Andrew noticed Yun Zhe's embarrassment and suddenly found it amusing. He wanted to make a joke, but he held back. "Well, the children seem to be making a lot of noise. We think it would be better if you went to check on them."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhe collapsed. He wanted to use his injury as an excuse, but he had no pretense at the moment. Saying this would not only be unconvincing, but would also easily draw attention to this matter and cause unnecessary trouble.

Yun Zhe nodded as if he had made up his mind, then sighed resignedly, "Let me pack up and I'll be right there." He then closed the door.

In the instant Andrew closed the door, he seemed to notice something amiss, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was; he just felt, felt that something was off. However, he quickly shook off this feeling. He had a particularly busy day ahead, and he didn't want to be swayed by such trivial thoughts.

Yun Zhe paced back and forth in the room, feeling restless and uneasy. It would be foolish to wrap himself in bandages now. Yun Zhe subconsciously rummaged through his storage bag, hoping to find something with superhuman healing abilities that he could use to make do later.

Persistence pays off; Yun Zhe found several recovery scrolls and a bottle of potion labeled "Resurrection." The bottle was made of an opaque material—neither gold, wood, nor glass. This potion appeared to be extremely precious and meant to be stored away from light. Yun Zhe put it and the other scrolls back into his storage bag, tucked one scroll into his robes, dressed, and headed towards the fence.

The arrival of Xixi brought a temporary silence to the children at the fence. They were curious about a girl who was not much taller than them, dressed in gorgeous clothes, carrying a thin stick, and swaggering in like that.

Their imposing presence was indeed different from the menacing-looking burly men before them. However, they only remained quiet for a brief moment before resuming their activities. Their voices were even louder than before, surpassing even the amplified sound of Xixi's magic scroll.

Xi Xi's face grew increasingly grim. She already disliked children; they were ignorant, noisy, and she couldn't get angry with them, let alone forgive their misbehavior. These were the things Xi Xi hated. Of course, it wasn't because her three-year-old brother had messed up a table full of magic potions, causing her to fail her homework and be scolded by the teacher, that she was taking her anger out on all the children. This was a deep-seated dislike stemming from fear and rejection.

Xi Xi muttered incantations, and the once clear sky began to gather dark clouds, while the wind gradually became noisy and fierce. The children finally stopped making noise and looked up at the sky along with the soldiers and laboring refugees around them.

The sky was now filled with a large, dark cloud, obscuring the sun and plunging the world into gloom. The wind grew colder, and fine snowflakes began to fall from the fence. The children, dressed only in thin clothes, shivered with cold. The sudden change in weather also frightened them. In just a moment, the cries became unified—the children all began to cry.

XiXi had intended to summon a heavy snowfall to scare the children, but the opposite happened; the crying only intensified. XiXi hastily stopped the magic, and the clouds dispersed and the wind ceased. The sun shone again. The children, recovering from the darkness and cold, witnessed this miraculous scene and gradually quieted down.

Yun Zhe clapped his hands.

He rushed through the fence, grabbed Xixi with one hand to prevent her from escaping, and shouted loudly, "Hey, kids, did you think that magic was amazing?"

The older children, who managed to control their emotions better, stammered, "Wow, was that the person who did that?" They pointed at Xixi.

Yun Zhe nodded in satisfaction, "Yeah, isn't it cool, awesome, and intimidating?"

The children all nodded.

Xixi struggled violently. She didn't want to be with this Aruru man. She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. This Aruru man was full of bad intentions, and there would definitely be no good thing if she were with him.

Yun Zhe leaned close to Xi Xi's ear and whispered, "Serena is watching you. Your behavior just now was extremely dangerous. If you cooperate with me, I'll say a few nice words to Serena. Otherwise, I'll say you lost control of your emotions and were going to use a blizzard to kill these children!"

"That's not a blizzard!" Xixi glared angrily, but her struggles gradually subsided.

"Does everyone want to learn?" Yun Zhe asked the children with a big smile.

"Yes!" To everyone's surprise, the children were extremely cooperative this time.

Xi Xi let out a disdainful snort. She thought to herself, "Do you think magic is some street trick you can just learn whenever you want? It requires talent, money, and endless, long-term training. You want to learn? Hmph."

“But magic is very difficult to learn. You need to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic…” Yun Zhe looked troubled. “But you haven’t learned any of those yet, so how can you learn magic?”

The children paused for a moment, as if they had come full circle back to the things they disliked. But... if learning those things would lead to such powerful magic, then it might be worth a try...

"Stop lying to these children. Magicians need talent. You've given them a dream that doesn't belong to them, and it will ultimately kill them!" Xixi said through gritted teeth in a low voice.

“I can tell you heard that from someone else,” Yun Zhe also whispered back. “How could a young girl like you say something so profound? Besides, you don’t need to worry about that. Knowing yourself is an important lesson in life. Although it may be a bit cruel, it is a necessary lesson.”

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!