A technologically powerful nation: The national treasure is actually myself.

"What's your name? Do you have any other relatives?"

After bringing the little girl back into the magic circle, Lin Yang used his power to forcibly calm her down before asking her a question.

A child this young would likely not survive without other relatives to care for them.

"I...I'm called Xia Shuang." The little girl shook her head, her eyes red. "I only have my mother..."

Lin Yang frowned.

I've become an orphan.

"Stay here and don't move."

Lin Yang didn't know what to say, so he could only tell the little girl to stay in the safe zone until he dealt with the swarm.

After giving the little girl his instructions, Lin Yang continued with other rescue efforts.

The horde attacking this place wasn't very strong overall; Lin Yang's team, with the help of the magic array, was able to hold out with minimal effort.

They continued to rescue people while waiting for reinforcements from other teams to arrive.

Time passed little by little.

Finally, another squad arrived as reinforcements.

After a brief exchange, the two sides worked together to eliminate the swarm.

They finally succeeded in clearing out all the nearby worms.

"Finally, it's resolved." Lin Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the strongest of these swarming serpents was only at the Dao Fire Realm.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been resolved so easily.

"Alright, we can head back to the city now." Team leader Li Rui gathered the team members again to prepare for their return.

No one in the team died this time; only some members were injured, so the damage was not significant.

They also had no obligation to help rebuild the stronghold of the scattered cultivators.

Once the task is completed, it's time to leave.

Lin Yang paused for a moment, then said to Lin Rui, "Captain, can I bring someone back with me?"

"Hmm? Bringing people? Who are they?" Li Rui looked over.

"Bring a child with you." Lin Yang pointed to the little girl. "She's so young, and her mother is dead. She can't survive alone outside the city."

"Why is there such a little kid here?" Li Rui looked in the direction Lin Yang pointed and was quite surprised.

The other team members were just as surprised.

They were all busy with their respective rescue missions and didn't notice the little one here.

Now that they've seen it, everyone is quite surprised.

How dare a rogue cultivator outside the city have a child?
"Well... Lin Yang, it's fine for you to take her back, it doesn't violate any rules, it's just on the way, but have you thought about how you're going to settle her in?"

Li Rui came to his senses and asked slowly.

Bringing a child back home will definitely not be a problem.

The problem is that this little kid is so small and has no relatives. Even if we bring him back to the city, there will be no one to take him in and care for him.

Lin Yang sighed upon hearing this: "I don't know either, but it's better than staying here. The chances of surviving in the city are always higher."

Seeing this, Li Rui didn't say anything more and nodded, saying, "Then you can take her with you. But I must warn you, there's not much place in the city that can accommodate such a little kid. You might have to take care of her yourself."

"Thank you, Captain." Lin Yang said his thanks and quickly went over to bring the little girl over.

As for the issue of settling down, let's go back to the city first and then consider it.

If all else fails, you can consider taking care of it yourself for a period of time.

Anyway, children grow up very quickly.

For him and everyone present, a decade or so had passed in the blink of an eye.

It's not too late to consider how to help the little girl survive on her own when she's an adult.

Soon, the warships set sail again, returning to the Far East Prefecture.

Since everyone had just experienced a major battle, they rested in their respective rooms on the ship on the way back without much interaction. Lin Yang took Xia Shuang, the little girl, back to his room.

The little girl had probably just experienced the death of a loved one, cried for a long time, and was physically and mentally exhausted. She was also very uneasy in the unfamiliar environment. She stood timidly in Lin Yang's presence for a short while before falling asleep.

Not long after, a murmured voice could be heard.

"Mother...Mother..."

Listening to the little girl's babbling, Lin Yang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

I don't know whether to criticize the girl's parents or what to say.

Why would anyone have children when they live in a secluded cultivator's stronghold?
……

The little girl didn't sleep for long; she woke up two hours later, still looking timid.

Lin Yang hesitated for a moment before asking again, "Xiao Xia Shuang, are you sure you don't have any other relatives in the prefectural city?"

"No...no, I only have my mother..." The little girl's eyes reddened again.

"Where is your father?" Lin Yang asked instinctively.

"I...I don't know. I've only ever had my mother since I was little. I've never seen my father." The little girl lowered her head. "My mother said that my father has been gone for a long time."

Lin Yang remained silent.

The little girl also fell silent.

Suddenly, a "gurgling" sound rang out, and the little girl lowered her head even further.

"...Are you hungry?" Lin Yang was taken aback when he heard the "gurgling" sound, then realized that the little girl's stomach was growling from hunger.

He can go without food, but this girl is still young and needs to eat.

"I, I'm not hungry..." The little girl blushed when she heard the question, but she waved her little hands and denied it repeatedly.

"I'll get you something to eat." Lin Yang smiled and prepared to take some food out of his spatial ring.

But his smile faltered abruptly.

He hadn't eaten in a long time, so naturally there was no food in his spatial ring.

Although some rare and precious herbs can fill you up if you eat a little, this little girl can't enjoy them.

Even the slightest bit of power from rare and precious herbs could cause the little girl to explode and die.

This is very embarrassing.

"Ahem, you stay in the room for now."

Lin Yang coughed lightly, walked out of the room, and planned to ask his teammates if they had anything to give the little girl.

He first approached Li Rui and explained his purpose.

Li Rui was also taken aback: "I don't have anything here that ordinary children can eat."

"Alright." Lin Yang had no choice but to knock on each door and ask.

I asked several people, and they all said no.

Li Rui had been observing the situation and, seeing this, couldn't help but say, "Now you know how troublesome it is to take care of an ordinary child, and this is only one aspect of food."

Lin Yang nodded.

Although the little girl is not an ordinary person in the true sense, she also has some cultivation.

But that little bit of cultivation was practically nothing on the Primordial Ancient Continent.

Fortunately, when asked about the eighth person, the other party chuckled and said, "Brother Lin Yang, you're lucky. I just love to eat. Before leaving the city for the mission, I prepared a lot of food at the restaurant. There just happens to be some left. You can take it to that little brat."

Lin Yang felt relieved and said, "Thank you so much, Brother Cheng Fu. I'll treat you to a meal when we get back to the city."

"Don't mention it," Cheng Fu laughed loudly.

Lin Yang returned to his room, took out a small portion of the food Cheng Fu had given him, and handed it to the little girl: "Eat up."

He put the remaining food into his spatial ring.

It will take them another six months to return to the city, during which time the little girl will have to rely on this little bit of food.

"Thank you...thank you, big brother." The little girl thanked him first, then began to eat in small bites. (End of Chapter)