Shi Lang finished dealing with Schmile and the rest of the place. He ensured the clones searched every nook and cranny to see if someone survived. To ensure those on the ground were dead, Shi Lang stabbed them in the head. He might look cruel, but if some fish escaped the net and came back to bite him in the future, it would be his foolishness.
As the clones dealt with the aftermath, Shi Lang sat in the distance with Yu Xiedi. He gave her some food and water. The girl ate with relish. From her looks, she seemed to be severely malnourished. Only when she finished eating several meat buns did she stop?
Shi Lang asked, “Xiedi, tell me about yourself.”
Yu Xiedi gazed at him briefly and said, “That man, the leader, was my father. My mother told me she was a cultivator from the Northern Wind Sect. She came out for an expedition but ended up chasing after a group of bandits who massacred a caravan in the vicinity.
She was unaware of the situation here and was captured by the bandits. Schmile violated her for over a year, and one day, my mother got pregnant. Schmile wanted to kill me, but my mother protected my life. Three days ago, I was hungry, and when Schmile came to our shed, I asked him for food.
He was irritated and kicked me. My mother tried to fight him off, leaving him with a shallow cut on his forearm. In his rage, Schmile beat my mother to death and tossed her behind the wall in the lava. He wanted to kill me too, but one of the people around him said that it would be nice to have me grow up and then use me.”
Shi Lang did not know why, but his fist was clenched into a ball so hard that it had turned white. He could not believe how someone could have no affection in their hearts. He was sure that the bandit village had not yet fallen to the demonic path, but from what Yu Xiedi told him, it seemed they were not far from getting their souls corrupted.
Shi Lang sighed and said, “I did not realize you have suffered so much, child. Let me ask you again. Would you like to follow me, or shall I send you back to the Northern Wind Sect?”
The little girl raised her head and said, “I may be young, but I am not a fool. Why should I go to look for those fools who did not care for my mother? You came to this place alone, and you put an end to these people. Could they, with so many people, not do anything?”
Shi Lang wanted to say something when the child stood before him and knelt on the ground. She kowtowed to him thrice and said, “Master, Disciple Yu Xiedi greets you.”
The terran was surprised and waved his hand. The girl was pulled up from the ground. Shi Lang asked softly, “Who told you about this worshipping method?”
“My mother.” replied the little girl.
Shi Lang nodded as he said, “Now that you are my responsibility, do not worry. I will not let you suffer needless harm. However, let me tell you, cultivation is a hard and tough thing to do.”
Yu Xiedi nodded and, with a calm face, said, “I wonder if the pain will be greater than what I have already faced.”
Shi Lang patted her head and asked, “Do you have anything that you wish to bring along from this place?” 𝗈𝒱𝐿xt.𝐂𝚘𝓜
Yu Xiedi shook her head and said, “I have nothing except a blanket that I cannot care much about.”
Shi Lang sighed. He could not help but feel frustrated. Schmile had turned this child into a cold-hearted human at such a tender age. This made him wish to resurrect Schmile and kill him one more time. He sighed and bought the child out of the tunnels. He did not waste any time in this place and headed to the closest city.
He wanted to find a place for Yu Xiedi to rest and recover first, and for that, he needed to find a courtyard house. He will be able to teach her a bit of basics as well. The two of them came to the nearest city. Shi Lang stated that he was a traveler and the child was his disciple.
In the immortal plane, it was quite understandable for the people to accept disciples. Shi Lang was an Immortal Lord, and the girl did not look much older. She seemed to be someone who was going to enter the path of cultivation, so it was normal. After they paid the entry fee to the guards at the city gate, they entered smoothly.
Shi Lang had yet to meet some arrogant young master because he would travel low-key and had no intention of chasing young mistresses of big families. Yu Xiedi has never left the cave village, so this experience was new for her. Despite having a cold and detached facial expression, her eyes were gazing around very actively. Shi Lang smiled in his heart. After all, she was still a child.
The first thing he did was to settle Yu Xiedi in a lodge. He rented a room with two beds and bought the girl upstairs. He asked, “Xiao Yu, you rest, and after a few minutes, take a bath. I have set the water to get warm. I will come back with some clothes and food for you. Okay?”
He spoke very softly to Yu Xiedi because she reminded him of Shi Tao when she was a child. He regretted every moment he could not watch her achieve great things. He saw Yu Xiedi nod to him and he told her again that he was leaving and will be back soon.
The girl locked the door from inside and Shi Lang rushed to the spot mentioned by Elder Yu Xian to exchange his task and get things done with.