574 Chapter 573: Ancestral Stone

As the little girl spoke, Qing Tan's body trembled violently. This chilling cold flare-up seemed to be more intense than usual.

'So cold... so cold...'

Qing Tan was curled up on the ground. Her pale face was tinged with pain. Ice crystals had begun to form in her hair.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted, and a large hand covered her small head. She could only feel a warm flow surging from the palm, and the coldness that had enveloped her body quickly receded under the expulsion of this warmth.

'Feels so warm...'

A hint of joy appeared on Qing Tan's face as she squinted her eyes in comfort. She involuntarily hugged the arm, gently moving her small head and even rubbing her soft cheek against the warm palm.

"Qing Tan!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the dense forest, and another man rushed out abruptly. However, upon seeing the scene before him, his steps halted, and he stood there in astonishment.

The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties and had a somewhat skinny build. There was a hint of sharpness in his eyebrows, but it seemed as if he had suffered some sort of injury, as his face appeared to be slightly pale, partially hiding this sharpness.

Following the man's appearance, Lin Dong and a woman also ran out from the forest.

The woman accompanying Lin Dong was dressed simply and appeared to be in her thirties. Her features were delicate, giving off a gentle and soft aura.

"Qing Tan!" The woman couldn't help but exclaim in shock when she saw this scene.

Qing Tan was startled awake, and when she looked up, she saw a handsome young man she had never seen before gazing at her. The young man's hand was being held by her. Immediately, Qing Tan's cheeks blushed slightly, and without thinking much, she quickly got up and ran towards the woman, finally throwing herself into her arms.

"Mother..."

The woman carefully examined Qing Tan but did not find any signs of the chilling cold flare-up. She then looked towards Lin Dong.

"Qing Tan indeed experienced a chilling cold flare-up just now!" Lin Dong was also somewhat puzzled at this point.

"It must have been that young master who helped Qing Tan," the skinny man reasoned, and the family of four approached.

The skinny man respectfully cupped his hands and said, "This young master, I am the father of the child, Lin Xiao. My child had a chilling cold flare-up just now. I must thank the young master for being kind enough to lend a hand. May I know how to address young master?"

"No need to mention it, just a small effort. As for my name, I am Xiao Ming."

"Mr. Xiao. And this young lady is?" Lin Xiao asked, looking at Ying Huanhuan.

"My disciple," Xiao Ming replied with a smile.

"I see. So, she's Mr. Xiao's beloved disciple. Did Mr. Xiao and his disciple come to visit someone in our Lin Family's back hill?"

"No, we are here for something unrelated to your Lin Family. We'll be on our way," Xiao Ming shook his head and prepared to leave with Ying Huanhuan.

As they passed by Lin Dong and his mother, Xiao Ming suddenly paused and fixed a curious gaze on Lin Dong's face.

"What's your name?"

Ying Huanhuan, who had been following closely, gave Lin Dong a strange look upon hearing this. This kid seemed pretty ordinary, so why would her Master suddenly ask for his name? Might there be something special about him?

However, upon a closer look, she couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary.

Lin Dong felt a bit nervous under Xiao Ming's intense gaze and hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

"My name is Lin Dong! Thanks to Big Brother for saving my sister!"

'Lin Dong.'

Xiao Ming looked at the boy before him and couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in his heart. He had not expected to encounter the Child of the Plane from the Tian Xuan Continent under such circumstances.

Nonetheless, he had no intention of taking any action. He simply nodded and then continued on his way with Ying Huanhuan.

Lin Xiao watched as Xiao Ming and Ying Huanhuan disappeared into the mountain mist. The slight smile on his lips faded. He approached Qing Tan and gently patted his daughter's small head, relieved to find that the chilling cold had indeed not flared up.

"Qing Tan, what did Mr. Xiao do to you earlier? How are you feeling now?"

"Big brother just placed his hand on Qing Tan's head. His hand was very warm, like a stove, but not as hot. Qing Tan liked it very much; it was warm and comfortable," Qing Tan replied candidly.

"Is that so?"

Lin Xiao fell into deep thought. Such a simple action could suppress Qing Tan's chilling cold; the strength of such a person must be terrifying. The sudden appearance of such a strong figure in the back hills of their Lin Family made him wonder whether this was a blessing or a curse.

Lin Dong gazed back in the direction where Xiao Ming and Ying Huanhuan had disappeared. His bright eyes held a hint of confusion as he turned to his father.

"Father, it's a relief that Qing Tan's chilling cold hasn't flared up again. Why do you seem unhappy about it? Moreover, that big brother was willing to save Qing Tan; he seemed like a good person. But why do I feel like you don't like him?"

"You'll understand when you grow up."

Lin Xiao patted his son's head gently, not wanting to explain his caution. Although Xiao Ming's arrival was unexpected, he hadn't done anything harmful. In fact, he had helped them. To speak ill of him now seemed inappropriate.

"But Qing Tan's chilling cold might flare up again, right?" Lin Dong muttered.

Although Qing Tan wasn't his biological sister, he cared deeply for her. Now that a kind-hearted person who could suppress her chilling cold had appeared, why didn't his father talk more with him? Perhaps they could find a permanent cure for Qing Tan's condition.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but sigh when he heard his son's words.

...

"Hmph, that guy actually dared to question Master, even though Master helped them," Ying Huanhuan walked beside Xiao Ming, remembering the recent events and feeling somewhat indignant.

"That's just human nature," Xiao Ming replied calmly, seemingly not bothered by it.

Ying Huanhuan wasn't satisfied with this explanation and continued, "And those two kids, they actually called Master 'Big Brother.' They didn't look much older than me. They are putting themselves a generation above me for no reason!"

Xiao Ming chuckled at her words. "Then you should have spoken up at that moment."

"I... I didn't react in time," Ying Huanhuan pouted.

Xiao Ming didn't comment further and continued walking towards the hilltop. Reaching the end of a stone path in the deeper part of the hill's backside, a precipitous cliff appeared before them.

"We're here."

Xiao Ming scanned his surroundings. his gaze fell on some protruding rocks along the edge of the cliff. These rocks didn't seem remarkable, but they happened to form a hidden path.

Carrying Ying Huanhuan, Xiao Ming moved along this rocky path until he reached the bottom of the cliff. Before them appeared a cave hidden beneath several large stones.

The cave was very well hidden, with the surrounding protruding rocks providing cover. It would have been almost impossible to notice unless someone was specifically looking for it. Under normal circumstances, no one would engage in such an activity.

Xiao Ming leaped into the cave, and a wave of coolness greeted him, contrasting sharply with the outside heat.

The inside of the cave was not very spacious. Aside from a stone pool about two to three meters wide in the center of the cave, nothing was particularly notable.

Approaching the stone pool, they saw that it was filled with clear, transparent water. a faint chill hung above the water's surface.

"There doesn't seem to be anything special here!" Ying Huanhuan was set down by Xiao Ming and curiously looked around the cave.

Xiao Ming didn't say anything in response but looked up at the ceiling of the cave. He noticed something in a hidden crevice, and with a slight gesture, the object flew into his palm.

The object in question was a faintly ash-colored stone piece about the size of two fingers put together. When Xiao Ming held it in his hand, it felt oddly soft, not quite like that of a stone. This texture was also unlike jade or wood.

It was like stone yet not stone, like jade yet not jade, like wood yet not wood. This object seemed to be some kind of rare item, yet it appeared to have no special qualities at first glance.

"This is what I was looking for. The second-ranked item on the Ancient Divine Item List, the Ancestral Stone."