Chapter 2: You Became Her Hero

"An abandoned newborn…"

Xu Xi took another step forward, following the line of starving refugees step by step.

He knew very well.

In this era, it was perfectly normal for a baby to be abandoned. After all, when parents themselves could barely survive, how could they have the energy to care for an infant?

When encountering such a thing during a famine, the best course of action was to act as if nothing had happened.

Thinking this, Xu Xi silently lowered his eyelids.

He intended to turn a deaf ear.

He intended to turn a blind eye.

The others around him did the same, including Aunt Wang's family, who had given him water earlier.

It wasn't that they weren't kind or lacked compassion; rather, in these years of famine, raising a newborn meant reducing their own family's rations and lessening their own hopes of survival.

Faced with that choice, everyone still preferred to choose their own family.

Clack—

Clack—

The heavy footsteps sounded like repeated moral condemnations.

They beat against everyone's hearts.

Suddenly, Xu Xi stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the sun in the sky as if he had finally made a decision. Amidst the startled and bewildered gazes of the others, he quickly broke away from the refugee line and sprinted toward the direction where he had heard the sound earlier.

"Even though it's just a fake simulated world, it's just too real. I can't just leave it alone…"

"In a time of such food scarcity."

"If left alone, that child's fate would likely be—"

Xu Xi silently increased his speed.

Searching through the wild grass, running over stones that bit into his feet.

Gradually, the height of the wild grass rose past Xu Xi's knees. Every step required a forceful push through the tough branches. The hot wind whistled past his ears, carrying the rustling sound of the grass rubbing together.

Cutting through brambles and thorns.

Moving forward with undaunted courage.

Just like the scenes depicted in countless fairy tales.

Small arms pushed aside difficulties, and tender feet conquered obstacles. The fearless hero finally reached his destination. Beneath a withered tree, he found a baby girl wrapped in cloth.

Sunlight descended from the sky, partitioned into countless fragments by the leafless, withered branches, scattered and dappled in light and shadow.

Xu Xi squatted down.

He picked up the infant, who had clearly been born not long ago, shielding her from the scorching sun.

"I finally found you," he said softly.

The baby girl's skin was fair and delicate, like a newly blossomed petal with a faint pink hue. Her eyes blinked as she curiously gazed at Xu Xi's flushed face, which was overheated and exhausted.

Her small nose twitched slightly, and her body curled up in Xu Xi's arms, becoming incredibly quiet.

She seemed to feel very safe in Xu Xi's embrace.

"It seems there's nothing seriously wrong."

Seeing the baby girl sleeping soundly, Xu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with movements as gentle as possible, he carried her back toward the original group.

Though it would be difficult.

Xu Xi did not want to give up on this child.

At the very least, he had to try to help her survive this famine.

…

[Hardship Creates Heroes]

[Ignoring the astonishment of others, you resolutely became a hero to one person when everyone else chose to give up. You brought back the baby girl from the brink of danger and treated her as your own sister.]

[You used your remaining food to trade for some breast milk, ensuring your sister did not have to suffer from hunger.]

[In exchange, having lost your last rations, you could only endure the spasms in your stomach, feeling the weakness and frailty of your body every day and night.]

[Fortunately, your luck was good.]

[Before truly starving to death, you followed the refugee line with your sister and successfully reached a Mortal city, where you obtained life-saving hot porridge from a congee stall.]

[You survived; you and your sister survived together.]

[After making many inquiries, you learned that the city is named Blackstone City, part of a Mortal Dynasty. Every five years, Immortals come to test Aptitude and recruit disciples.]

[Your luck seemed a bit poor again; the last recruitment had just passed not long ago. You must wait for a new five-year cycle.]

[You decided to stay in Blackstone City to participate in that quinquennial Recruitment Assembly. To that end, you began finding ways to earn money, working hard to support yourself and your sister.]

[You named your sister Xu Moli.]

…

Time flew by like a weaver's shuttle.

Perhaps because of the simulator.

Xu Xi often felt that time passed very quickly, as if he had pressed a 'skip plot' button while playing a game, causing the game to skip several years of time instantly.

However.

Xu Xi still retained the relevant memories.

He remembered how he struggled to survive in Blackstone City, the memories of being with his sister Mo Li, and the process of dealing with neighbors and locals.

"Calculating the time, there's only one year left until the Recruitment Assembly."

Inside a narrow wooden hut.

There was very little furniture, and the floor was clean and bright.

Xu Xi pondered, using a piece of charcoal to draw a deep mark on the wall. There were already four such marks, symbolizing the fourth year.

This year, Xu Xi was nearly eleven years old.

With the inner self of a transmigrator and a mature mind, he appeared more reliable than others his age.

"Big brother!!"

A soft, innocent voice came from behind.

Almost simultaneously, a small figure jumped onto Xu Xi's back, clinging affectionately, revealing a tender face full of peace.

"You, you're always so mischievous."

Xu Xi's tone was helpless.

With practiced ease, he lifted the girl by the back of her collar.

He gently placed her on the ground.

"I am not! Big brother is wrongly accusing Mo Li," the girl retorted indignantly after landing. As she spoke, she tugged at Xu Xi's robes, smoothing out the wrinkles she had just caused by moving around.

Her expression was serious and her movements careful, as if she were handling something extremely important.

Once everything was finished.

Only then did the girl show a look of satisfaction.

Her smile was innocent, lively, and adorable. At four years old, she was like the most flawless porcelain doll, making Xu Xi unable to resist reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"You can't rub Mo Li's head!"

Hearing the girl's cute protest, Xu Xi laughed and said, "Why not?"

The girl counted on her fingers with great solemnity: "The grandma next door said that if you touch a child's head, they won't grow tall. Big brother has already touched it many times. If this keeps up, what if Mo Li doesn't grow tall!"

Xu Xi asked curiously, "Then what does little Mo Li plan to do after she grows tall?"

The girl did not hesitate: "Help big brother earn lots and lots of money!!"

"Hahaha, is that so? Then that is truly something to look forward to."

Xu Xi laughed out loud.

Amidst the girl's huffy expression, he rubbed that glossy black hair again. Then, with a flick of his wrist, before his cute sister could get angry, he took out a round, large Water-melon.

"Wow, it's a very, very big Water-melon!"

Xu Moli let out a cry of "Wow!"

Her eyes were full of surprise and joy.

She hugged Xu Xi's leg and cheered, "I want to eat it, I want to eat it! Big brother, hurry and cut it for Mo Li to eat!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," the boy replied dotingly. After making his sister move back a bit, he took out the kitchen knife and sliced the Water-melon into even portions.