A moment later, a dejected Dan Qiuchan followed behind the group, heading towards Tianyuan City's military center with everyone else. She felt like she was going to die from her own stupidity; not only had Lu Chenxing inexplicably taken advantage of her, but she couldn't even refute him because she was the one who taught Xiao Longzhi to say that.
Aside from Dan Qiuchan, everyone else's faces were beaming with joy.
Along the way, Long Qifeng kept staring at Xiao Longzhi, his eyes overflowing with paternal affection. This obedient and well-behaved little girl melted his heart, and he finally couldn't help but say, "Boss Lu, are you busy? Actually, if you're busy, I can take Xiao Longzhi."
However, unexpectedly, before Lu Chenxing could speak, Long Zhi, who was in his arms, turned her face away and buried her small head in Lu Chenxing's shoulder, clearly stating her preference.
Lu Chenxing also noticed that, besides himself, Long Zhi didn't seem very close to anyone else. The only exception was Dan Qiuchan, who had just held her.
So, he gave a apologetic smile to the defeated Long Qifeng, then reached out and patted her back, comforting her, "Xiao Zhi, be good. Can you tell Papa why you're only close to Papa?"
Although he had indeed adopted Long Zhi and accepted the title of Papa, when he said it himself now, his old face still flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. Perhaps it would get better once he got used to calling himself that.
Under Lu Chenxing's comfort, Long Zhi lifted her small face and said sullenly, "Actually, when Papa found me, even though I couldn't see, I still knew what was happening. Those uncles didn't want Papa to take me, and that grandpa just now was the same."
As she spoke, her small mouth puckered, and her beautiful eyes quickly turned red. Tears began to fall without warning. Crying, she choked out, "Only Papa wants me. No one else wants me anymore. They all hate me..."
She didn't even cry loudly or throw a tantrum, but her tears kept falling, which made Lu Chenxing's heart tighten with a hint of panic. He quickly hugged Xiao Longzhi close and gently comforted her, "Good girl, good girl, Xiao Zhi, don't cry. From now on, you'll be with Papa. Papa will never abandon you. No matter what happens, Papa will never abandon you."
Amidst Lu Chenxing's comforting words, Long Zhi gradually quieted down in his arms, resting her head against his broad chest and falling into a deep sleep, her face showing a relaxation and tranquility she hadn't experienced in a long time.
The few people around them also fell silent, no longer speaking. The previously joyful atmosphere vanished, and everyone remained quiet.
Long Qifeng sighed softly, feeling disgraced, because what Long Zhi said was true. At that time, he had also advocated for Lu Chenxing not to adopt her, as it would hinder his future development.
Even Long Qifeng himself had never thought of adopting this child, because he held a high position and was about to be promoted. Compared to a small beggar he didn't know, his impending promotion was more important. After all, he wasn't alone; he had a large family relying on his advancement.
But when the small beggar transformed into a beautiful and adorable little fairy, he had the thought of adopting her. He also felt that since all the checks had been done, proving she wasn't an alien, there was no problem with adopting her.
What was this? This was despicable! This was shameless!
For a moment, Long Qifeng felt somewhat mortified.
Only Dan Qiuchan, who was following behind everyone, looked indifferent, because she had never advocated for Lu Chenxing not to adopt. She herself didn't adopt because she preferred being on the battlefield, not at home raising children, so she knew she wasn't suitable for adoption.
However, since everyone was quiet, she also didn't act tactlessly by whistling or anything. She just followed everyone obediently.
Before long, Lu Chenxing carried Xiao Zhi to the military center's training ground and sealed the Large Scale Dispel along with a trace of spiritual attribute rule containing the characteristic of Hope into a raw card, entrusting it to Long Qifeng for safekeeping.
No one asked why Hope would completely transform into a spiritual attribute, because this type of rule was inherently biased towards spiritual attributes. As understanding of the rule deepened, it was destined to become a single-attribute rule.
After Long Qifeng received the raw card, he immediately duplicated it on the spot. The Card Maker process was successfully completed. Afterwards, he brought in several late-stage and perfected fourth-tier exotic beasts with Blood Frenzy and Plague auras for testing.
As mental energy carrying a trace of rule power swept over them, blue-gold light rain fell. All the exotic beasts were confirmed to be normal after layers of inspection. Afterwards, that raw card was directly sealed and taken away, to be duplicated by the military's own Card Maker.
At this point, Lu Chenxing's mission was complete. He sat aside, holding Xiao Longzhi and waiting. The little one in his arms was sleeping soundly and didn't wake up for a long time. Perhaps the days of fear and anxiety before had made her too exhausted. For a child to be almost starved to death, and the people around her to remain indifferent, one could only imagine what kind of life she had lived.
Thinking this, a hint of heartache welled up in Lu Chenxing's eyes as he looked at Xiao Longzhi.
A moment later, Zhan Wushuang walked over and said with a smile, "Alright, it's fine now. You can take the little one out first. Your friends are still waiting for you outside. I just had someone bring them over. In about an hour, Elder Long will take the teleportation array back to Loshen City with you. Just be there on time."
"We won't be going back with you. We'll probably be busy soon. The army is already prepared and will set off in three days."
Dan Qiuchan, standing nearby, clenched her fists and said with a smile, "I can't wait to smash the ugly head of the Plague Lord!"
Lu Chenxing smiled and nodded, indicating he understood. "Then I'll head out first. I'll await news of your success, and don't forget to count my military merits."
......
Stepping out of the military center's gate, Lu Chenxing let out a long breath, feeling as if another task was completed, and his body felt significantly lighter.
Although he had access to free resources, the days of being constantly urged and monitored while cultivating still gave him a considerable sense of urgency. Now that this matter was done, he felt much more relaxed.
As for finding his parents, although he always kept it in mind, he didn't feel the same kind of pressured urgency. He would just follow his own pace.
As soon as he exited the military center's gate, he saw three figures waiting in the distance. Upon seeing him, they immediately waved!
It was Yun Qiaoqiao and the other two. These three had good character, and Lu Chenxing planned to recruit them into his guild, which would save him some trouble later.