Chapter 354

"Father, I'm already four years old this year. The farthest place I've been is the Council Hall, and the people I've met are just Sister Han Yue and the others, plus Second Uncle, Auntie One, Auntie Two, Big Brother, Second Sister, and Grandfather—only six people total. Don't you think it's terribly sad for me to live like this?"

Xia Xia Yu Yao fixed her big, watery eyes on Xia Hong, her voice thick with tears, ending with a question to tug at Xia Hong's sympathy.

After speaking, she even gave a subtle glance to her brother beside her.

Xia Xia Yu Sheng received the signal, nodded first, then lowered his head and thought carefully for a moment before looking squarely at Xia Hong and saying, "Father, Big Brother and Big Sister have already started practicing boxing, made many good friends, and last June, Auntie Two took them outside the city to see cold beasts with their own eyes."

I heard Big Brother say the youngest competitor in the Martial Gathering is only eight years old—just four years older than us—and they go armed to fight cold beasts, yet my sister and I have never even seen a live cold beast."

We're stuck every day inside the Star-Picking Hall; even when we go to the Council Hall, we see hardly anyone else; we don't even know what the other parts of the main building look like beyond the Council Hall; we've never stepped foot inside the Martial, Alchemy, or Artifice Pavilions below; let alone the outer city—even the size of the inner city, we still don't know…"

"Mother, I really want to go out and see the world—I don't want to be locked up in the Star-Picking Hall anymore!"

Hearing his son's words, Xia Hong let out a soft sigh.

At four years old, they're at the age of greatest curiosity, eager to explore new things; keeping them cooped up in the Star-Picking Hall any longer is truly inappropriate.

In terms of material comforts, Xia Xia Yu Yao and Xia Xia Yu Sheng enjoy the absolute best in the entire camp—on this front, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling is even more extravagant than he is.

Their food, clothing, and daily necessities aren't just custom-made by the Craftsmen's Department; whenever Li Li Ying Xuan Ling hears of anything fine, she finds a way to get it for them.

For example, the Black Feather Cover that blocks daytime cold light—she learned that a mid-tier cold beast called the Wusha Eagle on Dongling has a tuft of black feathers on its forehead capable of resisting daytime cold light, so she personally went to Dongling and stayed over two months, with Lu Yang and Zhao Long assisting her; it's said she hunted over seven hundred of them just to gather enough feathers to make two Black Feather Covers.

From this one incident alone, it's clear Li Li Ying Xuan Ling's love for her two children is no less than his own.

But material things are only one side.

Curiosity cannot be satisfied by any amount of material wealth.

The children are growing up; locking them in a cage any longer is impossible.

Boys and girls think differently.

Xia Xia Yu Yao probably shares the same inner thoughts as her brother, but she won't say them outright—she uses feigned pity to win sympathy and achieve her goal.

Xia Xia Yu Sheng is clearly far more systematic; he knows perfectly well who holds the final decision on whether they can leave, so when he spoke his final line, he looked directly at his mother, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling, his eyes filled with sincerity.

Xia Hong looked down at the two children's expressions—one full of pitiful longing, the other full of earnest sincerity. He paused for a moment, then quickly realized they were clearly performing a coordinated act, and silently shook his head with amusement.

Their acting couldn't even fool their own father—how could they fool their mother, who's raised them day in and day out?

"No. Letting you go to the Council Hall is already an exception. I won't allow you to step outside the Star-Picking Hall until you're six—not even to Longshan. Drop those little schemes; I won't agree."

As expected, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling immediately saw through their ploy and firmly rejected their request to leave, her expression stern.

"Wu-wu-wu-wu…………"

This time, Xia Xia Yu Yao seemed to have made up her mind; after being refused by her mother, she burst into tears. Xia Xia Yu Sheng didn't cry, but turned his head away, his lips pouting high—clearly expressing his displeasure.

"Four years old… is actually about right."

"You—"

Xia Hong's slight softening instantly lit up the two children's faces with hope—only to be cut short by Li Li Ying Xuan Ling's furious reaction. They could only look pitifully back at Xia Hong.

"Don't look at your father. Longshan is too far, and your mother and I have important business there this time. You're still too young—you absolutely cannot go…"

As Xia Hong spoke, seeing his eldest daughter on the verge of crying again, he smiled and changed his tone: "But I can promise you this: from now on, you may move freely within the inner city. How's that?"

Free movement within the inner city!

The two children's eyes instantly sparkled at those words.

Xia Hong turned to Li Li Ying Xuan Ling, seeing her face filled with resistance—clearly still unwilling—and said softly, "What are you worried about within the inner city? Let Han Yue teach them how to control their power, and when they go out, just wear a hat and some concealment. Han Yue and Han Shuang already have Cold-Resisting Level cultivation—aren't you still worried? Don't you have Meng Ying, Song Kang, and the other six?"

Li Li Ying Xuan Ling's face showed a flicker of conflict. Seeing the two children's hopeful expressions, she finally sighed and nodded.

It wasn't that Li Li Ying Xuan Ling was overly protective—never mind their status as the Lord's heirs, just their extraordinary talent alone, if revealed too widely, would bring trouble. When they were born, Xia Hong concealed their talent precisely for this reason.

To this day, perhaps only a dozen people in all of Does Does Da Xia know the truth of their talent.

And it's not just their talent—their physical constitutions are exceedingly rare.

When Xia Xia Yu Sheng sleeps, the temperature within a one-li radius rises rapidly—he never needs fire for warmth.

Xia Xia Yu Yao is even more extraordinary: every night while she sleeps, cold-apple jade dew condenses continuously around her body, and the quantity keeps increasing. When she was an infant, she produced fifteen drops per night; now she produces over twenty.

Given the importance of cold-apple jade dew, your daughter Xia Xia Yu Yao holds immense strategic value to the camp. If the outside world discovers this, trouble will surely follow—her personal safety must be guaranteed.

"Your Second Uncle is old now and rarely goes out. He's already moved into the inner city—why not let him take them for walks around the inner city? He'd enjoy doting on his grandchildren."

Hearing this, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling finally relaxed and nodded.

Li Li Li Li Tiancheng is already ninety-three years old. Unless he encounters a great opportunity, he has no chance of breaking through to Stage Stage Xianyang Level and extending his lifespan. Two years ago, he handed over the Mu Mu Longyuan Squad to Lu Yushan and has since remained in the inner city, devoting himself to researching and drafting Does Does Da Xia's laws.

Of course, the old man loves his two grandchildren most of all—he often brings them small gifts every few days. If he knew Li Li Ying Xuan Ling entrusted the children to him, he'd be delighted.

"Then it's settled: after morning meal until the fourth hour after nightfall, you may roam freely within the inner city—but Han Yue must accompany you. You must return to the Star-Picking Hall by the fourth hour. If I find out you've sneaked out of the inner city on your own, you know the consequences!"

Morning meal is eaten just before dusk; the fourth hour after nightfall is the mid-night meal—giving them four hours total. It's already very generous.