Chapter 77 Family I've become a disciple, so I have to call the Star Lord my master's wife...

"...Waaah..."

A sound of crying came from not far away, and the two of them were startled and came to their senses.

Following the sound, they found a five- or six-year-old boy, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dirt, lying on the body of a stiff adult man, crying until he was almost out of strength and trembling all over.

"It's the child!" Deng Jie quickly stepped forward, squatted down, disregarded the filth, and reached out to touch him. He found that the child had a high fever, and upon closer inspection, he noticed red spots on his neck.

"He's infected with the plague!" Deng Jie's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked at Guo Jia, "Stand back!"

Deng Jie took off his cloak and was about to hug him when Guo Jia stopped him first, bending down and reaching out his hand: "Let me do it."

"You..." Seeing that Guo Jia had already taken the initiative to embrace him, Deng Jie had no choice but to immediately take out a clean piece of linen from his pocket, roll it up simply, and cover his face with it.

A small candle burned in the inner room of the hermitage, illuminating Deng Jie's figure as he watched over the children.

She tirelessly fed the child medicine and wiped him down to lower his fever.

The boy was seriously ill, with a high fever and delirium. His body was burning hot, and his consciousness was blurred. He clutched her clothes and mumbled "Mother."

Each call brought a pang of sorrow to her heart. The thought that her own child had never seen her brought tears to her eyes. She transformed this guilt into heartfelt tenderness, which she poured onto the child before her.

Guo Jia was ordered by Deng Jie to stay in the next room, where he could only listen to the rustling sounds of Deng Jie's busy work and the child's incoherent babbling, and he was just as unable to fall asleep.

The faint sparks that had lingered before, now tinged with neglect, seemed to stir a sense of loneliness deep within.

The air was slightly cool, and the child's high fever had subsided somewhat. Although still weak, he was finally able to open his eyes.

It seems the most dangerous night has passed.

When the child first saw the two gray-haired men and women who were not old, he was startled and shrank back. It wasn't until Deng Jie gently comforted him and Guo Jia sneered, "You even dragged her to stay with you all night," and then coaxed him with "We are stars descended to earth, and everyone in the city knows it," that the child began to re-examine them with some doubt.

"And you, do you have a name? Where did you come from?" Guo Jia completely disregarded the fact that he was just a child, remaining vigilant, and was met with a reproachful glare from Deng Jie.

Fortunately, the child could still speak, clearly explaining that his real name was A-Xun, that he was originally from Liangzhou, and that his hometown had been ravaged by war. He had fled south with his father, only to find that this place had also suffered from war. The journey was arduous, and his father eventually fell ill and passed away.

“Your father…we buried him hastily last night…” Deng Jie said apologetically.

The child didn't understand any of this; he only knew that he was all alone and miserable, and couldn't help but shed tears.

"Then will you come with us from now on?" Deng Jie asked.

Ah Xun pouted. He had no other choice but to throw himself into Deng Jie's arms, crying loudly with a mixture of joy and sorrow.

So the two of them became companions, and the three of them traveled together. Ah Xun settled down by their side.

During the day, he wore the small mask that Deng Jie had sewn for him and rested obediently on the straw mat.

Once she felt a little better, seeing Deng Jie and Guo Jia busy, she would timidly approach them and offer to lend a hand. She would also call the two of them "Star Lord" and "Fairy" like the people who came for treatment, and carefully help them separate the mixed medicinal herbs.

At night, Deng Jie, worried that the epidemic had not been eradicated, insisted that Guo Jia and A Xun sleep separately.

However, due to the long-term lack of maternal love and the recent death of her father, Ah Xun developed a strong dependence on Deng Jie.

Every night before falling asleep, he would hold onto Deng Jie tightly, refusing to let her go.

Deng Jie also went from staying by his side at the beginning to embracing him and coaxing him to sleep, giving Ah Xun her maternal love that she had nowhere else to put without reservation.

Guo Jia was thus "exiled" to a cold and desolate outer room, where he slept alone every day.

After several days, the pent-up anxiety and depression in his heart finally reached a breaking point.

That night, listening to the soft, comforting voices and gradually calming breathing from next door, he tossed and turned on the cold straw mat.

Guo Jia tiptoed into the inner room, startling Deng Jie.

Deng Jie asked in a low voice, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Why are you here?"

