HITA Chapter 15

“Little Lan, come back with me. I promise that I will protect you!” Tang Yu solemnly said while holding Mulan’s hand. 

Mulan expressionlessly pulled her hand out. Then she turned to Shi Shuiyue and said, “Sect Master, we should head back.”

“Ah? Okay.” Shi Shuiyue had a delayed reaction when her name was suddenly called. She looked at Tang Yu, and then looked at Mulan. She couldn’t help but blink her eyes. 

It ended already?

What happened to the dramatic family reunion?

“Little Lan, you’re still with the demon sect?!” Tang Yu got anxious, “They aren’t good people. You should come back with me!”

Shi Shuiyue: “…” If he continued to speak like that, then she would beat him up.

Tang Xing maintained a gentle smile.

“Did you always think so?” Muqing¹Not sure if the author meant Mulan? suddenly asked.

“I…” Tang Yu was stunned for a moment, “Little Lan…”

“Where were you when my mother died?”

“I…”

“I was only six at that time. After my mother’s death, I had no choice but to compete with beggars for food and live among them for the mere sake of survival. This was all because my mother told me to stay alive no matter what.” Mulan stretched out her hand, as if her mother’s face appeared in front of her again.

“Lan’er, you must live…you must stay alive…” A gentle smile remained on her mother’s thin face as she passed away.

“Little Lan!” Tang Yu felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. He didn’t know. He didn’t know that his child had suffered so much!

Mulan turned around so that her back was facing him. In fact, she actually didn’t have any special feelings. When her mother died, she was too young to remember her clearly, and now she could only recall a vague outline of her face. She had been envious of her peers since she was child. They could pester their parents for a skewer of candied hawthorns, while she could only hide in a corner and eat steamed buns that had been moldy for more than ten days. 

At that time, she really wished that her so-called father could find her ah!

But…that was just her wishing thinking.

It was another winter day, and her clothes were stolen by a beggar—leaving her with only a single piece of thin garment. With her eyes closed, she kept thinking and thinking… that no matter how cold and sleepy she was, she didn’t want to pass out like this.

After a long time, when the heavily falling snow covered the entire street and covered her body with a thick layer of ‘clothing’, she gradually fell asleep. 

However, in her dazed state of mind, she seemed to have heard something…

“Sect Master, there seems to be a child here who has fainted!”

“Bring her back.”

When she woke up, she was already at the Hundred Poison Sect.

“Do you have a name?” A pretty young girl stood by the bed and looked at her seriously.

“…Lan.” She dazedly answered. The young girl nodded with a gentle smile and said, “Then let’s call you Mulan. Are you willing to follow me?”

“Of course I’m willing.”

At that time, Shi Shuiyue had just succeeded the position of the sect leader, and Mulan was just an inconspicuous maidservant beside her. 

She had planned to just live like this, but…

“Ugh!” She always saw Shi Shuiyue vomiting after killing someone, yet she still had to eat in order to maintain her strength. 

She naturally didn’t understand why she had to do something so terrifying like killing people, so she asked Shi Shuiyue. 

At that time, Shi Shuiyue, who was several years younger than her, showed a helpless expression and said, “I have no choice ah. There’s no one around me who can help me, so I have to rely on myself.”

From that moment on, she began to learn various things in order to protect the sect leader—to protect the light that she had encountered in her life. 

When Mulan came back to her senses, she had strengthened her stance and regained her usual smiling face. She looked at Shi Shuiyue and said in a gentle manner, “Sect Master, let’s go home.” 

Shi Shuiyue was taken aback, but she couldn’t help but curl up the corner of her lips and softly replied, “Mhm.”

“But…” Tang Yu became anxious—she was his daughter ah!

“Younger Uncle, you’re ruminating too much on the past.” Tang Xing blocked Tang Yu and glanced at the smiling Shi Shuiyue. His gaze immediately turned gentle and he continued, “Isn’t it also very good to think about the present?”

Tang Yu opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything when he saw the smile on Mulan’s face.

It was almost dawn. The moon had gradually disappeared, and the daylight could be seen on the horizon. 

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

“Shuiyue!”

“Little Lan!”

“Sect Master!”

The three voices sounded at the same time.