God-Level Special Forces Soldier

Chapter 570: Chapter 567: The Little Girl Selling Candied Hawthorns

Xiao Tian was deeply impressed by a story he read somewhere.

Legend has it that on the summit of Kunlun Mountain, there lies an Unfrozen Spring that remains unchanged for millennia.

For ordinary people, drinking a handful from it could detoxify and enhance beauty; at best, it could extend life and vitality. Even its ethereal steam is a great opportunity for cultivators.

But after all, it’s just a legend!

What impressed Xiao Tian was the interesting end of the story; he couldn’t fully recall the original text, but he remembered the rough outline.

Apparently, the Unfrozen Spring truly exists, but ordinary people are not destined to see it. Those who do see its true form are either those with great fortune or fateful encounters.

When Xiao Tian read the ending, he secretly admired the cleverness of the story’s author. By his logic, it translates to: I wrote the truth; you don’t need to deliberately search for it.

And even if you insist on searching, failing to find it isn’t because I fabricated. Instead, it’s due to your lack of fortune and chance, not my fault!

His wandering thoughts were jolted awake by a crisp child’s voice, followed by a sight of a young girl softly tugging at his leg, cautiously asking, ”Big brother, do you want candied haws?”

Xiao Tian turned his gaze, indeed seeing beside the young girl was a stack of candied haws taller than her. Seeing her pure, bright eyes, untainted by dust, he smiled, ”Alright! I’ll take this one!”

Saying this, Xiao Tian took a stick of candied haws from her stack, popped a piece in his mouth, and praised, ”Not bad, how much is it?”

The young girl watched his delighted expression and swallowed involuntarily, quickly extended her fair finger: ”One yuan!”

Xiao Tian fished out two coins from his pocket and placed them in her hand. Just as she was about to thank him, upon noticing it was two coins, she said, ”Big brother, you gave me an extra yuan!”

She finished speaking and returned a coin to Xiao Tian, who gave a warm smile, picked another stick of candied haws along with the coin she returned, and offered them to her, ”I treat you to candied haws!”

The young girl was taken aback and hesitated, glancing furtively at a displeased-looking man who stood not far off. She reluctantly gazed at the haws and shook her head, ”Thank you, big brother! But I, I don’t like candied haws.”

Xiao Tian followed her gaze and saw a solemn-faced man wearing a grease-stained apron, and laughed, ”Follow me!”

He took a candied haw with one hand and walked forward, disappearing at a corner from her sight.

The young girl hesitated slightly but pretended to inadvertently follow while softly selling.

Only from her mosquito-like voice did it show her discomfort and reluctance in selling candied haws.

As the young girl followed Xiao Tian to a quieter area, he gently patted her head, offering her the haws: ”Have some!”

”Th-thank you, big brother!” She carefully took it, sadly nibbling a small bite, slowly savoring the tangy sweetness.

Watching her bowed head lost in thought, Xiao Tian couldn’t resist asking, ”Was that man your father?”

She shuddered at his words, and after a while, she said, ”Sort, sort of!”

This response made Xiao Tian curious, suggesting something was there; was that man a kidnapper?

After finishing half a haw, she took out a dirty plastic bag from her pocket and carefully wrapped the haw.

Looking around to ensure no one noticed, she untied a black string around her pant leg, hid the haw, and retied it.

Sensing Xiao Tian’s odd gaze, she explained bashfully with her head lowered, ”That was my stepfather. After dad passed away, mom remarried with my sister and me!”

Xiao Tian realized, yet remained baffled by her earlier actions.

Almost as if she knew his thoughts, she explained, ”Stepfather’s family is not wealthy; he has a son too. At meals, he eats individually while my sister and I share.”

”Sister often leaves hungry, wanting to cry but not daring, so I devised this plan to secretly bring back food from kind tourists.”

Xiao Tian was momentarily speechless, though waves of discomfort surged in him. After a while, he took out another coin: ”This is to treat your sister to candied haws.”

Then handed another candied haw stick to her.

”No no no!” She declined in haste, ”Thank you, big brother, but really, it’s not necessary.”

Xiao Tian chuckled and reluctantly returned the candy, ate a piece, and offered a piece to her mouth: ”Share with me!”

”Al...alright!”

The two quickly cleared a stick of haws, intentionally on his part, fearing prolonged time might affect her business.

Noticing her wishing to leave but embarrassed to say, Xiao Tian stood, waved, ”I have something to do, I’ll go first, goodbye!”

Seeing Xiao Tian getting up to leave, she surprisingly felt reluctant, but thinking of consequences if too few haws sold, said, ”Goodbye, big brother!”

Watching his distant back, she whispered, ”Thank you...big brother!”

Until his figure vanished, a sensation hit her palm; looking down, it was a coin.

She hurried after him but couldn’t find his figure...

...

The young girl’s story left Xiao Tian unsettled, but pondering ways to help deemed inappropriate, especially with pending matters of his own, setting it aside for now.

Solo action required extra caution against adversaries, especially with strength yet unrecovered.

This injury wasn’t entirely bad; post-trauma, his meridian’s width and toughness exceeded his peak state!

Surely, optimists like Xiao Tian are rare.

Just thinking, Yu Ningxue called.

Two hours from the previous call when Xiao Tian landed, the contact now created a tension—is something wrong?