Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Brother, I’m Scared

Mo Lingwei caught the chicken.

After walking just a few steps with Shen Ningning, they came across several plump snow pears that had fallen under a withered tree.

The little one’s eyes lit up. "Big Brother, we’re so lucky!"

Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes pensively. He felt that something wasn’t quite right.

Shen Ningning secretly studied his expression, her small, round face feigning ignorance.

’Phew, good thing Big Brother didn’t notice.’

Her little hand kept reaching into the Immortal Realm to grab things and toss them out.

If there had been a river here, she might have even pulled out two fish and tossed them on Mo Lingwei’s head.

A chicken, a few snow pears, and the waterskin at Shen Ningning’s waist still had some Spiritual Spring Water.

It was enough for them to have a full meal. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The sun set, and dusk began to fall.

It wasn’t suitable for traveling after dark, so Mo Lingwei found a shallow cave.

"You sit here and wait for me," he said.

Seeing him turn to leave, Shen Ningning quickly got up and followed close behind him, her small hand clutching his sleeve.

Mo Lingwei couldn’t help but chuckle. "What is it?"

"Big Brother, where are you going? This place is too strange. I don’t want to leave you," the little one said in a soft, timid voice.

Deep down, she was afraid of being left alone in these deep, old woods.

It seemed that in her memory, the first time she had been abandoned was in a place just like this.

Mo Lingwei’s sharp eyes, a handsome, deep black, were calm. He said, "I’m just going to find some dry firewood. I won’t go far."

Only then did Shen Ningning hesitate before finally letting go with her small hand.

"Then... then come back quickly. I won’t run off anywhere. I’ll wait right here for you."

Mo Lingwei gave a slight nod.

As he left, he was still holding the plump hen.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Mo Lingwei returned carrying a bundle of wood. His slender hands were stained with blood, and he carried the already-dressed hen.

Shen Ningning quickly took out her waterskin to wash his hands.

"No need," Mo Lingwei said. "We don’t know how many days we’ll be walking. Water is crucial, let’s save it."

He set up the wood.

Mo Lingwei used the flint he carried to light the dry wood.

The flames blazed to life, and he set the hen over the fire to roast.

Before long, fat began to drip from the chicken, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.

"GROWL..." A stomach rumbled.

Shen Ningning shyly covered her belly with her small hands. "That was me this time..."

The firelight cast a reddish glow on her small, round face.

Mo Lingwei scoffed. "I know."

Once the chicken was cooked, he tore off a drumstick and handed it to Shen Ningning first.

Just moments ago, the little one hadn’t felt hungry, but now, smelling the fragrant, glistening meat, her eyes sparkled with craving.

She quickly said thank you, took it, and began to eat with small bites.

Watching her, Mo Lingwei thought she looked just like a little kitten.

He himself ate just a few simple bites of the breast meat.

After they finished eating, Shen Ningning offered him a washed snow pear. "Big Brother, for you."

Mo Lingwei took it and reminded her, "Use the water sparingly, in case we run out."

Shen Ningning hummed in agreement, mumbling a distracted reply as she hugged her drumstick.

’It’s fine if we run out, though,’ she thought. ’I can summon a Spiritual Spring at any time.’

The sky turned completely dark.

The fire was put out. Mo Lingwei said he was afraid it would attract wild animals.

The fragrant scent of meat was already dangerous enough in the forest, let alone the light from a fire.

Countless stars twinkled brightly.

Shen Ningning rested her chin in her hands, her expression sorrowful. "We haven’t been back for days. Grandma and Langlang must be so worried."

"Your father and mother must be worried too!"

Mo Lingwei sat beside her, using a strip of cloth torn from his robe, dampened with a little water, to wipe his fingers.

At her words, he didn’t look up. With his cool gaze lowered, he said, "My Mother Empress passed away long ago. Father Emperor has many sons; he won’t worry about me."

Shen Ningning froze.

Having suffered since she was little, she was exceptionally perceptive and of course knew what "passed away" meant.

The little one pointed at the stars in the sky. "Big Brother, look!"

Mo Lingwei looked up, a roguish smile gracing his youthful face.

"Look at what? You’re not going to tell me my Mother Empress became a star in the sky and is watching over me, are you?"

Shen Ningning shook her head. "No. My grandma said that even if she passes away one day and I still haven’t found my father and mother, I still won’t be alone."

"The immortals in the sky will like me and take care of me. So you shouldn’t be sad either. There must be an immortal in the sky who’s worried about you."

Mo Lingwei was taken aback.

It was the first time since birth that he had heard such a novel idea.

’Immortals watching over him?’

Mo Lingwei let out a couple of loud laughs, his voice clear and filled with a unique youthful energy. "In all of Cangyun Country, you’re the only one who would think that."

"What good are gods? They can’t see the ugliness in mortal hearts, nor can they see the masses tormented by suffering."

Everyone said he was a child his Mother Empress had conceived using Evil Magic.

Even if a god was involved, it was an Evil God, and after death, he was destined to fall into the Evil Ghost Path.

’If gods really exist in this world, why did my Mother Empress die unjustly, while the people who harmed her have yet to face retribution?’

Mo Lingwei didn’t believe in gods.

He only believed in himself.

Shen Ningning saw the profound darkness in his gaze, and the aura around him turned icy cold.

Suddenly, the little one threw herself forward and hugged his arm.

Mo Lingwei snapped back to his senses and looked down at her. "What is it?"

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes and said, "Big Brother, if you don’t like the immortals, then I’ll be your family!"

"From now on, I’ll be the one to worry about your safety!"

Mo Lingwei froze for a moment, then a few soft chuckles rumbled in his throat.

He playfully pinched Shen Ningning’s cheek.

"Alright," he said, one eyebrow raised. As he agreed, his sharp eyes narrowed with a look of amusement.

Shen Ningning’s chubby little face was being pinched, and she pushed at his hand a couple of times, unused to the sensation.

Mo Lingwei took the hint and let her go.

"In half a month, it will be my birthday banquet. I’ll send someone to bring you to the palace. You can celebrate with me then," he said.

Shen Ningning nodded eagerly, her voice soft and sweet as she replied, "Okay!"

She made a mental note of the date, planning to think hard about what kind of gift to prepare for her big brother once she got back.

Just then, a sharp glint suddenly appeared in Mo Lingwei’s smiling eyes.

He clamped a hand over Shen Ningning’s mouth, pulled her into his arms, and silently moved to hide in the dark recesses of the cave.

Shen Ningning’s eyes went wide.

’What’s happening?’

Mo Lingwei lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Don’t make a sound. There’s something moving outside."

In a forest this deep, especially at night, it was impossible for there to be people.

Unless it was a wild animal that had smelled the meat and come looking for food.

Shen Ningning nodded slightly. Mo Lingwei set her down and shielded her with his body.

He tightened his grip on the dagger he had used to kill the chicken earlier.

His sharp, cold eyes, like a wolf’s in the dead of night, stared grimly out of the cave.

In the silent night, the outline of a withered tree was half-illuminated by the moonlight.

Near the cave entrance were the remains of their doused fire, with only a faint wisp of smoke and a scorched smell remaining.

Shen Ningning grew frightened, her small hand clutching tightly to Mo Lingwei’s robe.

She saw the grass rustling not far away.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down her pale forehead.

’There really is something out there!’