"Dad, how many times have I told you not to go to town and cheat people anymore? Look at you, you always come back covered in dust and dirt." A little girl said angrily, handing a handkerchief to the old man beside her.

The old man carried a package and smiled憨憨地. He squatted down, dipped his handkerchief in the clear stream water, looked at his reflection in the water, and wiped the dust off his face. "I'm just trying to earn some income for my family. Besides, how can that be called cheating? I was just trying to kindly remind them."

The little girl sighed, looking like a little adult, and said, "A well-intentioned reminder? Then you go around telling everyone that someone is going to have a bloody accident? No wonder they hit you!"

The old man scratched his head and explained somewhat awkwardly, "Hey, what do you mean by 'old man'? I happened to be caught in the crossfire of a fight today."

The little girl, hands on her hips, lectured, "Dad! Stop making excuses! I'll cover for you with Mom this time, but next time you'll be getting a beating with a rolling pin!"

The old man chuckled, "My daughter still cares about me the most."

The two walked home by moonlight, the surrounding villages still lit up, illuminating their way. But by this time, there were almost no pedestrians along the riverbank, only the father and daughter.

The two walked along chatting and laughing when suddenly, the little girl's gaze was drawn to a dark shadow on the riverbank ahead.

She stopped, a mixture of fear and curiosity in her eyes. She gripped the old man's hand tightly and pointed to the distance, saying, "Dad, look! Isn't there someone lying there over there?"

The old man followed the direction she was pointing, his brow furrowed. Instinctively wanting to avoid potential trouble, he pulled the little girl's hand and tried to continue walking: "Stop looking, let's not meddle in other people's business, let's go."

However, the little girl's compassion prevented her from standing idly by, and her voice was full of concern, "She seems to be unconscious. It's so late, it's dangerous for her to be there alone. Let's go check on her!" So she forcefully pulled the old man over.

The two cautiously approached the riverbank, where they saw a young woman lying there, her eyes closed, her face as pale as paper, lifeless. Blood was flowing from her abdomen, a glaring, bright red that looked particularly gruesome in the twilight.

Seeing this, the little girl's eyes were filled with pity and panic. She gripped the old man's hand tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Dad, she...she's bleeding so much, we have to save her quickly!"

The old man cautiously looked around, then tugged at his daughter, "Let's go! This person probably drifted down from upstream. He's so badly injured, there's no guarantee he'll survive... Hey! Where are you going!"

The little girl persisted, even running forward to check the woman's breathing, and then exclaimed joyfully, "This sister is still alive! Daddy, come and lend a hand!"

The old man reluctantly stepped forward and had no choice but to take the woman from the struggling little girl.

Only then did he look directly at the woman's face. Seeing that somewhat familiar face, the old man paused for a moment and said with some doubt, "Why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before?"

小女孩啧了啧嘴，“就快到家了，你可别在老妈面前说这话，小心挨揍。”

The old man quickly shut up.

Not long after the father and daughter left, two other figures appeared nearby.

"Have you seen anyone?" a pale-faced man asked another man.

The latter shook his head, his sharp eyes sweeping across the riverbank, lingering on a pool of blood, then frowning. "Strange, it seems she's been here before."

"You mean, she left on her own?" the former said, suddenly feeling a churning in his stomach, and leaning against a nearby tree, he vomited again.

The latter glanced at him and asked, "Haven't you gotten rid of the poison yet?"

The man wiped his mouth. "That's about it."

The two were none other than Zhui Ming and Mo Qingchen, who had followed the waterfall and river.

Zhuiming carefully examined the traces on the shore and said, "It seems someone took her away. Could it be an assassin from your 'Dark Gate'?"

Mo Qingchen shook his head and said with certainty, "Impossible. I can confirm that Mandala was the last assassin. He has already been killed by you, so no assassin will take on this job."

Zhuiming nodded silently, his eyes concealing deep worry.

“There are several sets of footprints here. Let’s follow them and keep looking,” he said.

The next morning, Chuanliu slowly awoke from his bed. He found himself in an unfamiliar room, simple yet cozy.

Chuanliu instinctively tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

She gasped, cold sweat instantly beading on her forehead. Her wound had been treated and bandaged, but it still aggravated when she moved.

Chuanliu could only slowly lean against the bedside, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he felt his way to the waterproof plastic film where the cards were stored.

Just then, a little girl carrying a bowl of porridge pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing Chuanliu awake, she exclaimed with delight, "Miss, you're awake! That's great! I knew you'd wake up today!"

Chuanliu smiled kindly at the girl and said in a soft voice, "Did you save me?"

The little girl nodded. "Me, my dad, and my mom. My mom made this porridge. Now that you're awake, eat it."

Chuanliu listened to the little girl's words and picked up the porridge to drink.

The little girl leaned closer and asked curiously, "Big sister, how did you faint by the river? Do you know how badly you were hurt yesterday? You were covered in blood, it was really scary."

Chuanliu knew she meant no harm, so he thought for a moment and replied, "My family was pressuring me to get married, and I disagreed, so I jumped into the river to prove my point."

This seemed like a touching love story, which piqued the little girl's interest even more. "Huh? Forced marriage! How can you do such a thing if you're family? Miss, you're good to have escaped! But proving your love with death isn't very wise. You could have run away with your lover."

Chuanliu curled the corners of his lips, looking worried, and said, "He... he should be looking for me... I'm sorry to have worried him."

The little girl immediately realized what was going on and patted her chest, saying, "Don't worry about getting better, big sister. I'll keep an eye on things for you."

Chuanliu, supported by the little girl, walked out of the cozy little house.

This family lives by the water, seemingly isolated from the world, yet embraced by the mountains and rivers. The morning sunlight filters through the sparse clouds, gently casting warmth upon the house.

By the water's edge, the little girl's father, the old fortune teller, was diligently hoeing the ground. Seeing Chuanliu awake, he stopped hoeing, a warm smile spreading across his face, and greeted her kindly, "Girl, you're awake?"

Beside the old man, a woman with braided pigtails was watering the crops in the field with a water ladle. Sunlight shone on her gentle face, making her smile even brighter. She looked up and asked Chuanliu with concern and tenderness, "Young lady, how are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"