"Back to Mars?
Ye Chen was taken aback. What place was that?
Then he chuckled, though a hint of warmth flickered in his eyes. He hadn't expected there to still be someone in the world who would worry about the dangers faced by ordinary people.
He could tell this little girl's concern came from the depths of her heart. Even though this was their first meeting, it gave him a warm feeling, like the care of a family member.
He sighed softly in his heart. In this world, girls who still understood how to care for ordinary people were probably few and far between.
At the very least, he could tell this young maiden's status was absolutely extraordinary. Otherwise, how would she have the qualification to come here?
The maiden's delicate, pink hand suddenly grabbed Ye Chen's palm. "Big Brother, hold my hand tight. I'll take you down."
Ye Chen let her hold his hand, but suddenly asked, "Little sister, what's your name?"
The maiden, however, gave him a somewhat wary look and gently shook her head. "No, my sister told me not to tell strangers."
Ye Chen's smile widened. He had never seen such an innocent and adorable girl. She had actively come forward to hold his hand, yet she said she couldn't tell her name to a stranger.
But his fondness for her grew even stronger. He couldn't help but say, "Hmm, your sister is right. She must dote on you so much, calling you 'precious little sister' in daily life, right?"
"That's not it at all!" The maiden pouted adorably. "My sister just calls me Miao'er directly."
"Oh, how old are you this year?"
"No, my sister said a woman's age is her biggest secret. I can't tell others."
"Hmm, your sister is right again. I guess you're nine years old, still just a little kid."
"Nonsense! I'm clearly already twelve! I'm not little anymore, okay? Look, I've already developed."
"Hmm, two buns." Ye Chen said with a completely serious face.
"What buns?"
"Steamed buns!"
"..."
"Hahaha..." Ye Chen laughed heartily. She really was innocent and adorable.
Xia Miao'er, age twelve, the sixteenth princess of Lan Kingdom, one of the thirty-six empires.
This was the information Ye Chen gradually coaxed out of her during their conversation. This Xia Miao'er was truly childlike and adorable, not guarding against him, a stranger, at all.
"Ah! Oh no, oh no! Big Brother, you're actually a bad person! Miao'er told you everything!"
It was only much later that Xia Miao'er snapped back to reality. She looked at Ye Chen with a startled expression, her bright, large eyes wide open, her red lips slightly parted, looking utterly adorable.
Sitting cross-legged on the raw stone, Ye Chen shook his head with a smile. It wasn't that he was bad; she was just too naive, so easily coaxed into revealing all her information. Without needing to be told, he knew this Xia Miao'er must be a very doted-upon little princess in Lan Kingdom. Otherwise, how could she possibly maintain such a simple, childlike nature?
Then he thought of another young maiden—Chen'er!
Just as pure and adorable, just as innocent at heart. It made him miss her, and also filled him with fervor, because she was on the Ancient Emperor Continent, and they would soon be able to meet again.
A tender little hand waved a few times in front of his eyes. It was Xia Miao'er, who had plopped down beside him. "Big Brother, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking about your family?"
"No, I'm thinking about you."
"Ah?" Xia Miao'er exclaimed in surprise.
"Just kidding."
"Big Brother, you're so bad! You really scared me." She patted her small chest, which had begun to develop.
Looking at this delicate, adorable little face, Ye Chen genuinely felt a surge of doting affection. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek. "Miao'er, this place is dangerous. You should leave."
Xia Miao'er pouted. It was supposed to be her persuading Big Brother to leave. How did it become Big Brother persuading her instead?
"I'm a cultivator, you know, a very powerful one. Big Brother, you're not. You're the one who should leave right away." Xia Miao'er hmphed.
Ye Chen chuckled and stroked the silky hair on her head. "Little Miao'er, actually, many times you shouldn't just judge by appearances."
"Huh?" Miao'er opened her beautiful eyes wide with a puzzled look.
Ye Chen shook his head and said nothing more, not revealing the truth. Looking at her made him think of Chen'er, and also of Ruoxi, warming his heart.
He caressed Xia Miao'er's head as if doting on his own little sister. Xia Miao'er didn't resist, enjoying his touch. She sat beside him, swaying her head and humming a pleasant little tune, her two slender, pretty little legs swinging.
This moment was warm and tender.
Suddenly, Ye Chen let out a sound of surprise, sensing something unusual originating from within Xia Miao'er's body.
In that instant just now, he had actually sensed another faint, special fluctuation—a soul fluctuation, or rather, a Primordial Spirit fluctuation. It was completely different from Xia Miao'er's, yet it originated from within her body.
Could there be another soul residing within Xia Miao'er's body?
Because he held quite a favorable impression of Xia Miao'er, Ye Chen's expression also changed slightly.
His eyes instantly became many times more profound, deeper than the starry sky, as he stared at Xia Miao'er, as if he could completely see through everything within her.
Even though he had lost his power over laws now, his vision was still world-shaking.
"Big Brother, you—" Xia Miao'er looked up and saw Ye Chen's profound gaze. It was like the endless starry sky, or a Black Hole that devoured everything, capable of making one lose themselves. Her clear eyes couldn't help but become dazed.
Ye Chen's gaze, passing through Xia Miao'er's eyes, delved into her body.
He saw it. Hidden within her body was another spiritual entity, and it was also an exact replica of Xia Miao'er.
However, completely different from the simple, adorable Xia Miao'er before him, the other Xia Miao'er deep within her body was filled with coldness and an aura of supreme power, far stronger than the adorable version of Xia Miao'er.
But their foundational auras were identical; they were the same person. It wasn't a case of someone else seizing her body.
This was a very special situation, but Ye Chen had encountered it before because he once had a kingly friend who was like this—one soul innocent and simple, the other also powerful and fearsome.
One body, two souls!
A very special constitution, similar to twins, but where both twin souls resided in the same body, able to switch between them normally.
He never expected this Xia Miao'er to also have one body, two souls.
No wonder Xia Miao'er, only twelve years old, could be brought here. So this was the reason.
As if able to sense Ye Chen's gaze, the other Xia Miao'er, slumbering deep within, awoke. She was about to release her supreme aura, seize the body of the adorable Xia Miao'er, and emerge to act. But she suddenly trembled, filled with shock.
Because the other her clearly sensed how powerful that man was, as if he were a supreme deity truly standing high above the Nine Heavens, indifferently looking down upon her, lofty and unattainable, making her feel utterly unmatched.
"Who are you?"