Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

"How is it?" the woman asked, sounding a little nervous.

"She's simply a genius!" Gou An couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. "If she could embark on the path of cultivation, she would surely achieve great things in the future!"

"Really?" The woman was excited upon hearing this, but a hint of doubt remained in her eyes, after all, Gou An had just claimed to be just a barefoot doctor.

"Didn't you see it just now? That spirit-testing stone emitted a golden light!" Gou An's tone couldn't hide his excitement as he quickly explained, "This means your daughter possesses a Heaven-rank spiritual root. Judging by the intensity of that golden light, it might even be a high-grade Heaven-rank!"

The woman looked up at him, full of doubt: "Are you also a cultivator? Otherwise, how would you know these secrets?"

"To be honest," Gou An nodded slowly, "I am indeed a cultivator."

"How can you prove it?" The woman was not easily convinced and continued to press for proof.

Gou An didn't say much. With a thought, a ball of dancing crimson flame rose from his palm.

"Wow, that's amazing!" The chubby girl next to her exclaimed in surprise, her eyes wide.

Although the woman did not lose her composure like a child, her eyes still shone brightly.

What Gou An didn't expect was that she would die suddenly, her body bent over, and she knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Gou An was taken aback upon seeing this: "What are you doing?"

"Please, Immortal Master, help me!" The woman's eyes reddened as she kowtowed heavily.

Gou An frowned: "What do you want me to help you with?"

"Please take the child away, take her to a spiritual practice, take her away from this place forever." Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, and her voice became more and more agitated as she spoke.

Seeing that Gou An remained silent, the woman choked up and told him the whole story.

Fatty was born with a constitution different from ordinary people. In the eyes of her neighbors, she was like a monster and suffered cold looks and ridicule every day.

Women who give birth out of wedlock also suffer from ostracism in the village and live a very difficult life.

The money left by the child's father before he left was almost gone, and it was really difficult for her, a weak woman, to support the chubby girl with her amazing appetite.

At this point, the woman quietly raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "If it were just a matter of hardship, I could grit my teeth and find a way to get through it. But recently, children from the surrounding villages have been disappearing without a trace."

Rumors were spreading in the countryside that there were evil people and human traffickers who specialized in kidnapping children.

"I'm really afraid that one day, Fatty will also just disappear into thin air like this."

"I am but a mortal woman, and I have no ability to protect her. Since the child is a prodigy in cultivation, I hope the immortal master will have mercy and take her away to cultivate, so as not to waste her talent."

After listening to the woman's heartfelt and tearful plea, Gou An couldn't help but feel hesitant.

If I were to bring such a child along, it would cause many inconveniences in the future, and I would not be as carefree and at ease as I am now.

However, if we simply abandon it, such a rare spiritual talent will be buried in the mortal world.

After all, there are countless ordinary villages like this in the world, and this place has little spiritual energy, so almost no cultivators would come here, except for an idle person like myself.

Moreover, this is a Heavenly Rank spiritual root, and it is even very likely to be a high-grade Heavenly Rank.

If he were to sell her to... or introduce her to a cultivation sect, he would surely be able to earn a considerable reward.

Thinking of this, Gou An felt a strange stirring in his heart.

He was, after all, a demon and did not know the orthodox cultivation methods of the human race. If Fatty followed him, it would be a waste of her talent.

Seeing that Gou An remained silent for a long time, the woman pleaded again, "Immortal Master, aren't cultivators most concerned with seizing opportunities?"

"On such an ordinary day, you were drawn here by the aroma of food from my home and happened to bump into my daughter. This must be a preordained destiny."

"Since fate has brought the child to the immortal master, we beg you to have mercy and take her away!"

Gou An snapped out of his daze, nodded slightly, and feigned reluctance: "In that case, I agree!"

"Thank you, Immortal Master!" The woman bowed again in gratitude when Gou An agreed.

Gou An reached out and gently patted the top of the fat girl's head.

The little girl overheard the entire conversation between Gou An and her mother. Her face was full of grievance, but she neither cried nor resisted, as if she knew in her heart that she was a burden to her mother.

"Aren't you worried about me entrusting your daughter to me? Aren't you afraid I'm a bad person?" Gou An asked, curious.

Upon hearing this, the woman simply shook her head bitterly: "The Immortal Master speaks gently and speaks with a humble demeanor; he does not seem like a wicked person."

Gou An didn't reply verbally, but he secretly grumbled to himself.

I am not a bad person, or even human at all.

I wonder how she would react if she knew I was a monster?

Considering what the woman just said about child traffickers and lost children, it's no wonder the villagers reacted this way after I entered the village.

"If you entrust the child to me, you must leave immediately today. If you are determined, then say goodbye to her properly." After saying this, Gou An turned around and stepped aside with his back to the mother and daughter.

The woman led the chubby girl into the house, where a low conversation could be heard. A moment later, the suppressed sobs of the mother and daughter could be heard.

