Chapter 4: Interdependence

Chapter 4: Interdependence

In a primitive forest on a mountain, glacial winds were howling incessantly, and the heavy snowfall had covered everything in a pristine white blanket.

Even though the sun hadn't completely set yet, the forest had already become extremely dim amid the heavy snow.

There was a winding mountain path in the forest that wasn't all that clear to begin with, and it was virtually unidentifiable under the thick blanket of snow. However, there was a fire that had been lit at the end of the mountain, providing a slight hint of warmth in this glacial landscape of ice and snow.

The flame had been lit in the only mountain god shrine in the entire forest.

Due to how inaccessible the shrine was, it had already been abandoned and unvisited for many years. The gatehouse and walls of the outer courtyard had already all collapsed, leaving only a dilapidated main hall standing in a lonesome fashion.

The gate of the main hall had long been absent, and there was only a tattered straw mat hanging on the doorframe to keep out some of the wind and snow.

Through the holes in the straw mat, one could see that aside from cluttered weeds and stones in the empty hall, there was a figure seated with his legs crossed.

This was a tall and broad young man in an azure robe, and even though he was sitting on the ground, his back was ramrod straight. However, his face was completely wooden and expressionless, much like the dilapidated mountain god statue behind him.

The young man's arms were hanging naturally down onto his lap, and Liu Le'er was laying in the cradle formed by his hanging arms.

Right at this moment, a faint moan suddenly rang out in front of the young man's chest.

Liu Le'er's rubbed her tiny head against the young man's arm, and her face, which was previously buried against his chest, peeked out slightly from the crook of his arm.

At this moment, her delicate features were tainted by an unnatural flush, and even though she was sound asleep, her brows were tightly knitted together, and tears were flowing incessantly down her face from her tightly shut eyelids. It seemed that she was having a terrible nightmare.

"No... Don't..."

Liu Le'er reflexively tightened her grip on the young man's arm as she moaned in her sleep.

One of her legs had also been kicked out from the young man's arms, and she was occasionally twisting around in a disturbed manner, clearly suffering greatly from whatever it was that she was seeing in her dream. Soon, she buried her face back into the young man's chest.

The young man was looking straight up ahead, but he seemed to have sensed the little girl's movement and lowered his head to check on her. A slight hint of confusion appeared in his vacant eyes, but they were still mostly vacant and dazed.

"Brother... Rock..."

The little girl continued to talk in her sleep in a barely audible voice.

Perhaps it was because the young man's face was being illuminated by the light of the fire, but at this moment, his features seemed to have become softer and more gentle, and there seemed to be an extra spark in his vacant eyes.

He remained seated on the ground, but slowly swiveled around on the spot until his back was facing the entrance of the hall, shielding the little girl from the cold wind. He then gently tucked the little girl's leg back into his arms before tightening his embrace around her slightly.

The little girl wiggled slightly in his arms and buried her head deeper into his chest, following which her movements gradually subsided, and her breathing returned to a slow and even rhythm.

At this point, it was already completely dark outside, and the wind and snow had gradually abated slightly.

……

Halfway up a lush mountain that was over 1,000 feet in height was a cave that stood at over 30 feet tall, and a tall and broad young man was standing with his back facing the cave.

Liu Le'er was standing behind the young man with one hand gripping onto the corner of his robe while the other arm was wrapped around his leg. Half of her face was peeking out from behind him as she cast her gaze forward, and her complexion was a little pale from fear and anxiety.

Several dozen feet in front of the two stood a giant gray bear that was over twice the height of an adult human, and it was standing on its hind legs with its front paws raised in a menacing display.

There was a single jagged horn on its head, and the lips around its cavernous mouth had been peeled back to reveal two rows of sharp fangs, while a trail of putrid and slightly viscous drool was dribbling down the corner of its mouth as it snarled in intimidation.

The young man was far taller and more imposing than the average person, but in the face of this giant bear, even he was made to look like a small child.

However, he was completely unfazed by this situation, and he was staring blankly at the massive bear with a pair of inky-black eyes that were almost completely devoid of luster.

After staring back at the young man for a while, a humanized look of fear suddenly appeared on the giant bear's face for some reason, and it let loose a low roar before taking a couple of steps backward, then fell onto its front limbs before fleeing as quickly as it could on all fours.

Liu Le'er's expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and she heaved a sigh of relief, then scratched her own head with a rather perplexed expression. She stepped around the young man before raising her head to look up at his face, but even after staring at his blank and wooden face for a long while, she was rather disappointed to find that she couldn't spot any changes in his expression.

"Brother Rock, I know you're not an ordinary person. It's a pity that you can't speak. Otherwise, it would be great if you could talk to me."

