CHAPTER 179: 179 - LITTLE YAO

Little Yao led Qingyi and Qingxue through a maze of narrow alleyways, and the world around them changed dramatically.

The tall, luxurious buildings were replaced by clumsy slums.

Where once they could see even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, now even Foundation Realm ones were rare, with almost all of the people here being mortals who watched the couple with suspicious glances.

Yao stopped suddenly, opening a wooden door before entering and signaling for the couple to follow her.

After looking out one last time, she heaved a sigh of relief before bowing deeply.

"Little Yao asks the experts for forgiveness, but Little Yao didn’t want you to get hurt!"

She clasped her little hands together respectfully, trying unsuccessfully to put determination into her worried little face.

"There’s no need to worry, little one."

Qingyi smiled gently, placing his hand on the girl’s head and ruffling her hair.

He turned his face gently, watching Qingxue’s expression.

The silver-haired beauty looked at little Yao as if she had just found the most precious jewel in the world.

Looking at the house they were in, Qingyi couldn’t stop his heart from sinking.

That little girl barely looked 11... why on earth was she living in such a miserable place?

At least in the Golden Cloud City there were several orphanages to take care of these children.

"Tell me little girl, what is this Blue Crow Gang?"

"Oh, they’re the worst!" Little Yao gritted her teeth, her voice slightly shaky.

"They took my mommy and daddy and robbed our house... if it wasn’t for them, i-if it wasn’t for them..." Soon the little girl found herself sobbing again.

Qingxue finally moved, hugging the child and using all the motherly skills she didn’t have to awkwardly console her.

When Yao had controlled her crying, she continued: "The sect even put a bounty on their heads, places to take part in the sect’s selection test, but they have the support from a rich inner disciple, so nobody does anything about them!"

Her voice contained only pain and anger, a feeling that Qingyi understood well.

"You said your family was taken, where exactly?" The handsome young man asked.

He had honestly only helped that little girl because of the moment, he didn’t want to spend too much time on that matter.

But her last words caught his attention.

White Peak City was controlled by the Eternal River Sect, one of the nine great sects of the Nine Peaks basin.

It was among the weakest of the nine, but it still had a powerful Transcendence Realm expert who had lived for over three thousand years.

Such power was not something to be ignored, and entering it often required letters of recommendation that only the richest and noblest could get.

Even though they were just test slots, with no guarantees, they were still valuable opportunities for him and Qingxue.

After a moment’s reflection, Qingyi made his decision.

He would help this little girl, even if it was only for his own gain.

"To the spirit crystal mines," Little Yao replied, her voice losing strength as more bad memories surfaced in her mind. "They take everyone there..."

"Very well." Qingyi stood up and waved his hand in the air.

The next moment, a piece of candy appeared in his hand, capturing the girl’s attention.

When Qingyi held out the candy to her, Yao quickly took it, devouring it with ferocity.

"Thank you, expert!" She bowed again, still licking her fingers.

"You can call me Qingyi," the handsome young man laughed, grabbing Qingxue’s hips and pulling her against him. "This is Qingxue, my wife. We’re going after your family."

Qingxue blushed deeply, but didn’t push Qingyi away, just trying to maintain her posture.

"Ah... thank you big brother Qingyi and big sister Qingxue! Little Yao promises to do her best to repay you!" The girl shouted, drawing a smile from both of them.

For the rest of the afternoon, they stayed by her side.

Qingyi even brought Elize out of the world of Ruxue’s mind, watching with satisfaction as the purple-haired beauty spoiled the girl with all the best she could cook.

He also took the opportunity to ask as many questions as possible about the Blue Crow Gang.

They were a relatively new group and unknown to the city guard.

Their leader was an expert who had advanced to the Crystalline Core Realm a few months ago and had begun his reign of terror.

Little Yao’s family were merchants who refused to pay protection fees and were therefore retaliated against by being kidnapped and sent to the spirit crystal mines.

Qingyi and Qingxue wanted to take Little Yao with them, protecting her until they dealt with that gang, but the little girl refused to leave the house.

Fortunately, with the help of Elize’s food, they managed to make her go to Ruxue’s world of the mind, where she could stay until they could find her parents.

After making sure she was safe, the two of them set off, walking side by side.

"Does the husband have..." Qingxue began, the words choking in her throat as she gathered her courage. "Does the husband have plans to have one too?"

"A child? Yes, but not now, it’s too soon. Our road is too long."

"How long?"

"To the celestial heavens and beyond."

Qingxue froze at those words.

’The celestial heavens and beyond...’ she repeated mentally.

If it had been anyone else talking about it, she would probably have called him crazy.

But those were Qingyi’s words, not anyone’s.

"Will you want one too?" Qingyi asked, noticing the look on Qingxue’s face.

When she wasn’t acting like a cold, distant woman, she was truly adorable. To see her as red as a tomato while her pale, delicate shoulders trembled was quite a sight.

In the end, he could only laugh, ignoring the envious looks around him as he kissed Qingxue.

They continued walking aimlessly down the wide main street, catching glimpses of Nascent Soul Realm and Crystal Core Realm cultivators cutting through the sky, flying above those they considered mere insects.

It wasn’t long before they entered a relatively empty tavern.

"Welcome to the Blue Moon Pavilion! What can I do for you?" An attendant approached, flashing a wide smile and parts of her voluptuous cleavage.

Ignoring Qingxue’s murderous gaze, she focused on Qingyi, who seemed to be a wealthy young master from the outer regions.

An easy target to make a quick buck.

Unfortunately for her, there was barely time for Qingyi to respond before a thunderous roar drew everyone’s attention.

Ten men from the Burning Blood Realm burst into the tavern simultaneously, their eyes scanning the customers until they locked onto Qingyi.

One of them was Bao, who had already recovered his ability to speak, but not his teeth or his nose.

"That’s the bastard who attacked me, Uncle Wei! Kill him, but leave the woman," Bao roared, his eyes filling with lust towards Qingxue.