Taking off her large cloak, Luo Xiaosu held a wooden spoon in one hand as she slowly stirred the medicinal soup in the pot.
Smelling the gradually spreading herbal fragrance, she silently calculated her next moves in her mind.
‘This little one looks like she’s only seven or eight right now. If I follow the original story’s plot, I’m afraid I’ll have to raise her for about ten more years.’
Covering the pot, Luo Xiaosu pulled over a wicker chair and collapsed into it, quietly waiting for the medicinal soup to finish brewing.
Since the moment she crossed over, Luo Xiaosu’s tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment.
She let out a long sigh of stale breath, her mind constantly replaying the events of the day.
‘Ah, I’m so exhausted today. I wonder if Mom and Dad in the real world will think I’ve had a fluorescent illness flare-up and died…’
Thinking of this, she subconsciously lowered her head, her gaze falling on the slight curve on her chest.
As if possessed, Luo Xiaosu reached out both hands and placed them on top.
Soft, warm.
Feeling the soft touch in her palms, the corner of Luo Xiaosu’s mouth twitched, and she inexplicably felt a strange sensation in her heart.
‘By the way, why did it turn me into a girl? I’ve never even held a girl’s hand before. No, wait, my first kiss seems to have been stolen by that someone!’
Thinking of the girl who suddenly barged in and forcefully kissed her without any explanation, Luo Xiaosu couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
‘But then again, thanks to the book she brought…’
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Luo Xiaosu shook her head, trying to shake those messy things out of her mind.
‘Ah, forget it, forget it. I don’t want to think about those random things. The most important thing now is to complete the mission and cure my illness.’
She readjusted her sitting position, found a comfortable posture, and her gaze uncontrollably traveled down her body, past her flat abdomen, and finally… stopped between her legs.
The air inexplicably quieted at this moment.
Luo Xiaosu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her gaze beginning to wander.
‘Uh… well… I’m just… checking my body, worried there might be some hidden injury. Right, I’m definitely not being perverted!’
Silently brainwashing herself, Luo Xiaosu slowly reached her hand toward that sacred place.
Roar—
A roar came, abruptly interrupting Luo Xiaosu’s impure thoughts.
She was so startled that her hand trembled, and she almost fell off the wicker chair.
She stood up and looked out the window.
In the distant forest, a huge figure was slowly approaching.
‘What… the hell is that?’
Glancing back at the direction of the room, Luo Xiaosu didn’t hesitate.
She grabbed her magic wand, rushed out the door, and ran toward the huge dark figure.
Getting closer, by the moonlight, Luo Xiaosu could finally see the full appearance of the huge monster.
It was a Constellation Bear about six or seven meters tall.
Its whole body fur glowed with deep blue fluorescence, like twinkling stars in the night sky.
Its huge feet raised clouds of dust with every step.
Seeing Luo Xiaosu approach, it opened its huge mouth, sharp teeth glinting coldly in the moonlight.
Roar—
The deafening roar carried a gale toward Luo Xiaosu.
She could only bend over, crossing her arms in front of her to avoid being blown away.
‘This damned beast, why is it attacking suddenly?’
Luo Xiaosu gritted her teeth, stabilizing her center of gravity.
She gripped the magic wand tightly in one hand and quickly spread the other hand, palm forward.
“Magic Barrier!”
A milky white magic ripple spread from her palm, instantly condensing into a semi-transparent oval protective shield that securely enclosed her inside.
After some time of adjustment, Luo Xiaosu was no longer as flustered as when she first crossed over.
At this moment, she could use magic freely as she pleased.
“Since you’re looking for death, I’ll play with you for a while.”
Her gaze turned sharp.
The magic power inside her surged instantly.
Luo Xiaosu raised the wand high with both hands.
“Explosion—”
The temperature of the surrounding air sharply increased.
A scorching flame burst out from the purple gem at the tip of the wand, then continuously burned and grew, converging into a huge fireball.
“Fire Rain!”
The huge fireball flew out on command, exploding not far in front of the Constellation Bear, emitting dazzling light.
Boom!
Countless fist-sized fireballs poured down like a rainstorm toward the Constellation Bear, each dragging a long tail, drawing brilliant trails in the night sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireballs directly struck the Constellation Bear’s body and then exploded.
The dazzling flames instantly swallowed its figure, and the scorching fire continuously burned its body.
Growl—
The Constellation Bear, caught in the center of the fire rain, let out a painful roar.
Its fluorescent fur turned charred black under the flame attack.
The fierce light in its eyes was replaced by fear.
The Constellation Bear howled and turned around, stumbling as it fled deep into the forest.
“So you’re running away already? I haven’t had enough fun yet.”
She pursed her lips, snorted lightly, put away her wand, and patted the dust on her clothes.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, she turned her head toward the hut.
‘Oh no! Such a commotion! Aiweila won’t…’
In a panic, she rushed toward the hut and pushed open the wooden door, panting.
There, Aiweila was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the floor by the door, curling herself into a ball.
Hearing the door open, her body trembled violently.
She looked up in panic; her originally fair little face was now covered with tears, her eyes wide open, full of fear and sadness.
“Aiweila, you…”
Luo Xiaosu extended her hand, but before she could speak words of concern, Aiweila immediately stood up, threw off the blanket, staggered over, and hugged Luo Xiaosu’s waist tightly, burying her head deep into Luo Xiaosu’s chest.
Waaahh—
The suppressed crying burst out instantly.
Her whole body was trembling continuously, and tears instantly wet Luo Xiaosu’s chest.
“I thought… I thought… you were going to abandon me too… and never come back… boohoo…”
Luo Xiaosu froze in place, feeling Aiweila’s trembling body in her arms.
She suddenly realized how important she had become in the heart of this girl who had lost her family and was alone.
The comforting words she had in mind got stuck in her throat.
Luo Xiaosu hugged her back, gently patting Aiweila’s trembling back again and again.
Her movements were very gentle, as if soothing a terrified kitten, trying to dispel Aiweila’s fear.
“Silly…”
Luo Xiaosu lowered her head, silently watching the crying girl in her arms.
“Big sister is very powerful. How could I abandon you?”
Her voice was very soft, with a hint of helpless affection, gradually soothing Aiweila’s frightened heart.
With Luo Xiaosu’s comfort, Aiweila’s crying gradually subsided into intermittent sobs, but her hands still clung tightly to Luo Xiaosu’s clothes, refusing to let go.
Luo Xiaosu let out a soft sigh and didn’t rush to make her let go.
She patiently let her vent her inner fear.
She raised her other hand, gently running her fingers through Aiweila’s messy hair, combing it tenderly.
“Listen, Aiweila. As long as big sister is here, I will never abandon you, okay?”
Aiweila sniffled.
She raised her head and stared blankly at Luo Xiaosu, crystal tears still hanging on her eyelashes.
“Re… really?”
“Really.”
Aiweila bit her lower lip, as if hesitating.
After a moment, as if making a firm decision, she tremblingly extended her pinky.
“Then… let’s pinky promise.”
Looking at Aiweila’s serious, almost stubborn gaze, Luo Xiaosu couldn’t help but smile.
She extended her pinky and gently hooked it with Aiweila’s.
“Okay, pinky promise. I promise I will never abandon Aiweila in the future, deal?”
“Mm-hmm!”
After firmly hooking Luo Xiaosu’s pinky, Aiweila finally showed a smile again, and her tense body relaxed at that moment.