Body command feeding world

As dusk deepened, the setting sun cast its last rays of warmth upon the shattered city of rocks.

As the smoke cleared and the embers died down, the stench of blood and decay in the air lessened somewhat, but it still felt oppressive. Soldiers and civilians silently cleaned up the mess, carried away the corpses, and repaired the city walls. No one spoke; only low sobs and heavy breathing echoed among the broken walls.

The silence after the disaster is more unsettling than the carnage itself.

Wu Wei, supporting his double-edged marrow spear, walked step by step off the battlefield.

His clothes were stained with blood, his armor was shattered, and his meridians throbbed with pain. The evil poison still stubbornly resisted within him, and every step he took was heavy with exhaustion. But he did not stop. His gaze passed through the crowd, through the scorched earth, through the collapsed streets, and looked straight at the small courtyard behind the Zhenxie Division where he had been temporarily housed—the place he had promised to return to.

There, a small figure was waiting for him.

Within his soul, Shu remained silent and undisturbed, quietly helping him suppress the surging blood energy and the remaining evil poison.

Some roads you have to walk alone.

Some warmth can only be found by oneself.

Passing through the half-collapsed archway and over the scattered rubble, Wu Wei's steps slowly came to a stop in front of a relatively intact hut.

The door was ajar, and there were no lights inside, only a faint light from the outside.

He gently raised his hand and pushed open the wooden door.

A soft creak broke the deathly silence in the room.

The tiny figure was curled up on a pile of hay in the corner, hugging its knees, its little head buried in its arms, motionless, like a frightened and helpless young animal. Its coarse cloth jacket was dusty, and its hair was a little messy, but still clean, showing that it had been carefully cared for.

It's Yaya.

Hearing the noise, she trembled violently, her tiny shoulders tensed, and she slowly raised her head.

Those eyes, which were always timid yet clear and bright, suddenly widened when they saw the blood-stained but upright figure at the door.

First she was bewildered, then stunned, and then, a glimmer of light surged up wildly from the depths of her eyes.

"Uncle..."

A soft call, weak, trembling, and filled with disbelief, yet so clear it pierced through all the noise and silence.

The next second, Ya Ya seemed to finally confirm that the person in front of her was real, not a dream, not an illusion.

She suddenly jumped down from the haystack, her small body stumbling as she ran towards Wu Wei without a care in the world. Her skirt fluttered, her face flushed, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lip tightly and didn't cry out.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

She threw herself into Wu Wei's arms, her small arms tightly wrapped around his waist, burying her face in his blood-stained robes, holding him tightly as if if she let go, he would disappear again.

The sobs could no longer be suppressed; they were soft, choked, and filled with the ecstatic joy of something lost and found, gently striking Wu Wei's heart.

"I'm scared... I'm so scared..."

"They said it's scary outside... they said there's a big monster..."

"Yaya has been waiting for you for so long... so long..."

Wu Wei froze.

His hands, which had held guns for years, stained with blood, slain demons, and faced life and death, were now somewhat at a loss. He slowly lowered his head, looking at the small figure tightly hugging him in his arms, at her trembling shoulders, her soaked hair, and her tiny fingers clutching the hem of his clothes.

He never flinched amidst the clash of swords on the battlefield, nor did he bow his head to the oppressive aura of the tyrant. Yet, at this moment, this tearful cry of "Uncle" suddenly softened the hardened strings of his heart.

He slowly raised his hand and gently placed it on Ya Ya's head, his movements clumsy yet incredibly gentle.

The warmth of the palm, transmitted through the hair, brings a sense of security, stability, and unquestionable trust.

"I am here."

Wu Wei's voice was much lower than usual, less cold, and more gentle than he himself hadn't even noticed. "I'm back."

"They didn't leave."

"It won't hurt."

"I'm not afraid."

Three words, simple, yet as heavy as a rock.

Ya Ya buried herself in his arms, crying even harder, but holding on even tighter, as if she wanted to cry out all the fear, anxiety, loneliness, and waiting she had felt during this time.

She had no parents, no relatives, Qinglu Village was destroyed, and Shi Meng, the only one who protected her, was gone.

In this vast and terrifying world, Wu Wei was her only light, her only support, and the only place she dared to call "home".

Wu Wei just stood there, letting her hug him and let her cry.

He didn't speak, but gently patted her back, again and again, with a slow and steady rhythm.

Outside the window, the setting sun had faded, and night was just beginning to fall.

Inside the house, one tall and one short, one large and one small, in the shattered city, at the moment when darkness was about to fall, they huddled together in a small, warm, and impenetrable corner.

After crying for a long time, Ya Ya finally stopped crying, raised her tear-streaked face, looked up at him, her eyes red like a frightened little rabbit, but she tightly gripped his clothes and refused to let go.

"Uncle, you're bleeding..." she whispered, her small hand wanting to touch the bloodstains on his body, but then she timidly withdrew it, afraid of hurting him.

"It's just a minor injury," Wu Wei said in a low voice.

"Yaya will blow on it for you, and it will make the pain go away."

She tiptoed, tilted her head up, and gently blew a breath onto the wound on his arm.

A cool breeze brushes against the skin, yet warms the heart.

Wu Wei lowered his eyes, looking at the small, clean face in front of him, a face filled with complete dependence.

In this chaotic world where everyone is in danger, where murderous intent is rampant, and human life is as worthless as grass, in this devastated city where life and death hang by a thread, in this world where the future is dark and the unknown is terrifying.

That one call of "Uncle," that one hug, that one "Blow on it and it won't hurt anymore"—it all made me feel better.

It was the only warmth.

The only soft one.

The only light.

He came from another world all alone, with no ties or attachments, only the desire to kill and the drive for revenge sustained him.

But now, he suddenly understands.

He was no longer fighting just for the flames of Qinglu Village, no longer just fighting to survive.

He wanted to protect the tiny figure in his arms.

He protected this last glimmer of light that belonged to him.

Wu Wei squatted down to look her in the eye, and gently wiped away the tears on her face. His finger movements were still clumsy, but he was extremely earnest.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Ya Ya nodded, then quickly shook her head and whispered, "Ya Ya isn't hungry, it's good that Uncle is back."

Wu Wei remained silent for a moment, then stood up and reached out to take her small, slightly cool hand.

Her hands were small, soft, and light, and he gently held them in his palm.

"Walk."

He said in a calm voice, yet with an unprecedented firmness, "Uncle will take you to find something to eat."

"From now on, I'll be here for you."

"I won't let you be afraid anymore."

As night deepened, the starlight began to twinkle.

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked hand in hand out of the small house and into the twilight of the ruined city.

Behind him lay a shattered battlefield and the past of life and death; before him lay unknown darkness and overwhelming danger.

The warmth of holding hands is enough to illuminate the path ahead.

That was enough to sustain him, allowing him to continue walking in this cold and cruel world.