The young boy known as Xiao Yazi quietly crouched beside Su Xuan, who was sleeping on the floor. He drew a short knife, the one used for killing rabbits, and squeezed out a single, hair-raising word. If Guo Yuxiang had been awake to see this, he would have leaped to his feet and sworn to protect Su Xuan with his life. What... what is he trying to do? Su Xuan’s body had undergone seven enhancements, giving him senses far superior to an ordinary person’s. He had already detected the boy’s presence. But he deliberately feigned sleep. He couldn’t believe the boy would actually harm him. Through his interactions with him that day, he had discovered that beneath the boy’s cold exterior, a core of simple purity remained. The boy stared at Su Xuan, leaning in close to his ear and repeating the word, his expression somewhat twisted. Su Xuan continued to pretend he was asleep. Suddenly, the boy clenched the knife’s handle, his whole body tensing, and said in a perfectly clear voice, "Brother!" Su Xuan instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Brother! He was calling me Brother! To think such a simple word would be so difficult for him to say! It just shows how much damage his inner world has suffered. Indeed. When his parents died, he was only eight or nine years old. At that young age, he had to support his collapsing home, providing for both himself and his younger sister. It was likely the doors to his heart had long since closed to this malicious world, unable to accept any outsider besides his sister. But now, he had called him brother. "Xiao Yazi, is something wrong?" Su Xuan asked, opening his eyes to glance at the boy. "Brother, I have something I need to tell you," the boy said, his voice hoarse. He hadn’t addressed anyone so warmly since his parents had passed away. "Go on," Su Xuan said, sitting up with a warm smile. "I’m listening." "Brother, I was just pretending to be asleep. I overheard you won a million for me and my sister! But please, don’t spend any of that million on me!" Xiao Yazi said, his eyes fixed on the ground. "Why not?" Su Xuan asked. "Please give all the money to my sister!" Xiao Yazi suddenly lifted his head, his gaze earnest. "Take my sister away from these mountains, bring her to your world. Let her study music and play the piano. She’s very smart; she’ll learn in no time. Please, Brother!" "Of course," Su Xuan readily promised. "That’s a small matter for me and my friend." "Thank you, Brother!" Xiao Yazi abruptly turned his palm upward, laid the knife flat upon it, and kowtowed to Su Xuan in gratitude. Su Xuan reached out and steadied Xiao Yazi by the shoulders. "Don’t do this." "Brother, I have no other way to repay you!" Xiao Yazi declared. He stared down at the knife in his palm and said solemnly, "From now on, my life—the life of Shi Yazi—belongs to Brother! If anyone so much as lays a finger on you, I, Shi Yazi, will see their blood spilled within five paces! I have no other skills, but I excel at killing. And people are no exception!" Su Xuan rubbed his forehead, vexed. I have no other skills, but I excel at killing. And people are no exception! So domineering... Way too domineering! But these aren’t chaotic times; you can’t just go around doing things like that. Su Xuan patted Xiao Yazi’s head with a gentle smile. "Xiao Yazi, I appreciate the sentiment, but you really don’t need to do anything for me." He then pointed to the snoring Guo Yuxiang. "He and I are both wealthy. Giving away a few million is nothing to us." Xiao Yazi’s eyes widened. He looked up at the hand on his head and repeated, "Either way, no one gets to bully Brother. Anyone who tries, I’ll take their life!" To prove he had the strength to back up his words, Xiao Yazi pointed toward the door. "There isn’t a single living thing in these mountains that isn’t afraid of me!" He lifted his shirt, revealing a shocking scar. "I killed a leopard with my bare hands!" Su Xuan let out a silent, wry laugh. This kid is unbelievably fierce! He helped Xiao Yazi pull his shirt back down. He knew that in the boy’s current state of mind, reasoning with him would be pointless. "In that case," he said, "you’ll have to listen to me from now on." Xiao Yazi nodded without a moment’s hesitation. "My life belongs to Brother, so of course, I will listen to what Brother says!" "Good," Su Xuan said. "Now, go to sleep. I have a task for you tomorrow." Xiao Yazi didn’t say another word and immediately went back to his mat to sleep. Su Xuan also lay down. After turning over a few times, he drifted into a deep slumber. Around two in the morning, his sister, Xiao Yun, suddenly sat up. She didn’t go to Su Xuan. Instead, she crept over to Su Zimo’s sleeping mat, found her makeup case, and lit the small kerosene lamp. Then, she began to paint all over her own face. Once she was satisfied with her work, she tiptoed over to Su Xuan and gently nudged him. When Su Xuan opened his eyes, the sight of Xiao Yun’s face gave him a jolt. She had turned her face into an abstract painting, with ghastly white cheeks, huge, dark circles around her eyes, aggressively drawn eyebrows, and bright red lips. The source of this content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Xiao Yun, why are you awake?" Su Xuan asked. "I have a secret to tell you, Brother." "The truth is, I’m not sick. I was faking it. But my brother... he’s really sick." "Why did you pretend?" Su Xuan asked. "I was afraid my brother would be too lonely if I was normal, so I pretended to be just like him!" "Silly child," Su Xuan said, his heart aching for her. "So, please use all the money to help my brother!" "It seems you were pretending to be asleep this whole time, too." "Don’t worry," Su Xuan said. "I’ll help both of you. We really aren’t short on money." Xiao Yun suddenly asked, "Brother, do you think I’m pretty?" Su Xuan looked at her chaotically painted face and nodded. "Absolutely gorgeous." Xiao Yun smiled sweetly. "To repay you, Brother, I want to marry you!" "You’re too young," Su Xuan replied. Xiao Yun looked down at her chest. "I’m not small. I’m a C-cup, and I’ll get even bigger!" Sweat streamed down Su Xuan’s face. "I was talking about your age." "Age is even less of a problem! I’ll grow up fast!" Su Xuan was rendered speechless. His expression turned stern. "Go back to sleep. We can talk about marriage some other time." Xiao Yun’s mouth fell open. "Oh." After she left, Su Xuan muttered to himself, I hope she really isn’t sick... or worse, sick but pretending to be well. Ugh... BUZZ... BUZZ... BUZZ... BUZZ... Around three in the morning, Su Zimo suddenly woke up. She’d been bitten by mosquitoes, and several large welts had appeared on her face. Soon after, Guo Yusen and the others were also woken by mosquito bites. The mosquitoes in the mountains were vicious and venomous. A single bite probably drew as much blood as you’d give for a health checkup. When they turned their attention to Su Xuan to see how he was doing, they were all completely dumbstruck. "Damn, that’s possible?" "This is like something out of science fiction!" "I’ve really seen it all now!" "Record it, record it!" "I’m so jealous of Brother Su!" "I wish I could get that kind of treatment!" These were all people who had seen their fair share of the world. Just what kind of unbelievable sight could have left them so flustered?