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Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: Inviting The Boy to Live together

For the past three days, Sui Sui had been going back and forth to the back mountain. When someone would ask, he'd been using the excuse of "raising rabbits".

Technically, it wasn't a complete lie. He was raising someone. Just… not a rabbit.

Each time he left the sect grounds, he would take a few pieces of carrots while secretly taking bread from the kitchen. He would also secretly bring random supplies like a pillow and quilts.

In these three days, Sui Sui had learned quite a bit about his mysterious guest.

Just as he'd initially suspected, the boy wasn't anyone ordinary. In fact, he was anything but an ordinary person.

The little boy introduced himself as Long Yizhou.

Yes, that Long, as in the "Loong" from Dragon. Because, as it turned out, he wasn't just from any noble family or sect from the middle realm. This kid was actually a young master from the Dragon Clan, one of the most powerful and prestigious clans in the entire upper realm.

When Sui Sui found out about this info, he was genuinely shocked.

Because even after living in this magical world for so long, meeting a real dragon was still something else. Dragons were mythical creatures he'd only ever seen in novels or films.

And mind you, even in the middle realm, dragons were ridiculously rare. They usually lived in the upper realm, far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. They are practically legendary beings most people only ever dreamed of encountering. And now, he'd actually met one.

This wasn't just surprising, it was the kind of thing he could brag about for a lifetime.

As the boy continued his story, he explained that during a grand gathering of the great families in the upper realm, a sudden attack by the demon clan disrupted the entire celebration.

The scene had turned chaotic in an instant. In the middle of the chaos, all the young masters from the major clans were forcibly teleported away by the demon clan, using an array, separating them from their elders and was scattered across unknown locations.

The demons had come in overwhelming numbers, and naturally, the young masters who were still in training and far weaker than the high-level demons, stood no chance against them in direct combat.

Fortunately, a few of their attendants had been transported along with them. Acting quickly, Yizhou's attendant activated a random teleportation array in a desperate attempt to escape.

However, just as Yizhou stepped into the array, a demon caught sight of their escape and launched a vicious attack towards their location. Yizhou's attendant shielded him from the blow, pushing him into the array at the last moment.

The next moment, Yizhou was pulled into the teleportation array alone.

Whether his attendant had survived… he didn't know.

By the time the light faded, he had been transported to an unfamiliar place, here, in the middle realm, far from everything he had ever known.

In the meantime, Long Yizhou had asked Sui Sui to keep both his identity and his whereabouts a secret.

He didn't want Sui Sui to seek help from their sect leader. If word got out, and worse, an enemy followed him and managed to track him down in the middle realm, it could lead to a disaster. Long Yizhou didn't want to drag the He Huan Sect into his personal troubles. This was his problem, not theirs, and he had no intention of involving their name in something so dangerous.

He couldn't afford to be careless, not even for a moment.

Sui Sui couldn't help but think that Long Yizhou was truly a clever child. For someone only six years old, he was already carefully weighing the consequences and considering all possible outcomes. He was very sensible and thoughtful, really far too mature for his age.

Still, even if the boy's concerns were valid, Sui Sui wasn't entirely satisfied with the plan. Every night he left the cave, his heart tugged with worry. Leaving such a cute and small child alone in the cold, dark back mountain didn't sit well with him.

Besides, Sui Sui knew better than anyone how difficult it was to travel between realms. Even if the upper realm was filled with powerful cultivators, crossing into the middle realm wasn't something that could be done on a whim. It required precise coordinates, significant spiritual power, and an exact array formation.

Long Yizhou only ended up here by pure chance, additionally the teleportation array he used was random-type. The odds of someone tracing that trail were incredibly low.

In short, the danger was there, but minimal. Yet Yizhou still insisted on keeping everything secret, overthinking every possibility.

Seeing how tense the boy remained, Sui Sui decided to come up with a way to help him compromise.

"Little brother, how are you feeling today?" Sui Sui asked as he crouched down beside the boy, his tone light but his eyes scanning him carefully for any signs of discomfort.

"I'm fine, gege," the boy replied softly. He looked up with a composed expression, though his voice carried a hint of fatigue. "I've been meditating, and I managed to restore my spiritual energy… It just took a little while. The spiritual energy here is too thin."

Sui Sui nodded with understanding. "That's good to hear." He paused for a beat before continuing in a more serious tone, "Anyway, have you found a way to contact your clan members yet?"

