Chapter 338
Little Bing Tuozi didn’t say a word, so Li Mo took it as a yes.
No time like the present.
He took her small hand and headed out of the courtyard.
The gentle breeze from the distant Qing Shui River wafted through the air.
The faint fragrance of the young girl, like orchids in a secluded valley, was carried by the wind, and occasionally, a few strands of her hair brushed lightly against his neck, tickling him.
She had rushed out today and hadn’t tied up her hair.
“Woof woof~!”
At the entrance of the courtyard, a little yellow dog stood up straight and let out a low growl upon seeing the two kids, but unfortunately, it lacked any real intimidation.
With two white spots above its brows, it looked not fierce at all, but rather adorably silly.
“?”
Bing Ying furrowed her brows slightly, her gaze fixed on the little yellow dog, and its low growl immediately turned into a whimper.
“Be good, don’t go telling on us.”
Li Mo seriously pulled out a piece of jerky and tossed it to the dog, which wagged its tail timidly.
Why did he feel like he was sneaking around?
Wait, why did he think “again”?
In broad daylight, sneaking out with a little girl who rarely left her home—if they got caught... he’d definitely be in for a beating when he got back.
This is a dream, it’s just a dream...
“Have you never been outside before?”
Li Mo didn’t know much about Bing Tuozi’s life before she came to his house.
“I went out once to see the doctor, and when I woke up, I was in the clinic.”
As she walked forward, little Bing Ying gazed at the scenery outside the courtyard, her eyes brightening a bit, feeling both curious and shy about the outside world.
The lively and bright spirit of her age seemed to quietly return to her.
Li Mo couldn’t help but smile, deliberately loosening his grip on her small hand and quickening his pace.
Little Bing Tuozi would pout her lips in displeasure, trotting a few steps to catch up, silently extending her hand, waiting for him to hold it again.
She looked just like a spring sprite arriving in winter.
“So tiny and so cute…”
Li Mo murmured.
Bing Ying’s little hand hung in the air, slightly curling: “What did you say?”
Li Mo replied earnestly, “I said, as the first friend to take you out to play, shouldn’t you call me ‘brother’?”
“But you’re younger than me.”
Little Bing Ying tilted her head, looking at him in confusion.
“That’s just a sign of your ignorance from staying indoors all the time.”
Li Mo declared confidently, “Among good friends, girls call boys ‘brother’—it’s a custom in Qinghe County. Look, Ying Shu is younger than Ying Shun, but sometimes Ying Shun still calls him ‘brother.’”
“?”
Little Bing Ying’s gaze drifted, as if she were reminiscing, looking a bit dazed.
Her mother did sometimes call her father ‘brother’...
But is it the same?
Looking at Li Mo’s serious yet slightly chubby face, Bing Tuozi lowered her eyes, the frost in her gaze trembling.
“Brother... big brother.”
“!”
He had been the one to coax her into it.
But when those two crisp words rang in his ears, Li Mo felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his whole body tingling.
The Phoenix Empress, the future protagonist of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!
Usually, she only called him “stinky little brother”!
Though the current Bing Tuozi was just a little cub... not the cold, unparalleled, ethereal fairy she would become.
But that’s exactly why!
The contrast was simply overwhelming, enough to drain anyone’s blood in an instant!
Even Ultraman wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Is that okay?”
“Mm... of course! Let’s go, I’ll buy you whatever you want today—sugar-coated hawthorn, have you ever had ‘donkey rolls’?”
Little Li Mo felt a tingle at the back of his head.
Muttering to himself, he led her outside.
But as they walked, he noticed her small hand tightening in his grip, and looking at her little face, he saw a hint of pain, beads of sweat dotting her fair forehead.
With each step they took outside, the pain seemed to deepen.
It was so intense that her eyes became unfocused, as if she couldn’t feel anything from the outside world.
Li Mo froze.
He snapped back to reality and finally took in his surroundings.
Empty.
The distant Qing Shui River continued to flow gently, and the street bustling with the year-end market was lively and noisy, yet there was a vast emptiness separating these scenes from the Ying family courtyard, a blank space that hadn’t been visible from above.
It was as if a pencil drawing had been erased to create a circle of emptiness.
The mountain of the Ying family courtyard felt like an island surrounded by this void.
“Little Bing Tuozi was in a coma when she went out to see the doctor…”
“People can’t dream of things they’ve never seen.”
“And everything outside the Ying family courtyard is something she has never encountered, so in her dreams, it’s an unreachable place?”
Li Mo understood.
Using a game analogy, the distant market and Qing Shui River were merely ‘textures’!
Only the Ying family courtyard was interactive; he was essentially leading little Bing Tuozi into an ‘invisible wall’!
Seeing her face grow increasingly pale, Li Mo dared not venture further outside and quickly led her back.
“If we can’t get out, we’ll have to stay here, which means we can’t escape before the ‘Year Beast’ arrives.”
“What should we do? Should we fight our way through?”
The little tyrant, Li Mo, was now a fourth-tier dragon, capable of defeating mid to late sixth-tier opponents.
But this was in Bing Tuozi’s dream.
Right now, he was just a child; forget about disaster beasts, even the little yellow dog at the entrance could chase him down the street.
There was only one way forward: to awaken the ‘master’ of the dream.
In one’s own dream, one is invincible...
“Time is running out.”
The sky was shifting toward dusk, and Li Mo looked at little Bing Tuozi.
“Aren’t we supposed to go play on the street?”
Little Bing Ying had completely forgotten what had just happened.
She was still caught up in calling Li Mo ‘brother’ and letting him lead her out to play.
Li Mo pulled her back, saying, “It’s getting late. If Uncle and Aunt can’t find us at dinner, they’ll worry.”
“?”
Little Bing Ying pulled her hand back, her expression cool and serious, with a hint of the big Bing Tuozi’s demeanor:
“Li Mo.”
“Mm?”
“You’re lying to me; you’re a bad kid.”
“.....”
Though he had tricked little Bing Tuozi into calling him ‘brother,’ he truly wanted to take her away from here more than anyone else!
But it was impossible; little Bing Tuozi didn’t remember what had just happened—how could he reason with her?
Now that little Bing Tuozi was angry, she didn’t even want him to hold her hand.
“Wait, even though we can’t go out today, I can draw for you first. You can see where you want to play, and next time we can go directly!”
“You... can draw?”
“Hmph, not just can I, I’m a master with brush and ink!”
Little Li Mo’s eyes sparkled; as soon as he mentioned drawing, he seemed to have an idea.
First of all, things that people have never seen won’t appear in dreams.
So, his drawings would be things little Bing Tuozi had never encountered, right?
He could draw Qing Yuan Sect, he could draw Qiu Shui Pavilion, and he could even draw the grown-up big Bing Tuozi!
Seeing those strange yet familiar images, perhaps she would be touched and awaken her self-awareness?!
It was simply killing two birds with one stone!
Truly, you’re a genius, little Li!
...
P.S.: In these chapters, I’ve been quite serious. Although the details in the writing may be lacking, the plot has certainly consumed a lot of brain cells.
Observant readers may have noticed that from the beginning until now, there’s been a bit of progress in my writing.
This is my first time writing fantasy, and the beginning was rather average—thanks to everyone’s support.
I appreciate all the encouragement for my growth. To the readers who have made it this far, muah! 030.
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