"The old man knew all along that I despised him, so, from the beginning, he used a massive iron chain to pierce through my shoulder blades, shackling my hands and feet, torturing me daily. He hoped to treat me like a beast of burden, forcing me to completely submit to him."

"I wanted revenge, so I pretended to obey him. But the old man was too vigilant, keeping me chained up all these years until you, young master, arrived. He had no choice but to release me to deal with you under the promise of a full meal."

Chu Mo's mouth twitched. He muttered, "I got a real bargain..." Then, he looked at Gao Yingjun and asked, "Are you only eighteen today?"

Gao Yingjun replied, "Nineteen. The old man has kept me captive for eleven years! But he couldn't erase my hatred for him. Actually, even if you hadn't offered to save me that day, I still planned to help you, because that was the best opportunity!"

As he spoke, Gao Yingjun started to smile. "My mother was right, after extreme hardship, sweetness is sure to follow. Heaven did not abandon me, it let me meet you, young master."

Chu Mo gave a somewhat shy smile. "Actually, I am much younger than you. I won't even turn fourteen for a few more months!"

Gao Yingjun replied seriously, "My mother said, ambition has nothing to do with age. Without ambition, it does not matter how old you are."

"Your mother was indeed incredible, regretfully..." Chu Mo could see that this giant of a man had an irreplaceable respect and attachment to his mother.

Chu Mo truly admired the woman who had passed away eleven years ago, who had managed to mold such a huge man into an intellectual giant in just a few years. Not just anyone could do such a thing, to call her great was not an overstatement.

"So young master, now that that old beast Elder Haoyue is dead, and my mother's revenge has been exacted, there is nothing left for me on this prairie. I don't want to stay here." Gao Yingjun looked seriously at Chu Mo and said, "If you think I stand out too much, you could take me somewhere I can hide. Even if it's the forests of Great Xia, I could hunt Primordial Beasts, and I'd eat the meat and keep the bone and skin to sell for you, young master. What do you think?"

Chu Mo looked at Gao Yingjun, "Do you simply want to leave this prairie, or do you want to follow me?"

"I want to follow you!" Gao Yingjun replied without hesitation.

"Why?" Chu Mo was somewhat confused.

"I feel like you're family, young master. You don't despise me, you trust me. I don't have any other relatives in this world, I am alone..." Gao Yingjun continued in a low voice, "Young master, you're like my family... Even though you're younger than me, I respect you!"

"Don't you want to find your birth parents?" Chu Mo couldn't help but ask, because right now, he could relate to the heartache and loneliness this big man was feeling.

"Well, that depends on luck. I think the chances are slim. But, if given the opportunity, I would like to ask them why they abandoned me. I might be ugly and eat a lot, but I can earn money to support myself!" Gao Yingjun stated resentfully, "They gave birth to me but didn't take care of me. I want to know why."

Whoosh!

Chu Mo suddenly exhaled a deep breath. He tried to pat Gao Yingjun on the shoulder, but realized he couldn't reach. After a moment of awkwardly shifting his mouth, he patted Gao Yingjun on the leg and said, "In that case, come with me!"

"Wow, really? That's great!" Gao Yingjun was so excited that he almost jumped up. He stretched out his hand, grabbed Chu Mo's arm, hoisted him onto his shoulders, and started running. As he ran, he cheered towards the sunset, "I have a home again! Hahaha, I finally have a home again!"

Chu Mo was initially startled. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Home! What a wonderful word!"

…

"What? You're leaving? Why?" Nayi looked surprised as she asked Chu Mo, an unmistakable sense of loss in her stunning eyes, "Aren't you on an adventure journey? It's only been a short while... Do you really dislike me that much?"

As Nayi spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Chu Mo said somewhat helplessly, "There's a time limit to my journey. My master wants me to return before the New Year."

"But there's still more than a month to go until the New Year!" Nayi bit her lip, her starry eyes gazing at Chu Mo, "Can't you stay here a bit longer?"

Chu Mo gave a bitter smile, "I really can't, Nayi. You have things you need to do, and I have things to do as well. Now that you have reassembled the Haoyue Tribe and have the most powerful force on the prairie, I believe that with the help of Princess Baolian, you can unify the entire prairie quickly and return the beautiful prairie to the royal court's hands."

"Continuing my stay here doesn't make much sense." Chu Mo looked at Nayi and said with conviction, "And, I am a cultivator, I shouldn't involve myself too much in these worldly matters."

Chu Mo thought to himself: I'm sorry Nayi, I don't want to lie to you, but if I told you the truth, you would not only be saddened but distracted. You have your prairie to protect, and I have my home to protect as well.

You can't leave your prairie, and I... have to return to my homeland sooner or later!

Nayi was silent for a moment, her beautiful eyes staring at Chu Mo for a long time, then she softly asked, "So... will I have the chance to see you again?"

After thinking for a bit, Chu Mo replied, "Maybe..."

"Only maybe?" Nayi's eyes flickered with disappointment. Then she suddenly looked up at Chu Mo with affectionate eyes, "Lin Bai, actually... I really like you!"

"Uh..." Chu Mo hadn't expected Nayi to say such a thing. It was also the first time Nayi had called him by his name face-to-face. He stood there, taken aback and unsure of what to do.

Nayi gave him a glare, "Hehe, I was just kidding with you. You looked so scared! You've helped us so much and now you have to leave. I must hold a grand farewell party for you!"

Chu Mo shook his head and declined, "No need, you have more important things to attend to now. It's fine if I leave on my own."

Nayi hesitated for a moment, the look of disappointment in her eyes growing even stronger. She nodded slowly and said quietly, "Alright then... when you leave, may I see you off?"

Chu Mo thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Then... I'll leave first. You should... rest a bit." Nayi walked up to Chu Mo, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, then blushed and ran off quickly.