The man looked up at her for a moment, his gaze traveling from her pretty, delicate little dress to the bells tied around her ankles. His expression remained impassive as he said, "I don't know."
With that, he turned to leave. After taking several steps, he frowned and glanced back. Setting down his prey, he picked up stones from the ground to drive away the vicious dogs circling under the tree.
The dogs barked wildly for a while before slinking away with their tails between their legs.
A Mi continued to study him. He was exceptionally handsome—for a mortal, his beauty bordered on the ethereal.
His tall, slender frame was complemented by pale skin that held a touch of sickness, upturned eyes, and lips as red as rouge. Yet his features didn't appear feminine; instead, they carried an air of detached indifference toward the world.
The man reached out a hand to her. "Come down."
Though he wasn't smiling, A Mi sensed kindness in him.
She remembered Jingmie's stories about the mortal realm—how children shouldn't go out at night because it was dangerous, and no child should spend the night in a tree.
This person was concerned about her.
She stretched out her short arms and let herself fall into his embrace.
The man who caught her paused momentarily. The little bundle in his arms was fragrant and soft, like a warm, plump dumpling.
With a somewhat peculiar expression, he set her down on the ground.
The tiny child was very short, straining to look up at him. The sight was both adorable and somewhat amusing.
"It's almost dark. Where are your parents?"
A Mi thought for a moment. "Mother went to a faraway place, and Father... died."
If Soul Scattered were described in mortal terms, that would mean death.
The man fell silent for a while. "The town becomes unsettled after dark. Since your parents aren't here, you must have servants at home. Go find them."
The child's clothing clearly marked her as coming from a wealthy family.
The necklace and pearl strings she wore were all extremely valuable.
A Mi shook her head. "I've traveled very, very far from home. This time, I need to find Father and bring him back with me."
He picked up his prey from the ground and responded indifferently, "Suit yourself."
A Mi curiously examined the game slung over his shoulder—a rather lean deer. Blood still dripped from its mouth, staining the ground damp, though its fur remained intact.
Having been bold since childhood, she felt no revulsion at the sight of blood and watched with interest for a few moments before the man carried the deer away.
Left to her own devices, A Mi wandered through the town.
As dusk deepened, candlelight began to glow in every household.
A Mi muttered to herself, "Jingmie said mortals can't fly and have no magic, so I mustn't fly in front of them. It would frighten them."
She walked aimlessly for a long time. Strangely, a peculiar sense of connection and attachment filled her heart, making her reluctant to leave this place.
As she walked, A Mi counted rules on her fingers: "And I mustn't barge into other people's houses."
A group of drunken men came staggering down the street. The moment A Mi noticed them, they spotted her too.
They all froze simultaneously.
Just as they began to approach with leering grins, a dark shadow fell over A Mi from behind in the moonlight.
The men exchanged glances, their drunkenness fading considerably. "It's him! Let's go, quick!"
A Mi looked down at her small frame engulfed by the shadow, then turned to see the young man she'd met at dusk standing behind her.
He frowned down at her.
A Mi blinked her moist eyes, looking utterly innocent.
After a long moment, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. "Don't roam the streets. I'll take you to the magistrate's office tomorrow."
A Mi nodded obediently.A Mi possessed half-demon bloodline, and demons were inherently unruly, submitting only to power.
She couldn't quite articulate this feeling—even Jingmie might not necessarily make her obey—yet this person before her inexplicably made her feel close.
The man carried her for a while before arriving at a candlelit house.
He set her down on a stool: "Sit and wait for me."
Soon, he returned carrying a lantern and placed a bowl of meat congee on the table: "Eat."
The little dumpling happily ate the meat congee, her pink cheeks puffing out on both sides, smearing half her small face.
He leaned against the doorway, watching her with a strange expression.
He didn't know what had come over him today. He never meddled in others' affairs, yet when he saw the little girl surrounded by vicious dogs in the town, he couldn't help but chase them all away. Finally returning home and preparing to sleep, he felt restless, so he went out to search for her and even exceptionally brought her back.
After eating and drinking her fill, with her face still dirty, the little dumpling asked him seriously: "My name is Tantai Zimi, everyone calls me A Mi. What's your name?"
"Bai Ziqian."
Bai Ziqian led her to a room: "This is where my mother lived before she passed. Rest here tonight, tomorrow I'll take you to the county office."
A Mi nodded.
After a long while, he reached out and removed the rice grain stuck to her small mouth.
A Mi looked up at him, suddenly feeling a sense of attachment.
If her father were still here, would he treat her this gently too?
