After finally calming down the two-year-old Little Zhuo, Sun Lingtong felt exhausted.
Taking advantage of Little Zhuo leaving the room, he moved his Adam's apple, and spat out the potion he had just drunk, putting it into a storage bag.
Tasting the potion with his tongue, he identified some of the herbs in it.
"Twenty-year-old ginseng, angelica, donkey-hide gelatin, astragalus, white atractylodes..."
"They are indeed all blood and Qi tonics."
But Sun Lingtong still collected them in a storage bag, not drinking any of it.
He thought to himself that his skill in the Alchemy Dao was not good enough, knowing that sometimes a great tonic could be a great poison, and sometimes mixing herbs could produce mixed poisons.
Sun Lingtong had joined the evil Bukong Sect, following his master through the world, with vast experience far beyond his appearance.
"Something is strange..."
"This Little Zhuo is only two years old, why is he so smart?"
He couldn't help but think of himself; he appeared to be three years old, but he was actually thirteen years old.
"I was gravely injured, covered in blood, with hideous wounds, and he brought me home and saved me. Isn't he afraid of trouble?"
"Why is he so skilled in brewing medicine?"
Sun Lingtong had a bit of a suspicion that this was a scheme.
But on second thought, he thought, "I'm just in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, what could I be plotting?"
"Although I come from the Bukong Sect, I practice the Youthful Emperor's Technique, not the orthodox spell of the Bukong Sect. What could I be plotting?"
Sun Lingtong lacked enough information for a precise judgment, so he decided to observe first.
After a few days of recuperation, his mana recovered to its peak, and he gradually saw Little Zhuo's genuine intention.
One day, while lying on the bed, Sun Lingtong suddenly heard something, revealing a trace of surprise.
Soon, Little Zhuo pushed the door open and ran in, panting, and hurriedly said, "Someone from my family is coming! Quick, little brother, I'll help you to my mother's bedroom. There's a secret room underground where you can hide."
Sun Lingtong had anticipated this and smiled slightly, saying, "Don't worry, I have a way, look!"
As he spoke, he disappeared from the bed.
Little Zhuo was stunned, quickly ran to the bedside, touched the empty quilt, and looked around in surprise.
Sun Lingtong transmitted his voice, saying, "Quickly go deal with your family."
Little Zhuo responded with surprise and ran to the small courtyard, where he saw Wang Lan.
"Aunt." Two-year-old Little Zhuo greeted politely.
Wang Lan forced a smile at him, nodded, then waved her hand, letting a few servants behind her enter the house.
"Little Zhuo, I'm here this time to help you move your things."
"You can't live here alone; you have to move to your uncle's house."
Little Zhuo was surprised, his face full of astonishment.
After explaining, Wang Lan ignored him and began directing people around the house.
"Move all these tables and chairs, take them back."
"Hmm, the vase is nice, take it too."
"This Talisman Making table is valuable. Be careful while moving it, don't damage the array patterns on the surface."
Soon, Wang Lan had almost emptied Little Zhuo's house of its furnishings.
Before leaving, she said to Little Zhuo, "We'll keep these things for you for now."
"You, a little child, could easily get robbed."
"Once the Ancestral Hall's matters are settled, we'll bring you over."
Little Zhuo shook his head repeatedly, anxiously saying, "I, I don't want to move!"
"Mother lives here..."
"But your mother is already dead!" Wang Lan immediately shook her head, firmly refusing. "This is not a discussion. You're too young to protect yourself."
Wang Lan walked up to Little Zhuo, pulled him into a corner, leaned down, stared at his face, and whispered, "By the way."
"Little Zhuo, did your mother give you anything special before she left, asking you to keep it alone?"
"Those things might be very important. You, a child, might lose them, and that would be a big trouble."
"Be good, take them out and let Aunt keep them safe for you! When you grow up and the time is right, Aunt will return them to you."
Little Zhuo shook his head quickly, denying emphatically, "No, there are no such things."
"Really no?" Wang Lan doubted.
Little Zhuo continued to shake his head, "Really no!"
"Okay." Wang Lan saw that servants were busy moving items, so she didn't persist in questioning and let Little Zhuo go for the time being, "Once the Ancestral Hall has updated your household registration, we will come and take you to stay with us."
Before leaving, Wang Lan whispered in Little Zhuo's ear, "Little Zhuo, if you're scared and want to move over sooner, that's fine too!"
"Remember to keep the things your mother secretly gave you. Carry them with you, don't leave them here, or someone might steal them!"
Little Zhuo said, "Don't worry, Aunt, I have generals and lieutenants to protect me."
Wang Lan sneered, "Those two Mechanical Puppets are at most mid-stage Qi Refinement strength. They might guard the house, but they consume Spirit Stones."
After the group left, Little Zhuo stood dazedly in the hall.
Many pieces of furniture and items had been moved away. He, a two-year-old child, seemed so small in the empty house.
Sun Lingtong witnessed the entire process and felt a ripple in his heart as he watched Little Zhuo.
At that moment, he realized the reason he was saved—
"He saw that I was also a child, so he came to save me."
"He treated my wounds and brewed medicine because he used to do that for his mother. It was something very familiar to him."
"He must have seen himself in me."
"The same loneliness, so naturally drawn to closeness."
"His mother had only been gone for less than half a month, and in this suddenly large, cold, and unfamiliar world, he just wanted to find a companion, a support."