Looking at the barn engulfed in flames before her, Luo Xiaosu half-covered her slightly open mouth with her hand, her eyes full of fear and unease.
‘Too late? Damn! It’s all those blasted bandits’ fault!’
‘No, the system didn’t prompt a mission failure. The heroine should still be alive!’
A spark of hope reignited, Luo Xiaosu raised the magic wand in her hand, aimed it at the blazing fire, and drew a magic circle in the air.
“Water Stream Technique!”
A stream of water as thick as an arm shot out from the magic circle.
The burning flames gradually extinguished under the water’s assault, leaving only a charred frame.
Luo Xiaosu forcefully pushed open the scorched door and ran into the barn.
“Anyone there! Cough, cough… Aiweila! Where are you! Cough, cough, cough!”
The residual smoke and dust constantly irritated Luo Xiaosu’s throat, making her cough continuously.
“Damn it, the smoke is too thick. Wind Control Technique!”
Luo Xiaosu waved the magic wand in her hand.
A strong wind blew through, dispersing the smoke and dust, and the view inside the barn immediately became clear.
Finally, beside a pile of fallen iron barrels, Luo Xiaosu saw Aiweila lying unconscious.
The girl lay on the ground, curled up in a ball.
Her face was covered in dust, her eyes tightly shut, her lips cyanotic.
Her clothes were tattered and burned, and her exposed limbs were covered with shocking blisters and necrotic tissue.
Only her long golden hair remained untouched by the flames, still shining with luster, appearing both eerie and sacred in this hellish scene.
Luo Xiaosu didn’t dare waste a moment.
She hurried over, knelt beside the girl, and reached out to check her breath.
“Hiss… Thank goodness, she’s still breathing.”
Feeling the girl’s faint breath, Luo Xiaosu let out a long sigh of relief.
“Healing Technique!”
She then waved her wand, drew a magic circle, and chanted the incantation.
The purple gem at the top blazed with light, and a green-glowing magic circle appeared beneath Aiweila, slowly healing her wounds.
As the pale green light particles slowly repaired Aiweila’s wounds, her breathing gradually steadied.
“Good thing I have healing magic. Though it can’t fully recover her, at least she won’t be left with just a breath of life.”
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Luo Xiaosu hoisted the unconscious girl onto her back, planning to carry her home first and then figure things out.
Following the route in her memory, Luo Xiaosu carried Aiweila and hurried toward the Cabin in the Woods.
Carefully avoiding the monsters in the Forest, she weaved through the crisscrossing trees until the Cabin in the Woods finally came into view.
It was a wooden cabin nestled at the foot of a towering ancient tree, with a clear spring flowing gently beside it.
Luo Xiaosu arrived at the door and softly chanted the password.
“Open sesame.”
The heavy oak door slid open silently, and a fresh scent of grass and trees immediately wafted over.
Inside, there was none of the cold, musty smell one would expect from a witch’s hut. Instead, a faint scent of pine wood mixed with a hint of lavender filled the air.
In a fireplace built of white cobblestones, orange-red flames flickered, making a crackle sound.
The firelight reflected off the surrounding walls.
There were no messy stacks of potion bottles; instead, several log bookshelves were neatly arranged, filled with various antique-looking books and a few glass bottles containing colorful liquids, refracting dreamlike glimmers in the firelight.
In the corner, there was a soft bed woven from huge white velvet and hay, with a plush blanket casually draped over it.
Luo Xiaosu walked to the bed, gently laid Aiweila from her back onto the bed, and reached for the blanket to cover her.
Just then, she noticed that Aiweila’s face was black and covered with soot.
She turned around to fetch a wooden basin and filled it halfway with clear spring water.
“Fire Control Technique.”
After the water became warm, she picked up a towel, soaked it, wrung it out, and carefully wiped the girl’s face.
Feeling the moisture on her cheeks, Aiweila’s eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up.
She reached up and rubbed her sleepy eyes, her mind still a bit groggy from just waking up.
“Th-this… where is this?”
Her vision slowly focused.
Aiweila saw the unfamiliar young woman beside her and froze at first, then immediately curled up and scrambled back into the corner of the bed.
