"Nalan Yanran?"
Qi Yan'er splashed some water and shook Nalan Yanran gently.
"Hmm?"
Nalan Yanran frowned and slowly opened her eyes. "Yan'er? How did I fall asleep?"
"W-What is going on here?"
The moment she opened her eyes, Nalan Yanran noticed people sprawled all over the ground around them.
Qi Yan'er spread her hands. "Sister Yan'er, you fell for their trap. They're mercenaries."
"If it weren't for me, they would have carried you off by now!"
"What?"
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran was startled. In her wildest dreams, she would never have imagined how much danger she had just been in.
Wait a second!
Yan'er knocked them all out?
How on earth could someone as tiny as her manage that?!
Alongside her lingering fear, Nalan Yanran was consumed with doubt. She looked around and asked, "Where is Moli?"
"Him?" Qi Yan'er rolled her big eyes and pouted. "When he saw that one of these guys was an Eight-Star Dou Zhe, he ran away first!"
"He ran away?"
Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned cold with disgust. "That scoundrel Moli!"
Seeing Nalan Yanran's wrath, Qi Yan'er quickly urged, "Sister Yan'er, don't waste time thinking about that. Let's get out of here quickly! There might be other mercenaries nearby, and it will be bad if they find us."
"Right, let's hurry!"
Nalan Yanran nodded, scooped up Little Sister Yan'er in her arms, and bolted into the distance.
"Ah—no! Ah—"
As they reached the edge of the path, Nalan Yanran's delicate brows suddenly knit together. "Yan'er, did you hear some kind of noise coming from the forest?"
"Nope~"
Qi Yan'er shook her little head, her wide, watery eyes full of innocence.
"Oh well! I suppose I must be hearing things."
Nalan Yanran pushed the thought aside, and in a flash, she vanished into the distance, holding Qi Yan'er tightly in her arms.
All that remained behind was the sound of distant cries, as if something was being torn apart.
Time slipped away bit by bit. Before long, Nalan Yanran and Qi Yan'er reached a safe area.
"Sister Yan'er, you can put me down now. They shouldn't be following us anymore," Qi Yan'er said, glancing behind them.
"Okay."
Nalan Yanran nodded. Even as a Three-Star Dou Zhe, running for this long had left her somewhat tired.
"Sister Yan'er, here."
The moment she set Qi Yan'er down, Nalan Yanran saw the little girl produce a water pouch from nowhere.
Nalan Yanran trusted Qi Yan'er completely. Furthermore, if not for the girl earlier, she shuddered to think what her fate would have been.
"Little Sister Yan'er, thank you."
Nalan Yanran took the water pouch and drank deeply, moisture lingering on her delicate lips.
"Tell me, Yan'er, how on earth did you manage to take down those mercenaries?"
"Like you said yourself, one of them was an Eight-Star Dou Zhe!"
Hearing Nalan Yanran's astonished words, Qi Yan'er patted her little wooden box with a smug look.
"I told you before!"
"The Hundred-Treasure Box my daddy gave me has all sorts of good things inside. Dealing with a bunch of scumbags like them is child's play!"
All sorts of good things inside?
Could that really be true?
They say children speak without inhibition, but by the same token, children don't lie!
For such a little girl to knock out a group of grown men, including an Eight-Star Dou Zhe, there was only one possible explanation!
That meant...
What she had said earlier about her daddy being Emperor Fan was true as well?
The thought hit Nalan Yanran like a physical blow, and her expression shifted dramatically.
Even if her daddy wasn't the legendary Dou Di, he was bound to be a reclusive powerhouse!
While Nalan Yanran was lost in wild speculation, Qi Yan'er tilted her head and asked with innocent curiosity, "Sister Yan'er, I heard Moli say earlier that you're going to Wutan City to call off an engagement?"
"What?"
Qi Yan'er's words shocked Nalan Yanran, stirring up a burning hatred for Moli in her heart.
Why would that trash blab about everything?!
What on earth did he do while I was unconscious?!
"Little Sister Yan'er, he was right. I am indeed going to Wutan City to call off my engagement."
Nalan Yanran didn't try to hide it, her expression turning gloomy. "My elders arranged a betrothal for me right when I was born, but until now, I've never even laid eyes on the fellow."
"I only heard that he's the third young master of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. He used to be a gifted genius, but now... he's nothing more than a good-for-nothing at Stage Three Dou Qi."
"Stage Three Dou Qi!"
Qi Yan'er blinked her big eyes in surprise. "Isn't that even weaker than me?"
"Huh?"
This time, it was Nalan Yanran's turn to be stunned. "Then, Yan'er, you..."
Even as she asked, Nalan Yanran's curiosity drove her to probe Qi Yan'er's strength.
But when she did, she was met with a shock: the little girl before her felt like pure nothingness!
It was as if a layer of mist shrouded the child, making her completely unreadable!
She herself was a Three-Star Dou Zhe, yet she couldn't discern the strength of a mere little girl!
Could it be...
"Yan'er, y-you aren't stronger than me, are you?"
"How could that be?" Qi Yan'er's little face fell into an expression of sorrow. "I'm only at Stage Five Dou Qi."
"Only at Stage Five Dou Qi?"
The corners of Nalan Yanran's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She was shocked—truly shocked!
As far as she knew, the only genius whose talent surpassed hers was Xiao Yan before his gift vanished.
And now, the little girl standing right in front of her was another one!
"Yeah."
Hearing Nalan Yanran's reaction, Qi Yan'er looked even more miserable. "Every day I'm busy buying wine, grocery shopping, and cooking for my daddy, so I hardly ever get to cultivate."
"Ugh..."
At these words, Nalan Yanran felt her head buzz.
Barely cultivating, yet already at Stage Five Dou Qi at the age of seven?!
How are ordinary people supposed to live?!
Seeing Qi Yan'er's mournful little expression, Nalan Yanran managed a bitter smile of "comfort."
"Yan'er, you misunderstood sister's meaning."
"I mean, having that kind of strength at your age doesn't just mean your talent is high—it's exceptionally high!"
"Exceptionally high?"
Qi Yan'er looked skeptical for a moment, then added gloomily, "Sister Yan'er, stop joking around. My daddy said that when he was seven, he was already a Dou Zong!"
*Crack.*
Nalan Yanran's jaw dropped so wide she thought it might dislocate.
Listen to that—was that something a human being would say?!
A Dou Zong at seven years old!
Just how terrifying of a monster was her father?!
Had she heard this earlier, she would never have believed it. But what had just happened made her believe it implicitly.
A seven-year-old little girl could not only see through mercenaries disguised as tea-shack workers, but she could also knock them all out!
Someone capable of raising a girl like this... could they really be some fraud who only knew how to fool children?
No!
Nalan Yanran stared at the "little monster" before her, a profound sense of helplessness welling up in her heart.
She couldn't keep traveling alone with this child. Otherwise, she'd probably end up being sold while happily counting the money for her buyer!
With that thought, a flash of blue light illuminated the Storage Ring on Nalan Yanran's finger, and a signal arrow materialized in her palm.
"Whoosh!"
Qi Yan'er raised her head in innocent bewilderment, staring right at Nalan Yanran. "Sister Yan'er, what are you doing?"
Nalan Yanran: *(⊙o⊙)…*
She couldn't exactly say: *I'm terrified of you and calling for backup!*
"Well... I..."