Several people's expressions turned grim simultaneously, a preliminary fear of the newcomer's strength dawning upon them! The air was filled with intense fire spiritual energy, and even though the person had left some time ago, a scorching heat remained.
"Report to the Clan Leader immediately! A fire-elemental expert has infiltrated the estate!"
They had received instructions from the eldest young lady not to harm the woman! Thus, they hadn't acted. However, shortly after she departed, two powerful presences suddenly appeared here, forcing them to turn back. They never expected the previously cool alley entrance to become this way… There was no way they could conceal this any longer.
Jin Bao'er was unaware of the commotion she had just caused. The sky had already darkened, and with hardly anyone around, she decisively led the two little ones outside the city, leaving Fanyin City…
Not long after her departure, the barrier above Fanyin City suddenly sealed off everything, allowing no entry or exit! At the same time, the entire Fanyin family became vigilant. Upon learning that the person might be Jin Bao'er, the Fanyin family head was overjoyed and ordered the city to be sealed! His demeanor suggested a determined effort to either recruit this person or eliminate her on the spot.
Meanwhile, an inconspicuous flying boat streaked across the night sky, unnoticed…
Jin Bao'er sat outside the flying boat, using a barrier to withstand the fierce wind of its rapid descent. Simultaneously, she retrieved a seldom-used cauldron from her immortal mansion – the Luochen Furnace, legendarily used by a pill cultivator who had refined a twelfth-grade pill and ascended to the upper realm…
She understood a bit about alchemy, but artifact refining was another story! She truly didn't know how to do it, as she possessed a pure ice-elemental spiritual root, completely different from fire-elemental artifact refiners! Being able to refine pills was already quite good.
At this moment, she felt a certain frustration, possessing a treasure but not knowing how to use it! Looking at the white-glazed long saber in her hand… she couldn't just let it go to waste.
"Big sister, I… can I know your name?"
A slightly awkward and tense, childish voice sounded from behind her, laced with a hint of caution.
Jin Bao'er turned back and looked at the slender, pitiful little girl. The pity she had managed to suppress resurfaced with a vengeance…
She frowned, disliking this feeling of her emotions being swayed. Her aura gradually grew cold…
The little girl keenly sensed her emotional shift, her already tense mood worsening. She didn't want Big Sister to dislike her! She knew her eyes were different from others, and everyone disliked her, but she truly cared about this person's gaze…
Jin Bao'er saw her this way: the little girl pursed her lips, her face pale, her body trembling slightly. Her already sallow complexion was now marked with additional sadness and vexation!
She felt a bit at a loss, unsure how to comfort her, yet her tone softened considerably.
"My name is Jin Bao'er, and yours?"
As she spoke, she gestured for the little girl to sit down, perhaps to understand the reason for her peculiarity.
Seeing this, the little girl was instantly overwhelmed with gratitude and sat obediently beside her… The light in her eyes suddenly brightened!
Upon closer inspection, her translucent, exquisite blue pupils were incredibly beautiful, pure and serene like the blue sea! The white pupil, however, wasn't truly white; it seemed as if something had covered its original color, presenting a bizarre whiteness.
"My name is Baozi! Because I love eating steamed buns the most!"
The little girl seemed to recall the deliciousness of steamed buns, a look of intense longing appearing on her face. She had no cultivation, and in the upper realm, where people were not particularly concerned with food, survival was incredibly difficult! For cultivators with low cultivation, abstaining from grain was crucial because they would starve to death!
The rules of this world stated that abstaining from grain meant one wouldn't starve to death, but prolonged periods without eating would still lead to hunger!
Therefore, they worked hard to earn spirit stones, not only to absorb spiritual energy but also as a means to survive.
"Where are your parents?"
She asked, her expression unreadable.
"I don't know. My brother found me and took me in."
"..."
She didn't know what else to ask. It was obvious that a child this young wouldn't know many things.
"Big sister, this is for you!"
At that moment, the little girl extended her hand and offered her a black stone attached to a string.
"I had this with me when my brother found me! I don't know what it is, but it's very powerful, and it has saved me many times!"
Jin Bao'er naturally refused, after all, what use could a stone possibly be to her…
However, she sensed a faint dragon's breath emanating from the stone. It was subtle, but she could distinctly feel a familiar aura of a certain man!
She froze! Instinctively, she probed the black stone with her divine sense, but it couldn't penetrate at all! She was astonished. What was this? It looked like an ordinary stone, yet it could withstand her divine sense as a Heavenly Dao Saint?!
After a moment's thought, she took the stone. As it entered her grasp, its cool touch and the familiar aura became even more potent.
This time, as her divine sense descended, she jolted violently! Her pupils constricted! She almost didn't recognize it, and a complex expression appeared on her face…
Dragon clan essence blood?!
Moreover, it was the essence blood of the man she was most familiar with! She was certain! After spending so much time together, how could she possibly mistake it?
She fell silent. After a moment, looking at the little girl's confused expression, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the black stone…
A terrifying thought brewed in her mind, settling, churning, shaking, and finally calming.
She hadn't considered the possibility that Long Li Xing, having lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, wouldn't have had any close female companions or left behind any offspring during that time? After all, given his strength and lifespan, finding a woman or… a dragoness wouldn't be impossible!
But now, the little girl before her possessed his essence blood and had been protected by him, which could only mean this little girl had a blood relationship with the owner of this essence blood!
The reason she felt that strange emotion might be due to the power of a contract. And the little girl, outwardly appearing human, couldn't rule out the possibility that Long Li Xing had a relationship with a human woman, and they had a child, and then something happened, causing the child to be abandoned…
After all, her relationship with Long Li Xing was pure and untainted, so it definitely couldn't be hers!
Then… what was she? A stepmother?
Thinking of this title, her face gradually darkened. She never expected Long Li Xing to keep such an important matter from her. Could it be that he had forgotten past affections due to the passage of time?
The little girl watched her Big Sister's face gradually contort, her complexion turning pale.
Big Sister is so scary… Why did she think Big Sister was gentle and kind? What if she's a bad person? Wouldn't she and her brother be in danger?
Jin Bao'er reined in her thoughts. After all, these were just her own speculations for now, and it wasn't impossible for her to be mistaken.
"Baozi, where did your brother find you?"
After she dealt with all this, she would definitely investigate!