A Mi lay on the bed. The cotton padding had been sun-dried by Bai Ziqian during the day, carrying the scent of sunlight. The young of the phoenix clan grew slowly, unlike Su Su who was nurtured in her shell for ten thousand years and could reach adulthood within a century after hatching. A Mi's growth was gradual.
She didn't actually need to sleep, but had developed the habit of absorbing Spiritual Energy in her dreams, so she quite enjoyed resting.
The next day at dawn, A Mi heard rustling sounds outside the window.
It seemed someone had come into the courtyard.
A Mi pressed against the windowsill to look and saw a woman in hemp clothes storming in while cursing: "Bai Ziqian, I heard you hunted a deer. Such fine goods and you don't know to share some with our family? Still dreaming of marrying our Dongyan? Where's the deer?"
Bai Ziqian looked at her coldly.
Seeing he wouldn't respond, the woman—already familiar with his temperament—pushed past him to search his house.
"You think a poor boy like you, after a few years of schooling, is worthy of Dongyan? Not going to the capital for imperial exams, no official rank to speak of, and you don't even share your hunt with our family. The other day when Squire Li came proposing marriage, I should have agreed to betroth Dongyan to him. Better that than marrying her to you to suffer hardship."
Bai Ziqian sneered coldly but said nothing, watching indifferently as the woman searched the courtyard for the deer like a headless fly.
"Where did you hide the deer?"
The woman pushed open the door. Not finding the deer, she instead saw an exquisitely beautiful little girl standing by the window.
A Mi stood with hands on hips: "The deer is his, why should he give it to you?"
The woman looked at A Mi, then back at Bai Ziqian, her face changing: "Well now! You already have such a big daughter out there! Pah! Just you wait, I'm going to tell our Dongyan right now."
Bai Ziqian, accustomed to being alone, had nearly forgotten about A Mi.
Only when Mother Liu mentioned it did he notice that A Mi's features did somewhat resemble his own. He frowned.
Mother Liu ran out the gate shouting: "That damned Bai Ziqian has a child with some wild woman outside! Neighbors, bear witness..."Bai Ziqian said coldly, "Shut up. Try spouting nonsense again!"
He drew the bow hanging outside the house and aimed it at Mother Liu.
Mother Liu was usually fierce, while Bai Ziqian maintained an aloof, world-weary demeanor. She had never seen him erupt in anger and draw a bow.
Remembering this man wasn't even afraid of black bears, Mother Liu immediately fell silent.
"You... just wait. I'm going to find the village head to settle this."
Changle Town had a tradition of honoring commitments.
Back when Bai Ziqian's family hadn't fallen into decline, they had arranged a marriage with Liu Dongyan while the children were still in the womb. Originally, the Liu family was marrying above their station. Later, Bai Ziqian's parents met with accidents, and the Bai family rapidly declined.
As one of the town's greatest beauties, Mother Liu desperately wanted her daughter to break off the engagement and marry a wealthy landlord.
Unfortunately, in a place like Changle Town, daring to break an engagement would make her the target of public scorn. The matter had been delayed until now, with Liu Dongyan nearly seventeen, yet the marriage still hadn't taken place.
Thick-skinned Mother Liu used the engagement as an excuse to frequently visit and take things from their home.
But this time, if it could be proven that Bai Ziqian already had a child, then he would be the one at fault for breaking the engagement.
Bai Ziqian put away his bow, brought the little girl out from the house, and calmly fetched hot water to wash her face and hands. "We're going to the county office later."
A Mi asked in her childish voice, "Uncle Bai, why did she say I'm your daughter? Are you really A Mi's father?"
Bai Ziqian looked at her pink, chubby face. "She was talking nonsense. Don't you have parents?"
The little dumpling nodded. "You don't have any demonic aura, so you can't be A Mi's father."
"Mm." He lowered his gaze.
Bai Ziqian had already planned to go to the county town. He had prepared the deer hide and venison the previous night to sell there.
This time, he also had a little pink dumpling in tow.
Along the way, Bai Ziqian noticed A Mi found everything fascinating. Her big, grape-like purple eyes widened in wonder.
After selling the deer, he held her small hand and headed to the county office. But when he saw the words "Impartial Justice" displayed, his eyes turned icy.
Bai Ziqian looked at the confused little dumpling beside him.
She was so exquisitely beautiful. If they went to the county office and encountered a benevolent magistrate, it might be fine. But if the magistrate had ill intentions, she might never return home.
In the end, A Mi accompanied him on the outing but wasn't sent away. Instead, she received several small sugar figures.
Nestled in Bai Ziqian's arms while eating her sugar figure, A Mi thought the mortal realm was truly wonderful!
Bai Ziqian also bought her many small outfits. "From now on, I'll take time every day to bring you to the place where I found you. Your family should come looking for you."
