We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

At midday, the warm sun shines down on the earth.

Deep in the dense forest lies a tranquil village, bathed in warm sunlight, with a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

In an open space outside the village, two children were chasing and playing, their shouts echoing in the distance.

"Brother Qiu Xun! Slow down, wait for me!"

Behind him, a little girl in a linen dress called out repeatedly, but the boy remained unmoved.

He brandished his wooden short sword, slashing and thrusting wildly at the air, fighting against an imaginary formidable foe, and dashing forward.

"You're too slow! How can a hero stop so easily?"

Qiu Xun glanced back and responded, but did not stop walking.

The little girl tried her best to catch up, but the difference in age and size was undeniable, and she could never close the gap.

Unexpectedly, he tripped over a stone, and his body fell forward with the inertia, landing on his back with a thud, and he cried out in surprise.

"Wow!"

Qiu Xun turned around upon hearing the sound and saw his companion collapsed on the ground. Without saying a word, he turned around and ran back.

"Xiaomei, why did you fall again? You're always so clumsy, how am I supposed to lead you to fight the dragon in the future?"

Xiao Mei hastily wiped the dust off her face, shook her head, and looked up at the boy with a pitiful expression.

"Brother Qiu Xun, I don't want to be a hero, I just want to play with you."

Just as the boy was about to speak, his gaze fell on Xiaomei's blood-stained knees, and he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"Oh dear, your leg is bleeding!"

Reminded by her companion, Xiaomei finally noticed the injury on her leg. Her mind was slow to register it, and waves of pain surged up. She could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.

"Waaaaah~~~"

"Oh dear, don't cry! I'll carry you back to find an adult!"

Just then, Qiu Xun suddenly realized that his field of vision had inexplicably risen a notch, as if he had suddenly grown taller, and his field of vision was both novel and expansive.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, a deep, steady male voice came from behind me.

"How can a big boy like you bully a girl younger than yourself?"

"Who is it? I didn't bully her, she fell down on her own!" Qiu Xun argued.

Xu Zhou could naturally tell that this was an accident. He turned the boy around halfway in the air, and their eyes met.

"If you hadn't been running around with her like that, how could she have fallen?"

"I……"

Qiu Xun was about to speak in his defense when he suddenly realized that the two people in front of him were unfamiliar faces and were obviously not adults from the village. He couldn't help but shrink back guiltily.

Who are you?

Xu Zhou put the boy down and haphazardly grabbed a couple of handfuls of his messy hair.

Wu Lulu then squatted down in front of Xiao Mei and took out medical supplies from her waist bag.

First, use a cotton swab to wipe away any foreign objects from the wound. Then, apply iodine solution from the center outwards. Carefully observe the wound and, once you confirm it is not serious, remove the band-aid.

"Okay, it's just a minor injury. It'll scab over in a bit. Just wash it a little before bed tonight."

"Thank you, big sister, you look so beautiful!"

Despite feeling a little nervous facing the unfamiliar guest, Xiaomei still stood up and bowed politely.

Upon being praised by the child, Wu Lulu was so happy that her tail wagged back and forth, and she reached out to rub the girl's head.

"What a good kid!"

At this moment, Xu Zhou reached out and gently pushed Qiu Xun from behind. The boy staggered two steps to Xiao Mei, already understanding the former's intention. His cheeks flushed slightly as he raised his hand and scratched the back of his head.

"Xiaomei, I'm sorry, I ran too fast."

"It's okay, Brother Qiu Xun, it doesn't hurt anymore! Look~"

Xiao Mei jumped up and down a few times, as if to prove that her wound was no longer a big problem. Qiu Xun smiled when he saw this.

It's normal for children to bump and bruise themselves, but faced with something new and exciting, the two quickly stopped paying attention to their injuries and began to curiously examine the stranger in front of them.

"Big brother, big sister, are you adventurers?" Qiu Xun asked, craning his neck.

"Of course! Just look at my big gun!"

Wu Lulu shouldered her spear, striking a majestic pose, which won the cheers and praise of the two children.

Xiaomei then asked, "Brother and sister, why are your clothes all so tattered?"

Xu Zhou and Wu Lulu exchanged a glance. One of them was shirtless, wearing only a black robe, while the other's combat uniform was leaking everywhere. At first glance, they did look rather undignified.

"Well, that..." Wu Lulu awkwardly hugged her tail and made up a story, "After all, we just went through a dangerous battle. This is normal for adventurers. Don't worry about it, don't worry about it."

Seeing that the topic was about to go astray, Xu Zhou promptly spoke up to correct it.

"Children, my companion and I happen to be passing through this village and would like to ask if you can find accommodation here?"

"Then you'll have to talk to the village chief! I'll go find him now. Xiaomei, you take your older brothers and sisters to Grandma Tailor's place first!"

It was a rare encounter with adventurers from out of town, and Qiu Xun seemed quite excited. Perhaps it was their friendliness that made him lower his guard. He exchanged a few words with them and then left Xiao Mei behind, running back to the village in a flash.

Xiao Mei then took Wu Lulu's hand and led the two of them toward the village.

Children are naturally innocent and trusting, and before long, Xu Zhou had learned everything about the village through Xiao Mei.

This is a small village located on the edge of the Black Forest, bordering the plains. It has a total of ten households and about thirty people.

To Xu Zhou's surprise, among these thirty-odd people, there were quite a few with professional skills.

Besides tailors, there were armorers, toolmakers, weapon makers, leatherworkers, priests, butchers, and so on, with the rest being farmers.

In Xu Zhou's view, this was clearly not in line with the conditions of a natural village; the density of professional personnel was too high.

It is highly likely that a group of people migrated here and built the village from scratch; otherwise, it would be inexplicable that it has such a complete set of professional personnel.

Before the group even stepped into the village, three figures quickly came to meet them.

The leader was an elderly man with gray hair and beard, accompanied by Qiu Xun and another middle-aged man.

"Oh! Welcome to Dalin Village, adventurers from afar!"

The old man stepped forward, took off his straw hat, and reached out to shake hands with Xu Zhou.

"I am the village chief. Thank you for taking care of Xiaomei. You must have had a long and tiring journey. This is some dried meat made in the village. It is just a small token of our appreciation. Please do not refuse."

The middle-aged man stepped forward and handed the burlap sack to Wu Lulu.

Xu Zhou smiled kindly and sincerely thanked him:

"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Village Chief."

The village chief nodded slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the two of them, a hint of anticipation flickering in his eyes.

"I've heard about what happened. Are you looking to stay here for the night?"

"Yes, Mr. Village Chief," Wu Lulu continued, "Of course we won't stay for free. If you have any difficulties that you can't solve, you can tell us, and we will do our best to help."

Upon hearing this, the village chief immediately smiled.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Please come in. Difficulties are secondary; our Dalin Village is all about hospitality!"