A Wandering Youth

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The crystal ball glowed with a faint green light, and a figure slowly emerged from within—it was the Hunter King!

"Senior Brother??" Ling'er asked in surprise.

"Ling'er, you're so naughty, sneaking out again! Your master made you learn skills so you can protect yourself in the future!" The Hunter Emperor picked up the still-child Ling'er and placed her on his lap. To be precise, it was Senior Brother Kuzhu. Kuzhu was the Hunter Emperor's name, but he wasn't the Hunter Emperor yet.

"Senior Brother, Master is mean! He always makes me memorize those hard-to-remember spells! Only Senior Brother loves me the most and plays with me! I'll listen to Senior Brother and not Master, okay?" Ling'er asked, resting her chubby little face on her hands.

"Master is only doing this for Ling'er's own good. How can you not listen to him? Senior Brother promises you that as long as you complete the tasks Master gives you every day, Senior Brother will play with you, okay?" Ku Zhu affectionately rubbed Ling'er's little head.

"Okay!" Ling'er happily jumped off Ku Zhu's lap.

"Senior Brother, why are you called Bitter Bamboo? That's so strange!" Ling'er asked, tilting her head.

"Bitter bamboo is a kind of medicinal material. Everything about it can be used as medicine. Moreover, life is full of disappointments. People are born to suffer. Do you understand, Ling'er?"

Ling'er nodded, then shook her head. She couldn't understand why her senior brother was suddenly so serious.

"It's alright, you'll understand when you grow up. Be good, go apologize to your master." "Holy Lord, is the scene in this crystal ball something from when you were a child?" the old man asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, it happened when I was a child." Ling'er secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. In the blink of an eye, it had been several months since she had seen her senior brother, the Hunter King. She wondered how he and her master were doing now.

“Look again, Holy Lord.” The old man pointed to the crystal ball again.

The scene shifts again, this time to a cliff.

"This place...it feels so familiar!" Ling'er stared intently at the crystal ball, her mind racing. "I...I often dream of coming here!"

"You're not dreaming; this is your past life," said the old man of fate.

"It really is my past life..." Ling'er murmured. Although she had thought about it for a long time, she still held onto a sliver of hope. She didn't want Chang Xiao to hurt her so deeply in her past life that she would end her own life. "Why can't you always keep your promises?" Ling'er complained to "herself" with tears in her eyes.

"I really had no choice!" Chang Xiao followed him with heartache; how could he have wanted to hurt her?

Ling'er took a step back. If she took another step, she feared she would perish. "You really believe in fate's arrangements?" How could the man she loved do this? Did he no longer love her?

“It’s all fate! How can you and I go against the will of heaven?” Changxiao sighed.

"Are you really determined to leave?"

"sorry……"

"Don't say sorry! I just wanted to know if you wouldn't stay no matter what..."

"Listen to me..."

"You don't need to say anything, I already know." Ling'er's tears finally fell. "You're finally going to abandon me and the child..."

"What did you say?" Chang Xiao was shocked!

"Take care..." Ling'er leaned back, blooming like a flower petal in the wind, but disappeared so quickly.

"No..." "Why, why is this happening?" Ling'er realized that tears were streaming down her face, and they felt cool.

"Child, you're so foolish! Do you really want to know why you're like this?"

"I..." Ling'er hesitated, she really didn't know whether knowing the truth would be a good thing or a bad thing for her.

"Since you find it so hard to choose, then forget it. I came to you because I saw how difficult your path has been. A young girl, never finding a good end in any of your lives, I simply cannot bear it!" the old man of fate sighed.

"You mean I'll be facing some kind of calamity soon?"

"You saw what happened in your past life. If only one of you and Dark General can stay in this life, what would you choose?" The old man of fate did not answer her, but asked a question instead.

"I hope it's Changxiao who lives!" Ling'er blurted out. She would rather be the one who gets hurt than let him have any insecurity. Because she loved him.

