Chapter 35: Farewell, Youyue Forest!

  Three days later.

  The warm sunlight of the morning shines on the Youyue Forest, and countless birds and beasts that have risen early chirp and howl, adding a lot of flavor to this land full of vitality.

  However, this vitality did not affect the deathly silence in front of the Heavenly Wolf Cave. Helian No stood upright on the empty ground in front of the cave with a small animal skin package on his back. Although it had only been three days, there was no longer any hint of childishness and innocence on his face, replaced by hidden endurance and determination.

  In the face of disaster, some people choose to never get back up again, while others choose to mature as a result. Obviously, Helian is one of the latter.

  The little wolf, who had just awakened not long ago, stood silently beside Helianuo, its body looking much thinner, several shocking wounds still not fully healed, but it seemed to be no big deal, the turtle that it treasured was quietly lying at its feet, only now, the little wolf no longer had the mood to play with it.

  Because today is the day Helian leaves the Youyue Forest.

  According to Helian Xiong's plan, Helian Nu should have gone out again after his tenth birthday, but after experiencing this sudden change, Helian Nu could no longer continue living in the Tianlang Cave. Every blade of grass and every tree here would remind him of the past nine years. Moreover, before Tianlang died, he infused his soul into Helian Nu's body, not only completing the incomplete Tianlang mark on his chest but also inadvertently helping Helian Nu break through the reversal of heaven. Now, Helian Nu has already mastered the first three transformations of the Tianxuan Nine Transformations and still possesses the power to protect himself as long as he doesn't encounter a soul that is too powerful.

  He Lian Shang, standing beside him, looked up at the sky and said in a low voice to He Lian Nuo, who was still staring blankly at the Tian Lang Cave: "Ano, it's getting late, you should get going!"

  He Lianuo nodded, but didn't immediately get up. Instead, he knelt down in the direction of the Tianlang Cave, his eyes welling up with tears before he could even speak. He let the tears fall freely down his cheeks and onto the ground, choking back sobs for a long time without making a sound.

  The little wolf saw Helianuo kneel down, and quickly picked up the Jiubao Xuan turtle under his feet to come to Helianuo's side. He bent his front legs in the same way as Helianuo, which looked comical, but it made Helianuo's heart ache again, almost losing control and shedding tears once more.

  He Lian'nuo choked back her sobs for a long time, and finally spoke up: "Mother, this is the first time Anuo has called Tianlang 'Mom', I wish you could hear it with your own ears. Mother, Anuo is leaving Tianlang Cave today to venture into the outside world. Don't worry, I'll take Xiaolang with me. If anyone wants to bully Xiaolang on the outside, they'll have to step over He Lian'nuo's dead body first!"

  He Lian was taken aback by the sudden decision of He Lianuo to leave with Xiao Lang. Just as he was about to speak up, he saw the determined look on He Lianuo's tear-stained face and couldn't bring himself to stop him. He knew that apart from himself and Tian Lang, He Lianuo only had Xiao Lang as a relative, and given He Lianuo's personality, he would have snuck away with Xiao Lang even if refused. So, he decided to let them go out into the world together, which also happened to be a good way to avoid being pursued by Teng She.

  "Mother, please forgive me. I won't be able to fulfill all the promises I made to you. I will protect Xiao Lang with my life and one day take him back to Silver Moon Mountain to pay respects to our ancestors. However, I can never not avenge my mother's death at the hands of the Teng Snake clan! But rest assured, I still have some self-awareness. Before I gain enough power, I won't take reckless action. In the name of Helian, I swear that one day I will climb to the top of Huayu Divine Spring and slaughter the entire Teng Snake clan!" Helian Nuo gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice, clenching his fists tightly as he bowed down and knocked his head against the hard ground three times.

  He Lian nodded slightly, he had long expected that He Lianuo would not let the death of Tian Lang go unpunished. He also had no doubt that one day He Lianuo would kill his way into Teng Snake Sacred Ground, not for anything else, but because he was a descendant of He Lian! A He Lian child who delighted in avenging past grievances!

  He Lian finished the memorial service, slowly stood up, but his forehead was already red and swollen from the previous action, with faint blood seeping out. He Lian sighed in pain and said softly: "A No, since you're going out to train, I won't be able to go with you. Having me by your side would only hinder your training goals. But remember, when you're outside, you must change your impulsive personality. After all, you've been living in this remote forest for nearly ten years and lack experience in dealing with people. Just remember, always be sincere in treating everyone, but if someone dares to harm you, don't hesitate to respond ruthlessly. This is the He Lian family motto: Be honest with others, be ruthless with enemies, and quickly distinguish between kindness and resentment!"

