Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

"Brother Mu, can I carry the little pagoda on my back?"

"Can."

The boy squatted down, supported the girl's slender legs with both hands, lifted her up, and slowly walked her home.

Nestled against the boy's back, Little Black Tower gently pressed his cheek against his shirt.

The faint scent of soap lingered in my nose, and the unpleasant feelings in my heart gradually dissipated, leaving only tranquility.

"What did those people say to you?" Mu Rousheng asked.

"...They said they knew my parents, and that the world has become like this because of my family."

Xiao Heita's eyes were filled with confusion, and he was in low spirits.

She had no idea what the world was like a long, long time ago; her parents had never told her.

I've only seen scattered records in old books at home, saying that the world was not like this more than a hundred years ago.

Back then, there were no man-eating monsters, and non-existent ethereal life forms would suddenly emerge from the mist, so people didn't have to live in constant fear.

She had lived in the Fog City since she could remember and had hardly ever seen any of the ethereal beings mentioned in the records.

My parents have always been tight-lipped about what my grandparents and great-grandfather did to cause the world to become like this.

"So, that's why they bully you?" Mu's expression was quite off.

"Little Tower doesn't know..."

"This isn't the first time, is it? Why didn't you tell me?"

Mu's angry tone was tinged with undisguised heartache.

A while ago, whenever I looked for Xiaota after school or waited for her, she always looked like she was frowning and deep in thought before she even saw me.

At the time, he just assumed that Xiaota had encountered some learning difficulties and didn't think much of it.

Looking back now, the distress was indeed distress, but it wasn't due to knowledge at all, but rather to experiences he didn't have.

"My mother once said that when she was studying in China, she really liked a local saying: 'Take a step back and the sea and sky will broaden.'"

"Many unpleasant conflicts can be resolved by simply taking a step back. Brother Mu is from Xia Kingdom, so you should know this saying, right?"

Mu looked helpless: "Yes, that's true, but your aunt didn't tell you there's another part after it. The more you hold back, the angrier you get."

"Some things are neither necessary nor worth your forbearance; your concessions will only embolden those people."

"In their eyes, giving in is a sign of weakness and will only embolden them to bully you even more."

"The Xia Kingdom values ​​reciprocity, but if others are impolite to you, you don't need to be polite to them."

"Return the same attitude to others as they treat you. Often, being appropriately assertive can actually be a form of self-protection."

Listening quietly to Mu's words, Little Black Tower hugged his neck tightly, inhaled the scent of soap, and then rested his chin on his shoulder.

"...Yes, Little Tower understands."

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of dependence.

"Next time you encounter someone who's being persistent, come find me immediately, understand?"

"Okay, Brother Mu, Xiao Ta wants to hear you say something."

"What?"

"Remember that story about the young wizard? The protagonist had a line that... Brother Mu, can you guess which line I want to hear?"

A sweet smile spread across the girl's face, and her soft, sweet voice reached the boy's ears.

Mu tightened her grip on her legs, pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the little head resting on her shoulder and said solemnly:

"As long as you call out to me in your heart, I will appear by your side no matter when."

"Then it's a promise! This is the second promise between Brother Mu and Little Tower." Little Black Tower smiled happily, her eyes crinkling.

She is not a girl burdened with the mission of saving the world in the story, but she has her own unique young magician.

"Shall we make a pinky promise?" Mu asked softly.

"Yes~~ But Brother Mu is busy right now. When we get home... never mind, Xiao Ta, you can walk by yourself. It's tiring carrying me all this time."

"It's okay, you're very light."

The streetlights on both sides lit up one after another, casting warm yellow light on the two people and stretching their shadows long.

A cool evening breeze gently blew by, and Xiao Heita instinctively shrank back against Mu's back, pressing her cheek against the crook of his neck.

The warm breath brushed against the boy's neck, tickling his heart and causing him to unconsciously slow his pace.

Seeing this scene, the Black Tower from the future couldn't help but feel bewildered.

The absolute truth of life species cannot explain the certain coincidences between Mu and Qi Zhimu.

"...Brother Mu...will he be someone you created...?"

The next second, the boy carrying the girl home shattered along with the surrounding scenery, turning into countless tiny specks of light that floated and spun around.

Once the light spots had reassembled, the scene before my eyes had transformed into something entirely different.

The evening breeze of midsummer, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, gently swept through the courtyard, bringing coolness to the girl sitting on the swing.

"Let's play hide-and-seek, Mu-gege!"

"Who should I play?" Mu Futing asked, swaying on the swing.

"I am a little girl who is about to go into the deep mountains and embark on the wrong path. Brother Mu is a terrible magician who eats people and wants to catch me and eat me."

"...This isn't really hide-and-seek, is it? Why did you suddenly want to play this?"

"Hmm... I want to experience the feeling described in the story. Just this once, okay?"

"Okay." Meeting the girl's expectant gaze, Mu couldn't refuse.

The girl thought she had hidden very well; for several minutes, Mu couldn't find her.

Little did he know, the boy was deliberately letting her have her way.

He even considered using the excuse of not being able to find her to choose a suitable time to admit defeat.

Unexpectedly, the girl thought he really couldn't find her, so she quietly peeked out and ran straight into Mu's line of sight.

If you pretend you didn't see it at this point, the water stains will be too obvious.

Mu could only hurry after the girl and recite the lines from the story.

"Don't run away! Delicious human, obediently become my meal, hehehehehe..."

To fit the role-playing, Mu deliberately lowered his voice and acted like a dangerous cannibalistic sorcerer.

With a sprint, his body completely enveloped the little black tower, his hands wrapped around the girl's slender shoulders, and he lowered his head to get close to her cheek.

"Finally caught you! Well then, let's get started..."

Little Black Tower pressed his hands against Mu's chest, symbolically pushing and struggling, his voice filled with feigned panic.

"The evil sorcerer is going to eat people! Someone, please save me..."

As the girl squirmed in Mu's arms, her heel accidentally tripped over a protruding patch of grass in the yard, causing her to instantly lose her balance.

"ah--"

Little Black Tower let out a short cry of surprise, its body leaning straight forward.

Mu didn't react in time and was tackled to the ground by the girl.

The cicadas' song fades into the distance.

The wind stopped.

Two soft lips pressed together seamlessly.

The wind blew through the girl's soft hair, a few strands gently brushing against the boy's face, carrying the sweet fragrance of purple lilies.

Mu's eyes widened, and his usual calm and composed demeanor vanished from his face.

The soft, sweet touch on his lips, the girl's unique warmth and breath, filled all his senses at that moment.

The little black tower lying on him also froze, its purple eyes wide open.

Her thick, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and at such close range, the astonished reflection in Mu's eyes could be clearly seen.

Bang, bang, bang.

The rapid pounding of their hearts resonated between their tightly pressed chests.

In the quiet summer night, someone lost their rhythm, their heartbeat quickening, almost bursting out of their chest.

The two remained in an intimate pose, stunned for several seconds.

After a long while, Little Black Tower seemed to wake up from a dream and hurriedly climbed off Mu's body.

"I'm so sorry..."

The girl's hands were nervously twisted around her skirt, and her fair ears and neck were covered with a deep, almost bleeding, crimson.