Night fell, with no village ahead and no inn behind.

The moon hung in the sky, mist swept across the wilderness, the road ahead was vast and unseen...

On such a desolate road, a carriage was still moving swiftly. The coachman, seeing the weather, slowed down, asked a few questions to the person behind the curtain, and then jumped down to tie the carriage to a bare old tree.

The curtain was lifted, and Li Yuan glanced around. Winter was naturally foggy, especially in this mountainous wilderness.

"Let's spend the night here."

"Yes, sir."

The coachman was Wang San, who worked for the lady boss. He wasn't a martial artist but a diligent and sensible man.

Before long, Li Yuan and Wang San had started a campfire, with Tang Nian helping alongside.

Pop...

Crackle...

The puppet held a pile of firewood, and Tang Nian picked them up, throwing stick by stick into the fierce flames.

"Sir, Miss, I can handle this, please rest..." Wang San chuckled.

Li Yuan said, "Isn't it faster with an extra pair of hands? Let's work together."

Wang San scratched his head and said, "How could I let you..."

Li Yuan waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, Old Wang, just do your part."

Only then did Wang San remain silent, feeling how kind his master was.

"How long until we reach Hua Mo County?" Li Yuan asked casually. He could only control three birds, so he only had three fixed points of vision. One was at the mass grave to guard against changes, another at Antelope Pass to fend off external enemies, and another at Baihua Manor to prevent accidents. These three couldn't be moved, because he didn't know when something might happen in these places. Therefore, he only had a vague idea of the journey's progress.

Wang San was clear on this, saying, "Sir, we should arrive by tomorrow evening."

...

A while later, Li Yuan and Tang Nian hastily finished their dinner and returned to the carriage.

In the wilderness, washing was impossible, and even relieving oneself required running far to hide behind a tree.

As night deepened, all was silent except for the crackling campfire. The big girl, wrapped in a blanket, leaned against the puppet in the carriage. After a while, seeing that Li Yuan had not come, she peered out like a small adult, looking out the window.

Outside, under the stars, the boy who felt more like a brother than a godfather sat by the campfire. One hand holding a withered branch to draw patterns, while lost in thoughts as he watched the gradually dimming fire, pondering who knows what.

People are mutual beings.

Tang Nian had lost her biological father but began to feel her godfather's genuine care and affection. Even though she couldn't quite straighten out her feelings, she still wanted to express it through actions and words.

"Godfather, it's cold, rest early." The big girl called out.

Li Yuan turned to look at the big girl in the carriage window and said, "You go to sleep first. Make do tonight, and you can bathe tomorrow night."

"Niannian isn't afraid of hardship." The big girl said firmly, "Godfather, rest early."

With that, she drew the curtain and in the darkness, pressed her small hand to the cold heart of the puppet, whispering softly, "Papa, I will give you the most powerful body, I swear..."

...

...

The next day, the carriage set off.

Midway, a small misfortune occurred as some ignorant bandits intercepted Li Yuan's carriage.

These were a group of ominous bandits, including a Ninth Grade. Li Yuan was straightforward and intended to dispatch them with a few strikes.

These bandits were a destabilizing factor in the Three Counties, and it was good riddance to kill them.

Then Tang Nian said, "Godfather, let me handle it."

Li Yuan allowed his goddaughter to practice, and then... Tang Nian didn't even step out of the carriage or look outside. She controlled the puppet to wipe out the bandits entirely, leaving no survivors.

The scene was gruesome, with the bandits cut into irregular pieces by the Six Sword Puppet...

Wang San trembled, his courage vanished...

Li Yuan felt a twinge of regret. He thought Tang Nian just wanted to get better with the puppet, not expecting her to be so direct.

A twelve-year-old girl shouldn't be tasked with such exterminations, leaving no trace behind.

Tang Nian understood Li Yuan's thoughts, and said softly, "Godfather, Niannian isn't a flower in a greenhouse."

Li Yuan said, "You are still young."

Tang Nian replied, "Niannian isn't that young," and added, "Thank you, Godfather."

With that, she turned to lean against the big puppet she had just brought onto the carriage, somewhat stubborn and rebellious, unwilling to hear another word.

Li Yuan didn't dwell on it and then asked, "During your stay at the Chenghua Sect, have you made any close friends?"

He took Tang Nian out to avoid her becoming withdrawn. Originally, Xiaosheng and Niuniu were her friends, but now they no longer associated. He hoped Tang Nian could make new friends, so during the time at Chenghua Sect, he let Tang Nian mingle freely with the younger generation there.

Tang Nian showed interest in toxins. The Chenghua Sect also cherished hidden weapons and puppet mechanisms, both sides being fascinated with each other's strengths, creating natural topics of conversation.

In truth, toxins, hidden weapons, puppets, mechanisms, and even assassins were interconnected, and when combined, could form many terrifying murder methods.

This was the reason why the He Family previously targeted the Tang Family, as they, being assassins, wanted to incorporate the power of puppets into their repertoire.

Tang Nian held the big puppet, her voice cool, "Yes, Liu Xiaoyu often comes to me. I ask her about toxins, and she pretends to ask me about puppets."

Li Yuan was curious, "Pretend?"

Tang Nian hesitated, but only for a few moments before saying, "Liu Xiaoyu is really interested in Godfather. She likes Godfather, she wants to be Niannian's new mom."

Li Yuan: ??????

"Did she say that?"

"No, it's what Niannian thinks."

Li Yuan ruffled the big girl's hair and said, "Don't overthink. Liu Xiaoyu is probably eighteen or nineteen this year. You can call her sister..."

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