Liu Le'er heaved a forlorn sigh that was rather unbefitting of someone of her age, then latched onto the young man's hand before leading him into the cave behind them.

The young man didn't say anything, but his gaze fell upon the little girl's delicate hand that was holding onto his own, and he allowed himself to be led into the cave.

……

On a vast grassland, spring was in full swing, and the area was teeming with life. New grass was already beginning to grow, and the unique, refreshing fragrance of grass was permeating across the entire grassland.

A little girl who appeared to be around eight or nine years of age was holding a bunch of thin vines that were riddled with small yellow flowers, and she was straddled atop the shoulders of a tall and broad young man as he made his way forward at a leisurely pace.

Compared with two years ago, the young man hadn't changed at all, and he was still wearing that same azure robe, but Liu Le'er had undergone some significant changes.

She had grown a lot taller, and her face had also lost some of its childish chubbiness. There was already a hint of gentle seduction in her eyes that was very rare to see in girls her age. It was clear that she was going to grow up to be a stunning beauty, perhaps the type that wars would be waged over.

Her fingers were moving rapidly as she wove the floral vines in her hands while humming a cheerful tune, and her voice was as crisp and alluring as the song of a yellow warbler.

"Done!"

Before she had a chance to finish her song, she had already finished weaving a beautiful floral wreath.

She held up the wreath with both hands, turning it to examine it from all angles, then nodded with a pleased expression before placing it onto the young man's head in a joyful manner.

The size of the wreath was perfect, and the part where the flowers were most concentrated was sitting directly above the young man's forehead.

The young man seemed to have detected what was happening, and he reached up to gently touch the floral wreath before slowly withdrawing his hand.

Liu Le'er was already accustomed to the young man's dull reactions, and she lowered her head to glance down at the thin green string around his neck. A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she quickly reached down to grab onto the string and lift it up, but the young man reflexively grabbed onto the dark green accessory attached to the string as if it were second nature for him, refusing to let it go.

"You do this every time, Brother Rock! Why are you so stingy? I just want to take a look at it!" Liu Le'er grumbled as she puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.

Despite what she was saying, she wasn't actually angry. Throughout the past two years, the young man hadn't spoken a single word to her, and aside from the very minor reactions he gave in response to external stimulus, the only times that he reacted in any meaningful way was when that accessory that he wore around his neck came under threat.

It was exactly because of this that Liu Le'er would occasionally goad a reaction out of him by playfully grabbing the string.

……

Time passed by quickly, and several years flew by in the blink of an eye.

A gorgeous young woman who appeared to be 13 to 14 years of age was walking energetically over an official road paved with yellow sand. She was wearing a white dress and a pair of light gray boots. Her black hair spilled all the way down to her waist, and her hands were tucked behind her back as she walked along.

Behind her was a tall and broad azure-robed man who was following her at a lethargic pace with a wooden expression on his face.

The little girl was walking along far quicker than the young man, but due to the stride length advantage that the young man had over her, not much distance was opened up between them.

In the distance, Liu Le'er spotted a mighty gray city at the end of the official road. There were many people traversing through the city gate, and from this distance, all of them appeared to be as tiny as sparrows.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she drew to a halt.

"Farbright City..." she mused after peering into the distance through narrowed eyes for a long while.

The young man made his way to her side before also stopping and casting his gaze toward the imposing city.

"Looks like it's a major city of the human race," Liu Le'er murmured to herself with a hesitant expression.

During these past five years, the two of them had visited some human cities and towns to try and find a cure for the young man's mysterious condition, but never had they visited such a large city.

"Brother Rock, if we can cure you, you'll be able to take revenge for me, right?" Liu Le'er asked as she looked up at the young man, but it was unclear whether she was directing the question at him or at herself.

The young man seemed to have displayed some reaction to her question, slowly withdrawing his gaze before turning to look at the little girl, but he remained silent.

What nonsense am I spouting? No matter how strong Brother Rock is, there's no way he can beat all those bad people in the Blood Sword Sect.

A depressing thought seemed to have occurred to Liu Le'er, and she lowered her head with a dejected expression. Tears began to flow down her face before falling onto the yellow sand beneath her feet.

Right at this moment, she felt a warm sensation on the top of her head.

She raised her head slightly to find the young man gently stroking her head with a warm look in his eyes.

For some reason, this simple gesture made Liu Le'er feel incredibly at ease, and an indescribable sense of courage welled up in her heart, as if no hardships or obstacles would be able to strike fear into her heart anymore.

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand while latching onto the young man's hand with her other hand, then strode toward the city gate in the distance with a determined expression.