When Shi Xiaole woke up, the first thing he saw was a pair of big, innocent eyes looking at him curiously as if sizing up a fascinating new toy.
The owner of the eyes wasnât idle either, carefully caressing Shi Xiaoleâs face and occasionally comparing it with their own, sometimes puzzled, sometimes delighted, as two braids with sheep-horn buns swayed with her motions.
"Ya! Big brother, youâre awake!"
The little girl, around six or seven years old, got excited catching Shi Xiaoleâs gaze. She didnât retract her hands but instead stared at him even more boldly.
"Lingâer, donât be too happy just yet. This sickly, weak shrimp might not even make it," said an old man with a round face and a smile, sitting by the fire.
Shi Xiaole responded with a bitter smile.
He couldnât move at all now, only observing his surroundings with his eyes. The description was quite apt. Remembering it was likely the old man who had saved him, he hurriedly said, "Thank you, senior, for saving my life."
The round-faced old man pointed at the little girl and said grumpily, "It wasnât me who saved you; it was Lingâer. If it werenât for her persistent pleading, I wouldnât have bothered to offend those two. You know, theyâll sooner or later find out about my impersonation of the Golden Silkworm â what a headache!"
Shi Xiaole remembered that it was the Golden Silkworm that had scared away the beautiful granny and the ugly old man. So, it was this old man whoâd been impersonating it. But even as an impersonator, one had to be genuinely skilled.
At the very least, the dangerous aura Shi Xiaole felt from the round-faced old man was not any less intimidating than that of the beautiful granny - another Forbidden Martial Emperor!
Damn it, what kind of place was this!
The Emperor List covered the three great dynasties, the hundred countries of the Western Region, and the archipelagos of the Western Sea, listing only five Forbidden Martial Emperors. The actual number might be more but certainly wouldnât be too manyâyet here, three had appeared all at once.
When Lingâer saw Shi Xiaole awake, she cheered and ran out of the cave to catch some fish to eat. The round-faced old man moved closer and threatened viciously, "Kid, roll out of here before Lingâer comes back. I wouldnât want that couple to come knocking on our door."
Shi Xiaole said helplessly, "Senior, I canât move."
The round-faced old man stamped his feet in frustration, looking like he wanted to slaughter Shi Xiaole. Given his strength, he could have easily thrown Shi Xiaole to the ends of the earth. Yet, he had not made a move.
After some thought, the round-faced old man suddenly dashed out of the cave. When he came back, he held several bundles of branches exuding a faint fragrance and piled them onto Shi Xiaoleâs body with a sinister smile, threatening, "Kid, donât resist later, or donât blame me for being unkind!" Content, he lay back on the stone bed.
Sometime later, under Shi Xiaoleâs curious gaze, several sheep-like but much larger animals ran into the cave and began to eat the branches. Realizing how tough the branches were, they formed a circle, lifted the branches along with Shi Xiaole, and withdrew from the cave in perfect harmony.
"Mission accomplished."
The round-faced old man started humming a tune.
Lingâer returned soon after, looking around. Her delicate brows furrowed, "Whereâs the big brother? Did grandfather kick him out?"
The round-faced old man feigned innocence, "Absolutely not. If you donât believe it, Lingâer, check for yourself. If anyone emits even a trace of Vigorous Air, it wouldnât escape your detection within three days."
After making a round of the cave and truly finding no Vigorous Air, Lingâer frowned and accused, pointing at the round-faced old man, "Grandfather, you cheated! You must have picked up the Soft Fragrant Wood and made the big sheep carry away the big brother!"
The round-faced old man spread his hands, "Grandfather always needs to smell the Soft Fragrant Wood to sleep well, which Lingâer knows."
"Then you could have stopped the big sheep."
"But didnât you, Lingâer, say we canât harm the big sheep? Iâm in a difficult position too."
"You..."
Lingâer found herself at a loss for words. She could only express her anger with her big eyes and decided to ignore her deceitful grandfather, turning her head and running out.
Shi Xiaole was lying in a pile of Soft Fragrant Wood, healing and sunbathing. Lingâer came running over and laughed, "Big brother, you sure were hard to find."
Shi Xiaole was quietly amazed.
This place was located halfway up a hill. Although just tens of meters high, the forest was dense and overgrown, the paths winding. Without using mental power, even he might not have found it quickly.
"Lingâer, how did you find me?" Shi Xiaole asked curiously.
Lingâer proudly pointed to a little white sheep licking her foot, "Of course, Xiao Liu told me."
"But white sheep canât talk."
"Liar, it clearly can." Lingâer puffed up her little chest and huffed, "Just now Xiao Liu told me it was its father, mother, big brother, and sisters who carried you here," she said, gesturing towards several large sheep sharing a meal.
Shi Xiaole was completely shocked, incredulously watching Lingâer speak with conviction. He was sure that no one, aside from the round-faced old man, had been watching when he was carried off.
"What else did Xiao Liu say?" he asked.
"She also said, big brother, youâre so heavy that its parents dropped you halfway, but then you climbed back on by yourself. Big brother, how embarrassing," she teased with a giggle as she touched her own face.
Shi Xiaole looked intently at Lingâer, his expression one of profound shock.
All of a sudden, Lingâer bashfully said, "Big brother, Iâm sorry. I originally wanted to catch fish for you to eat, but then I heard them speaking, and they begged me to let them go. I couldnât bear it, so..."
"When were you able to hear the animals talk?" Shi Xiaole prodded.
