Chapter 5: From Now On, I’ll Protect Them

Seeing that Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya had already picked up tree bark and started chewing, Xiao Ling’er quickly stopped them.
“Wait a second, Haohao, Mom, hold on.”

The two paused and looked at her with puzzled expressions as Xiao Ling’er opened the bundle beside her with a proud look and said,
“Look! The gods gave us more things!”

Xiao Yuhao leapt up in excitement. In his haste, he tripped over his own feet and fell—but didn’t even care.
He scrambled to his feet and bowed sincerely to the sky three times. Mu Xiya followed suit and imitated him, bowing three times as well.

After the bowing, Xiao Yuhao picked up the potato and examined it curiously.
“Big sis, it really is a divine gift—another kind of food I’ve never seen before!”

Just as he was about to take a bite, Xiao Ling’er quickly snatched it from his hands.

“Big sis?” Xiao Yuhao looked at her, confused and slightly upset.

“I don’t want to eat it raw. Let’s roast it first,” Xiao Ling’er explained.

“There’s no need to be so picky. We’re refugees now,” Xiao Yuhao retorted, grabbing it back and scolding her as he did so.

Then, right in front of Xiao Ling’er, her little brother bit directly into the raw potato.
A moment later, she watched his expression shift several times.

Xiao Ling’er kept her eyes on him as he forced himself to swallow the piece of raw potato.

“Sis… let’s roast them after all. This tastes kinda weird,” he mumbled, returning the potato to her.

“Okay!” Xiao Ling’er said with a smile.

Xiao Yuhao immediately gathered a bunch of firewood, then took a firestone from his pocket and began trying to spark a flame.

Xiao Ling’er examined the firestone—it looked just like an ordinary stone. Could this thing really start a fire?

Sure enough, despite several tries, Xiao Yuhao couldn’t get it to work. Just as Xiao Ling’er was about to take it and try for herself, another pair of hands beat her to it.

Their simple-minded mother, Mu Xiya, took the firestone and lightly scraped it once. The dry wood caught fire instantly.

“Whoa! Mom, did your strength increase?” Xiao Yuhao exclaimed in surprise.

Mu Xiya looked at him, puzzled, not really understanding what he meant.

Xiao Ling’er handed her a thick branch. “Mom, try breaking this stick.”

Mu Xiya took the stick and, without hesitation, snapped it in two with a crisp crack.

Xiao Ling’er and Xiao Yuhao exchanged looks, their faces lighting up with joy.

“Big sis, so the pill Mom ate really did make her stronger!” Xiao Yuhao said excitedly.

“Mm, that’s great. Even if we’re not by her side in the future, no one will be able to bully her so easily,” Xiao Ling’er agreed.

“Good, good!” Mu Xiya echoed their happiness with a goofy smile.

“Mom, if anyone tries to bully you in the future, hit them hard with your fists—don’t just endure it, okay?” Xiao Yuhao coached her seriously.

Xiao Ling’er ignored their conversation and tossed three potatoes into the hot ash to bake.

While Xiao Yuhao was still passionately rambling on, a delicious aroma began to waft through the air. Both he and Mu Xiya sniffed and turned their heads at the same time.

“Big sis! What’s that smell? Is it coming from that fruit?” Xiao Yuhao asked, surprised, when he saw Xiao Ling’er peeling a potato in her hands.

“Yup, it’s coming from this. And I’ve given it a name—‘potato’,” Xiao Ling’er replied, handing the peeled one to Mu Xiya.

“Why call it a potato? Is it a bean that grows in the ground? Isn’t that bean a little too big?” Xiao Yuhao shot off three questions in a row.

Xiao Ling’er rolled her eyes and didn’t respond, though she couldn’t deny that the potato—about the size of a bowl—was a bit large for a so-called “bean.”

“Tasty! So tasty!” Mu Xiya mumbled in satisfaction as she ate, blowing on the potato to cool it as she went.

“Mom, slow down,” Xiao Yuhao said with concern, while he swallowed hard without even realizing it.

Xiao Ling’er smiled and handed the second peeled potato to Xiao Yuhao, but he shyly declined, “Big sis, you eat first. I’ll peel this one myself.”

“Just take it.”

She placed the potato in his hand, then dug out the last one from the ashes, peeled it, and took a bite. The taste made her want to sigh with satisfaction.

She had never imagined that such a simple roasted potato could taste this good.

After finishing the whole potato, Xiao Ling’er felt her stomach bloating a bit. Oh no… She had forgotten that this body hadn’t eaten properly for a long time—it couldn’t handle too much food at once.

She turned to check on Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya and noticed they had both, rather thoughtfully, eaten only half and saved the rest. Xiao Ling’er felt a little embarrassed.

“Big sis, it’s okay. You eat. My stomach’s small, I don’t eat much. You can have my half,” Xiao Yuhao said, handing her his leftover potato.

“Ling Ling, eat,” their simple-minded mother Mu Xiya echoed, also offering her half to Xiao Ling’er.

Looking at the two half-potatoes in her hands, Xiao Ling’er felt her eyes sting with emotion.

Back in the modern world, she had been an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was a retired taekwondo coach who discovered she had a natural gift and trained her hard, entering her in competitions to earn money.

She had reached the highest level—9th Dan black belt—but after injuring her hand three months ago, her aunt and uncle’s attitudes changed drastically. She knew then she had only ever been a money-making tool to them. Once she was no longer useful, they tossed her aside.

And then… that freak elevator accident. Her body in the modern world was probably already cremated.

In that world, Xiao Ling’er had been like a passerby—only stayed 23 years before quietly vanishing.

Now that she’d crossed over into this new world—even though it was during a time of famine—she wanted to live well. She didn’t want to be a mere passerby again.

At first, she had only planned to protect this body’s mother and younger brother out of gratitude for the original soul’s sacrifice.

But after spending a few days with them—even though one was childish and the other mentally slow—their affection and concern for her were utterly sincere.

It was hard for her to remain indifferent. In this moment, she truly accepted them in her heart.

Even if their kindness was directed at their real daughter and sister, the one receiving it was her, Xiao Ling’er from the modern world.

So, from now on, it would be her—the modern Xiao Ling’er—who would protect these two.

“Thank you… thank you for accepting them wholeheartedly.”
A faint voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

Then, a blurry figure drifted out of her body. Before she could react, the figure dissipated.

So the original host never truly left… and now, seeing that I will protect her loved ones sincerely, she’s finally at peace? Xiao Ling’er wondered quietly.

“Big sis, what’s wrong?” Xiao Yuhao asked worriedly. She was zoning out again. He’d noticed her staring into space several times today.

“It’s nothing. Haohao, Mom, I’m full now. You guys shouldn’t eat too much either, or your stomachs will get upset,” Xiao Ling’er said as she took a few sips from the water flask.

She then passed the flask to Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya. Once they were all fed and hydrated, they settled down to rest.

Of course, Xiao Ling’er didn’t go to sleep. Someone had to keep watch and feed the fire. She planned to sleep a few hours later after they woke up.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya quickly fell asleep.

The night was pitch black, cold, and eerily quiet—not even the sound of a bird.

With nothing to do, Xiao Ling’er idly studied the exchange space. Without wealth points, she couldn’t redeem anything—but she did discover the conditions for drawing a prize:
It required 100 reputation points and 100 evil-cleansing points per draw.