The old man of fate shook his head helplessly upon hearing this and said, "Silly child, do you want to know his answer?"

Ling'er nodded.

The crystal ball emitted a faint green light once more, and Chang Xiao's face appeared within it.

"If, if only one of me and Ling'er can stay, I hope... I hope it's not me who dies..."

Ling'er felt a deafening boom, and the world collapsed. She seemed to find herself in a desolate Iceland, every pore cold, every hair trembling. Ling'er bit her lower lip tightly, blood trickling down, making her delicate face look somewhat ferocious. Ling'er was missing!

When Tearsdrop realized the problem, she paced frantically in the living room. She tried all her magic but couldn't sense Ling'er's presence. She had only gone upstairs to get her phone, and when she came back down, Ling'er wasn't waiting. Tearsdrop thought her master was playing a joke on her again. Just as she was about to sense her master, the Wolf King called. She shouldn't have been on the phone with him at that time. By the time they ended their call, an hour had passed. Suddenly, she felt a pang of unease. When she tried to sense her master again, there was no response. Tearsdrop felt deeply remorseful. How could she have been so careless? How could she have forgotten her master as soon as she fell in love?

Hu Yi, the arrogant eighteenth prince, hasn't returned yet. How am I supposed to explain this to them when they come back? They'll definitely curse me to death. Besides, even if Hu Yi and the others don't curse me, will she forgive me? Thinking of this, Tears welled up in her eyes and squatted down in the living room, crying. Who can tell her what to do?

Just then, the door opened, and Tears jumped up, thinking that Ling'er had returned, but she was wrong.

"Sister Zhu'er... what's wrong with you?" Hu Yi was quite surprised to see Zhu'er's red and swollen eyes! He had never seen Zhu'er look so aggrieved.

"Did you have a fight with the Wolf King?" The arrogant man had long heard that women in love are made of water. It seems that's indeed true!

"Come on! I'll get revenge for you!" Shiba pulled Shiba away, tears still in her eyes, and walked out.

Upon seeing the three people, Tears burst into tears.

Eighteen said indignantly, "Others may fear the Wolf King, but I, Eighteen, am not!"

He rolled his eyes at him arrogantly: "You've seen how powerful the Wolf King is, haven't you? If you're so brave, why don't you say that to his face?"

Hu Yi ignored the two of them, staring blankly at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Tears welled in her eyes as she sobbed, "No... the wolf... he didn't... bully me, it was..."

"What is it?" Hu Yi vaguely felt that it couldn't be as simple as Shi Ba had said. His heart clenched, and he felt a little breathless.

“Master…Master…she’s gone!” Teardrop said, mustering her courage.

"What?" Hu Yi's newly bought bags of cosmetics all fell to the ground, bottles and jars scattered all over the floor.

"How could our master have disappeared?" Hu Yishiba exclaimed in unison, full of arrogance.

“I… my master accompanied me to pick out a birthday present for the wolf, but I forgot my phone, so I went upstairs to get it. When I came down, my master wasn’t there. I was about to look for her when the wolf called… When I tried to contact my master again, I couldn’t reach her… I know it’s all my fault, you can scold me! I deserve to die!” Teardrop finished speaking in one breath. She stood in front of the three people with her head down, determined that no matter what nasty things they said, she would not be violent towards them, because the responsibility for her master’s disappearance was mostly on her shoulders.

"Sister Zhu'er, it's not your fault, don't blame yourself." Hu Yi's gentle voice rang out. He knew that she was already blaming herself to death. Although he was also anxious, it was futile for Zhu'er to blame herself.

Tears welled up in her eyes in surprise, and she asked in disbelief, "A-Yi, you don't blame me? You really don't blame me? What about Shi Ba? What about Kuang Ao?"

“Of course we won’t blame you!” Kuang Ao said, frowning.