"It was just now, after seeing Big Brother," she said.
Shi Xiaole let out a breath.
Legend had it that there were people in the world born with the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, who could understand the language of animals and command beasts, but this had never been confirmed. Most people regarded it as nothing more than a joke.
Could it be that this innocent child, clear and porcelain-like, possessed the legendary Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart?
Shi Xiaole asked a few more questions. This time, Lingâer made great efforts to communicate with a few big white sheep, gesturing and making incomprehensible sounds, and finally came back with a smile, giving the correct answers.
"Lingâer, remember, never tell anyone that you have this ability!" Shi Xiaole said earnestly.
In Lingâerâs mind, it wasnât something spectacular. Didnât everyone else do the same? She had thought it was a skill necessary for growing up. But seeing how serious Shi Xiaole was, she nodded and uttered an "Oh."
Lingâer played joyfully with the small white sheep, joking with Shi Xiaole from time to time, worrying about neglecting her new playmate. She even spoke of picking delicious fruits for him to eat, but then she completely forgot as she got absorbed into the play.
Unbeknownst to her, Shi Xiaole was sweating profusely.
"Boy, I wonât kill you for now, but if you dare to harbor any ill-intentions towards Lingâer, I will tear you apart!"
A voice full of murderous intent entered Shi Xiaoleâs ears. He didnât need to ask to know it was from that round-faced elder.
"Not only does Lingâer possess the Flawless Sacred Bones, which are the most receptive to Vigorous Air out of the three great sacred bones, but now she has also touched upon the legendary Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart. Truly, she is the first prodigy Iâve ever witnessed in my lifetime. But is this a blessing or a curse?"
In the distant jungle, watching the playful Lingâer, the round-faced elder was filled with a puzzled expression that quickly turned into determination.
Ever since he found Lingâer frozen on the other shore more than six hundred years ago and brought her here on the Color Crossing Ship, the years of companionship had made him truly regard Lingâer as his kin, allowing no one to harm her!
"Revenge and protecting Lingâer are the last two major affairs of my life!" The round-faced elder gradually disappeared into the jungle.
Without the beautiful granny and the ugly grandpa visiting, the days became much more leisurely. Every day, Lingâer would come to chat and tease Shi Xiaole.
This little girl found amusement easily; a simple joke could keep her happy for a long time.
Once he was able to move freely, Shi Xiaole didnât want her to disturb his cultivation every day. He built a swing from vines and planks, where Lingâer would sit. Each time the swing reached the highest point, she would scream and then giggle gracefully, leaving a trail of laughter that tinkled like bells through the forest.
As for the promised delicious fruits, she had completely forgotten about them.
On the morning of the fifth day, Shi Xiaoleâs wounds had long healed, but he didnât want the round-faced elder to notice anything odd, so he pretended to be very weak.
Not far away, the small white sheep on the swing were huddled together nervously while Lingâer comforted them with a soft voice. Then, while they were distracted, she pushed the swing with a running start, causing the sheep to bleat in terror as Lingâer burst into uninhibited laughter.
Shi Xiaole shook his head in disbelief. Suddenly, Lingâer came around from behind, her small, soft hands covering his eyes: "Guess who?"
This was a game Shi Xiaole had taught her, and she would do it several times every day. Without enthusiasm, Shi Xiaole spoke, "Of course, itâs the cute and clever Lingâer."
"Perfunctory!"
Lingâer hopped to the front and sat down, resting her chin in her hands: "Shi Xiaole, youâre really handsome, way more than Grandpa, the ugly Grandpa, and Wood Grandpa combined. Does everyone from the outside look like you?"
Shi Xiaole continued his cultivation undisturbed.
With a quick twist of her eyes, Lingâer said, "Shi Xiaole, do you also think about leaving this place like Grandpa and Wood Grandpa? I can take you somewhere."
Shi Xiaole opened his eyes and glanced at her, "Itâs no use, even the seniors canât do it, so neither can I with you leading."
Lingâerâs face darkenedâan uncharacteristic sight.
The truth was, the person who most wanted to leave was Lingâer herself. Ever since she became sentient, she had been living here, never having seen the outside world.
But just as Shi Xiaole had said, not to mention her four grandpas, even the most capable Golden Silkworm Grandpa was trapped here. Then, how could Shi Xiaole leave?
"However, since itâs Lingâerâs suggestion, lead the way. Itâll be good to broaden my horizons."
But just at that moment, Shi Xiaole added another line.
"Sure," he said.
Lingâer smiled and took the initiative to grab Shi Xiaoleâs hand. The little girl had stopped thinking about leaving; she merely wanted to take Shi Xiaole out to play.
Along the way, the two encountered many snakes, bugs, mice, and ants. Lingâer led the way, and these wild animals seemed to welcome their master, not daring to offend, which astonished Shi Xiaole.
The two passed the cave where the round-face elder lived and followed a secluded path upwards until they reached a precipice.
To Shi Xiaoleâs shock, he found that in front of the cliff was a rippling vertical light barrier, like a lake. It was clearly an array system, yet with his spiritual power, he hadnât noticed it before.
"What a marvelous arrangement! Itâs not a Sky Origin array, but itâs woven from countless Void Origin arrays, one ring after another, with not a single whiff of array energy leaking out."
Shi Xiaole was certain that even the Forbidden Martial Emperor wouldnât hope to unravel such an arrangement, let alone attempt to break it by brute force.