Suguang

Xue Mingzhao walked out of the grand hall with light steps, planning to bring him more food and spirit stones later, considering it a deed of good karma.

She pushed open the door to Ji Anzhi's cave dwelling. On the bed, the boy, who looked like a bundle of dried firewood, was just slowly waking up.

His eyes were misty and unfocused, his lips dry and cracked into deep fissures, and his body was so weak that lifting an arm seemed to take as much effort as exhausting his entire lifetime of cultivation.

Xue Mingzhao picked up the warm spirit rice porridge from the stove, dragged a small wooden stool over to squat by the bedside, scooped up a large spoonful, blew on it until it was completely cool, and held it to his lips. “Take small sips. Your stomach has been empty for too long, so don't gulp it down, or you'll get acid reflux.”

The boy timidly looked up at her and sipped the porridge bit by bit, whispering a tiny, mosquito-like “thank you” with every swallow.

Xue Mingzhao muttered to herself: No wonder Shen Chaoyue took a liking to him at first glance and brought him back. He wasn't some dirty little beggar; he was clearly a little stray puppy soaked through by the rain.

“Clang!” The door was violently kicked open, and Li Buqi rushed in frantically, heading straight for Xue Mingzhao. “Seventh Junior Sister! Sister Ruyan is still nowhere to be found. Have you seen her?”

Xue Mingzhao was entirely focused on feeding the boy. She didn't even bother to look up, replying dismissively, “I don't know. Maybe she's slacking off or in secluded cultivation somewhere. Just wait a bit longer.”

Li Buqi was already burning with anxiety from waiting. Seeing her nonchalant attitude, his anger flared instantly. He reached out to grab Xue Mingzhao's arm. Failing to control his strength, his sudden pull made Xue Mingzhao's hand shake, and she almost dropped the bowl.

Just as she was about to lash out, the boy, who had been so weak he looked like he would collapse at any moment, suddenly bolted upright.

His arm, as thin as a reed, blocked her front, and he gathered all his strength to shove forward fiercely.

Caught completely off guard, Li Buqi was pushed back two stumbling steps by that seemingly weak shove. He stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock, his face practically screaming, “What just happened?”

Once he recovered, his face instantly fell. “You little brat, why are you getting physical? Do you have no manners?”

But the boy stood firmly in front of Xue Mingzhao, his back tensed like a drawn bowstring. His previously gentle and timid eyes instantly transformed into those of a feral beast protecting its food, locking onto Li Buqi with a fierce glare. His posture made it clear: if Li Buqi dared to take another step forward, the boy would stop him even if it cost him his life.

Li Buqi: ???

Clearly, the boy had been the one to push him, so why did he feel like the villain bullying a child?

Looking at the kid's stance, it seemed like he was ready to fight to the death. If Li Buqi actually fought back, the entire sect would laugh at him for three years. He couldn't afford to lose face like that!

After a tense standoff of a few seconds, Li Buqi stamped his foot in frustration and stormed off, waving his sleeves angrily.

The cave dwelling instantly became quiet.

Looking at the thin but protective back in front of her, Xue Mingzhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “We only met for the first time today. Is there any need to risk your life to protect me like this?”

The boy hung his head, his voice raspy. “You gave me food.”

Just like that?

Xue Mingzhao looked into his eyes earnestly.

In the original novel, it was also because of Shen Chaoyue's kindness in recognizing his worth that he remembered her for his entire life, ultimately willing to sacrifice his life for her.

Staring at the sluggish boy in front of her, Xue Mingzhao's mind split into several tiny versions of herself arguing back and forth, bullet comments flying everywhere, making her head throb.

The little person on the left stood with hands on hips and roared: “Send him away! Send him away right this instant!”

“He's a ticking time bomb! Once his cultivation skyrockets in the future, if he turns around and defects to the Heavenly Origin Sect to help Shen Chaoyue, our sect won't even have a place to cry! No matter how valuable a supreme-grade spiritual root is, it's not worth the safety of the entire sect. He must be sent away!”

The little person on the right countered: “A single bowl of hot porridge is enough to make him protect you with his life. This shows the child is deeply loyal and righteous! Why not just intercept the female lead's kindness right at the starting line? If we raise and educate him well from a young age, all the advantages will be ours!”

The accountant little person suddenly chimed in, clicking the abacus rapidly: “That's a supreme-grade gold spiritual root, a rare find in ten thousand years! Even top-tier sects would kill for him. Letting him go for nothing is equivalent to gifting a top-tier powerhouse to another sect! Besides, no matter how strong he gets, that's years down the line. I'm no pushover either; it's not like I won't be able to keep him in check!”

The conscience little person popped up: “Worse comes to worst, if we really kick him down the mountain today, he'll only go back to scavenging medicine dregs and chewing on rotten roots. He might starve to death before he even gets a chance to meet Shen Chaoyue.”

The three little people quickly reached a consensus, collectively pinning the “send him away” little person to the ground and beating them up.

The thought of sending the boy away vanished completely.

A one-in-a-million supreme-grade gold spiritual root with a pure nature and a grateful heart—where else could she find another?

So what if he was the female lead's exclusive loyal puppy dog supporting male lead? Since he had landed in the Grand Primordium Sect, he was now a disciple of the Grand Primordium Sect!

Besides, with her careful guidance, she refused to believe she couldn't set him on the right path.

The moment she figured everything out, Xue Mingzhao felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.

Beside her, the boy watched her expressions shift rapidly—frowning in dilemma one moment, secretly snickering the next, and then sighing in worry.

Sister was a good person, but... her mind seemed a bit unstable.

He scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and held it in front of Xue Mingzhao. “Sister, you eat too.”

Xue Mingzhao's heart instantly bloomed with joy, and she felt her decision was incredibly wise. Look at this sweet little bodyguard, how sensible!

She reached out and gently ruffled the boy's dry, yellowish hair, saying softly, “From now on, you will stay in the Grand Primordium Sect.”

Recalling the humiliating nickname “Yaozha” others called him and the name he bore for his entire life of debt, she curled her lips inwardly and said, “I'll give you a new name. Let's call you... Suguang.”

Su meant going against the current, and Guang meant warming the path ahead.

In the past, fate always pushed you downstream toward suffering. From now on, you will go against the current and head toward a light that belongs only to you, without ever needing to live your life revolving around anyone else.

The boy repeated in a daze, “Suguang... Suguang. It sounds nice. I'll be called Suguang from now on!”

After settling Suguang, Xue Mingzhao rushed over to Su Mingyuan's grand hall.

When she entered, she happened to see Wen Shuxian talking to Su Mingyuan inside the hall.

“Master, I've changed my mind. We're not sending the child down the mountain. We'll keep him in the sect as my junior brother,” Xue Mingzhao said resolutely.

Before Su Mingyuan could speak, Wen Shuxian stood up with a whoosh, his eyes shining with excitement. “Is that true?!”

“Absolutely true!”

Fearing he would be intercepted by the other elders if he was a step too late, Wen Shuxian bolted toward the door as if his feet were greased, shouting loudly as he walked, “While those other old fogies aren't around, I'm going to pick up my disciple right now!”

Before his voice could even completely fade, his figure had already dashed out of the grand hall, disappearing without a trace.