Chapter 362 - 361: Jing’er
"A sickness of the mind? Kid, what are you talking about?"
"Ting Xiao, let me ask you: wasn’t the scene in that town as horrifying as an Asura Hell? Just imagine it. A little girl, only seven or eight years old, experienced that horror. Her parents were brutally killed. Her friends were brutally killed. Everyone she knew was slaughtered one by one. The trauma was so immense that she sealed her mind away, leading to her current state."
Ting Xiao fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "That’s true. A sight like that would drive even an adult mad, let alone a little girl."
"Mhm, that’s right."
"You really can’t cure her?"
Qin Ya shook his head. "It’s an ailment of the mind. She’s trapped and can’t find her own way out. Elixirs can heal the body, but they can’t save the heart."
’In my past life, I’ve seen many cases like this girl’s. I even tried to treat them, attempting to heal their Divine Thought or mend their Soul... I tried countless methods. Only in the end did I realize they weren’t truly sick or injured. So how could they possibly be cured?’
"So what should we do? Just leave her here?"
"I suppose we’ll find a family to take her in."
Qin Ya sighed. But just as he reached for the little girl’s hand, the unexpected happened. The girl suddenly shrieked, flailing her arms wildly as her dull, lifeless eyes flooded with intense fear.
"Aaaah! Stay away!"
"Don’t eat me, don’t eat me."
"No, no, Mother, Mother..."
"SOB..."
Instead of being annoyed by the girl’s frenzy, Qin Ya actually felt a flicker of joy. Her reaction to an external stimulus proved she still had a chance to recover. After a long while, her screams gradually subsided.
"What now? We can’t even touch her."
"How about we just knock her out?"
"That won’t work. Any drastic move from us now will only make her condition worse. We have to take it slow. There’s no rush."
And so, Qin Ya remained in the mountains with the little girl, trying to establish contact. Fortunately, her basic instincts were still intact. She would get hungry and eat the food he provided. However, any attempt at physical contact would still send her into a screaming frenzy, leaving Qin Ya helpless.
Later, Qin Ya began adding a small amount of a mind-soothing Elixir to her food. After a few days, he finally made significant progress. He could at least touch the little girl lightly now without provoking her resistance.
"Sigh, this hasn’t been easy." Qin Ya held the little girl’s hand and sighed. These past few days had been more exhausting than battling a Half-Step King.
’Any ordinary Martial Artist would have likely given up and left long ago. Who else would so meticulously care for a little girl in the Human Element Realm?’
"Heh, I never thought you had this side to you, kid."
The blade of the Ting Xiao Sword quivered lightly, its tone laced with amusement. All it had ever seen was the decisive, merciless Qin Ya, always assured of victory. It never thought he could be so flustered by a little girl.
"There are two reasons."
"First, I’m curious about what happened in that town. This girl is the only survivor, making her a key clue. Since there’s hope for her recovery, I have no reason to give up."
"Second, when I checked her condition a few days ago, I found that despite being only seven or eight, she has already reached the Human Element Eighth and Ninth Grade. With proper training, she could become a formidable expert in the future. Of course, that’s only if she recovers."
"Are you satisfied with that explanation?" Qin Ya chuckled softly.
The Ting Xiao Sword, however, quivered twice. "Come on, kid. Be honest. Would it kill you to just admit you can’t bear to abandon her?"
"Hmph." Qin Ya snorted lightly and didn’t answer.
「Half a month later.」
Qin Ya and the little girl left the mountains. By then, he could have normal physical contact with her. To his regret, however, she still had not spoken a single word.
High above, Qin Ya flew swiftly with the little girl in his arms. Her eyes remained placid as she gazed down from the dizzying heights, as if this was completely normal for her.
"Jing’er, have you flown like this before?"
Jing’er was the name Qin Ya had given her a few days prior. He chose it because she never spoke, remaining as quiet as a puppet.
Hearing this, the little girl tightened her arms around Qin Ya’s neck and turned to look at him. After a few moments, she gave a slow nod.
This took Qin Ya by surprise.
’It seems Jing’er’s background is anything but ordinary. After all, high-altitude flight is a privilege reserved for Extraordinary Martial Artists. The fact that she’s experienced it and seems so at ease... and then there was that pendant that protected her. It was no common trinket.’
After a moment of thought, Qin Ya put it out of his mind.
He took out the Cyan Cloud Order and probed it with his Divine Thought. A three-dimensional map immediately appeared in his mind. According to the map, he wasn’t far from the constantly moving Kunn Mountain, with less than 200,000 li to go.
At his current speed, it wouldn’t even take him half a day.
"Friend up ahead, please wait a moment!"
Suddenly, a voice called out to Qin Ya from a distance. He instinctively slowed his pace. A figure was rapidly approaching—a dashing young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He wore a long cyan robe and had the sharp brows and bright eyes of a classic hero.
The young man stared at Qin Ya, his eyes filled with amazement. ’I’m already considered a rare genius in the Azure Sky Realm, having reached the Sky-Controlling Perfection Realm in my thirties. But this young man... he’s even more astonishing!’
’Putting his Cultivation aside, just that terrifying speed... Among all the Martial Artists I’ve ever seen, only a handful could compare. Truly shocking.’ He cupped his fist toward Qin Ya and said, "I am Muh Qing. A pleasure to meet you."
"Qin Ya. Likewise."
"Brother Qin, your speed is incredible," Muh Qing said with a smile. "You flew right past me just now. If my Divine Thought hadn’t been so sharp, I might have missed you completely. I’m truly impressed."
Qin Ya offered a small smile at his words.
’My comprehension of the Mysterious Speed has reached the Second Heaven, making my speed so fast that I can barely control it. I’ve been practicing reining it in these past few days. That speed just now was barely half of what I can do at full power. Of course, I’m not about to tell him that.’
"Did you receive a Cyan Cloud Order as well? Are you heading to Kunn Mountain?"
"I am."
Qin Ya smiled. Clearly, the young man before him was also a bearer of a Cyan Cloud Order.
’There are only eighty-one Cyan Cloud Orders in existence. For this young man to obtain one from among countless Martial Artists, he was clearly no ordinary person.’
"Then let’s travel together," Muh Qing said with a smile.
"Alright." Qin Ya had no objections.
Suddenly, Muh Qing’s gaze fell upon Jing’er in Qin Ya’s arms. He chuckled. "Brother Qin, it’s quite unusual to see someone bringing a little girl along to Kunn Mountain."
As he spoke, he reached out to touch Jing’er.
"AAAHHH!!"
A piercing scream suddenly rang out.
As for Qin Ya, he simply shook his head in resignation.