370: Chapter 370 The Mystery of Her Origins: Little Red Riding Hood, Growing Up Alone in the Forbidden Zone

Xu Chen smiled in agreement, then turned and cut off another large piece of roasted beast meat, handing it over.

Tuoba You cheered, holding the Golden-Horned Fire Ox leg meat, which was almost as big as her face, with both hands and devouring it without reservation.

Golden grease slid down between her fingers and from the corners of her mouth. Her cheeks were puffed out from eating, making her look like a protective and content little beast.

Ji Qingyun sat beside Xu Chen, watching the girl wolf down her food, and a gentle smile appeared in her usually cold eyes.

She took out a snow-white silk handkerchief from her sleeve, leaned over, and gently wiped the grease from Tuoba You's chin, softly advising her to eat slower.

Tuoba You stopped, looked at Ji Qingyun, then at Xu Chen.

From these two people, she felt no greed or killing intent, only a warmth that made her feel cozy all over. She grinned at Ji Qingyun, revealing a set of clean, even little pearly teeth, and even her eating motions became a bit more refined.

A large piece of high-grade Spirit Beast meat quickly disappeared.

Tuoba You patted her round little belly contentedly, letting out a burp that smelled of roasted meat.

Seeing that the time was right, Xu Chen casually added a dry branch to the bonfire and spoke in a casual tone.

"Youyou, at such a young age, why are you running around alone in the depths of this dark Forbidden Zone? Where are your elders?"

As soon as this question was asked, Tuoba You, who had been full of happiness, instantly froze.

She lowered her head, unconsciously rubbing the scorched earth with her dust-covered toes, her clear voice tinged with a naive loneliness.

"I have no elders, and no home."

Tuoba You looked up, glanced at the dark and oppressive sky, then at the flickering flames, her eyes revealing a heartbreaking confusion.

"Since I can remember, I've been in this dark place. A voice in my head told me that I was born from the last bit of Life Qi on this land. All that accompanied me were those dead bones that only knew how to roar all day. But they were too brittle and too smelly, I didn't like them at all."

Listening to these simple and direct words, Xu Chen's heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Combined with the identity hint previously given by the System, everything matched up. This girl was clearly the residual Primordial Creation of this Forbidden Zone of Life, a spiritual embryo nurtured over countless ages.

To put it mystically, she was uniquely blessed; to put it plainly, she was an orphan without parents, desolate and helpless.

In this forbidden land, where even the Eastern Desolation Holy Lord dared not easily tread, a little girl, whose speech still carried a hint of awkwardness, spent long and monotonous years alone. No friends, no family, facing only endless death and decay every day.

This kind of bone-deep loneliness was something ordinary people could not imagine.

A genuine flicker of pity crossed Xu Chen's eyes. He moved closer, extending his broad, warm hand, and without any guard, let it rest on Tuoba You's fluffy head.

He gently ruffled her hair.

Tuoba You stiffened abruptly.

Since she was little, no living being had ever dared to touch her head like that. In the Law of the jungle of the Forbidden Zone, exposing a fatal weakness to others was equivalent to seeking death.

However, the warmth from Xu Chen's palm was so comforting, and that familiar Grandmist Qi flowed into her heart along her hair, instantly soothing all her wariness and unease.

Tuoba You was like a wild kitten whose fur had been completely stroked. Not only did she not shy away, but she instinctively lifted her small face and rubbed it against Xu Chen's palm, her eyes beginning to well up with a thin mist.

"Big Brother..."

Tuoba You sniffled, the bonfire's light reflected in her clear eyes, and her voice carried a hint of grievance.

"Is the outside world fun? Are there also so many things that break with a touch?"

She stretched out her delicate-looking little hands, staring blankly at her palms, her tone filled with self-doubt.

"My strength is too great, I always can't control myself. I once saw a beautiful glowing little flower, I wanted to pick it and wear it in my hair, but as soon as my hand touched it, it turned into mud. I saw a shiny stone, wanted to use it as a pillow, but with a bit of force, the stone turned into powder. That big guy just now was the same, his snoring was too loud while he slept, I just wanted to wake him up and make him shut up, but his head exploded."

At this point, Tuoba You's two small hands nervously intertwined.

