Chapter 6

"Chapter 6: Ningning's Little Treasure Trove, Yours for the Taking."

Mo Lingwei couldn't help but tremble slightly uncontrollably.

Until Shen Ningning's delicate and soft hand held his.

"So you're afraid of water? It's okay, I'll hold onto you, you won't sink," the little one said with a sweet smile.

Her chubby cheeks puffed up, revealing a cute dimple.

Mo Lingwei looked up to see the little one backlit by the sunlight, wearing tattered clothes, yet sporting the most pure and beautiful smile.

Her words miraculously soothed him.

In a frightening environment, it didn't matter as long as someone was there to hold him tightly like this.

Mo Lingwei lay by the edge of the pond, his body relaxed, floating atop the icy blue spring water.

Under the intense sun, he kept a firm grip on her small hand.

Elsewhere.

Aunt Qin was helping Officer Du put on his robe.

The two started talking about Shen Ningning, who had run off with a pack of wolves.

Officer Du, with his large, round belly and downward-triangular eyes, looked sinister.

"Although Shen Ningning is young, she saw something she shouldn't have that day. If she speaks out, it could affect my official career. Guihong, you mustn’t let her live!"

Aunt Qin adjusted Officer Du's collar, following with a forced laugh, "Brother-in-law, rest assured."

"That little orphan values her grandmother more than herself. Knowing her grandmother is dead, she surely won't want to live."

"I've done everything to drive her to death. Even if she doesn’t die, once I bring back old lady Qin, the orphan will still return home. I must have her life!"

Officer Du nodded and then walked out of the room.

Just then, Uncle Qin returned home, carrying a hoe, covered in dirt.

Seeing Officer Du, Uncle Qin hurriedly nodded and bowed in greeting.

Officer Du, without a sideways glance, ignored him completely, mounted the carriage at the entrance, and rode away.

"Brother-in-law, have a safe journey, and send my regards to my sister!" Aunt Qin waved from the fence.

Only after the carriage was out of sight did Uncle Qin follow Aunt Qin into the house.

"Your brother-in-law came again? Did he bring anything?" he asked eagerly.

Aunt Qin glanced at him and sat down to comb her hair, "Why don't you check the kitchen yourself?"

Uncle Qin hurried out, only to return shortly after.

His voice tinged with dissatisfaction, "Why only half a barrel of rice? Usually, it's two or three barrels!"

"Slam!" Aunt Qin banged the comb on the table.

She turned and scolded, "You fool! There's a shortage of food everywhere. The crops failed, and we rely on the government for relief. We should be grateful for the half barrel of rice from my brother-in-law. And you dare complain?"

"If you think it's too little, go get more yourself. Remember, you couldn't find work before, and now with a hand bitten off by a wolf, who'd hire a cripple?"

Uncle Qin, red-faced and shouting, retorted, "Wang Guihong, what kind of talk is that? I followed your advice and left my mother on the mountain."

"I'm anxious for food so our family can eat, aren't I?!"

Seeing him genuinely angry, Aunt Qin's tone softened.

She turned back, smiling, "Alright, alright, I know you want what's best for our family. But you must understand the situation, right?"

"We're in a drought, and our family relies on my brother-in-law's aid. Besides, when Mei fell into the well and hurt her head, wasn't it my brother-in-law who paid for the doctor and medicine?"

Uncle Qin's anger subsided at once.

He sat down dejectedly.

If only he were more capable, Aunt Qin wouldn't be the one making all the decisions at home.

  *

Three days passed.

Thanks to Shen Ningning's miraculous spring water, Mo Lingwei soaked for four hours daily, and his wounds healed faster than he had ever imagined.

During his meditation, he realized the burning sensation from the toxins in his blood had vanished!

The spring water had even cured his poison!

Mo Lingwei looked down at his arm where the flesh had been torn, seeing each wound healed, leaving only faint red scars.

And these scars, Shen Ningning said, would disappear before long.

He watched Shen Ningning bustling about in the distance, boiling eggs.

Mo Lingwei's slender eyes deepened.

Who exactly is she...?

Shen Ningning approached, carrying two eggs, and walked towards Mo Lingwei.

"Here! Eat them while they're hot. Wolfie said your external wounds are healing well, but you need to nourish the internal ones. Eating eggs will speed up the healing!" the little one said with a sweet smile.

She gave one egg to Mo Lingwei and kept one for herself, sitting down beside him.

As Mo Lingwei was peeling his egg, he turned to see Shen Ningning bite into her egg, shell and all.

Mo Lingwei: ...

"Shen Ningning!" he exclaimed.

The little one looked up at him innocently, her lips smeared with yolk.

"What's wrong?" she mumbled unclearly.

"Why are you eating the eggshell too?"

"Eggshells... can't they be eaten? At home, my aunt would divide it this way: my sister got the yolk, they ate the whites, and I ate the shell."

Mo Lingwei's expression turned icy, his dark eyes fixed on the little one.

His slender fingers skillfully peeled the shell off the egg.

"Eat mine." He handed her the peeled, tender egg.

Shen Ningning silently took it, hesitating before taking a bite.

Mo Lingwei commanded firmly, "Eat!"

Only then did she open her mouth wide and pop the entire egg in, cheeks puffing out like a little hamster.

Mo Lingwei couldn't help but laugh, "Chew it, chew it."

"Mmm…" The little one obediently began to chew.

Mo Lingwei then peeled the shell off her leftover egg and placed it back in her palm.

"Remember, from now on, peel the shell before eating," he instructed.

"Thank you, Guoguo~"

"It's 'brother'."

"Guoguo."

Mo Lingwei: ...

Never mind, why was he even arguing with a four-year-old!

Shen Ningning smiled at him brightly and adorably. Nearby, the Black Wolf King and the pack snorted disdainfully through their noses.

Mo Lingwei felt his recovery was going quite well.

He stood up, "Let's go, take me to save your grandmother."

Shen Ningning was overjoyed, "Brother, are your wounds alright now?"

Mo Lingwei's gaze was cold, his expression proud and unruly.

He twisted his sleeves, "My body is still weak, but my martial skills are intact. That should be more than enough to save someone."

When Shen Ningning and the pack of wolves led Mo Lingwei to the pit where her grandmother was imprisoned.

Mo Lingwei paused in surprise.

He had thought her grandmother was held captive by others.

He had been prepared for a fierce battle.

But unexpectedly, the little one had asked for his help in breaking the iron chains.

In the pit, Grandma Qin looked somewhat frail and pale, with a bucket of clear water and some fruit pits beside her.

"Ningning..." Grandma Qin spoke weakly.

"Grandma! I've brought a powerful brother to save you!"

The little one finished speaking, her eyes sparkling with hope as she looked expectantly at Mo Lingwei.

Mo Lingwei asked in a deep voice, "Without a knife or sword, how can we rescue her?"

"We have them! We have everything!" Shen Ningning clapped her small hands.

The Black Wolf King howled, and four wolves darted out from the nearby bushes.

Each carried a weapon: a sword, a knife, a spear, and a dagger.

Each weapon was sharp-edged; Mo Lingwei swung them a few times, feeling as if each was a treasure capable of slicing through iron like mud.

His curiosity about Shen Ningning grew.

Finding herbs and food in the mountains wasn't unusual.

But so many weapons...

Mo Lingwei steadied himself, leaped into the pit, and aimed the long knife at the iron chain binding Grandma Qin's ankles.

"Clang—" A sharp, intense sound echoed as he struck.

The blade shattered, sending a shock through Mo Lingwei's palm!

A fragment of the blade flew towards Shen Ningning, who was standing nearby.