"I've tried," Yizhou said with a slight frown, his brows knitting as he spoke. "I used my communication talisman… but I still haven't gotten through to them. Maybe it's because the middle realm and the upper realm are too far apart."

Sui Sui sighed softly and reached out to pat the boy's shoulder. "That's unfortunate," he said gently, trying to keep his voice calm and reassuring.

"But don't worry. I'm sure your clan is already searching for you. They'll find you sooner or later, you're their young master, after all " Sui Sui's tone was gentle, light, almost teasing but the warmth in his voice was sincere.

"Yeah… I know, I hope they will," the boy said softly. His voice was calm, but the slight downturn of his gaze and the way he fiddled with his sleeve made it obvious, he was thinking of something unpleasant

Sui Sui, noticing the change in mood, quickly shifted the topic. "Anyway, how have you been here in the cave? Did any insect bite you?" he asked, his tone playful on the surface, but his eyes still scanned the boy from head to toe, clearly worried.

"I'm really fine, gege," Long Yizhou replied, sitting up a bit straighter as if to reassure him. "Thanks to the array you placed, no insects can get in. It's just a little chilly at night, but I have the blanket you gave me, so it's fine."

"You kid..." Sui Sui sighed with a half-laugh, shaking his head. "You're so sensible, you make me worry even more."

His smile faded a little as he looked around the dim cave. "But even so, I really can't let you stay here for too long. What if your clan doesn't find you right away? Are you just going to keep hiding in this dark cave forever?"

"Well… that…" The boy's voice faltered. For once, he didn't seem to have a ready answer. He lowered his head slightly, clearly at a loss.

Seeing his silence, Sui Sui brightened. "Gege has a plan," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Wanna hear it?"

Long Yizhou blinked, curiosity clearly piqued. "Okay. Let's hear gege's plan," he said, his voice a mix of interest and caution.

"You know, the He Huan Sect is actually very open when it comes to accepting disciples," Sui Sui began, his tone light and slightly smug, as if he were explaining a great loophole in the heavens. "We really have a lot of disciples. Unlike other orthodox sects, we're not very picky. As long as you've got the looks and a decent attitude, you can practically walk right in."

Long Yizhou blinked, unsure where this was going, but he listened quietly.

Sui Sui leaned in slightly, eyes glinting with mischief. "So my plan is simple, you'll just pretend to be a He Huan Sect disciple "

Sui Sui added, waving a hand for emphasis, "If i remember, the sect just accepted a fresh batch of new disciples yesterday. It's the perfect time for you to slip in unnoticed. We can say you're one of the newly accepted disciples."

Then he leaned in a little, lowering his voice as if sharing a juicy secret. "I've also thought a lot about it, As long as we avoid Shen-shīshū; the one in charge of writing down the names of the new recruits, we should be fine."

Sui Sui finished his explanation with a proud smile, clearly pleased with himself.

Long Yizhou, however, frowned slightly, concern still evident on his young face. "Won't this… cause trouble for gege?" he asked quietly, worry lacing his tone.

"Nope, it'll be fine. I guarantee this plan will work, no one will even notice," Sui Sui said confidently, giving the boy a reassuring smile. "Just in case, I'll even let you live in my courtyard."

Long Yizhou frowned, still uneasy. "Will this work… what if we do run into that Shen-shīshū gege mentioned? What if she asks for my name and I'm not on the list?"

Sui Sui waved a hand dismissively, clearly unfazed. "I've already thought of that. Shen-shīshū's already a few hundred yearsnold, not as sharp as she used to be. She's forgotten to write down a few new disciples' names before. We'll just say it's her memory acting up again." He grinned, tone light with a hint of mischief.

Then, with a flourish, he pulled out a set of robes from his qiankun bag "Come, come, look at this! I even brought my old disciple robes. You'll blend in perfectly. We'll head back to my place tonight."

Long Yizhou looked at the uniform in his hands, still visibly hesitant. His small fingers brushed over the fabric, eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Noticing the boy's silence, Sui Sui softened his tone and leaned in slightly. "I have heating in my room," he coaxed, voice warm. "Your hands and feet won't be cold anymore."

A quiet pause followed. Long Yizhou didn't answer right away. His gaze dropped to the robes again, brows slightly furrowed.

But at last, he gave a small nod.

Wearing the pink robes of the He Huan Sect, the child followed Sui Sui along the winding forest path.

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