30: Who is lying?

"This little girl has actually awakened an ability!"

"Sigh, it's a pity she fell into the hands of the Qian family; she has no control over her own fate."

"Even an Ability User has no way to resist the influence of the Qian family."

The surrounding chatter drew Li Canglan's attention.

There was a faint copper coin mark on the little girl's face.

"In this day and age, such a punitive branding still exists?"

Anger welled up in Li Canglan's heart.

This was definitely a private punishment from that so-called Qian family!

It was used to indicate that anyone with this brand was a slave of the Qian family!

After knocking back the men in black, the little girl pushed her brother and continued to flee.

However, more men in black bypassed the obstacles and gave chase.

The little girl let out a miserable cry, and an invisible sound wave struck several of the men in black.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

It sent them flying five or six meters away.

"The Qian family is conducting business; all unrelated personnel, leave immediately!"

At this moment, a man in black with a powerful aura appeared from the street behind, shouting and dispersing the onlookers.

Feeling the aura emanating from him, Li Canglan's heart tightened.

A Martial Artist!

With a Martial Artist on the scene, the onlookers in the Body Tempering Realm scattered, not daring to stay any longer.

When they sent people to chase her, this little girl probably hadn't had her Awakening yet.

But even so, the Qian family still dispatched a Martial Artist, who was usually high and mighty!

It seemed the Qian family placed great "importance" on this pair of siblings!

However, this person should have just had a Breakthrough to the Martial Artist Realm not long ago.

The aura didn't look particularly stable.

"Don't catch me... I don't want to go back!"

The little girl didn't seem to realize yet that she had already awakened a powerful ability.

Facing the men in black, she felt only endless fear in her heart.

The little girl pushed the wheelchair and ran quickly, heading in the direction where Li Canglan was.

Li Canglan hesitated for a moment but did not step out.

However, a bolt of thunder gathered in his palm.

It swirled, condensed, and was ready to strike.

After the little girl passed by Li Canglan, he hid in the shadows and struck out with his palm.

Bang!

The terrifying thunder struck the ground.

The ground shattered, and countless stones shot out in all directions.

The man in black's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly dodged.

By the time he regained his composure, where was the trace of that little girl from before?

All that was left on the spot was a wheelchair.

"Damn it!"

The man in black's face was livid. "Keep chasing!"

He thought for a moment, took out his phone, and sent a message to the people from the Qian family.

They must mobilize a large number of people to come, otherwise, once the news spread...

That would be a disaster for the Qian family!

Li Canglan carried the little girl's unconscious brother on his back and began to sprint after entering an alley.

The little girl's face was pale, and she bit her lips tightly.

These two days of fleeing had already left her exhausted.

If it weren't for the desire to save her brother supporting her, she probably would have fainted long ago.

Li Canglan wound through several alleys before stopping at a pile of garbage.

He didn't know the Qian family, but it wasn't hard to imagine that they were definitely a behemoth.

If he returned to the resettlement housing, he might be tracked by the Qian family using surveillance to find his whereabouts.

Therefore, he had tried his best to avoid surveillance along the way, steering clear of paths where he might be discovered.

Li Canglan carefully laid the man on his back onto a cardboard box.

His chest was heaving irregularly, and blood occasionally overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

"This uncle... please, save my brother."

Li Canglan's face darkened. You're the uncle!

This child was truly rude. He was only five years older than her; did he look that old?

Li Canglan remained silent for a moment, too lazy to bicker with the little girl.

"You must first tell me why the Qian family is hunting you down."

Li Canglan wasn't afraid of trouble, but he didn't want to cause it.

The heart of a ranger deep within him made him step in to save the little girl.

He admitted that the little girl's talent as an Ability User had influenced him.

But if the little girl were the one at fault, he wouldn't be able to shield her.

The reason he brought her here first was just to have a safe environment to ask questions.

Those men in black didn't look like the type that were easy to communicate with.

By comparison, the little girl was obviously easier to talk to.

However, in the little girl's eyes, there was clearly only her brother; she just anxiously begged Li Canglan.

"You must tell me the whole story!"

Li Canglan's expression sank. "Otherwise, if he doesn't get treatment soon, your brother will surely die!"

"If you keep crying like this, please forgive me, but I can't help."

Hearing that her brother might die, the little girl was terrified and quickly stopped sobbing.

She also knew in her heart that if it weren't for this stranger in front of her, she and her brother would likely have already been dragged back by that group of men in black.

The little girl sobbed and said, "My brother and I both grew up in an orphanage. There, my brother always took care of me."

"Later, when people from the Qian family came to the orphanage to adopt children, they picked us out at a glance."

"At the time, my brother and I wept with joy, thinking that we could finally have a family, but no one expected that it was just the beginning of a nightmare."

"In the Qian family, they kept instilling in us the concept that humans and monsters should coexist peacefully."

Hearing this, Li Canglan's heart tightened.

Wasn't this the rhetoric believed by the Descent Faction?

Could this Qian family also be members of the Descent Faction?

The little girl didn't notice the change in Li Canglan's expression and continued,

"Besides that, the Qian family would feed us various potions that were difficult to swallow from time to time."

"It was said that these potions could maximize our body's potential and allow us to become Martial Artists."

"But over all these years, my brother's and my bodies have visibly wasted away quite a bit."

"Let alone becoming a Martial Artist, we haven't even reached the Body Refining Realm."

"After taking the potion last time, my brother ended up like this."

"Because of the spatial wormhole two days ago, the Qian family relaxed their guard, which allowed my brother and me to escape."

"Please... save my brother."

At the end of the day, she was just a thirteen-year-old girl.

In the end, the little girl couldn't help but sob again.

Bean-sized teardrops fell onto the dirty, messy floor.

Li Canglan thought to himself, "Now it seems that what the so-called Qian family fed them was not some Body Tempering potion at all."

"It was likely a potion that, by overdrawing the body, stimulated the body's potential and forced an Awakening of an ability!"

His gaze fell on the little girl and the fainted man.

In the Qian family's experiments, people like the little girl who survived were probably the minority.

Most were like the man, fainting, or even dying.

Even if they awakened an ability, there were likely immeasurable consequences.

"Wait for me a moment."

Li Canglan took out his phone and called Uncle He.

The call connected quickly, and Uncle He's voice came through.

"You called at the right time. I just had someone prepare the crystal cores. Should I send them to the resettlement housing for you?"

"Don't worry about that for now, Uncle He. I have something I want to ask you."

Li Canglan asked, "Uncle He, do you know anyone from the Qian family?"

"The Qian family? I haven't had much interaction with them. I only know that they have made significant contributions while assisting the authorities in resisting beast tides and spatial wormholes."

Hearing Uncle He's words, Li Canglan couldn't help but frown slightly.

People from the Descent Faction helping the authorities resist alien races?

Wasn't this self-contradictory?

His gaze fell on the little girl next to him, who was crying while lying on the man.

But this little girl was so young; it was impossible that her ability to lie had reached such a level of perfection, right?

Who exactly was lying?