She looked up, anxiously watching Xu Chen, like a child who had done something wrong, awaiting an adult's judgment.

"Big Brother, if I go to the outside world with you, I'll also break your things. You... you'll definitely dislike me and not want me, right?"

In this little girl's perception, having too much destructive power was a flaw, the culprit that prevented her from making friends and embracing beautiful things. She was afraid that this man, the only one who showed her kindness, would also push her away because of her brute strength.

Hearing this tearful confession, Xu Chen couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

This girl was simply a silly treasure crying poverty while holding a golden rice bowl!

Innate monstrous strength, capable of punching a quasi-Emperor's head into smithereens, would be a peerless talent that major Holy Lands and Immortal Imperial Dynasties would fight tooth and nail for in the outside world. Yet, in her mouth, it had become a disliked flaw.

Not only did Xu Chen not withdraw his hand, but he ruffled her long hair even more vigorously.

"Silly girl, who would dare to dislike you?"

Xu Chen reined in the smile at the corner of his mouth, gazing at Tuoba You's eyes with focused sincerity.

"Great strength is a supreme ability bestowed upon you by the heavens, something others pray to gods and Buddhas for and still can't get. Big Brother couldn't be happier!"

Xu Chen withdrew his hand and pointed to the endless Void Realm outside.

"When you go to the outside world, you'll be someone I, Xu Chen, protect. You can crush whatever you want. In my Xu Family's treasury, shiny stones are piled as high as mountains, and beautiful little flowers are countless. If you crush a palace today, Big Brother will send people to build two new ones for you tomorrow!"

Xu Chen's voice was resolute, echoing around the edge of the vast deep pit.

"If some ignorant fool dares to say a single bad word about you, dares to dislike your great strength, then you stand up for Big Brother and punch them into mud. With me here, you can walk sideways across all the heavens and myriad realms!"

Tuoba You was utterly stunned.

She stared blankly at Xu Chen's handsome and resolute face, her ears echoing with his utterly doting words.

She had never heard anyone say such words to her in her life. That warmth of being unconditionally accepted and unconditionally favored instantly shattered the defense line named 'loneliness' deep in her heart.

So, her great strength wasn't a fault after all.

So, there really would be someone willing to tolerate all her destructiveness, willing to give her countless fun things.

Large drops of tears, without warning, rolled down from Tuoba You's clear eyes.

"Big Brother!"

Tuoba You sobbed, directly pouncing into Xu Chen's arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Xu Chen's waist, burying her tear- and grease-stained face in Xu Chen's chest, like a child who had suffered a great grievance and finally found a parent, crying her heart out without restraint.

Due to her emotional agitation, she temporarily forgot to control her strength. Those slender arms, capable of crushing a quasi-Emperor's skull, instantly erupted with terrifying strangling power.

"Hiss!"

Xu Chen felt a sharp pain in his waist, as if he was tightly bound by two ancient True Dragons, his bones protesting under the unbearable pressure.

This was only because he possessed the cultivation of a Great Saint and the Hongmeng Creation Origin Body. If it were an ordinary Saint King standing here, this loving hug would probably directly snap them in half!

Xu Chen gasped, his eyes rolling, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound, nor did he push away the girl crying heartbrokenly in his arms.

He merely held her back with one hand and gently patted her shoulder with the other, letting her tears soak his clothes.

Ji Qingyun, sitting nearby, watched this scene, and her eyes also sparkled with tears.

As a being also nurtured in this Forbidden Zone of Life, she deeply understood the loneliness and longing in Tuoba You's heart.

She looked at Xu Chen's profile, which, despite being grimaced in pain, was still full of tenderness, and her love for this man deepened.

The night gradually receded, and a hint of dawn appeared in the east.

The embers of the bonfire still emitted a faint red glow. Tuoba You, tired from crying, slept soundly in Xu Chen's arms, a peaceful smile still on her lips.

Xu Chen gently adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable.

Just then, Xu Chen's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and the sharp golden light of his Heavenly Dao Divine Pupils flashed.

He keenly sensed that at the edge of this ancient Forbidden Zone palace ruins, several sneaky, unfamiliar auras were quietly approaching, hidden by secret techniques.