Chapter 3: I Want a Child

Song Yue forced herself to remain calm. She had to maintain her "kind, pure, and fragile woman" persona in front of her adopted son. If someone with a sharp eye spotted anything unusual from a distance, this kid would definitely notice.

She subtly observed the ancient trees around her, calculating the number of people hidden in the shadows. Her anxiety grew, and cold sweat began to bead on her back.

There was more than one person, and she wasn't sure how long they had been following them… but it must have been since she met him. The reason they hadn't been detected until now wasn't due to carelessness on her part after arriving in this ancient world; rather, they had no murderous intent.

Wait, no murderous intent?

Song Yue gave Xuan Sibei a meaningful glance.

From the way he landed, it was clear he had formidable martial skills. Now that she noticed the hidden presence, there was no way he didn't realize it with his sharp observation. The only possibility was… those people in the shadows were his subordinates, which explained why he remained calm, letting her hold his hand without fear of pursuers coming after them. Even without her, he would be safe.

When Ji Wuzhao was poisoned, it seemed he faintly heard someone whisper his title "Master" — a title of utmost respect in the martial world. Could it be that, aside from his public identity, he had an underground force?

This kid's background was definitely not simple. What she knew about him now was likely just the tip of the iceberg...

Song Yue pretended to remain unaware and took a few more steps, closely observing Xuan Sibei's movements. She noticed him casually flick his fingers, as if making an unconscious gesture. But to her, it was a significant act.

A hand signal from the shadows? Not good!

Just as she thought that, a sharp sound of air being cut through echoed in front of them. In the darkness, she couldn't make out what kind of hidden weapon it was. With her martial skills, she could only roughly determine its direction, but the murderous intent was clearly aimed at him.

Song Yue's scalp tightened. Her first instinct was to think of Xuan Sibei's hand signal. If he wanted to kill her, he wouldn't have bothered sending his subordinates to attack; he could have done it himself much quicker. But he hadn't… It was a test! He suspected she had martial skills and wanted to observe her instinctive reaction in the face of danger!

The sound of the weapon flying through the air gave her the feeling that a knife was about to drop from above her head. She shuddered and instinctively wanted to dodge — if this was just a test, that would be fine, but this world was full of all kinds of strange people. Maybe he really wanted to kill her, but for some eccentric reason, preferred not to act himself, instead having his subordinates do it?

Until she understood Xuan Sibei's temperament, she couldn't afford to gamble with her life!

Song Yue panicked, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as she suddenly shouted "Watch out!" and lunged towards Xuan Sibei, feigning extreme shock as she cried, "It's an ambush!"

In the face of imminent danger, a kind, pure, and good-hearted person's first instinct would certainly be to protect the child beside them! Since she had accepted this adopted son, she had to make him feel her maternal affection, protecting him with her own body in moments of danger, just like she was doing now!

[Host 666666, although it sounds nice, isn't your real goal to use him as a shield since you noticed the hidden weapon aimed at you?]

Song Yue: Cough, cough… Well, not entirely. His subordinates definitely wouldn't dare to throw a hidden weapon at him. By doing this, I can not only avoid danger but also gain some favor in his eyes. A two-in-one strategy, learn from me!

When she lunged forward, she had already considered that Xuan Sibei didn't like unfamiliar people and might try to avoid her. Therefore, she intentionally slid her feet to shift her center of gravity forward, using all her strength and momentum to crash into him. At the same time, a hidden dart whizzed past her hair, embedding itself in the tree behind her, while she awkwardly pressed him to the ground.

Hmm… Maybe she pushed a little too hard. Unexpectedly, Xuan Sibei didn't use his martial skills to throw her off. Instead, he maintained his usual beggar persona, looking up at her face as she hovered above him. He gently brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, as if truly grateful for her brave action. However, his perfect smile made her uneasy: "Thank you, benefactor."

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, she was still in a naive and carefree period, while he, at this moment, had already learned to conceal. From a close observation, his face, once handsome, was now marred by streaks of dark gray, and his pure, harmless, and clear eyes could hide all emotions, making it easy for people to lower their guard.

Song Yue's lips twitched.

Had she come too late... this boy's dark worldview surely hadn't already formed, had it?

"Don't make a sound. I think I just heard something flying over. I'm not sure if it was a bird or if someone is really nearby..." She pretended to be scared and moved him toward the grass, then crouched down, looking around for a long time before finally sighing with a sweet, innocent expression. "Ah... I must have heard wrong. I told you, if it was the Yan army, they would have rushed out to kill us already. How could they throw hidden weapons..."

Xuan Sibei didn't comment, but he didn't give her a chance to hold his hand again. Instinctively, he kept a one-meter distance from her.

