This Life's Song: The Genius Rune Master

"It's not far, it's just ahead," Lu Yaorao said, her brows furrowed as she looked into the distance.

The river is definitely nearby, so it's strange that I haven't seen it yet.

The two walked for a long time before finally seeing a bright light, knowing they were not far from the river, and quickened their pace.

At this moment, Lianxue had already caught a lot of fish and put them into the Phoenix Bracelet. Although there was no water inside, it should be able to keep them fresh.

She was tired of catching things, so she used her spiritual power to dry her clothes and sat down on the ground to wait.

A sound came from afar, and Lianxue hurriedly looked over.

However, she was disappointed and did not see her senior sister or Qi Nianbei.

At this moment, a group of six people appeared in Lian Xue's field of vision: two women and four men.

"Brother Qin, where is the herb we're looking for? What if it doesn't even exist?" the tall girl asked in a sweet, coquettish voice.

"Xia Lan, don't say such discouraging things. If you don't want to go with us to look for it, you can go back on your own," the shorter girl said.

"Since everyone is tired, let's take a rest," one of the gentle-looking men said.

"Brother Qin, I knew you were the best!" Xia Lan said, and was about to pounce on the man.

"Huh? Why is there a little girl all alone there?" The boy looked at Lianxue with a puzzled expression.

"Brother Qin, it's best if we don't pay any attention to it. What if it's a monster in disguise? Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Xia Lan looked at the girl, whose delicate face was as beautiful as a painting. Although she was young, she showed composure and dignity.

For some reason, she couldn't feel any affection for a small child; instead, she felt a bit of aversion.

"Don't talk nonsense. That girl is obviously not a demon. She doesn't have any demonic aura. She looks like an ordinary person." The man turned around, his eyes reproachful, and his tone was slightly harsher.

“Senior brother, we should still be careful. After all, it is indeed suspicious that a child has appeared in this Ghost Forest.” One of the six men, a thin and tall man, spoke up.

The other two men didn't speak, but they nodded in agreement.

Lianxue looked at the six people dressed in the same uniform, all wearing moon-gray robes with shawls over them, and carrying swords, halberds, bows, whips, and hammers at their waists.

When such a group arrives, they start discussing whether they are human or demon, good or bad.

Speechless, she wondered how she could possibly look like a demon. Was there something wrong with her eyes, or was she just having paranoia? She ignored Lianxue and continued looking at the forest.

She wanted to turn around and leave, not wanting to be affected by these people, but she was afraid that her senior sister wouldn't be able to find her, so she could only wait quietly by the river.

"Hey, little girl, are you human or a demon? If you're a demon, then show your true form." Xia Lan took off the whip from her waist and pointed it at Lian Xue with an expression that said, "I'm a good person, you monster, hurry up and show your true form."

"Xia Lan, watch your tone. I've already said she's still a child," the man surnamed Qin scolded.

"Brother Qin, why do you always speak up for her? You don't even know what she turned into." Xia Lan insisted that Lian Xue was a demon and refused to admit it.

"Xia Lan, are you just jealous of how pretty that baby is, that's why you're picking on her?" another woman said jokingly, looking at Xia Lan.

"Li Zhenzhen, you're subtly insulting me. I don't even know her. You say I'm targeting her? Why would I target her? Tell me!" Qin Lan questioned angrily.

"You'd better ask yourself that. Look how scared you've made such a cute girl." Li Zhenzhen looked down on Xia Lan's condescending tone and retorted disdainfully.

“Brother Qin, look at her. She’s always targeting me. You should do something about it.” Xia Lan reached out to grab the man’s hand.

A flicker of annoyance flashed in the man's eyes as he looked at Xia Lan, but it vanished in an instant, yet he still greeted her with a smile. "Junior Sister Xia, we really shouldn't be hostile towards that girl. She is human, I'm quite certain of that."

"Alright then, senior brother, you've made up your mind," Xia Lan said reluctantly.

"Xia Lvcha, speak properly. Don't always raise your voice; it's unpleasant to listen to." Li Zhenzhen was annoyed by Xia Lan's style and couldn't stand it, so she directly confronted her.

“Li Zhenzhen, I don’t need you to discipline me,” Xia Lan replied angrily to Li Zhenzhen.

"You two should say less. We've come all this way, so we need to support each other and be more tolerant of one another," the man surnamed Qin advised.

“Just stop arguing, you two junior sisters, it’s bad for your relationship.” The other three men nodded and advised.

"Alright, for everyone's sake, I won't hold it against her." Xia Lan looked arrogant, as if to say, I can't be as petty as you.

Lianxue listened to the group, who seemed to be acting, talking excitedly.

She was speechless. If she wasn't afraid of not being able to find her senior sister, she would have gotten up and left immediately.

Who likes to listen to them constantly gossiping about themselves and then playing the good guy or the bad guy?

"Little sister, what are you doing here all by yourself?" the man asked Lianxue as he walked over.

Lianxue looked up at the group and nodded as a greeting.

"Little girl, do you have any manners when you speak to me? What kind of behavior is this?" Xia Lan asked angrily, clearly displeased.

Li Zhenzhen couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Xia Lan, why do you love bullying people so much? The child didn't do anything to you."

“Young lady, we are not bad people. My surname is Qin and my name is Muzhou. These are my junior brothers and sisters. We have no ill intentions. We just want to see if you need any help since you are alone.”

Lianxue looked at the group politely and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm waiting for my senior sister, so I won't trouble you any further."

"Ah! Is that so? No rush, we also want to rest for a while. Why don't we wait for your senior sister to come and confirm that you are safe before we leave?"

"Brother Qin, why do we have to wait? We still..." Xia Lan questioned indignantly.

"Xia Lan, you're not allowed to say anything more. I've made up my mind," Qin Muzhou said seriously.

"Alright then," Xia Lan said reluctantly.

"It seems that Xia Lan still needs her senior brother to keep an eye on her before she will behave. Humph," Li Zhenzhen said sarcastically.

Lianxue was speechless. What did it matter to me whether you left or not? She tried to put it more tactfully. "You guys go about your business and don't crowd around me, or my senior sister won't be able to find me."

"Hey, you ungrateful girl, Brother Qin kindly accompanied you and the others, and you don't appreciate it at all, and even think we're in the way?" Xia Lan couldn't help but speak sarcastically.

"Junior sister, why are you always targeting young girls? I can't stand it anymore." Another man hadn't spoken before, but Xia Lan's sarcastic remarks were really harsh and unpleasant to hear. The girl hadn't said anything, and he didn't know where her hostility came from.

Qin Muzhou glanced at Xia Lan, his eyes filled with reproach and disapproval of her words, but he said nothing.

"Little sister, don't pay attention to what she says. Let's step back a bit and clear your space. That way, your senior sister will be able to see you when she comes looking for you." Qin Muzhou said, waving his hand as the group retreated.

After the group stepped back from Lianxue's position, the area became empty.

"Thank you so much, Brother Muzhou." Lianxue had no choice but to be polite.

She really couldn't accept their unwarranted kindness or malice since she wasn't familiar with them, so it was better to keep a distance.

...

"This is it? The river is so strange." Lu Yaorao felt that she had arrived at the riverbank, but she couldn't see anything, and she was full of doubts.