"Sleepless nights alone..." Guo Jia raised an eyebrow, glanced at his wife's hand still resting on A Xun, and boldly took two steps closer, "Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven... It is really inappropriate for you to accompany him to sleep every day like this."

Deng Jie scoffed at this, stood up, and pressed a finger to Guo Jia's forehead, stopping him from going any further: "What nonsense are you talking about? He's only five or six years old, still a baby. He has no mother, I have no son... Isn't this perfect..."

As they were talking, Ah Xun turned around groggily, wrapped her little arms around Deng Jie's waist, and softly called out, "Mother..."

Guo Jia saw that Deng Jie was still smiling sweetly, pointed at him and growled in a low voice: "This, this brat...! Who said you don't have a son! Tomorrow we'll set off for Ye City and steal Yi'er away!"

“You’re talking nonsense again. If we go back like this, I’m afraid our whole family will die together…” Deng Jie looked down at A Xun and sighed softly, “Yi’er… I really have let him down. As for A Xun… I still want to take him as my disciple.”

"What?!" Guo Jia exclaimed involuntarily, and was glared at fiercely by Deng Jie. He quickly covered his mouth, but couldn't help but ask, "Do you intend to keep him with you forever?"

“He’s just a child, far from home, with no relatives or friends. If we abandon him, in this world… where will he find a way to survive? Even parents and children exchange children to eat each other… a helpless child like him probably won’t go far…” Deng Jie didn’t finish his sentence, but Guo Jia was well aware of the unspoken meaning.

"Even though we ourselves are struggling to make ends meet..." Guo Jia complained softly, but took the opportunity to move closer.

Deng Jie then realized his true intentions: chasing him away was just a pretense; he probably really wanted to sleep together. Her heart softened, and she took his hand, pulling him closer. "I know," she said, "how about we wait until he learns some skills to support himself before letting him go out and make his way in the world?"

Guo Jia found comfort in her actions and finally smiled and said, "Fine, I'll do whatever you say."

As he spoke, he leaned against Deng Jie's soft body with satisfaction, helped her lie down on the straw mat, and laid out straw for the three of them to keep warm.

So, in this small, secluded room, the three of them huddled together.

Guo Jia quietly pulled away Ah Xun's hand that was wrapped around Deng Jie's waist and put his own arm around her instead.

Even when Deng Jie falls asleep, he habitually turns towards Guo Jia, burying his face in his chest to absorb the familiar scent.

In his sleep, Ah Xun instinctively sought warmth, leaning against Deng Jie's back again and embracing her.

Guo Jia finally gave in to this sleeping arrangement, gently placing his hand on A Xun's shoulder and patting it softly.

After spending so much time together, Guo Jia's frail body finally succumbed to the disease.

Deng Jie was pleased with A Xun's recovery, but Guo Jia unsurprisingly fell ill.

"I've caught it after all..." Deng Jie sighed, secretly regretting that he shouldn't have been so soft-hearted.

"Hehe... It's alright, it's alright. You said you wouldn't let me die..." Even though Guo Jia was lying on the table and couldn't get up, he still acted coquettishly towards her.

“Of course,” Deng Jie replied firmly, his hands already expertly beginning to wipe his body and massage him.

Ah Xun seems to have been born with a tenacious spirit and a grateful nature.

He would imitate Deng Jie, clumsily wringing out a cloth with his small, tender hands and carefully wiping the sweat from Guo Jia's forehead.

They would stand guard by the medicine stove, watching the heat intently, coughing from the smoke but not leaving, then holding the scalding hot medicine bowl, calling out with utmost seriousness, "Star Lord, it's time to drink your medicine." Then they would carefully blow on it to cool it down.

Guo Jia was initially awkward, though he didn't say anything, his eyes revealed a hint of disdain.

But gradually, looking into his concerned eyes and hearing him call her "Star Lord," the resentment she felt about being "taken away" was eventually melted away by his small act of sincerity.

Especially when Deng Jie was busy treating others in the courtyard, A Xun would stay by his side, gently patting him with his little hands, imitating how Deng Jie coaxed him to sleep, and murmuring in a childish voice, "The fairy said that you need to rest to get better..."

Seeing his appearance, Guo Jia eventually accepted it.