“Sister Zhu’er, we all don’t want anything to happen to our master. You’re more worried than anyone else about her disappearance, so how could we blame you? If anyone is to blame, it’s all of us. We were born to protect our master, but we just left her to go shopping…” Hu Yi’s eyes welled up with tears. He looked up, not wanting them to see his tears. His worry wasn’t without reason. When he first recognized Ling’er as his master, the Hunter Emperor had warned him that Ling’er was facing a great calamity and that he must be extra careful. Hu Yi had initially thought that the Cat-Faced Granny was Ling’er’s calamity, but it wasn’t. He then thought that the Extreme Domain was her calamity, but it wasn’t either. It wasn’t until Elder Jidian secretly told him that Ling’er’s calamity was imminent, and the Hunter Emperor again relayed a message to him, telling him to protect Ling’er with all his might, that he realized the seriousness of this calamity.

He just didn't expect that this calamity would come so suddenly, so unexpectedly. If anyone is at fault, then it should be him!

Eighteen was clearly puzzled by Teardrop Hu Yi's reaction. He scratched his head and asked, "Is Master really in danger?"

Arrogantly added, "Yes! Didn't our master experience this before?"

“This time is different,” Hu Yi shook his head and sighed.

"Then let's not waste any more time and hurry up to find our master," said Eighteen.

“If even Sister Pearl can’t sense the master, then our efforts are in vain.” Kuang Ao also began to realize that things were not as simple as he had thought before.

"Let's go find Chang Xiao, maybe he can help," Hu Yi said gravely. When those familiar figures appeared in the living room, Chang Xiao immediately averted his gaze, his face burning hotter and hotter. It's over, he's doomed this time. Lei Zhu must have told Hu Yi and the others about his kiss with Ling'er; they're definitely coming to make fun of him.

"Laughing? What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red?" The Wolf King tossed the cigarette butt in his hand, which drew a perfect arc in the air.

"No... I'm not famous..." Chang Xiao stammered, something that happened to him for the first time in a long time.

"Still saying you don't? Do you have a fever?" As he spoke, the Wolf King placed his hand on Chang Xiao's forehead, which was about to dodge, but his gaze followed Lei Zhu'er, who had just entered.

"You don't have a fever, you..." Before he could finish speaking, the Wolf King rushed over, startling Chang Xiao. Why would he be so agitated to see Lei Zhu'er? He'd thought something terrible had happened. He smiled helplessly; he hadn't expected a wolf to be so adorable when in love.

"Zhu'er, what's wrong? Who bullied you?" The Wolf King held the tearful Zhu'er to his chest and asked with heartache. His gaze swept across the three of them, and in an instant, Hu Yishiba, who was arrogant and domineering, felt a chill run down his spine as a powerful killing intent enveloped the three of them.

When Shiba recalled his earlier words, "Others may fear the Wolf King, but I, Shiba, am not afraid of him!!", he felt guilty and dared not meet those terrifying eyes. He felt his legs go weak and he sat down on the ground with a "thud".

"Wolves, it's not them..." Upon seeing the wolf king, Tears welled up even more, but not wanting to cause him to misunderstand, she quickly stopped him.

"If it wasn't them, why is Eighteen so guilty?" The Wolf King wiped away Leizhu'er's tears.

"It's...it's because Master is missing..." Tears welled up as she secretly glanced at Chang Xiao.

"What? What happened to Ling'er?" Chang Xiao roared, and everyone present felt an irresistible domineering aura fill the entire living room.

Seeing that Leizhu was still sobbing, Hu stepped forward and recounted the whole story.

Chang Xiao stood there, motionless. His brows were deeply furrowed, and after a long while, he said, "Zhu'er, he's here, isn't he?"

Tears were taken aback, then nodded: "Ever since Master began his reincarnation, he has been silently protecting Master like this."

"Then why can't I sense him?" Chang Xiao looked up. Even though he had thought of it, he was still surprised when it was confirmed.

