When Qiao Xiaoqing first awakened, she expected to be greeted by the pain of her cuts and bruises; however, to her surprise, that pain never arrived.

In fact, Qiao Xiaoqing even felt strangely refreshed, as if she had just gotten a good night's rest.

​​

Qiao Xiaoqing placed her hand on her cheek and was shocked to discover that there were no signs of damage.

"A dream...? No, it was too vivid to be a dream. Then, how do I explain the lack of wounds? And the children..." Qiao Xiaoqing inwardly furrowed her brows.

"The children..!" Qiao Xiaoqing quickly sat up and looked around the room with an expression of panic on her face as her heart raced.

"They are safe and being looked after. You have my word." A voice sounded next to Qiao Xiaoqing's bed.

Qiao Xiaoqing's eyes landed on Jin. After she listened to his words, the initial panic on her face faded and was replaced by one of great relief.

"It was not a hallucination, after all. What is he doing here?" Qiao Xiaoqing thought to herself as she tried to organize her thoughts.

"You must have quite a few questions to ask. For the time being, I recommend you refrain from moving around too much. Your wounds have healed, but you will experience some dizziness for the next couple of hours." Jin explained.

Qiao Xiaoqing took a deep breath to calm her mind. It was just as Jin said—the moment she shot up, she was overcome by an intense wave of dizziness, causing her to feel somewhat nauseous.

Qiao Xiaoqing laid back down as she released a small sigh. She remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking up.

"I have shown Palace Master Izroth something unsightly. You must view me as pitiful and weak." Qiao Xiaoqing said in a soft and steady voice as she stared up at the ceiling.

Jin shook his head and replied, "You're wrong. Being strong is not the absence of weakness but the acceptance of it. And, from that acceptance, acquiring the ability to overcome it in any way that you can."

Understanding Qiao Xiaoqing's personality, Jin knew that the safety of the children in the orphanage was her priority. She was willing to go as far as obeying someone like Wendell if it meant guaranteeing their safety.

Jin figured Qiao Xiaoqing grasped Bloodhound's temperament from the beginning. After that, she must have worked around it to ensure that any outburst of violence was directed at her.

After all, given Bloodhound's cruel personality, he would not have hesitated to harm the children for the sake of his own amusement.

"You speak comforting words. Your kindness—it is undeserved but, nevertheless, appreciated..." Qiao Xiaoqing stated calmly.

The next moment, silence filled the room. It remained this way for a couple of minutes; however, Jin was not bothered by it.

Qiao Xiaoqing was undoubtedly a strong-willed person, but that did not mean she was completely unfazed by recent events.

However, the main reason behind Qiao Xiaoqing's silence was that she felt strangely at peace for the first time in years.

Her entire life, Qiao Xiaoqing had to look after herself and others.

She could not remember the last time anyone ever watched over like this. Nor could she previously recall when such kind words were spoken to her without a hidden intent lurking in the shadows. A part of her did not know how to respond.

Qiao Xiaoqing still had numerous questions for Jin; however, she knew that she would be unable to maintain her composure if she spoke now.

Regardless of this, two words managed to escape from Qiao Xiaoqing's mouth.

"Thank you..." Qiao Xiaoqing softly uttered in a slightly shaken voice.

The instant those words left Qiao Xiaoqing's mouth, her lips quivered.

She bit down on her lower lip as her whole body started to tremble.

Swoosh!

Jin removed his jacket and covered Qiao Xiaoqing's face.

"Don't mention it. And—take all the time you need." Jin responded.

Qiao Xiaoqing tightly grabbed ahold of the jacket with her trembling hands as the sound of light whimpering soon came from beneath it.

...

Several minutes later...

Qiao Xiaoqing eventually calmed down and finally asked Jin the questions that had been on her mind since the beginning.

Jin did not hide the truth from Qiao Xiaoqing and informed her of everything that happened upon his arrival, as well as why he paid a visit to the orphanage.

As for how he found out where she lived, surprisingly, Qiao Xiaoqing answered that question herself.

Using a bit of deductive reasoning and common sense, Qiao Xiaoqing figured that he found her in the real world the same way he managed to uncover her past—the Zi family. Or, to be more precise, the second young miss of the Zi family, Zi Jiaxiu.

After all, Qiao Xiaoqing's life was no secret; however, there was an incredible lack of official documents about her. Not to mention, the information Jin revealed was not something that just anyone could get their hands on.

But, if it was someone from the Zi family, there was very little in this world that could escape their gaze given their resources and connections.

Still, Qiao Xiaoqing was shocked to learn that Bloodhound and the Mad Dogs were defeated by Jin alone. It was inconceivable; however, Qiao Xiaoqing knew that Jin had no reason to lie to her.

Being the number one ranked Combat Master among players in RML by such a large margin, Qiao Xiaoqing previously hypothesized that Jin must have some type of formal training and real-world combat experience that aided his success.

Nevertheless, to single-handedly defeat more than twenty people barehanded—there was much more to him than she originally anticipated.

Another thing that caught Qiao Xiaoqing off-guard was that the ownership of the orphanage had shifted to his hands. Not only that, but he even planned on doing a complete renovation!

The orphanage and the land it sat upon may be rundown, but it was not small by any means.

Without a doubt, the price would be well over 1,000,000 RMB!

"I cannot comprehend your actions, Palace M- No, Sir Zhang. Why-"

"Jin."

"...Sir J-"

"Jin."

"...Jin. Why are you willing to go so far when it concerns someone who can still be regarded as a stranger to you?" Qiao Xiaoqing questioned.

"Oh? Do you still consider me a stranger?" Jin asked.

Qiao Xiaoqing shook her head and replied, "No, however, I am sure you understood what I meant."

A carefree smile appeared on Jin's face as he said, "I suppose if I had to give a reason, it's because I wanted to. Is that enough?"

"I have a feeling that such an answer will have to suffice, for now." Qiao Xiaoqing responded.

"So? What do you plan on doing now? Are you going to quit?" Jin inquired.

Qiao Xiaoqing sighed, "To be perfectly honest, that is a question I no longer have an answer to. At the time, the path revealed to me was abundantly clear. But now, that same path has transformed into a road riddled with marks of uncertainties. However..."

Jin understood where Qiao Xiaoqing was coming from.

The only reason she started playing RML was because of Wendell's influence over the orphanage.

However, now that said influence was gone, she no longer had a reason to continue. After all, to her, RML had been nothing but a prison and an unpleasant experience. Therefore, Jin would not find fault with her if she decided to quit.

Of course, Jin would feel somewhat disappointed if Qiao Xiaoqing chose to leave RML.

It was not difficult to find talented people; however, Qiao Xiaoqing was a talent among talents in Jin's eyes. He felt that it would be a shame to lose such a promising talent that would make the bumpy road ahead much smoother.

But, whatever choice Qiao Xiaoqing made, Jin would respect her wishes.

"Whatever it is you decide, I will respect your decision. But, allow me to be candid—I would prefer if you did not quit." Jin stated.

He then continued, "I have a goal. One that requires people with your determination and talents."

In his previous life, Jin had already walked down his path alone. By the time he reached the end, he found that there was no one left by his side. And, when he looked back, all he saw was a path paved in blood—a path paved in loss.

In this life, Jin wanted to do things differently.

In this life, when he arrived at the end... At that time, then...