After all, such a precious little dumpling couldn't possibly have been intentionally abandoned.
A Mi, nibbling on her sugar figure, mumbled her agreement.
For A Mi, delaying a few days with him was merely the blink of an eye in her cultivation. Su Su would only return to the Demonic Beasts realm after a hundred years, so she had plenty of time to find her father.
True to his word, Bai Ziqian accompanied her to wait under that tree for several consecutive days. But instead of A Mi's family, they first encountered Liu Dongyan.
Ignoring her mother's attempts to stop her, Liu Dongyan ran out and stared in shock at A Mi beside Bai Ziqian, her eyes brimming with tears. "Brother Ziqian, is what my mother said true? Is she really your daughter?"
Because of little A Mi, rumors had already spread through the town claiming Bai Ziqian had fathered a child with another woman.
Bai Ziqian was aware of these rumors and dismissed them with contempt.
Now, with Liu Dongyan's questioning, many people had gathered around.
Bai Ziqian said coldly, "No."
"Then why is she living in your house?"A Mi noticed the crowd pointing fingers at Bai Ziqian. Since the situation had arisen because of her, A Mi said, "He's not lying. My name is Tantai Zimi, and my father is Tantai Jin! Uncle Bai is waiting for my mother to come pick me up."
Liu Dongyan was half-convinced and half-doubting: "Really? Then... where are your parents?"
A Mi said, "Mother is in a faraway place, and Father is dead."
Liu Dongyan's unpleasant expression brightened—so this was a widow's child.
There was no way Bai Ziqian would be interested in such a woman. She felt relieved.
The next day, Liu Dongyan came to his door with a basket of wild vegetables, earnestly saying, "Brother Ziqian, my mother said that as long as you provide one hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift or pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, she will allow us to marry."
Bai Ziqian was polishing arrows in the courtyard. Hearing this, he smiled faintly and said, "Oh."
Liu Dongyan didn't know what he meant by that. She set down the vegetables, bit her lip, and said, "I'm seventeen this year."
A Mi squatted nearby, watching them.
"My family is poor, and I don't have one hundred taels of silver. Miss Liu, please seek another suitable match."
Liu Dongyan's eyes nearly turned red with anger. She knew very well that although Bai Ziqian appeared down-and-out, he was highly skilled. Every time he went up the mountain, he returned with a full haul. After all these years, it was impossible for him not to have saved up one hundred taels.
Moreover, when she was young, she had accidentally overheard at the academy that Bai Ziqian's literary talent was unmatched. By the age of thirteen, he already had the level of a scholar. She just didn't understand why he hadn't taken the provincial examinations all these years.
Some of his former classmates, who were inferior to him, had already become esteemed scholars.
Liu Dongyan was drawn to his exceptional looks and limitless potential, but Bai Ziqian seemed content to live in this small town, working from sunrise to sunset. And now, he had even taken in a little girl.
She wanted a good husband but was too proud to marry just anyone.
Yet the man she had set her sights on was unwilling to pursue an official career, far removed from the imperial court, content to live as an ordinary person.
Liu Dongyan couldn't bear to give up the potential wealth and status he represented. She knew that if Bai Ziqian were willing, he would undoubtedly rise above others. But she also knew she couldn't afford to wait any longer, which was why she came up with the idea of demanding one hundred taels.
It was bold of her to even suggest such an amount—even wealthy landowners only offered twenty taels for a concubine, yet she was asking Bai Ziqian for one hundred.
Bai Ziqian's expression was cold, his eyes carrying a faint trace of mockery.
Just as Liu Dongyan was about to argue with him, A Mi, who was nibbling on a candied hawthorn, cheered, "Mother!"
The crisp, clear voice of the child drew both of their attention.
The little pink-clad bundle ran toward the gate.
Bai Ziqian lifted his gaze. Under the boundless sunset, a woman in a white dress walked slowly toward them.
With colorful clouds as her backdrop, her vermilion lips and bright eyes stood out, the cinnabar mark between her brows burning brightly.
She stepped through the endless summer of the mortal world and embraced the little pink bundle that rushed into her arms, scolding anxiously, "A Mi, how could you run off like that? Jingmie and Xie Ying were worried sick!"
She nervously checked the little one for any injuries, and the small bundle clung to her neck affectionately.
Even as a woman, Liu Dongyan had never seen such peerless beauty. For a moment, she forgot why she had come to see Bai Ziqian and stood there, stunned.
A thud sounded. Su Su looked up.
In the twilight, the man's bow and arrows had fallen to the ground. He lowered his gaze and bent to pick them up.
Across the expanse of time, unexpectedly, the person she had searched for over a thousand years—the one who should have long been Soul Scattered—stood before her eyes.
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