  He nodded heavily, understanding that his younger uncle's words were right. He had almost never been in contact with the outside world and his experience of dealing with people was still from his past life. He really didn't have the confidence to adapt to the outside world because what he would soon face was a more dangerous opponent than ferocious soul beasts: human hearts.

  "He Lian continued: 'Take this Tian Lang dagger with you, and with it, you can safely leave the You Yue Forest. As for where to go after leaving the forest, I have already thought of a place for you. When the master entrusted you to me, he told me to take you away from the Tian Xiang and seek help from an old friend. It's been nine years now, and I don't know if that person is still around. You must remember that after leaving the forest, go immediately to the Ju Mu Empire and find a man named Zhang Fang in the house of the first wood merchant, Zhang He. Tell him you are He Lian's younger brother, and he will help you.'"

  He Lian'nuo quietly took note, accepted the Tianlang dagger handed over by He Lian'nuo and lightly inserted it into his waist. In his heart, he felt even more grateful to this cold-faced but warm-hearted younger uncle of his. Although He Lian'nuo was usually cold and taciturn, when it came time to part ways, he had meticulously arranged a path for him to follow afterwards.

  He Lian turned around, walked a few steps and sat down on the chair He Lian had made for him. He slowly closed his eyes and said: "Alright, don't cry and say goodbye, a good man's ambition is in all directions, one day we will meet again, go!"

  He Lian'nuo saw his brother-in-law sit down with his back to him, and his heart ached again. For nine years, they had been together day and night, and he had grown accustomed to having He Lian Shang take care of everything for him. But today, as they parted ways, no one knew if they would ever meet again. He Lian Shang slowly walked over to the chair, knelt down on both knees once more, and heavily kowtowed three times to He Lian'nuo, who sat with his eyes closed. Then he stood up, called out to Xiao Lang, and left without looking back.

  Khalin's face was streaming with tears, he walked forward in big strides, trying his best to suppress the urge to turn around and take one last look. The strong-willed him really didn't want to show his attachment and weakness again in front of his strict little uncle.

  He didn't know that Heli Lian Shang, who was sitting on the chair with his eyes tightly closed, was also crying uncontrollably at this moment...

  The little wolf closely followed Helian Nu, who was running forward in big strides. It kept looking back at the direction of the Tianlang Cave, perhaps it had also realized that once it left, it might never have the chance to return again in this lifetime.

  He Lianuo did not follow He Liansheng's advice to leave the Youyue Forest immediately, but instead changed direction and came under the Yu Huang tree. In three days, Bug must be anxious too? He Lianuo felt that he should bid farewell to his best playmate before leaving, after all, in the nine years of memories, Bug occupied the happiest part.

  He Lianuo walked to the foot of the jade phoenix tree, panting slightly. For some reason, Chong Chong, who usually came here early in the day, was nowhere to be seen today. He Lianuo wasn't in a hurry and sat down on the spot, closing his eyes to enjoy the refreshing air that filled this place. The warm sunlight of the morning lazily shone on his body, slightly dissipating the sorrowful aura around him. He Lianuo felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, and he couldn't resist the drowsiness any longer, slowly drifting off to sleep...

  Suddenly, a cheerful cry from the little wolf awakened Helianno, who had been asleep for an unknown amount of time. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he was surprised to find that it had already become completely dark outside, with stars twinkling in the sky as if laughing at his sleepiness. The distant and near howls of beasts came one after another, making this mysterious night even more lively.

  He was amazed at how he could sleep for so long, when suddenly a fluffy object jumped onto Helian's head. Helian's right hand subconsciously flashed towards the top of his head and grabbed the fluffy thing, bringing it in front of his eyes to take a look, only to find that it was a fat, round squirrel!

  "Ball ball?", Hélène exclaimed in surprise, the little wolf beside her also came over, smiling and looking at the squirrel in Hélène's hand, apparently very happy.

  It turned out that this squirrel was the one that played with Xiao Lang a few years ago. He Lian Nu thought its body shape was really like a ball, so he simply gave it the name "Qiu Qiu". This Qiu Qiu actually accepted it very calmly and even stayed in Tianlang Cave with Xiao Lang, but every year when the weather turned cool, it would return to its original home for winter. It wouldn't appear until the weather warmed up again. He Lian Nu and Xiao Lang had gotten used to this after one or two times, but this spring, Qiu Qiu still hadn't appeared even after the season arrived. He Lian Nu and Xiao Lang were worried about its safety, but unexpectedly, they met it under the Yuhuang tree before leaving. How could this not surprise He Lian Nu?!

  At this moment, the ball is happily jumping up and down in Helian's palm, its two front paws randomly gesturing as if expressing something, while the little wolf next to it, carrying a small turtle, also started to play along. Even Helian was amused by the ball's antics, and his gloomy mood over the past two days finally got some relief.