"An orphanage?"

Bai Yumo's eyes widened in confusion.

How had she never heard of it before? Oh, right—she had never wanted to see Bai Feng or hear anything about him.

Ugh~~

Suddenly, her confidence waned significantly, and she even averted her gaze, feeling a bit guilty.

Bai Feng, oblivious to the change in Bai Yumo's expression, continued speaking to himself, "Yeah, the biggest orphanage in Qinghong City is run by me. Although I don’t manage it much now, back then, I single-handedly raised all the orphans in the city!"

Looking back, he thought he was quite remarkable! Though his true aim was to identify the destined child of fortune and send them away.

Bai Yumo nodded, her earlier bravado diminished, but she couldn’t help but ask, "So, what are you all doing here…?"

"Oh, this is a bit complicated," Bai Feng said, subtly waving his finger at her, signaling her to hold off on the questions for now.

He then patted Xiao Qi's head again and lifted her off his lap. "Xiao Qi, let me introduce you. This is my sister, Bai Yumo."

Xiao Qi stood beside Bai Feng, looking a bit shy and scared as she nodded, "Hello, Miss."

"Ah… um."

Bai Yumo instinctively responded.

"Alright, Xiao Qi, I need you to help me deliver something. When you come back, I’ll give you a little gift."

"Okay, goodbye, Brother."

Xiao Qi waved at Bai Feng and quickly pushed the door open to leave.

Upon hearing Xiao Qi call him "Brother," Bai Yumo could no longer maintain even a forced smile.

Was her identity as the only sister, which should have belonged to her, about to be taken away?

And their relationship looked so close…

She inexplicably recalled the plot of a novel that her senior sister Yu Yao had mentioned, something about being a substitute. Was she being replaced?

But she had done everything she could think of. What else could she do? What was she supposed to do?

[Beep, detected that the host has dealt a critical blow, the heart of the child of fortune is showing signs of collapse, rewarding the host with 300 points of fortune value, Yin Yang Pattern: Fragment.]

Bai Feng suddenly froze, staring at the system notification with his mouth slightly agape.

What the hell are you talking about, system?!

Whose heart is collapsing? Clarify that!

At first, he thought of Luo Chen, that fortune-obsessed guy, but upon reflection, it didn’t seem likely. After all, it had been a day since he had finished his rant; there was no reason for a delayed breakdown.

And the only child of fortune he was currently in contact with was his sister, Bai Yumo.

Bai Feng looked up closely and noticed that Bai Yumo seemed a bit downcast.

Why? He hadn’t said anything strange!

Could it be about the orphanage?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Bai Yumo had always seemed to care about their cold relationship from a few years back. It was likely that his mention of the orphanage had triggered memories of that time, upsetting her.

"Yumo."

"Ah… yes!"

Bai Yumo quickly lifted her head, though her expression still showed signs of evasion.

"Sit." Bai Feng didn’t offer any comfort, and his tone even carried a hint of command.

Yet, Bai Yumo felt no dissatisfaction; in fact, she felt a bit relieved. She sat down in the chair next to Bai Feng, stealing glances at him.

"You’re curious about Xiao Qi’s background, right?"

Instead of bringing up the orphanage again, Bai Feng shifted the focus to Xiao Qi.

Bai Yumo immediately looked up, but then quickly lowered her head, cautiously shaking it. "N-no."

But Bai Feng ignored her response and continued, "Do you know what she was doing the first time I saw her?"

"She was pulling her hair, one strand at a time, leaving a mess of hair on the floor, and her head was almost bald. It was really quite a sight."

As Bai Feng described it, Bai Yumo imagined the scene and shivered, even feeling a twinge of pain in her scalp.

"And the reason was that her white hair led her parents to abandon her. They treated her like a monster, kicking and hitting her. When I found her, her body was covered in scars, and her face was swollen and red."

Bai Yumo bit her lip, unable to bear the thought any longer.

"So I decided to open an orphanage!" Bai Feng's tone suddenly brightened. "Since I have the ability, I should at least help them in Qinghong City."

