Chapter 035: Sword and Rabbit

Su Yan was born mute, but her hearing was perfectly intact, so Qin Xuanxi continued speaking to her.

“Go ahead, choose. The rabbit or the sword—make your own decision.”

As if she understood Qin Xuanxi’s words, Su Yan walked slowly toward the sword. It was a small blade, planted shallowly into the grass, and she pulled it out with ease. That she chose the sword surprised Qin Xuanxi somewhat. But after picking some grass with the little sword, Su Yan tossed it aside without a second thought, then turned and gently cradled the little rabbit in her arms. Her plump hands still held the tuft of grass, which she brought to the rabbit’s mouth, trying to feed it.

Seeing this, a decision formed in Qin Xuanxi’s heart. Such a gentle and kind child—how could she bear for her to live weighed down from an early age by a blood feud so grave? Qin Xuanxi herself had spent her life in the pursuit of vengeance for her murdered master, living solely for revenge, and she knew all too well the pain it brought.

So, Qin Xuanxi resolved to let this little girl forget the hatred of the past and allow her to grow up carefree in an ordinary household. She was never meant to bear such burdens. Besides, this was her own choice; in the end, she had discarded the sword from her hand.

Qin Xuanxi then led the little girl, Su Yan, out of the Xuan Realm. Once outside, they returned together to the backyard of the teahouse in Qiuyu Village. For a moment, Qin Xuanxi was at a loss about what to do with a child not yet three years old.

In this unfamiliar place, and with her mother gone, Su Yan seemed frightened. She hid herself in a corner of the yard, her clear, bright eyes glancing toward Qin Xuanxi from time to time, as if silently asking where her mother had gone, and whether she had been abandoned.

Fortunately, the little girl was mute; no matter how many questions filled her heart, she could not voice them. Otherwise, Qin Xuanxi would have been at her wit’s end, for she would not have known how to answer.

Just then, Song Ye entered the backyard. He was surprised to see Qin Xuanxi appear so suddenly and joked, “Little lady, I thought you’d run off again!”

Qin Xuanxi smiled faintly. “I came back this time to marry you, my little husband. The wedding hasn’t happened yet—how could I possibly run off again?”

Song Ye’s attention shifted to the little girl squatting at the edge of the yard. “Whose child is that?” he asked in surprise.

Qin Xuanxi shrugged, feigning ignorance. “I have no idea. She seemed to have been there a while. She was there when I came in.”

Song Ye propped his chin in his hand, deep in thought. How strange—why would a little girl with no apparent origin appear out of nowhere in their yard? Could she be another puppet left behind by the Bone Demon Lord? But she didn’t look like a puppet at all.

With the chaos outside, the only ones wandering about were monsters like the Bone Demon Lord, or cultivators like Zhou Nongshan and his peers. How could an ordinary little girl possibly show up here? Unless she wasn’t ordinary at all!

Song Ye thought to himself that Qin Xuanxi must know the truth about the girl’s origins. This woman, who loved to lie, had never spoken a word of truth to him!

He tested her, “So what should we do with this girl?”

Qin Xuanxi, half-joking, replied, “With the world in turmoil, you can’t just drive her away. Just let her stay with you for now—she’s so little, she won’t eat you out of house and home.”

It was meant as a jest, but the more Qin Xuanxi thought about it, the more she felt this candid, honest man might not be a bad guardian for the girl. After all, Song Ye had waited alone in this empty village for her return, steadfast even during chaotic times. Such a man was certainly trustworthy and reliable.

Moreover, the Yan Kingdom’s army had already detoured around Qiuyu Village, sparing it from attack. Life here with Song Ye would be safe for Su Yan. Of course, this was only a fleeting thought. Song Ye was still so young and had no experience with children. Qin Xuanxi would not be staying here forever—once she left, Song Ye would struggle to care for himself, let alone a mute little girl.

So, she decided to find a good home for Su Yan—a family both kind-hearted and well-off to adopt her.

Song Ye, meanwhile, protested, “You want me to look after this girl? I have no experience with children!”

He naturally refused. Living alone, he could get by with the bare minimum, but raising a child meant providing for her education and daily needs—far more trouble than he was prepared for. Yet when he saw the little girl trembling in the corner, her eyes full of fear like a startled bird, he felt a pang of pity.

It just so happened that he had a string of candied hawthorn in his game inventory—a small reward from a previous beginner’s quest.

[A Simple String of Candied Hawthorn]: Restores a certain amount of stamina when consumed.

He took out the candied hawthorn and offered it to the little girl. The moment she saw the treat, the fear in her eyes seemed to melt away, though she still did not dare to take it. Song Ye pressed the candied hawthorn into her hand and said gently, “Go ahead, it’s delicious.”

Her small hand gripped the treat tightly, and she swallowed a little, but still hesitated to eat. Only when Song Ye turned away did she timidly lick the candy, and after tasting its sweetness, her eyes brightened and she began to devour it with gusto.

A girl her age could hardly resist the allure of sweets. Watching from the side, Qin Xuanxi smiled to herself, thinking Song Ye was better at handling children than she’d expected.

“Little lady, look after the child for a bit—I need to go clean up outside,” Song Ye said, picking up a shovel from the yard.

Qin Xuanxi laughed, “So you really take me for your wife and are already having me look after children for you?”

Song Ye replied with a grin, “You’ll be my wife sooner or later.”

With that, he carried the shovel outside. The front of the teahouse was littered with wood chips and debris—he needed to tidy up. After all, the tea stall would be open for business again one day, and the entrance should be kept clean.

Meanwhile, Zhou Nongshan and his two companions were resting inside the tea stall, waiting for their master to sober up so they could head to Xuanqing Palace. Qiuyu Village was nothing but a brief stopover for them, but for Song Ye, it was the one place he could call home. So he gave careful thought to how best to restore the village that had been so damaged.