TNIBFT -Chapter 80 The Heroine Appears

Ye Yunting glanced at Ye Tian, his little face expressionless.

He slightly turned his head, looking toward the large copper pot over the fire, from which white smoke curled.

He neither refused nor accepted.

Ye Tian sat on the ground, brushing the dust off his arms. For an ordinary person, it was truly impossible to read this five-year-old’s mind. Every day he wore an icy expression, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Martial arts?

Ye Yunting’s heart stirred. There were so many things he wanted to protect, and he had seen Sun Wuji’s formidable abilities. He needed a chance to become stronger.

His small hands clenched nervously beneath his padded jacket. Calling someone “Dad”… really, wasn’t that just… okay?

After a moment of thought, he turned to look at Ye Tian.

Summoning his courage, he furrowed his brows, about to speak.

Seeing Ye Tian’s playful expression fixed on him, Ye Yunting’s heart raced, and he instinctively lowered his head.

“It’s fine if you don’t call me that. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Ye Tian got up from the ground and shrugged indifferently, watching the eldest child’s awkward expression, which looked like an adult deliberately teasing a child.

Ye Tian turned to wash his hands and start preparing the meal.

He worried that pressing too hard might make the child resist him even more, so he decided to give himself a way out.

“Any other conditions?”

Ye Yunting suddenly spoke.

Ye Tian paused mid-action.

Beside him, Ye Shuangxue and Xiao Jiang both looked at their eldest brother.

Sun Wuji, meanwhile, was stuffing peanuts into his mouth, enjoying the spectacle.

Ye Tian recovered quickly and smiled: “Of course.”

“It’s okay if you don’t call me ‘Dad.’ You can just call me ‘Papa.’” Ye Tian grinned cheekily. Ye Yunting’s little face burned red; he shot Ye Tian a big glare, then turned to grab his school bag to do his homework.

This little guy was just that tsundere.

It was impossible not to tease him.

Clearly eager to learn martial arts, yet still wearing an icy expression. Ye Tian shook his head with a smile: “Go to your Uncle Fang’s house and get some leaves to start the fire. That’s something you should be able to do, right? The weather’s so cold outside, and the kid runs so fast… you’d better go.”

Ye Tian spoke while pulling his neck inward in a shiver.

It had been so busy lately that Ye Tian hadn’t noticed that all the fire-starting leaves and dry grass had already been used up.

Ye Yunting nodded, slightly doubting whether he’d heard correctly. Ye Tian was really that easygoing, giving only such a simple request.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: “I can do that. Wait for me.”

With that, Ye Yunting lifted the heavy curtain. The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed in through the door crack, sending a chill through the room. Without hesitation, he plunged into the wind and snow outside.

Thinking about being able to learn martial arts right away and eventually becoming very powerful, Ye Yunting ran like the wind, afraid Ye Tian might change his mind.

And Ye Tian…

Thinking of Ye Tian made Ye Yunting feel warm all over.

Ye Tian knew he wanted to learn martial arts; that’s why he was doing this, right?

He still cared about him.

Across the white snowfield, dusk was falling. The faint light reflected off the snowy ground, casting a soft, pale blue glow. Everything in sight appeared tinted blue, hazy and dreamlike.

Walking through the snow was exhausting for Ye Yunting’s short legs, sinking deep with each step.

“Help!”

“Is anyone there? Someone, please!”

Faint cries for help floated through the air. Ye Yunting stopped, frowning as he scanned his surroundings.

Surrounded by white snow and withered branches, there was nothing else in sight.

The little boy furrowed his brows slightly and continued walking forward.

“Is anyone there?”

“Help me! I fell into a snow pit!”

The closer he went, the clearer the voice became. Ye Yunting took big strides forward. The girl’s voice was like a lark emerging from the valley—clear, melodious, and sweet.

As he got closer, he realized that inside a trap set by the villagers sat a little girl.

The trap was two meters deep.

An adult could climb out, but for a child, it was difficult.

The little girl in the snow pit wore a cyan cotton jacket, its collar lined with white fluffy rabbit fur, making her small face appear even paler and more delicate. She looked up in delight at him.

“Hurry and pull me out!”

Seeing Ye Yunting hesitate and freeze in place, Jiang Yunxi immediately furrowed her brows. Her pretty little face instantly came alive.

Every frown and smile of a beauty carried charm.

A beauty in the making was no exception.

Ye Yunting hesitated for a moment. The little girl alone in the snow pit would definitely be cold and scared. But Ye Tian was still waiting for him, gathering dry leaves to make a fire and cook.

“Wait here. I’ll go find someone from the village to rescue you,” Ye Yunting decided at once.

“Eh?”

“You’re just going to leave me here? Don’t you have any conscience? If a wolf comes, I’ll be eaten! You have to save me now!” Jiang Yunxi sat up in the snow pit, hands on her hips, glaring at Ye Yunting.

Still angry, she bent down, made a snowball, and threw it at his forehead.

“Did you hear me?”

“My father is Jiang Huisheng, a miraculous doctor from Sifang City. Even the city lord has to show him respect. Do you know that?” Jiang Yunxi lifted her little chin, her tone lofty and commanding.

Seeing Ye Yunting hesitate, she continued, “You’re from this village, right? If something happens to me, the first person the city lord will execute is you, then your parents.”

Looking at Jiang Yunxi’s spoiled demeanor, Ye Yunting said calmly, “Wait here. I’ll go get something.”

“That’s more like it,” Jiang Yunxi said, satisfied, then shrank her neck and sat back in her original spot.

“We’re from the same village, yet your villagers are so wild and ruthless, not valuing human life at all. Only Shen Jie is a good person,” Jiang Yunxi’s voice was low, but the snow pit was enclosed, so her words echoed repeatedly.

She continued, “You even drove Shen Jie out of the village and falsely accused him. When I tell the city lord, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”

Shen Jie?

She actually knew Shen Jie too?

Thinking of the broken jade in her school bag, Ye Yunting’s little face darkened. Why did this Shen Jie keep appearing like a shadow that wouldn’t go away?

Never mind—he would rescue her first. Any mishap would only involve Ye Tian.

Ye Yunting gathered withered vines from around and tied them together. The length was just about enough.

“Grab this and climb up,” Ye Yunting tossed one end of the vine into the snow pit. Her small hands tightly held the other end. Jiang Yunxi frowned at the rough vine. “Will this even work?”

“It’s ugly and smells weird too,” she remarked critically.

Her gaze was picky. Ye Yunting’s icy expression gave no indication of trying to appease her. Finding it boring, she could only grab the vine and try to climb out quickly.

Jiang Yunxi was ten; Ye Yunting was five—not exactly equal in weight. As Jiang Yunxi climbed two steps while holding the vine, “Bang!” went a muffled sound.

Ye Yunting was pulled down, landing on top of Jiang Yunxi.

Snow flew in every direction.

“Ouch!”

Jiang Yunxi covered her forehead, pushed Ye Yunting off with one hand, and continued, “You’re really dumb. I told you this wouldn’t work. Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

“Now look—we’re both stuck here. Who’s going to go get help?”

Ye Yunting’s face turned cold as he shrank into the corner.

So tonight, they were going to have to spend it here…