Chu Hanjin walked about a dozen steps holding QQ’s hand when he realized that Yue Lin hadn’t followed them.

He turned around, “What’s wrong?”

Yue Lin gave a playful smile and shook his head, “Nothing.”

He stepped forward and took QQ’s other hand.

The small family of three walked through the wilderness.

The green grass on the hillside was waist-deep, covering their legs. QQ, his hands held by both parents, excitedly stomped through the verdant grass, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Occasionally, he would bounce with joy, hopping around in the field.

“Whoosh.”

A small piece of his nutshell was blown away by the wind.

Sunlight shone on the half-revealed side of his face.

His eyes were round, and his pupils were a light amber. His eyebrows were dark, and his round face looked just like a lucky boy from a traditional New Year’s painting—his chubby cheeks, white and delicate skin, absolutely adorable.

Surprised by the wind hitting his face, he quickly pulled his hand free and covered his face.

Chu Hanjin noticed the commotion, squatted down, and saw QQ hiding his face.

Chu Hanjin couldn’t help but say, “Yue Lin, look.”

Yue Lin also bent down, “Is his face showing?”

“It is, and he’s really cute.” Chu Hanjin gently pried QQ’s fingers away from his face.

The little boy’s eyes were moist as he blinked and shyly but curiously looked at his two fathers. His little fingers picked at the few remaining bits of his nutshell, the tips pink.

A strange ripple of emotion stirred in Chu Hanjin’s heart.

This was his child.

He extended a finger and lightly tapped QQ’s eyelid. QQ seemed to understand and focused his gaze on him, his eyes moist and full of concentration.

After a while, he suddenly lunged toward Chu Hanjin’s arms.

He grabbed onto Chu Hanjin’s robe, burying his face into it. Despite being instructed to stand properly by holding onto his arm, he clung tightly to Chu Hanjin’s arm, making little whining noises from his throat.

Yue Lin’s gaze softened, “Looks like children always recognize their mothers.”

Especially the one who gave birth to them.

Chu Hanjin wrapped his arms around him and picked QQ up.

Though there were still some fragments of the nutshell clinging to him, QQ was mostly like an ordinary child now. He nuzzled his nose against Chu Hanjin’s face, fingers tangling in his hair.

Chu Hanjin gently patted his head, “Good boy.”

QQ immediately quieted down, his warm head nestled against Chu Hanjin’s neck. He turned his head to look at Yue Lin with curiosity.

He was examining what his father looked like.

“…”

That gaze made Yue Lin unconsciously stand a little straighter, meeting QQ’s eyes.

QQ stared at him for a moment, then, losing interest, yawned and buried himself back into Chu Hanjin’s arms.

“…” Yue Lin thought for a moment, then moved closer, unsure of what to say. “This kid is too clever.”

After a moment of consideration, Chu Hanjin handed the child over to Yue Lin, “You hold him. I’m going to get something.”

Like taking care of a clueless father and a child, Chu Hanjin turned and headed into the forest. Using his dagger, he cut a leaf from a banana tree.

He folded it into a funnel shape, scooped some water from a stream, and walked back to the hillside, where Yue Lin was helping QQ count stones.

Chu Hanjin handed the banana leaf to QQ, “Want some water?”

QQ stared at the banana leaf intensely, nodded, and immediately took a big bite of the green leaf, his sharp teeth shredding it to pieces in no time.

“…That’s not,” Chu Hanjin stopped him, “for eating, it’s for drinking water.”

But when he took the banana leaf cup back, the water had already spilled all over his hand. QQ’s lips still held half a piece of the leaf, tilting his head, confused as to why his father didn’t let him continue eating it.

Chu Hanjin sighed, “I’ll go get more.”

This time, he carefully brought the leaf to QQ’s lips. Having learned from the previous attempt, QQ observed Chu Hanjin’s expression for clues, but his instinct still made him try to take a bite.

“Don’t bite.”

“…”

QQ showed a great effort to hold back.

“Drink.”

QQ finally sucked on the leaf, managing to drink the water, though the effort left him exhausted.

At least he had learned how to do it, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

Yue Lin took the banana leaf and began twisting the broken fibers of ramie, peeling away the outer layer to weave a thin cord. Normally, this material would need to be soaked in water for several days to remove the sap, but they weren’t too concerned about that. He tied the banana leaf funnel around QQ’s waist with the thin rope.

As they continued walking, they picked wild fruits along the way, placing a few into QQ’s little pouch so he could snack while they traveled.

A group of searchers passed by in the distance, prompting the family to hide themselves. Chu Hanjin thought aloud, “We’re still within Rongku Sect territory, so it’s very dangerous. But it’s not convenient to head straight for the Demon Realm either—your injuries haven’t healed.”

Yue Lin’s gaze was calm, meeting his eyes.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Hanjin said, “Let’s head toward the demon border for now.”

They couldn’t go to any towns, as they were likely filled with wanted posters, and the main roads would be crowded with soldiers and people. So, they continued down the small paths, using the sky to guide their direction.

By a stream, QQ suddenly stopped, kicking at his little feet.

Yue Lin picked him up, “Can’t walk anymore?”

QQ squirmed, wanting to be put down.

When Yue Lin set him down, QQ ran to the stream and began splashing in the water on the smooth pebbles, occasionally digging for stones and chasing butterflies.

Yue Lin walked over to Chu Hanjin, their gazes meeting.

QQ was just a little child.

He wanted to play.

He wanted to have fun.

He didn’t understand why they had to keep walking without rest, and whenever something new or interesting caught his eye, he would stop and play with it.

Chu Hanjin also stopped, saying, “Let him play for a while.”

The road wasn’t as dangerous now. As long as they didn’t encounter too many people, Chu Hanjin could handle it with ease. Yue Lin agreed and rolled up his pants, wading into the stream to catch small fish with QQ.

QQ held his hand, almost getting swept away by the water, letting out little cries of excitement as he clung tightly to Yue Lin’s fingers, trembling with exhilaration.

Chu Hanjin sat on a high rock.

He needed to keep an eye on their surroundings in case anyone approached.

Before long, Yue Lin took off QQ’s little pants and washed them in the stream.

QQ squatted next to him, bare-bottomed, watching intently as his father washed his pants.

Yue Lin lazily said, “Little man, from now on, you’ll have to wash your own pants. Don’t count on your fathers, okay?”

QQ nodded.

“Cleaning pants is simple. Soak them in water, rub them a bit, and if you have soap, use it. After scrubbing, rinse off the slippery stuff, and the clothes will be clean.”

Yue Lin patted his head, “Take care of your own things.”

QQ nodded again.

The freshly cleaned pants were hung on a stick to dry, fluttering in the wind under the blue sky. QQ sprawled out on a large pebble, legs wide open, soaking up the sun.

Yue Lin returned to Chu Hanjin’s side.

“He’s happy now.”

Chu Hanjin glanced at him, “As long as he’s happy.”

“Yeah, as long as he’s happy. We can’t expect him to understand that we’re on the run right now, can we?”

QQ was very clever. He might soon realize that they weren’t exactly popular at the moment.

It was a cruel realization for a child.

Yue Lin said, “I’ve recovered about 40-50%. Once the wounds heal, my broken meridians will reconnect.” He tested his qi flow, “I can sense where Song Shu is now.”

Chu Hanjin nodded.

“Once we find him and recover your memories, the truth will come out.”

Chu Hanjin didn’t have much faith in this, though. If their enemy was truly ruthless and had already killed Song Shu, their lead would be cut off.

But he was certain that he and Yue Lin were heading in the right direction.

As they spoke, movement came from the edge of the forest.

“Grandpa, that big rat was really scary, bigger than a cow…” said a little girl’s voice.

An elderly man carrying a bamboo basket walked along the mountain path. The basket was filled with medicinal herbs, and he was holding the hand of a young girl who had wild lilies in her hair, looking very pretty.

The girl was hopping along happily until she noticed something on the riverbank—QQ lying in the sun, without his pants.

She froze in shock, “Grandpa, there’s a boy over there with no clothes on.”

“…”

Yue Lin clicked his tongue and quickly rushed over to put QQ’s pants back on.

QQ, still a bit dazed, let his father dress him, then looked across the stream at the girl and the old man.

The old man chuckled, “He’s just a child.”

“But he’s not wearing pants.”

The girl shyly hid behind him.

The old man walked to the stream and began washing the herbs he had gathered.

He took out a flatbread and handed it to the girl. Casually, he called out, “Where are you folks from?”

Chu Hanjin replied, “From Fengliu City.”

“Have you eaten lunch? I have some extra flatbreads.” He rummaged through his basket.

Chu Hanjin politely declined, “No need, thank you, elder. We have our own food. You’ve climbed so high up the mountain, it must be hard to carry food with you. You should keep it for yourself.”

