Kapitel 62: Dream Thief
Xiao Muyu returned swiftly, not more than ten minutes had passed since his departure.
As he entered the room with a bowl of hot porridge, the little girl was lost in thought, gazing vacantly out the window, her mind adrift. It wasn't until Xiao Muyu approached her bedside with an air of indifference that she snapped back to reality.
"Big brother? You've come back so soon?" she exclaimed, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Ah, there's a place selling porridge right outside the hospital. It doesn't take long to make a round trip," he replied, nodding impassively. Holding the steaming bowl, he asked coldly, "Will you eat by yourself, or should I feed you?"
"..." The little girl fell silent for a few seconds, her small hand resting on the blanket, tentatively squeezing it in a moment of hesitation. Ultimately, she lowered her head in resignation, murmuring, "Um... could you please help me, big brother?"
"Not a problem," Xiao Muyu replied in a frosty tone, sitting down with the bowl and beginning to feed her spoonful by spoonful.
His movements were calm and detached. As he fed her, the little girl occasionally stole glances at his face, but all she saw was that same icy, expressionless demeanor, as if yesterday's events had never transpired.
This thought sent a wave of frustration and gloom through her. Though she understood that yesterday's incident was not entirely Xiao Muyu's fault, and that this seemingly cold big brother had acted with good intentions, it remained a bewildering experience for a girl who had never faced such a situation before.
For a naive child, the overall impact of the incident was akin to a young maiden awakening one morning to find a naked man sleeping beside her, realizing she had lost her innocence without even being aware of it.
Now, the little girl was uncertain whether she felt more anger or embarrassment; all she knew was that her heart was in turmoil.
However, after a restless night spent grappling with her feelings about yesterday's incident, she was taken aback to find that the other party involved seemed so unfazed, as if nothing had happened at all. This realization sparked a sense of indignation within her.
How could he act so nonchalantly after what he had done? It was infuriating!
Yet, regardless of the turmoil brewing within her, the indifferent man continued to feed her in silence, his gaze as cold and detached as ever.
Before long, the bowl was empty.
Xiao Muyu then stood up and turned to leave. "I'll return the bowl to the porridge vendor."
In the days that followed, their exchanges dwindled to almost nothing, limited to a few trivial conversations during the morning, noon, and evening when Xiao Muyu returned to feed her.
At all other times, he remained aloof, sitting in a corner of the room with his eyes closed, resembling a statue that had taken root against the wall, never showing any interest in initiating a conversation with the little girl.
She, in turn, ceased her attempts to engage him. No matter how much she insisted on her maturity and understanding, it could not alter the reality that she was still a tender young girl at heart.
Had she been a more mature woman, even an inexperienced girl, she might have quickly come to terms with the situation, not dwelling excessively on it.
After all, in essence, it was not such a grave matter; for women, it was merely a source of shyness.
But the little girl was different; she had not yet reached the age where she could actively consider the perspectives of others. Although she was perceptive enough to understand that this incident could not be attributed to Xiao Muyu, but rather to the negligence of the absent nurses, this understanding did little to alleviate her feelings.
Understanding was one thing; acting upon that understanding was an entirely different matter. Coupled with the unprecedented emotional upheaval this incident had inflicted upon her, the little girl began to sulk—indeed, she was sulking.
In truth, the little girl couldn't say she felt an overwhelming disdain for the indifferent older brother who had saved her. Rather, like many children her age, she resorted to sulking and throwing a tantrum to mask her embarrassment and distress when faced with an awkward situation.
Thus, she chose to abandon her inquiries into why Xiao Muyu had saved her—at least for now, she felt too shy to approach him for a conversation.
Time passed slowly and imperceptibly. Over the course of a few days, the little girl was served a steaming bowl of meat porridge at every meal.
As her body gradually regained some strength, she was able to manage a few steps out of bed—at the very least, she could now make it to the bathroom.
However, her body remained weak; after all, she had been gravely ill with a severe cold, teetering on the brink of death. It was unlikely she could restore her health in just a few days.
