Chapter 2: Xiao Qi

“PA~PA~”

The little girl raised her soft, pale hands and pointed at Wu Ye.

“Big~ sis~”

She then pointed at a gourd hanging from the vine.

“Xiao Qi~”

Finally, she pointed at an empty spot on the vine— there used to be a gourd there too, but now only a bare stem remained.

“……”

That’s… a lot to take in.

Let me just—

Let me process this.

There’s no doubt— this was an unbearably adorable little girl, the kind that could get someone arrested just by existing.

Her tender skin was as delicate as the finest velvet, and her already exquisite features hinted at a dangerously charming future.

Her innocent blue-violet eyes shimmered like they were brimming with tears, striking right at the softest part of any heart. 

Her long snowy hair faded into the same blue-violet hue at the tips, exactly like Wu Yi’s signature gradient.

If I were Wu Yi right now and stood next to her, we might actually look like sisters… or maybe even mother and daughter.

“So—”

Wu Ye swallowed hard, trying to calm his wildly beating heart to avoid accidentally summoning Wu Yi due to emotional overload.

“You’re saying… you’re a gourd that turned into a little girl?”

“Mm! Mm!”

The little girl nodded vigorously, still hugging Wu Ye’s leg tightly.

Wu Ye looked up at the sky.

Ha! A gourd turning into a little girl? 

I, Wu Ye, have slain a God King. 

What haven’t I seen?

…Okay, yeah, I haven’t seen this.

What the hell, heaven?

What the hell is this?

Hululu little girl?!

“PA~ PA~”

She was still so tiny her words came out all mushy.

Clinging to Wu Ye’s leg, her silky face rubbed up and down against him as she kept calling, “Papa~ Papa~”

Yeah. That was definitely “Papa.”

Holy crap.

Such a ridiculously cute little thing, snuggling up like a kitten… who could possibly resist?

But thinking about it more carefully—

In a sense, he was kind of her dad.

If she really used to be that little gourd, then he could at least be called her foster father, right?

“You… um…”

Smack—

Wu Ye had no idea what to say. 

In the end, he just smacked his own forehead and let out a long sigh.

Day 3,654 on the deserted island. 

Clear skies.

Surprise fatherhood achieved.

“Wait! Just now, you called them your sisters?”

Wu Ye suddenly recalled something.

“There were six other gourds on this vine… are they like you? Your sisters?”

“Yes~ Sisters~”

The little one chirped, beaming with joy.

So.

There are six more like her.

Does that mean I might have six more daughters in the future?!

This overload of information nearly launched Wu Ye’s brain right out of his skull.

His brain? Gone. 

His mood? Surprisingly great.

“Ohhh! Butterfly~!”

A golden swallowtail butterfly fluttered past the little girl. 

Her eyes lit up, and she wobbled after it on her tiny legs—

Only to trip and faceplant like a pancake.

Wu Ye rushed over to pick her up.

Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn’t bawl like a normal child. 

Instead, she simply nestled quietly into Wu Ye’s chest, as if that alone could heal her pain.

“PAPA~ Hungry!”

She looked up at him with teary, pitiful eyes.

Her stomach rumbled loudly.

“Oh!”

Wu Ye jolted to attention.

He rushed to the pond, scooped up some water, and poured it over the little girl’s head.

“How about that? Enough? Want some soil too?”

Or maybe a little organic compost?

Apparently not.

Her stomach kept growling. 

If anything, she looked more upset.

Huh? Wait. 

Gourds aren’t supposed to grow just from watering anymore?

That’s how I’ve been raising her the past ten years!

…Guess she needs human food now.

“That’s gonna be a problem…”

Feeding a child on this barren island with limited supplies?

No way that’ll meet her nutritional needs.

Do I have to move back to the mainland?

No! Absolutely not!

But this was my precious little gourd that I’ve raised for ten years…

If it were just me, fine. 

But for them, I want only the best soil to grow in.

If worst comes to worst… I’ll leave her with my old friends.

They fought alongside me and Wu Yi in the war against the God King— they’re probably living pretty comfortably now.

Wu Ma, Grandpa Long, Sensabea… and…

It’s been a long time.