The old man stopped offering and sat down with a smile, taking a rest.

By the stream, the little girl, munching on her flatbread, walked over to QQ.

QQ looked up at her.

It was the first time he had seen a little girl.

She wasn’t as tall and imposing as other people, nor did she have the familiar scent of his fathers. She was taller than him, unfamiliar, but there was no sense of danger from her.

The girl broke off a piece of her bread and offered it to him, “Do you want some?”

QQ hesitated for a moment, then took it in his hand.

She had already taken a bite of the bread.

QQ watched her and copied her, bringing the piece to his mouth. Finding it tasty, he swallowed it in one go.

“You eat so fast!”

The girl was surprised, broke off another piece, and handed it to him again.

QQ swallowed that one too.

“…”

The girl frowned slightly, looking at the remaining bread with hesitation, but after a moment of thought, she broke off another piece and gave it to him.

This time, QQ didn’t even bother using his hands. He stepped forward and took it directly from her fingers with his mouth.

The girl pulled her hand back, mumbling, “You got slobber on it.” She rinsed her hand in the stream before breaking off another piece to feed him.

Seeing how much he was enjoying it, she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with joy.

QQ blinked, and then, slowly, his lips curved upward. He copied her and smiled back.

Chu Hanjin watched in surprise.

It was the first time QQ had learned to smile like a human.

After smiling, QQ walked over to the girl and gently touched the wild lily pinned in her hair.

QQ liked flowers.

He really liked them.

Maybe it was because of his plant-like nature, but he thought flowers were the most beautiful things, and he would feel sad if any flower was broken.

But he didn’t take the flower from her hair, just touched it gently. Then, just like he would hold hands with his fathers, he reached out to hold the little girl’s hand.

The little girl blinked in surprise but then held his hand in return. The two children squatted by the river, watching the fish together.

Chu Hanjin lowered his gaze, observing the scene.

Beside him, the old man spoke.

“Young man, are you injured?”

Chu Hanjin turned to see the old man stroking his beard, looking kindly at Yue Lin.

Yue Lin nodded, “Yes, I am.”

The old man offered kindly, “I’m a healer. My house is just at the foot of the mountain. You could come with me, and I’ll treat your injuries.”

This doctor was clearly an ordinary healer, treating common ailments and injuries for regular people. Yue Lin’s wounds, however, required a Daoist healer.

It was heartwarming to occasionally encounter genuine kindness from strangers after so much hardship, but Chu Hanjin still had to decline, “We are cultivators, and the injuries we have aren’t something a regular doctor can treat.”

The old man nodded in understanding, “I see. In that case, I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”

As the two children played and chased each other, the sky gradually darkened.

The old man stood up, “Yaya, time to go home!”

The little girl had been playing make-believe with QQ, using leaves as money and building a little house out of mud, pretending they were a married couple.

There was even a small stone acting as their “child.”

Hearing it was time to leave, the girl’s face fell in disappointment, “Ah?”

The old man’s voice was full of affection, “Yaya, you can play again next time.”

Reluctantly, the little girl stood up, her eyes lingering on QQ. She quickly ran over to Chu Hanjin, “Where do you live?”

Chu Hanjin hesitated.

“He doesn’t talk, so I have to ask you. Are you his dad? Where do you live? I’ll come find him to play next time,” the little girl asked brightly.

But Chu Hanjin knew that this meeting was just a fleeting encounter, and they would likely never meet again.

Only children cared so much about every meeting in life.

QQ, seemingly unaware of what was happening, walked over, tilted his head, and looked at both his father and Yaya, then tugged at his father’s hand, signaling he wanted to keep playing.

Chu Hanjin sighed and said, “We don’t live here. We’re just passing through.”

“Ah…”

The little girl’s face filled with disappointment.

The old man took her hand, “The world is vast, and if it’s meant to be, you’ll meet again. Yaya, time to go home. Grandma made scallion pancakes for you, let’s go eat.”

Yaya looked sad, casting another glance at QQ, and slowly walked away, looking back with every step until she disappeared from view, hand in hand with her grandfather.

QQ, not quite understanding what was going on, took a few steps in the direction Yaya had gone but stopped when he realized Chu Hanjin wasn’t following.

He looked up at Chu Hanjin.

His young face showed confusion, still too young to fully understand the concept of parting.

Chu Hanjin squatted down, gently patting his head, intending to say something, but then he noticed QQ rubbing his eyes.

Then, a soft whimper came from his throat.

It sounded like he was about to cry.