Chapter 62: Elara

...

The courtyard was dilapidated. Its walls crumbled in several places, exuding an air of decay as if nature was reclaiming it.

"Why isn’t Pip back yet?"

"Did something happen to him?"

"They said a kind soul gave out rice porridge on the streets today. I am so hungry."

"Ah-bah ah-bah."

A few ragged children peeked out anxiously, waiting.

Like a courtyard devoid of any decent possessions, none of these little kids were ordinary. Some had crippled legs, others missing an arm, and some had lost their tongues.

"Has Pip not returned yet?"

A slightly older boy stepped inside. He set down the scraps and wild vegetables he had just scavenged.

The children shook their heads in unison. Their eyes filled with helpless confusion.

"How is Stuttering Sister’s condition?" he asked again.

"She is still feverish. I just changed the damp cloth on her forehead."

"She was in pain earlier but has fallen asleep now."

"Should we try to find a physician? She seems to be suffering terribly."

"Seeing a physician costs several taels of silver. We have no money."

"Ah-bah ah-bah."

Listening to their jumbled voices, the older boy raised his hand. He carefully pulled out a small, yellowed lump of salt from his tattered clothes.

"You all go prepare the meal first," he said before stepping into the room.

The children brightened as if they stumbled upon treasure. Suddenly full of life, they bustled about. Some fetching firewood, others grabbing the half-broken earthen pot.

Inside the room.

If it could even be called a room, given that it lacked a door and the overcast sky was visible through the gaps in the roof.

On a pile of dry grass lay a teenage girl. Her tattered clothes barely retained traces of their original pale blue hue. Her face smeared with grime. A cloth strip tied over her eyes.

Hearing footsteps, her ears twitched slightly.

"Sister, it is me. Are you feeling any better?"

"N-no... I am fine... Don’t worry about me."

"Just... need to rest... a little longer."

Her hoarse voice came in broken gasps. Weakened by illness, even a simple sentence seemed to drain all her strength.

"Then I won’t disturb you. I will call you when it is time to eat."

The boy sighed and turned to leave.

But before he could step out, a voice called weakly from behind.

"Don’t... don’t go stealing."

"I know."

Only then did her breathing steady slightly as she curled into herself.

Her entire body burned with fever. Yet an icy chill seemed to seep in from all directions.

Her chest. Where she had once carried the source of her confidence. Where she could faintly hear the resonance of blades.

Now it felt like an invisible abyss. Devouring her bit by bit with endless emptiness.

"Am I going to die?"

The thought crossed her numb mind.

A pang of sorrow struck her. But hunger and exhaustion robbed her of even the strength to feel love or hatred.

Would death reunite her with those she could never see again?

Mother.

Suddenly, clamoring voices erupted at the entrance.

"Pip, you are back!"

"Wow, it is rice!"

"Who is this big brother? Why did you bring a stranger here?"

"He is the kind man who gave us food! He can help Sister."

Just as Pip was hastily explaining.

Theo’s gaze swept past the children and landed on the blindfolded girl lying inside the ruined house.

The moment his system overlay fell upon her.

His breath hitched for an instant.

[Name: Elara (Jiang Chulong)]

[Age: 15]

[Root Bone: Sovereign Blade Core (Lost), Wildgrass Blade Core (Emerging).]

[Cultivation Realm: None.]

[Fate: Gold]

[Evaluation: Youngest daughter of the Dynasty’s Emperor. Born with a natural blade constitution. At fourteen, her elder brother, the Crown Prince, seized her core. Yet the core existed because of her. She was not defined by it. If she can cleanse the dust from her heart and mend herself, she may draw closer to the origin of combat.]

[Recent Circumstances: Exiled by the Emperor to a political marriage. Escaped en route with the aid of her mother’s old allies. Currently hunted. Her stolen core caused her vitality to wane, damaging her foundation. An irreversible blow to her future.]