As for the fact that she was clearly a seventh-tier practitioner, who should ideally be immune to temperature extremes, yet had suffered such a harsh fate, the little girl began to comprehend the reasons behind it.
Ultimately, she realized that she was still merely a novice who had just ascended to the seventh tier. There were many aspects of the realm beyond the seventh tier that she had never personally explored, leaving her unable to fully grasp certain abilities that were characteristic of practitioners above that level.
This had resulted in the tragic irony of being a bona fide seventh-tier practitioner, one who should be impervious to the elements, yet nearly freezing to death in an abandoned house.
However, over the past few days, the little girl had noticed something peculiar: the older brother who had rescued her spent nearly all day sitting in a corner of the room, seemingly asleep, and did not venture out to eat or take a stroll.
He only left the hospital room briefly to fetch porridge for her, but his absences were always very short, seldom exceeding ten minutes, and he returned without any food for himself, as if he hadn't consumed a single drop of water in three days.
On the first day she noticed this, the little girl was merely curious; by the second day, she began to worry. After all, even a ninth-tier practitioner could not survive without food or water; in terms of sustenance, their needs were no different from those of ordinary people.
By the evening of the third day, after finishing a bowl of porridge, the little girl watched as Xiao Muyu stood to return the bowl to the porridge vendor. Unable to contain herself any longer, she finally asked, "Um... big brother, may I ask you a question?"
Stopping in his tracks, the indifferent Xiao Muyu turned back, his gaze icy as he regarded the little girl, who seemed hesitant to speak. "What is it?" he replied coldly.
"Um... big brother, you..." Carefully observing Xiao Muyu's expression, she timidly inquired, "You haven't eaten anything these past few days, have you? Why aren't you eating?"
After a moment of silence, Xiao Muyu met her gaze for a few seconds before responding, "I'm not sure what has led you to this erroneous conclusion, but I must advise you: when you are out in the world, take care of yourself first; it's best to refrain from meddling in the affairs of others."
With that, he turned away coldly, not sparing her another glance.
The little girl stared at his retreating figure, feeling a surge of indignation. How could he be so ungrateful when she was merely expressing concern for him? What was with that frosty demeanor?!
Honestly! What a big fool! Go away! Go away! Go away!!! Ahhh!!! From now on, I can't be bothered with you!!
Frustrated, she pounded her pillow, feeling a mix of resentment and confusion.
Yet, her curiosity proved irresistible. Although she claimed she would no longer pay attention to Xiao Muyu, she still felt a degree of concern and intrigue for the cold older brother who had saved her.
In the dead of night, when everyone else had fallen asleep and the lights in the ward had been extinguished, the little girl quietly opened her eyes. Bathed in the soft moonlight streaming through the window, she spotted the indifferent man, seemingly asleep in the corner.
"Hee hee..." As if she had stumbled upon a hidden treasure, the little girl stifled a giggle, thinking, "Big brother, do you think that just because you don't tell me, I won't find out?"
"Hmph! Our mage class possesses a dream-infiltration spell, you know. You certainly didn't expect that this seemingly destitute girl would have the soul crystals necessary to cast such a spell, did you? Hmph! If you won't tell me, I'll just find out for myself, hee hee..."
Carefully lifting the covers, the little girl stealthily climbed out of bed, trying to approach the sleeping man as quietly as possible.
Glimpsing Xiao Muyu's face in the darkness, she gently extended her right hand, adorned with a bracelet strung with several colorful beads.
This bracelet was a birthday gift from her mother two years ago, with the beads crafted from precious gems that held great significance for mages.
In the vast ocean of arcane knowledge, certain unique spells required specific mediums for successful casting—such as the high-level spell "Dream Theft" that the little girl was about to cast, which necessitated the invaluable soul crystals as a medium.
She knew she couldn't afford to hesitate; the senses of a ninth-tier practitioner were incredibly sharp. Though she bore no murderous intent, it was possible that this older brother might awaken the moment he sensed her presence.
Whispering a few incantations under her breath, the little girl watched as one of the small gems on her bracelet flickered with a faint light.
In the next moment...
The little girl was stunned.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein