Chapter 20: Yanyan's Wish

"Woof!" The sudden appearance of a young girl startled Xiao Bai, causing it to let out a sharp bark.

Ning Yun was also taken aback. She hadn't noticed when a girl in a white dress and white shoes had appeared right before her. The child’s large, round eyes were fixed on Ning Yun, making her scalp tingle.

When did this child appear?

"Big sister, who are you? I've never seen you before." The girl tilted her head, her expression full of confusion and vigilance.

Ning Yun’s heart sank, but she knew she had to choose her words carefully. "Me? I’m here specifically looking for Yan Yan. Do you know her?" Yan Yan must be a villager here.

The little girl’s eyes lit up. "You’re here for me? I get it, you must be the Fairy Sister." She suddenly grabbed Ning Yun’s clothes. "It must be because I made a wish to Mommy in heaven and she heard me, so she sent you, right?" Yan Yan looked up at Ning Yun with hopeful eyes.

So, this girl was Yan Yan? Ning Yun hadn't expected to find her so easily. Fulfilling a little girl’s wish shouldn't be too hard.

"So you are Yan Yan," Ning Yun said, crouching down to meet her gaze. "I am here to find you. I heard you have a wish—what is it? I can help you make it come true." Facing the pretty little girl, her tone softened involuntarily.

Yan Yan bit her finger unconsciously. "My sister has gone missing. Can you help me find her, Big Sister?" Tears welled up in her eyes. "She hasn't been home since yesterday."

Ning Yun’s task immediately updated, changing from [Yan Yan’s Wish] to [Help Yan Yan Find Her Sister].

She quickly wiped away Yan Yan’s tears. "What is your sister’s name?"

"Xiao Xiao," Yan Yan sniffled. "Her name is Xiao Xiao."

"Did she say where she was going when she left yesterday?" Ning Yun asked.

Yan Yan blinked and thought hard. "Sister said she was going to the back mountain to find food."

"The back mountain?" Ning Yun frowned. Where were there any mountains around here?

Suddenly, Yan Yan ran off toward the village. "Hey, where are you going?" Ning Yun didn't have time to pick up Xiao Bai and hurriedly followed. But as soon as Yan Yan turned a corner, she vanished. Ning Yun stood there, filled with confusion.

Is Yan Yan a person or a ghost? How did she disappear so suddenly?

"Big Sister, look!" Suddenly, Yan Yan popped out from the side of a house. Ning Yun jumped. Yan Yan was holding a piece of paper, holding it up high for her to see clearly. "This is what my sister was always looking at. Can you read it, Big Sister? I don't know how to read, so I don't know what it says."

It was a piece of rough, yellowed paper with strange stains. Ning Yun read the line written on it: "I’m going to the back mountain. Don't look for me." The strokes were heavy and clumsy, looking like a child's handwriting.

Ning Yun remained puzzled. "There are no mountains nearby. Where did your sister mean by the back mountain?"

Yan Yan bit her finger again. "Yan Yan doesn't know..."

This was tricky. If she couldn't even find the location, she would have to wander around and see if she could find other villagers.

"Awoo!"

"A tiger?" Ning Yun gasped. "Why is there a tiger here?"

Commotion erupted not far away. No, that was Xiao Bai! Ning Yun rushed over and saw several villagers surrounding Xiao Bai, brandishing hoes and shovels, their faces tense.

"Stop!" She ran over and scooped Xiao Bai into her arms. "This is my pet! Don't hurt it!" She glared at the villagers with guarded eyes.

The villagers exchanged glances. One middle-aged man lowered his hoe. "Little lady, we're sorry. We didn't know this little tiger was yours."

"Yes, yes, we didn't know. We thought it had run in from outside."

Seeing their change in attitude, Ning Yun relaxed slightly. "It's fine. Xiao Bai is a tiger, so it's understandable that you were alarmed."

With the misunderstanding resolved, the tension eased. Assuming these were locals, Ning Yun asked, "Sir, do you know where the 'back mountain' is? I'm looking for a little girl who went there, but I don't see any mountains around here."

The middle-aged man looked confused. "I've lived in Chang Le Village my whole life; I've never heard of a back mountain. Who are you looking for, miss?"

He didn't know either? Ning Yun had thought the task would be simple, but she had hit a wall at the very first step. "I'm looking for Yan Yan’s sister, Xiao Xiao. Do you know her?" The man shook his head.

However, a younger man nearby seemed to recall something. "Uncle Liu, Xiao Xiao is Stone’s daughter. Xiao Xiao is her given name—my grandfather actually named her."

The others realized. "Oh, the girl from Stone’s place, that sounds right."

Ning Yun quickly asked, "Do you know the places Xiao Xiao goes to most often?" She realized that "back mountain" was likely Xiao Xiao's own term, not a local name.

The young man blushed when he looked at Ning Yun. "Let me think. That girl is always running around wild, going everywhere. If I had to pick a place she goes to often, it would be the Stone Pile."

These three words seemed like a taboo. The faces of the villagers changed instantly. "Miss, you can't go there. It’s haunted." They were unwilling to say more and simply urged Ning Yun not to go.

Ning Yun had no choice but to agree. Satisfied, the villagers dispersed. She waited, then secretly approached the young man. "Could you tell me what the Stone Pile is?"

The young man grinned, his face dark but kind. "No need to be so formal, everyone calls me Da He. You can call me that too."

"The Stone Pile is a field of massive boulders that emerged during an earthquake. At first, it was fine—kids would play hide-and-seek there. But later, some bad things happened, so the village forbade anyone from going."

"But I’ve seen Xiao Xiao go in there alone several times, not sure what she was looking for. Those stones are huge, like a small mountain."

That explained it. That’s why Xiao Xiao wrote about the "back mountain."

"Thank you, Brother Da He." Ning Yun gave a grateful smile, making Da He blush again.

Ning Yun planned to leave the village alone. Unexpectedly, Yan Yan was waiting at the village stone tablet, crouching behind it so quietly that she was easy to miss.

Seeing Ning Yun, she stood up. "Big Sister, can we go find my sister now?" Her eyes were filled with hope.

Ning Yun nodded. "I'm going to find her now. Will you wait for me here?" It was inconvenient to bring a child along. Fortunately, Yan Yan was sensible and nodded. "Then I'll wait here for you to come back!"

Following Da He’s directions, Ning Yun easily found the field of boulders. It was indeed much larger than she had imagined, and it did look like a small mountain. She walked in, with Xiao Bai close behind.

Just a few steps inside, she spotted the corner of a red garment.