“In each of your reincarnations, you seal away ninety percent of your power, while he seals away all of it!” Teardrop gazed into the distance, filled with boundless respect.

"How...how is this possible? What will happen to the Realm of Light if he's not here?" Chang Xiao couldn't believe he would give up so much.

“In his heart, what is the Realm of Light compared to his master?” Teardrop asked.

“Laugh, maybe we really misunderstood him.” The wolf king’s face also showed a rare surprise. “Could it be that he took our master away?” Teardrop suddenly asked.

“I actually wish Ling’er were with him now; at least then she wouldn’t be in danger,” Chang Xiao said painfully. Ling’er sat on the cold, hard rock, hugging her knees. For the past two days, she had blocked all means of contact. She needed to think things through. Should she trust that Old Man of Fate? Two days ago, she had seen a scene in the Old Man of Fate’s crystal ball that could shatter her a thousand times over. She told herself that there was no such thing as an Old Man of Fate. Who could predict the future? Besides, how could Chang Xiao do this to her? If the Old Man of Fate hadn’t revealed her past to her, she would never have believed it. Yet, the Old Man of Fate also knew things that only she should know. What did that mean? Did it mean he would really kill her?

Before leaving, the old man of fate warned Ling'er to be careful, saying that if she could seize the opportunity, things might turn around. Although he put it tactfully, Ling'er understood. Ling'er didn't go back; she just wandered aimlessly until she entered the cave.

A drop of cool water landed on her arm, gradually clearing her mind after two days of confusion. Suddenly, Ling'er saw the anxious faces of Zhu'er and Hu Yi, especially Zhu'er, who had been crying incessantly. Thinking of this, she quickly stood up. Perhaps she really had been too selfish! No matter what, she had to give them an explanation, so that their acquaintance wouldn't have been in vain.

Almost home. She was about to pass the supermarket she'd been to countless times, and Ling'er's heart pounded with nervousness. Not for any other reason than she still clung to a sliver of hope.

That day, the crystal ball displayed three future scenarios. This supermarket was one of them.

"Are you blind? When did I cut in line?" A middle-aged woman in her forties stood aggressively, one hand on her hip and the other holding a shopping basket, glaring at the frail-looking girl opposite her.

"But..." Before the girl could say anything, her fair face had already turned red, so she must still be a student.

"But what? I'm telling you now! I'm going to cut in line and pay, what are you going to do about it?" The middle-aged woman pointed her finger at the girl's nose arrogantly.

Ling'er felt a wave of dizziness; there really were people arguing. The middle-aged woman's obese body and vicious words contrasted sharply with the girl's pitiful eyes. Normally, Ling'er would have definitely stepped forward to intervene, but now, she was simply too weak and unwilling to get involved.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Ling'er felt her voice trembling.

"That woman was so unreasonable! So many people were queuing to pay, and she tried to cut in line. The young woman didn't say anything, just told her to line up properly, and that woman wouldn't have it. This world... back in our day..."

Ling'er didn't hear what the old man said next because her ears were ringing. It really was true; the first one had come true.

Ling'er dragged her leaden legs, afraid that the scene at the door would be just like what she saw in the crystal ball.

"Master!" Ling'er felt a pang of pain in her heart when she saw Hu Yi's stubble-covered face. The Hu Yi who loved beauty so much could actually be so disheveled and miserable.

"Master! Where did you go? Were you really going to worry us to death?" Hu Yi's eyes were a little red. Fortunately, the master returned.

Ling'er deliberately kept a smile on her lips. She didn't want them to worry. Hu Yi was much more miserable than the other hunters' demon servants. He had suffered a lot running around with her. He was also often bullied by her and Zhu'er.

"What could possibly happen to me? What are you all worried about? Where are Zhu'er and the others?" Ling'er felt her facial muscles twitching. Fortunately, Hu Yi didn't notice, otherwise, how embarrassing would that have been?