Of course, this was a bit of a ruse. While he had a small kind heart, it wasn’t that noble. The real purpose of the orphanage was to ensure he could send the child of fortune to other cities in time, but Xiao Qi’s situation was genuine.

Bai Yumo stared blankly at Bai Feng, her chaotic thoughts suddenly clearing.

A smile returned to her lips, tinged with nostalgia. "You really haven’t changed much."

When she first entered the Bai family, it was similar. Alone and lonely, he had taken her out to play. It was because of Bai Feng that she had emerged from her shell…

Bai Feng: ?

Though he couldn’t quite grasp why Bai Yumo said that, he continued, seeing it was effective.

"Xiao Qi’s situation is dire, not physically, but psychologically. Even after entering the orphanage, she still occasionally pulls her hair or even uses scissors to cut it. So I told her I really liked her white hair. To prove it, every time I see her, I touch her hair. Sounds a bit creepy, doesn’t it?"

"No, you’re great, Brother!" Bai Yumo shook her head, responding with conviction. "If it were me, I’d be really happy."

"Not just her; others have their own psychological issues too. Luckily, I’m not much older than them, so I let them call me ‘Big Brother.’ I want them to see the orphanage as their home, and I’m the brother they can rely on."

After saying this, Bai Feng picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, glancing at the system to confirm there were no new notifications before finally relaxing.

At this point, after hearing Bai Feng’s story, Bai Yumo no longer cared about Xiao Qi calling him "Brother."

Truly, he was her brother. She felt a bit ashamed of her earlier thoughts.

Compared to Bai Feng, she felt like a despicable person.

But…

Bai Yumo straightened her posture, silently resolving in her heart—high-minded people don’t last long in this world, so let her, the despicable one, protect her brother and pave the way for him.

---

Chapter 35: I Knock, Sharingan!

"Brother, I will always protect you!"

Bai Yumo said with unwavering determination.

"Ah? Oh…"

Bai Feng was a bit puzzled. What was going on with Bai Yumo?

Whatever, it wasn’t a bad thing.

Once Bai Yumo had calmed down, she went into the kitchen to start cooking, while Bai Feng turned his attention to the system's reward.

[Yin Yang Pattern: Fragment: A piece of the Yin Yang Pattern that still holds intricate functions; prolonged contemplation will yield unexpected benefits.]

Bai Feng stroked his chin, feeling a sense of profound mystery.

However, it didn’t seem like an item that could directly enhance his combat power.

He closed his eyes, and a very intricate pattern, or rather a symbolic character, appeared in his mind.

He couldn’t quite describe what the Yin Yang Pattern looked like; at first glance, it resembled a fish shape, but upon closer inspection, it had nothing to do with fish at all. Instead, it looked like a meaningless symbol formed from a tangle of lines.

This was a concept that transcended appearances, existing at a deeper level of abstraction.

Bai Feng felt an increasing calmness within him, and the questions that had accumulated during his training suddenly became clear.

If observed from the outside, one would see a surge of spiritual energy rushing toward him, and his cultivation began to rise rapidly.

"Brother! What’s happening…"

In the kitchen, Bai Yumo sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy outside and almost instantly appeared beside Bai Feng.

But the next second, she quickly covered her mouth, afraid of making any noise.

Watching Bai Feng still in his state of ‘enlightenment,’ she felt a wave of fear and patted her chest, then tiptoed back to the kitchen.

This time, however, she was distracted from cooking, frequently glancing back at Bai Feng.

After a long while, Bai Feng’s absorption of spiritual energy slowed down, and his cultivation had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, just a step away from Golden Core.

He opened his eyes, and two beams of black and white light flashed through them, with faint symbols of a black and white fish appearing within. The next moment, the light retracted, and the symbols vanished.

"Ah…"

Bai Feng exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling lighter than ever.

"Brother, you’re awake?" At that moment, Bai Yumo tiptoed over, her voice barely above a whisper.