
A rag of black cloud drifted over the moon. A swift shadow flickered through the pack, closing on the carriage with terrifying speed.
"Who goes there?!"
By the time the shout rang out, the speaker was already tumbling from his saddle.
"Enemy attack!" Shaoyu barked.
The shadow flitted again and again; horsemen around the carriage toppled silently. Unseen, unknown—only the thuds of bodies marked its path. Blood spattered the dirt, and the iron tang of it whipped the wolves into a frenzy.
When the cloud slid off the moon, a lone rider stood revealed—draped in black, a half-mask of green over his eyes, wolf-fang bronze claws glinting on both hands. Wild, solitary, savage—bloodthirsty.
He was the Wolf King, third among Wei Zhuang's Four Heavenly Kings.
"Hey—where'd he go?" Tianming craned his neck left and right, Yuanhong in hand, clueless and unafraid. Whether to praise his courage or call him a fool was anyone's guess.
_____
T/N:
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