In the pitch-black mountain forest, a small figure was rapidly heading towards the depths of the woods. Weeds and bushes along the path automatically parted to the sides, clearing a way.
Jiang Wan was extremely excited and reached the entrance of the small courtyard at her fastest speed.
Her guess was correct; the owner of the small courtyard had returned. The wooden house was lit, and faint sounds of conversation could be heard.
However, as soon as she arrived, the voices inside abruptly stopped.
Jiang Wan couldn't bother with all that; her mind was filled with energy!
She reached out to push the large gate of the small courtyard, only to find it bolted from the inside. With a sudden burst of strength, she tore the gate off its hinges with her bare hands.
Casually letting go of the gate, Jiang Wan hurried towards the small house.
Just as she was about to step onto the porch of the small house, a dark figure appeared before her like a phantom. A gleaming long sword was placed at her neck.
"Who's there!"
Jiang Wan sensed a strong killing intent, and her frenzied mind suddenly calmed down.
She seemed to have forgotten something.
Her destructive power now was nothing compared to her previous life!
And she was here for energy, not to make enemies. The other party lived in seclusion in the mountains and had returned injured after disappearing for half a year, clearly a person with secrets. If she forced her way in, she might ruin everything.
Jiang Wan's eyes darted around, and suddenly she burst into tears.
The man holding the sword was stunned. A child?
At this moment, the door of the house was opened from the inside, and a boy about ten years old walked out. "Master, who is she?"
Upon seeing him, Jiang Wan's eyes widened, and she stared fixedly at him.
Energy!
A source of energy!
A human energy tree!
Unending energy was emanating from the ten-year-old child before her, causing the special abilities within her body to stir wildly, urging her to quickly absorb it.
And so Jiang Wan did.
Ignoring the threat of the sword, she grabbed it and with a forceful twist, the sword let out an unwilling mournful cry and broke into two pieces.
This move stunned both of them.
Was this truly a child?
With no more obstacles, Jiang Wan happily pounced towards her target.
The man quickly recovered, transforming his palm into a fist and attacking Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan neither dodged nor flinched. Just as the fist was about to hit her face, she caught it with her bare hands, then grabbed the man's arm and yanked hard. The man was sent flying.
Gu Chenzhou watched his "flying" master, completely shocked.
Jiang Wan seized the moment of his daze, quickly pounced forward, tightly hugged his waist, and buried her head in his chest, taking a deep breath.
Wow, such abundant energy!
Gu Chenzhou thought she was going to attack him and had taken out a poison needle, preparing to stab it into her neck. Instead, he saw the little chubby girl lying quietly on his chest, motionless, even with a look of peace on her face.
Huh?
What was going on?
Just then, Yan Li returned with his broken sword, ready to strike Jiang Wan's neck.
Jiang Wan reluctantly let go of her "energy tree," sat on the ground, and wailed at the top of her lungs, "Wuwuwu—Dad, Mom, I want to go home, I can't find my way home, wuwuwu..."
While crying, she hugged Gu Chenzhou's leg again, seizing the opportunity to absorb a few more mouthfuls of energy.
This energy was truly too much and too pure!
Just a few sips were more beneficial than her previous comas.
Gu Chenzhou and Yan Li both stared at the little chubby girl wailing on the ground, momentarily unsure of her origins.
After a while, certain that Jiang Wan posed no threat, Yan Li picked her up and examined her in the light of the house. Seeing her dressed as a peasant girl and lacking any internal energy, he asked, "Little chubby girl, whose child are you? Why did you come here in the middle of the night?"
Jiang Wan obediently allowed herself to be held, sniffling, "My father's name is Jiang Pan, and my name is Jiang Wan. I woke up to pee in the middle of the night and saw fireflies outside, so I went to catch them. As I was catching them, I ended up here..."
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at her "energy tree," grinned at him, and then extended her two short, chubby arms. "Brother, hug me!"
Gu Chenzhou silently took a step back.
He hated children!
Jiang Wan rolled her eyes in her heart. This "energy tree" was not very sensible! Wasn't she cute in this state?
Never mind, considering they weren't familiar with each other, she wouldn't hold it against him.
So, she feigned disappointment and hurt, retracted her arms, and then drooped her little head, using her special abilities to force out two tears that hung precariously on the corners of her eyes, looking incredibly pitiful and helpless.
Gu Chenzhou felt a pang of guilt at her appearance and kept questioning himself if he had rejected her too obviously.
He then recalled how obediently the little chubby girl had nestled into his arms earlier, and she didn't seem so detestable.
But asking him to hug her was indeed asking too much.
Seeing that he still hadn't moved, Jiang Wan felt a little indignant.
No way! Was this kid so heartless? She looked so helpless and pitiful! And he remained unmoved!
Thinking about it, Jiang Wan reached into her clothes with her chubby hand.
Yan Li immediately became vigilant, condensing his internal energy in his palm, guarding against Jiang Wan pulling out anything harmful from her clothes.
It wasn't that he was overly cautious; they had recently been bested by a child. Gu Chenzhou's injuries were a result of that.
To his surprise, Jiang Wan rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a handful of silver.
She held the silver in both her small hands like a treasure, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled. "Little brother, this silver is for you to buy delicious things!"
Gu Chenzhou was clearly taken aback by her pulling out silver. He paused, then shook his head. "I don't want it."
Jiang Wan dejectedly lowered her hand, muttering a subdued "Oh."
Her emotions fluctuated greatly, and her expressions were very lively. Gu Chenzhou was captivated by her actions. Seeing her slump as if all her strength had been drained after his refusal, allowing her master to hold her, was somewhat amusing and a little endearing.
"Master, put her down."
Yan Li was still somewhat uneasy. "Little girl, why are you so strong?"
Being able to break his sword with her bare hands and send him flying meant her strength couldn't simply be described as "great."
Jiang Wan said with a look of innocent pride, "I'm just very strong. I can lift a cow! Not only am I strong, but my dad is also very strong, but his strength can't compare to mine. I'm the strongest in our village!"
Yan Li: ...
Certain that Jiang Wan had no weapons and was indeed just an ordinary child, he put her back on the ground.
"Little girl, you should hurry down the mountain and go home. Your parents will worry if they find you missing soon."
Jiang Wan shook her head like a wind-up toy. "No, I'm afraid of the dark!"
Yan Li: ...
"Then how did you get up the mountain? Weren't you afraid of the dark when you came up?"
Jiang Wan said very seriously, "Because there were fireflies when I came up the mountain, but now there aren't."
After speaking, she turned to Gu Chenzhou and said, "Little brother, will you take me down the mountain? I want to go home."
Gu Chenzhou twisted his head and went back into the house.
He absolutely wouldn't. He was still injured!
Jiang Wan complained in her heart, this "energy tree" truly had no gentlemanly demeanor. This pitiful, weak, and helpless beautiful girl had asked for help, and he had turned and walked away without any grace!
Tsk, this child would probably not be able to find a wife when he grew up!