"Sister, what are you doing?" A childish voice, soft and curious, came from beside her.
Xiao Man opened her eyes and saw a disheveled little boy squatting beside her, smiling at her, revealing a row of white teeth. His smile almost blinded her.
Xiao Man narrowed her eyes. Who was this child, and when did he appear? She hadn't sensed him at all!
Xiao Man sat up and looked at the boy. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
The little boy shook his head. "I don't know how I got here. I've been here for a long time, always alone. No one wants to play with me. Today, I finally see someone. Sister, can you play with me?"
"Why do you call me sister?" Xiao Man asked. She was dressed as a man, and even a Nascent Soul expert couldn't see through her disguise. Why did this little boy know she was a woman?
"But you are my sister," the little boy said naively. "Sister, can you play with me? I'm so lonely here by myself."
"Sorry, sister can't play with you," Xiao Man said, reaching out to pat the boy's head. "But sister can take you to find your family. Do you know where your home is?"
The boy shook his head. "I don't know. I don't remember anything."
"Then what's your name?"
"I..." The little boy scratched his head. "I don't have a name. They all call me a bastard. Sister, is 'bastard' my name?"
"Of course not."
"Then what's my name?" The little boy grabbed Xiao Man's sleeve and asked, "Does sister know who my parents are?"
"No."
A flicker of disappointment crossed the little boy's eyes. "Does 'bastard' mean 'without parents'?"
"No."
"Then what does it mean?"
"It means jealousy," Xiao Man said slowly. "They are jealous of you."
"What are they jealous of me for?" the little boy asked, confused. "Are they jealous that I don't have parents?"
"Jealous that you don't have parents, yet you can survive in such a harsh environment." Xiao Man stood up and continued walking. "I don't know where this is, and I don't know where I can go, but I can only move forward."
Xiao Man walked, and the little boy followed her. When she stopped, he stopped too, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Sometimes he ran to Xiao Man's side, circling her, and sometimes he went to the side to play with sand. Whenever Xiao Man thought he had left, the child would reappear in her sight.
The sky in this place was always a hazy gray, with no distinction between day and night. Xiao Man couldn't tell what time it was, nor how much time had passed. At first, she could still tell the time, but now, she couldn't.
"Why are you following me?"
"There's only you here."
Xiao Man smiled. Yes, she felt like she had been here for a long time. Apart from this child, she hadn't encountered anyone else.
"Sister, what's your name?"
"Xiao Man," Xiao Man said softly.
"Sister has a name, but I don't. Sister, can you give me a name?" The little boy moved closer to Xiao Man, tugging at her sleeve. "Please?"
"You want me to give you a name?" Xiao Man looked at the little boy and asked seriously.
"Yes, please give me a name. I've waited here for many years. Only you don't bully me. Sister is a good person, so I want sister to help me choose a name," the little boy said with sincerity.
"Did the people you met before bully you?"
"Yes, they called me a bastard, hit me, and made me lead them. They hit me so hard," the boy said with a sad face. "They hurt me a lot."
Xiao Man touched the boy's head. "You've suffered."
"It's not suffering, I'm used to it," the boy said with a smile. "Sister, please give me a name."
"Alright," Xiao Man stroked the boy's head. "I met you amidst this endless sand and dust, so I'll give you the courtesy name Chen, and the given name An. Chen An, how does that sound?"
"Chen An!" The boy's eyes sparkled. "I have a name! My name is Chen An. Chen An, it sounds so nice. Thank you, sister. I like this name."
"I'm glad you like it," Xiao Man leaned against a sand dune, gazing up at the hazy sky. "I hope both of us can be safe and successfully leave this vast desert."
"Sister, why did you come here?" Chen An asked curiously while playing with the sand.
"I encountered a Nascent Soul expert. I offended him, and he teleported me here. He probably wanted me to die in here," Xiao Man said slowly. "I'm still too weak, so I can only be bullied."
"If you become stronger, will you no longer be bullied?" Chen An asked curiously.
"Even if you become stronger, you'll still be bullied," Xiao Man said with a smile. "After all, there's always someone stronger. When you think you're powerful, you'll meet someone even more powerful, making you realize that this world is cruel. There's no strongest, only stronger."
Chen An cradled his face and looked at Xiao Man curiously. "If you become the ruler of the world, will no one be able to bully sister anymore?"
"Even the ruler of the world is bound by rules. Over the years, there will always be successors. No one can remain in the position of the strong forever," Xiao Man's voice sounded ethereal and indistinct.
"Sister, do you want to leave here?"
"Yes," Xiao Man replied without hesitation.
"Sister, I'll take you out of here," Chen An said earnestly, holding Xiao Man's sleeve.
"Are you coming with me?" Xiao Man asked.
Chen An shook his head. "I can't leave here."
"Then if I leave, won't you be alone again?" Xiao Man teased. "Next time, who knows how long you'll have to wait for someone to keep you company."
Chen An was silent for a rare moment, then softly said after a long pause, "But, sister wants to leave here."
"Yes, I want to leave here. There's nothing here. No delicious food, no mellow wine, no like-minded friends. There's only the gray sky and the scorching yellow sand everywhere, so bland and despairing," Xiao Man said slowly. "You've been here alone for so long, you must be very lonely."
"Sister, I'll tell you the way out."
"No need," Xiao Man said softly. "I know the way out."
"You know?" Chen An was surprised. "If you know, why don't you leave?"
"Because I want to take you out."
A shock flashed in Chen An's eyes. How many years had it been? How many people had come to this desert? How many had tricked him into telling them the way out, only to turn on him and try to kill him once they knew?