276 Family (2/2)
The girl hesitated, and her eyes darted back and forth from one of them to the other, apparently unsure of what to do and what to say.
Xue Wei did not rush her as he knew that this was a massive decision. Even if she was basically trapped and locked in the forbidden area, it had now been so many years that it had most likely turned into her safe haven and a home. Leaving would open up a whole new world, but it would also bring with it frightening experiences and things she was unfamiliar with.
If she chose to stay in the forbidden area, Xue Wei would not pressure her to leave either; instead, he would come to visit her often to see what kind of information he could get from her, but it would make everything much easier should she decide to leave with them.
The girl was hesitant, but after looking at the genuinely friendly looking Xue Wei, her worries faded slightly. Although she was a monster who had lived for thousands of years, the truth was that she currently had the mentality of a child. Being treated with such friendliness after thousands of years of imprisonment, it was clear that she felt an instant connection to him.
The King, Lin Xiao, and Hei Gou were all looking at Xue Wei as if they saw the greatest con man alive. Before knocking on the door, his appearance had been utterly ferocious and bloodthirsty, yet now he seemed so gentle and kind. It was clear that he could change his mood at the drop of a hat, and that he was capable of playing tricks on a small child.
”Come inside first,” the girl said after contemplating for a bit. Xue Wei quickly accepted the invitation and entered into the ruined house that belonged to the small girl.
The house was just one room. There was no kitchen, neither were there any signs of food or drinks, all there was was a table and chair alongside a bed.
She had no books, no papers, nothing at all was present within the tiny house, making Xue Wei frown.
”Little Girl, how have you spent your time all these years?” Xue Wei asked in confusion, ”you do not seem to eat or drink, neither do you seem to read or write, there are no signs of you trying to master formations, alchemy or other professions either. Have you not been bored?”
The girl looked at Xue Wei with slightly depressed eyes as she sat down on the chair. ”I sit here,” she said. ”Then I look at the ceiling or look out at the skies. When it gets dark, I go to sleep and rest.
”Every day is the same. It is just a different weather, a different sleep. Nothing much happens.”
Xue Wei frowned when he heard this. To be able to live this long without food, obviously, this girl was much more powerful than he had expected, but she seemed so small, and at the same time he could feel no power coming from her body.
”Since your life is so bland, is it not better to go with Big Brother and see the world outside. We will take you to eat delicious food, and you can play with us and our friends and experience a bustling environment?”
The girl was hesitant again. ”I really want to,” she said, her voice displaying the longing she felt for the outside world. ”But I am afraid,” she admitted.
”The outside world is not as simple as this prison. I am not used to having people around me, and I am not used to anything that has to do with other people. Will I embarrass myself, will I hurt myself? I do not know. Here, I am safe; here, I have a home. Leaving here will be dangerous.”
Xue Wei pondered on her words for a moment, and then he nodded his head. ”I understand,” he said amiably, ”but you have to keep in mind, if I were to take you away from here, then I would be your older brother.” Xue Wei continued, ”as your older brother, I would protect you. If you go somewhere, I would go with you and protect you. My friends will also help me protect you so that no harm will ever befall you.
”Although you are strong, you might not be able to manage amongst other people yet, but as your older brother, I would never leave you alone with other people.”
The girl looked at Xue Wei with big watery eyes, she seemed like a small porcelain doll that could easily be broken, but at the same time, Xue Wei felt that she was much stronger than any of them. He felt that if she wished, then none of them would ever leave this place alive.
Still, he understood her insecurity. She was not willing to use her power to force people to submit to her, she wanted to be treated like a living being, but she just feared that she could not live a normal life after all those years of isolation.
Xue Wei could sense that she was being swayed by his persuasive words, and he reached out his hand, taking the kid's hand into his and started walking towards the wall.
”Look at this wall,” he said as he looked up at the wall in front of him, ”it is holding you back, it is capturing you and not letting you go. Are you sure you wish for this to be the rest of your life? Locked in here all alone and never seeing another living being again?”
Hearing this, the girl's pupils constricted, her teeth began gnawing on her lower lip and her hands fidgeting as she tried to make a decision. She did not want to be alone again. After seeing these people that offered her something after so much nothing, was she really willing to go back to her life of staring at the sky? But could she really do it, could she really step out from the cage that had trapped her for thousands of years but had kept her safe?
”It all depends on you,” Xue Wei affirmed gently. ”In the end, it is your life.” He was coaxing her with a friendly voice and words that the child could understand. ”We will help you if you want to leave, we will protect you and look after you. We will be your family and your friends if you wish, but if you do not wish to leave this house, this prison of loneliness, then we will never force you to do so.”
Hearing this, the girl no longer had any hesitation in her mind. Knowing that they would be her family, all her doubts evaporated into the wind, and her eyes once more turned watery and misty.
She had always wished for a family.