After a long while, the two finally came out of the room.

Fatty had changed into a brand new set of clothes and was carrying a small coarse cloth bundle on her back.

The woman led her to Gou An, her eyes filled with reluctance: "Immortal Master, everything is ready."

Gou An looked at the bewildered and confused chubby girl, then glanced at the woman's still-unwiped tear stains, and slowly said, "The world is vast, and the journey ahead is long and arduous. This parting may be the last time we meet in this life."

"I know perfectly well." The woman nodded heavily.

"In that case, I'll take Fatty away." Gou An said, reaching out to take Fatty's little hand.

"My name is Er Ya," the little girl said earnestly, pursing her lips.

Just then, the woman's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back.

"Is there anything else?" Gou An asked, glancing sideways.

The woman took a deep breath before slowly saying, "If there's a chance in the future... I want Er Ya to find her biological father."

Seemingly afraid that Gou An might be annoyed, she quickly added, "But if there's an opportunity, that's fine; I will never force you, Immortal Master."

Seeing that Gou An showed no impatience, she continued, "The child's father is named Lin Dong, and he comes from the Xuan Chun Sect."

Gou An silently noted it down and nodded: "I've noted it down. If the opportunity arises, I will help you search for it."

"Thank you for your trouble, Immortal Master." The woman bowed deeply.

Gou An said no more, took Er Ya's hand and walked out of the courtyard. The little girl was quiet and well-behaved the whole way.

The woman stood there, watching the two figures, one tall and one short, gradually disappear into the distance before slowly turning around and listening to the distant sound of donkey hooves, which gradually dissipated in the wind.

Once outside the village, Fatty sat on the donkey's back with great curiosity and excitement, showing no sadness at leaving home.

Seeing this, Gou An asked curiously, "You seem quite happy?"

The chubby girl nodded and replied in her childish voice, "There's nothing to be sad about. I've already cried all the tears I needed to cry."

Seeing the chubby girl's reaction, Gou An couldn't help but admire her. Is this what a genius with a Heavenly Rank spiritual root looks like? She's truly extraordinary from a young age!

"And!" Fatty continued, "I'm my mother's burden. If I'm not by her side, she'll have a much easier time, she can remarry, and she won't have to work so hard."

After hearing this, Gou An found the girl even more interesting, so he asked, "Want to cultivate immortality?"

"Yes!" The chubby girl nodded immediately without hesitation: "My mother has always told me that my father is a cultivator who can fly and is very powerful."

"Do you want to find your father?" Gou An asked again.

"I don't want to right now!" Fatty shook her head.

"Why?" Gou An asked curiously.

"I want to wait until I'm older and more capable before I look for him!" the chubby girl muttered.

"and then?"

"Then..." Fatty suddenly clenched her fists and swung them forward twice: "I'm going to give her two punches, so she'll know how powerful I am."

"Oh?" Gou An was somewhat surprised by this answer.

"Mother said he promised before he left that he would come back in a few months, but so many years have passed and we haven't heard from him at all." Although the chubby girl's tone was childish, it was very clear: "He's a liar, and I'm going to teach him a lesson for Mother."

"Good! You've got potential!" Gou An patted Fatty's head, finding the child increasingly interesting.

That night, they slept in the woods, with no villages in sight.

Gou An started a fire in the woods to roast meat, making Fatty Ya drool with envy.

Gou An knew she had a big appetite, so he gave her a whole wild boar leg, which the little girl hugged and gnawed on, showing she had excellent teeth.

Gou An was dumbfounded; good heavens, they were eating even more than he was.

It was as if this girl had never been full at home, as if she were a reincarnated starving ghost.

After finishing the whole pig's leg, the little girl wiped her mouth, let out a burp, and showed a satisfied expression.

"I'm full now!" Fatty chuckled, which confirmed Gou An's suspicion that she had already reduced her appetite at home.

"Follow me from now on, and I'll make sure you never go hungry!" Gou An pinched the little girl's chubby cheek, finding it increasingly amusing.

As night deepened, the forest fell silent.

Gou An leaned against a big tree and dozed off, while Fatty huddled up beside him and snored loudly, making it hard for Gou An to fall asleep.

Just then, a strange wind suddenly blew through the forest, causing Gou An to open his eyes abruptly and scan his surroundings.

With a twitch of its nostrils, it could actually smell a faint demonic aura in the wind.

There are other monsters in this place?

Gou An didn't know where the monster was, so he ignored it and pretended to continue sleeping, but in reality he remained vigilant about his surroundings.

As expected, the demonic aura grew stronger and stronger, and the distance between them grew closer and closer.

Gou An opened his eyes a crack and vaguely saw a dark shadow moving nearby.

However, the shadowy figure did not approach directly, but instead lingered around slowly, gradually drawing closer.

Seemingly after confirming that Gou An was not responding, they slowly approached from the side.

The target wasn't a peaceful existence, but the chubby girl sleeping soundly beside him, and he slowly extended his black hand.