One morning, Deng Jie was decocting medicine in the outer room. Guo Jia was leaning against the earthen wall, watching closely, when he saw A Xun's figure flash past the doorway and squat down next to Deng Jie to distribute the medicine.

Guo Jia's heart stirred, and he called out gently, "A-Xun."

Ah Xun immediately put down the herbs in his hand, jogged over, and asked cheerfully, "Star Lord, did you call me?"

Guo Jia beckoned him closer, then gently stroked his hair, which had regained some shine. "You've had a hard time these past few days, and... thank you very much."

Ah Xun was flattered and her face immediately lit up with shy joy. She quickly shook her head and said, "It's not hard work, it's not hard work! It was the Star Lord and the Fairy who saved me and taught me all this!"

Guo Jia smiled and turned his gaze to Deng Jie, who was carrying a bowl of medicine in. He said softly, "Say Yi, you said before that you wanted to take him as your disciple. In my opinion... it's a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Deng Jie's eyes lit up: "You finally agreed?!"

"I have no right to interfere with you..." Guo Jia glanced at A Xun with a slightly guilty look and chuckled, "Such a rough gem deserves to be polished and should be accepted."

Ah Xun's gaze darted between the two of them, and he was so excited that he stammered incoherently. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times, shouting, "I'm willing! I'm willing! Thank you, Star Lord! Thank you, Fairy... no, thank you, Master!"

After he finished bowing, he suddenly raised his head, his small eyebrows furrowed, and looked at Guo Jia in confusion: "But... I've become a disciple of the Star Lord, so what should I call him?"

He tried hard to recall the typical master-apprentice relationship, "Should they be...should they be called master's wife?"

Guo Jia was so startled that he spat out the mouthful of medicine he had just put in his mouth, choking and coughing repeatedly until his face turned red.

He slammed down the medicine bowl and retorted loudly, "How can that be?!"

Watching Guo Jia's exasperated expression and A Xun's terrified, shrunken face, Deng Jie couldn't help but laugh: "It's not that it's impossible, after all, you used to..."

Guo Jia's heart tightened, anticipating that she would bring up the matter of dressing up as a woman in front of Lü Bu again, and he immediately covered her mouth: "No means no!"

Then she forced a quick smile at Ah Xun to reassure him: "Okay, Ah Xun, could you call me something else?"

Ah Xun scratched his head, thinking hard. A glint flashed in his eyes. He lowered his voice and tentatively asked, "Then...then can I call you...Father and Mother?"

Guo Jia's expression froze instantly as he cautiously looked at Deng Jie.

The playful smile on Deng Jie's face vanished completely, replaced by a bittersweet tearful expression.

Seeing that the two hadn't responded for a long time, Ah Xun timidly lowered her head and whispered, "I...I'll think about it some more..."

“Okay!” Deng Jie immediately interrupted him, looking up at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia smiled and nodded, then put his arm around Deng Jie, "A-Xun, from today onwards, you are our Xingzi."

Ah Xun looked up in disbelief, then rushed towards the two of them with joy, calling out in a tearful voice, "Father, Mother!"

Looking at the child in his arms, Guo Jia couldn't help but wonder what Yi'er looked like now that he was almost two years old, and whether he had anyone by his side who could call him "father" and "mother"...

Deng Jie must have thought the same way as him; at this moment, he was already holding Ah Xun with tears streaming down his face.

Guo Jia raised his hand and gently stroked the two of them, helping A-Xun up: "Good child, did you originally have a surname?"

Ah Xun shook his head blankly: "My father used to just call me Ah Xun."

Guo Jia pondered for a moment, then said, "Then... from now on, how about you be called 'Guo Xun'? Take my surname, Guo."

“Guo Xun…” Ah Xun repeated the new name softly, a bright smile spreading across her face.

Then he tilted his head and asked, "Did Father also have a surname?"

Guo Jia, remembering that he was still seen as an immortal by the children, coughed lightly and said, "That's natural. We are just immortals descended to earth, and we also have mortal families."

A-Xun turned pale with fright at his words and clung tightly to Guo Jia's arm: "No! You can't! I want to take Father's surname, Guo! I want to follow Father and Mother forever!"

Looking at the child's nervous expression, and then at Deng Jie's face breaking into a smile through his tears, Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh out loud himself.

He reached out and hugged Ah Xun and Deng Jie tightly in front of him: "Okay, we won't leave. We are a family and will always be together."