Song Yue was plotting something in her mind, but her smile remained sweet and innocent, like a kind old man's: "You're now a black household, so you should hide in Jiulong Bay for a while. I haven't dared to do business there, but I still have some silver on me. Since we're fated to meet, I'll give it all to you. Stay there while I finish this business with Yan, then I'll come find you. I'll help you out with a job. How about it?"

She then reached into her sleeve, took out two small silver pieces, and placed them in his hand.

"..." Although he didn't speak, she could still read a faint look of disdain in his eyes.

Even the system couldn't take it anymore: [Host, I've seen stingy people, but I've never seen someone as stingy as you. Don't you still have some large silver bills in your pocket...]

Song Yue: "As the saying goes, 'there's no business without deceit.' I'm just maintaining my merchant persona!"

[Pah, excuses!]

The air suddenly grew awkward. In the forest, the atmosphere shifted, and her hand holding the silver froze in mid-air. After a while, Xuan Sibei finally accepted it.

"Thank you." Although he didn't need it, "A kindness, no matter how small, will be repaid in full. If one day..."

Song Yue's eyes lit up, knowing the opportunity had arrived. She raised her hand to stop him from continuing: "No need for gratitude. Since we've met, it's fate. You managed to escape from Yingdu, so you probably don't have a place to stay. Take this silver, stay for a few nights, and when I finish this business with Yan, I'll come find you and help you get a job. Y

ou can save up some silver and eventually marry and have children."

If he were really just a little beggar who fled to a desolate mountain, not only would she have saved his life, but he would also have gained silver and a job, surely making him deeply grateful. She acted just like a standard kind-hearted person, smiling sweetly at him.

Xuan Sibei looked at her with an unreadable expression.

This woman really was too kind... Did she really have no ulterior motives?

Seeing that he didn't respond, Song Yue knew that the boy's suspicion was not easily dispelled. He probably thought she was being too overly kind, so she immediately added, "Actually... I also wanted to have a child, but my husband passed away shortly after we were married. I became a widow, and to make a living, I've traveled all over, with no one to talk to by my side..."

Xuan Sibei saw the flicker of a dark light in her eyes and took a step back, retracting his previous thoughts.

Her words were quite clear—her husband passed away, she was lonely and desolate, and now she wanted a child. Just as the elders had said, some beautiful and strong-willed widows, like wolves and tigers, relied on their wealth, and if there was a man around...

Although he had dressed himself in a ragged manner, his inner dignity was not something mud and dust could degrade. Young, without a country, and without support, if he were truly a beggar on the street, he might be grateful for such fortune, but he... even though she had helped him, he could never tolerate...

"…It's precisely because of the daily emptiness and loneliness that I've grown more and more desperate for a child. So, how about you become my godson?" Song Yue pushed the image of a lonely widow to the extreme. As soon as she spoke of the past, her watery eyes seemed to speak for her, pulling at emotional strings. "I truly want a child like you. Perhaps, saving you earlier was some kind of fate that stirred up the regret in my heart."

She then pretended to take out a handkerchief and wiped away a tear. "Of course, if you don't agree, I won't force you. Who would be so shameless as me, trying to repay kindness with this kind of request..." She gave a self-mocking smile, twisting the handkerchief with a look of self-pity, waiting for his response, seemingly very concerned about it.

[I can't believe the host still carries a handkerchief with her... 66666...]

Song Yue: "Didn't expect that, did you? .jpg"

She stared intently at Xuan Sibei. Just as he was about to refuse, she covered her seemingly fragile little heart.

He remained silent, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, his gaze subtly scanning her from head to toe. His brow slightly raised, a very faint expression, but still noticeable to her: "Godson?"

He almost thought it was...

"Yes, are you willing?" Song Yue's eyes seemed to sparkle.

In reality, she had unknowingly sealed off all of his escape routes. Now, if he didn't want to expose more of his identity, he could only agree. In terms of emotions, she had helped him, and if he were indeed a beggar, he was exactly the kind of person who needed such help.

However, she didn't expect that this person was no simple fool.

Xuan Sibei lightly lowered his gaze. "I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

"What's inappropriate about it..." Could this man really be looking for an excuse to refuse? She had a bad feeling about this.

"We're about the same age, so we should be peers." This woman looked no older than twenty at most, and yet she wanted to take him as her godson... Regardless of his identity, even his age was far different from that of her mother.

"Who's the same age as you?" Song Yue touched her face with a complex expression, her eyes shifting before she quickly added, "Who says women can't maintain themselves well? Looks like you're trying to compliment me in a roundabout way, trying to make me happy... Can't tell, can you? Actually, I'

m already in my thirties, an old woman!"