She gripped the blanket tightly, wrapping herself up, leaving only her big, moist eyes staring intently at Luo Xiaosu, her gaze full of wariness.
“Y-you… who are you!”
Seeing how frightened Aiweila was, Luo Xiaosu immediately spoke to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person. My name is Luo Xiaosu. I saved you from those bandits. Do you remember?”
“B-bandits?”
The scenes before she fainted instantly flooded her mind: Dad’s desperate resistance, Mom’s terrified eyes, the nauseating smell of blood, and the sky full of flames…
“Dad… Mom… Waaah!”
At this thought, Aiweila’s face turned pale instantly, her body shook violently, and she burst into loud wails, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
Luo Xiaosu didn’t speak.
She just slowly pulled her into her arms and gently patted her back again and again, letting her vent the grief inside.
After a long while, Aiweila’s crying gradually subsided into intermittent sobs.
She buried her head in Luo Xiaosu’s arms, smelling the faint fragrance on her, and suddenly felt that this unfamiliar big sister wasn’t so scary after all.
“Sis… my mom and dad…”
She looked up, sniffled, her swollen eyes still brimming with tears, and asked in a choked voice.
In her heart, she hoped that maybe her parents had survived the bandits and were waiting for her at home.
But Luo Xiaosu’s words shattered her last shred of illusion.
“They… I’m afraid… they’re not coming back.”
Aiweila’s body stiffened suddenly, then trembled violently.
The tears she had just stopped began to flow again.
Gently stroking the girl’s head, Luo Xiaosu spoke to comfort her.
“Don’t cry. You still have me.”
Aiweila looked up, her eyes blurred with tears.
“I will protect you.”
Luo Xiaosu looked straight into her eyes and asked slowly, “Are you willing to live with me?”
“Mm…”
Aiweila answered softly and sniffled.
She blinked her swollen eyes.
Though her heart was still a mess, seeing Luo Xiaosu’s gentle expression made her involuntarily want to get closer.
Her small hand quietly let go of Luo Xiaosu’s clothes, then cautiously took her hand.
“Let me wipe your face clean first.”
Luo Xiaosu smiled.
Her smile was faint, but like sunshine, it dispelled the coldness in her heart.
Aiweila nodded.
The small hand wrapped in her palm subconsciously tightened a bit more, afraid that if she let go, this dreamlike big sister would suddenly disappear, leaving her alone to cry again.
At this moment, she was like a frightened fawn that had finally found a shelter, clinging tightly to this hard-won sense of security.
At that moment, Luo Xiaosu’s mind painted a different picture.
‘Like this, I’ve raised the heroine by my side. Next, I just have to wait for the prince in the plot to come and take her away. But the heroine looks a bit young. Do I have to raise her until the prince finds her? Hmm, for the sake of completing the mission, putting up with this extra trouble isn’t unacceptable.’
Thinking silently to herself, the corners of Luo Xiaosu’s mouth curled up a bit more.
The warm towel gently brushed across Aiweila’s cheeks, wiping away the dust and tear stains, revealing a clean little face again.
“Mm, much cleaner now.”
Luo Xiaosu was about to stand up when she noticed Aiweila tightly gripping her clothes.
“Sis… don’t go!”
The sense of security the girl had just built began to crumble.
Tears welled up in her eyes again, her voice full of grievance.
Luo Xiaosu was taken aback.
She hadn’t expected Aiweila to be so dependent on her now.
She paused in her movement to stand, sat back down on the bed, and gently held Aiweila’s small hand in return.
“Don’t be afraid, Sis isn’t leaving. Sis is just going to help you brew some medicine.”
“No, no!”
Aiweila shook her head desperately.
“But if you don’t take the medicine, your body will feel worse. Don’t you want to get better soon and play outside with Sis?”
Aiweila looked down at her still slightly trembling legs.
She did feel weak, and her tight grip gradually loosened.
Seeing Aiweila’s wavering expression, Luo Xiaosu continued.
“Sis will be right outside. After Aiweila drinks the medicine, Sis will come back and stay with you and tell you stories, okay?”
“Th-then… Sis, please be quick.”
“Okay.”
Gently tucking Aiweila in with the blanket, Luo Xiaosu picked up the wooden basin and turned to leave the room.