"Lord Martial God, I'm sorry, little Ningguang she..."
Ningguang's mother was a woman in her thirties, with no soul power emanating from her, indicating she wasn't a soul master.
Before she could finish, Zhongli waved his hand and handed little Ningguang back to her mother, saying, "It's fine."
"Little Ningguang is very cute. When she's old enough for school, let her attend the Liyue Academy."
"Children are the future of Liyue. Liking me is not a fault, so why should you apologize?"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
The logic was sound, but were you really this easygoing?
Upon hearing about school, little Ningguang's eyes lit up, and she said in a childish voice, "Big Brother Martial God, I will study hard and become the richest merchant in Liyue, the richest in the entire Douluo Continent, and one of the Liyue Star!"
Most people took Ningguang's words as the fantasies of a child, reality was harsh!
But no one mocked her. Weren't they the same when they were young?
Dreaming of becoming soul masters, titled Douluo, and...
They hadn't succeeded, but that didn't mean others wouldn't.
"Good. When you become one of the Liyue Star, I'll give you a gift. How about that?"
Zhongli smiled slightly as he spoke to Ningguang.
"Really? Big Brother Martial God, you can't lie to Ningguang like Mommy did!"
"A gentleman's word is his bond!"
Here, "gentleman" didn't refer to an emperor but to a man of honor, a promise made by a gentleman was unbreakable.
Meng Hongchen stepped forward and looked at Ningguang, asking curiously, "Little Ningguang, how did your mommy lie to you?"
Could such a young child even tell what a lie was?
At this, Ningguang's mother's expression changed, her face darkening. Clearly, this was something she didn't want to bring up.
"Daddy went out to sea to fish half a year ago. Every time he goes fishing, he comes back within half a month at most."
Due to the presence of sea soul beasts, fishermen on the Douluo Continent only fished near the shore and didn't venture too far.
Thus, fishermen usually only spent ten to fifteen days at sea before returning to restock.
"Mommy said Daddy went to a faraway place and would take a long time to come back. But I know Daddy isn't coming back."
As she spoke, Ningguang's expression was calm, but a hint of sorrow flashed in her eyes.
Though she hadn't yet awakened her martial soul, she understood more than most children her age.
Hearing this, Meng Hongchen's smile froze. She had said the wrong thing!
This little one...
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Big Sister. Mommy and I are doing fine now. If Daddy knew, he would be very happy."
Ningguang waved her hand dismissively.
Meng Hongchen fell silent, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
She and Xiao Hongchen had it tough too.
They had lost their parents at a young age and were raised by their grandfather.
Such things were common on the Douluo Continent.
Who would have thought that they, adults, weren't as mature as this little girl?
Hearing this, Zhongli frowned slightly, then closed his eyes as if sensing something.
After a moment, he opened his eyes again, his expression slightly strained.
"Hmm..."
Zhongli looked at the crowd, then at Ningguang.
"Big Brother Martial God, what's wrong?"
Ningguang blinked at Zhongli, confused.
Everyone else also looked at Zhongli, their eyes filled with curiosity.
What was the Martial God doing?
Why did he seem hesitant?
After a moment of thought, Zhongli finally spoke, "Little Ningguang, your mommy didn't lie to you."
"Huh??"
Including Ningguang's mother, everyone was stunned, completely baffled.
What was going on?
Wasn't it obvious?
Ningguang's mother was "lying" to her, her father had perished at sea and wasn't coming back.
So what did the Martial God mean by saying she didn't lie?
"Big Brother Martial God, are you going to lie to Ningguang too? Ningguang is five years old, not three."
Ningguang pouted, clearly displeased.
So much for a gentleman's word, he was just feeding her empty promises!
Zhongli shook his head, "Little Ningguang, Big Brother isn't lying to you."
"Your father is still alive."
"Huh??"
"???"
Everyone was filled with confusion, utterly bewildered.
Zhongli waved his hand, and an image appeared in the air.
In the image, a man in his early thirties was desperately holding onto a bent fishing rod, as if something massive was tugging at it.
The boat was being dragged further away by the creature, but the man refused to let go, muttering something repeatedly.
"I can't let it get away. With this big fish, their lives will improve!"
"Wife, daughter, wait for me!"
Days and nights passed, and the boat, dragged by the giant fish, had drifted to an unknown location.
Relying solely on sheer willpower, the man had "battled" the fish for three days and three nights!
"Daddy!"
"Husband!"
At this point, the image paused.
When it resumed, the man seemed to have aged several years, with only a massive fish by his side.
Yes, he had succeeded!
After who knows how many days and nights, the fish's meat was dwindling, and he finally saw land!
"Where is this?"
After coming ashore, he soon encountered some dark-skinned people.
"This is the territory of the Sun Moon Empire. What happened to you?"
They had never seen such a disheveled fisherman before!
"???"
The man was utterly confused. He had drifted from the East Sea all the way to the Sun Moon Empire?
Though he had some soul power, his level wasn't high, which was why he was a fisherman.
The Sun Moon Empire was far from the East Sea...
Even a titled Douluo would need about a week to travel that distance!
What the hell!
The image ended here.
Zhongli spoke, "Your father is indeed alive. He is currently in the Sun Moon Empire."
He wanted to return, but he couldn't!
To get back from the Sun Moon Empire, he would have to cross the Bright Douluo Mountain Range, a heavily guarded military zone. How could a man from the three Douluo nations easily pass through there?
Return by sea?
Not to mention the loneliness, could he even have such luck again?
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen broke into a cold sweat!
For this little girl, the Martial God had used his divine power to investigate!
And her father was trapped in the Sun Moon Empire!
Damn it!
If he were a spy, that would be one thing, but he was just a fisherman!
"Lord Martial God, where is this child's father now? I will personally bring him back to reunite with his family!"
Jing Hongchen, with his high intelligence and emotional quotient, made a flawless statement.
"Old Grandpa, can you really do that?"
Ningguang looked at Jing Hongchen with hopeful eyes.
She only knew her father was very far away, but she didn't understand just how distant the Sun Moon Empire was from the East Sea!
Jing Hongchen shuddered. The little girl called the Martial God "Big Brother," but referred to him as "Old Grandpa", was she trying to kill him?
"Little Ningguang, old... I may look a bit older, but I'm still in my prime. You can call me Big Brother!"
Ningguang: "..."
Everyone: "..."