I wonder how those old bastards are doing now.

Definitely better off than me, that’s for sure!

Creak creak—

Huh? What’s that sound?

While Wu Ye was lost in thought, the little girl had wandered off toward the hut.

And was now gnawing on a support beam.

“Wait! Stop! You can’t eat that!”

BOOM—

“……”

“Your teeth sure are strong.”

With a swift stride, Wu Ye scooped the little girl into his arms before she could be buried.

He turned back and stared, heartbroken, at the collapsed wooden hut.

On a deserted island, just how sturdy could a cabin really be? 

The roof had been supported by a single load-bearing pillar— now that it had snapped, the entire structure had naturally come down.

Which meant he now had nowhere to sleep tonight.

Was this karma… for dumping water on her head earlier?

The little girl blinked her wide, innocent eyes. 

Her cheeks were puffed out, stuffed with bits of wood.

“Munch munch ( °༥ ° )”

“Stop chewing that. I’ll make you something to eat in a bit.”

RUMBLE——

Right at that moment, thunder rumbled across the skies.

Wu Ye looked toward the horizon.

Beneath the churning black clouds, lightning flashed. 

The ocean water was sucked up into the sky by howling winds, forming a nightmarish advance toward the island like an approaching army of the apocalypse.

It was a storm. 

A massive one.

If the hut had still been standing, he could’ve at least huddled inside.

But now? 

There was nothing left.

It was obvious that the coming days wouldn’t be peaceful. 

Without shelter, surviving would be even tougher.

Forget it. 

Time to go.

He’d leave the gourds in the care of his old friends, go fast, return fast.

“Don’t chew on anything else. I need to pack,” Wu Ye said, setting the little girl down beside the wreckage and rubbing his temples.

He rummaged through the remains of the hut.

First, money.

You couldn’t survive a single step in the human world without it.

No idea if ten-year-old currency still worked, but he’d take it anyway.

Next, clothes.

His and Wu Yi’s both.

Especially the women’s clothes— those needed to be well hidden. 

If anyone saw them, he’d never be able to explain it.

Finally, the stone figurines he used to carve when bored— little things that had been with him for the last ten years…

Wait. Where were the stones?

“Pew pew~ bang bang~ pa~”

He turned around—

The little girl was holding two of the stone figurines, reenacting some kind of superhero battle, her baby voice making all the sound effects.

“Ah~ he’s dead!”

The long-eared, horned one toppled over.

“Grandpa Long would never die,” Wu Ye chuckled. 

“Wu Ma couldn’t beat him even if he tried.”

“Wu Ma?”

She held up the other figurine, puffing her cheeks in protest. 

“No! He’s the one who gives candy! Grandpa!”

In her imagination, the real superhero was the grandpa who gave out candy…

Yeah. Still a kid, alright.

“Wu Ma is not some candy-giving grandpa. That guy’s got a nasty temper, and he’s not shy about whacking misbehaving kids. But he’s loyal. You should call him uncle.”

“Grandpa! Grandpa!”

She insisted stubbornly.

“Alright, alright, grandpa it is…”

The storm clouds were almost overhead now. 

Wu Ye didn’t have time to argue.

There was just one last thing to bring.

No—

Not a thing.

His daughters.

Wu Ye carefully uprooted the entire gourd vine, replanting it into the small boat with ample soil packed around it.

Right—

The little girl had called those gourds her sisters.

Which meant…

Once they awakened, they might be even more mature than her?

——At that moment——

Whispers echoed in Xiao Qi’s ears.

[Xiao Qi, don’t forget— go find Wu Yi.]

[We’ve got the plan ready. First, drug her. Then seduce her. Once she’s mentally vulnerable, hit her with hypnosis. At the right moment— bind and gag.]

[Also, Xiao Liu is almost ready to be born~]

[Once she’s out, we can… hehehe~]

[So stay strong, Xiao Qi! You must find Wu Yi as soon as possible!]

Xiao Qi nodded solemnly, her baby face full of determined purpose.

Wu Ye, unaware of any of this, had just finished packing and replanting the gourd vine.

“Alright, let’s go~”

He pushed the boat into the sea.

Departure!