In Honkai with Tom Cat

"Mm...uh..."

After an unknown amount of time, the white-haired girl woke up from her unconscious state.

She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Li Huan's kind smile.

"You're awake..."

Li Huan initially wanted to joke by saying, "The surgery was successful, and both of your legs have been sawed off," but he held back the urge.

After all, she was just a child. If he made that kind of joke, she might actually believe it and start crying, which would be a disaster.

Plus, she was injured. Compared to the harmless little pranks he played on Kiana and Mei, joking with someone who was genuinely hurt wasn't appropriate.

Still groggy from just waking up, the girl, in a daze, asked, "Who... are you?"

Li Huan looked at her and replied, "I heard you calling for help, so I came to rescue you."

"Is that so..."

The girl seemed to be trying hard to recall what happened. "I remember... I was hunting... then I accidentally fell down the slope over there..."

Hearing this, Li Huan now understood what caused the large trail in the snow nearby.

He sighed and said, "You're really lucky. If I hadn't been nearby, things might have ended badly for you."

"Yes, thank you for saving me."

The girl expressed her gratitude sincerely. "You're my savior. I won't forget this kindness."

She tried to grab the dirt wall beside her and attempted to stand, but halfway up, she wobbled and sat back down.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just still a bit weak," the girl replied, clearly exhausted. "I just need to rest for a bit. I can manage on my own."

Although Li Huan's combat healing had healed the girl's broken bones, her other injuries, combined with being exposed to the freezing snow for so long, had severely drained her strength. It looked like she wouldn't be able to move on her own anytime soon.

Seeing this, Li Huan thought for a moment and made a decision.

He decided to take the girl back to her family.

There was no ulterior motive; it was just that the girl was so young and injured, and being alone in the forest was far too dangerous. As a decent human being, he couldn't just leave her there.

Standing up, Li Huan hoisted the girl onto his back and said, "I've already treated your legs. You should be able to move soon, but until then, I'll carry you."

"Uh...thank you." The girl shyly expressed her gratitude.

"There's no need to thank me. It's no trouble at all."

With ease, Li Huan climbed out of the pit, carrying the girl.

"Do you recognize this area?" Li Huan asked, looking at the forest around them.

"I do... I come here often."

"Alright then, just point the way, and I'll take you home."

"Huh? But how can I..." The girl hesitated before politely refusing. "You already saved my life, which is an immense favor I can't repay. To trouble you further by taking me home is just..."

"There's no need to be so formal," Li Huan interrupted. "What kind of adult would I be if I left an injured child alone out here?"

"Alright..." Hearing this, the girl eventually agreed. "Then, sorry to trouble you."

She pointed in a direction. "My home is that way..."

Li Huan nodded and started walking in the direction she pointed.

"Um... Savior, what's your name?"

As Li Huan carried her on his back, the girl asked curiously.

Li Huan thought for a moment before answering, "I'm just a passing traveler. My name isn't important."

Then, he asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"I... don't have a name."

Unexpectedly, the girl gave a rather peculiar answer.

Hearing this, Li Huan was intrigued. "No name? How come?"

"My father never told me my name."

At this point, the girl's expression darkened. "I asked him many times, but he never told me."

"That's really frustrating," Li Huan said, finding it hard to understand. "What about your mother?"

"My mother passed away when I was two... that's what my father told me."

Li Huan quickly apologized. "Ah, I see. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's alright. I don't remember her, and I've never seen her," the girl replied calmly.

At this point, Li Huan thought for a moment and decided to change the subject. "So... how did you end up falling down the slope?"

"Well..."

After a brief pause, the girl started explaining. "It's like this... my father is a hunter, and he's really skilled."

"He's been training me every day recently, teaching me how to hunt so I can follow in his footsteps."

"Today, he took me hunting. While we were on the way, I spotted a good prey and secretly went after it without telling my father. But something went wrong, and I slipped and fell... and then, well, you know the rest."

"I see. That was really unlucky..." Li Huan sighed. "But why did you have to act on your own? If it wasn't for me, you could have died."

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't owe me an apology," Li Huan glanced at her. "You should apologize to your father. I bet he's out there looking for you."

Seeing the girl looking down and dejected, Li Huan thought that letting her stay upset wasn't going to help. A child constantly in tears couldn't grow stronger.

As the cold wind blew past, Li Huan let out a loud sneeze.

The saddened girl heard the sound and asked, "Savior, are you cold?"

"Obviously! Look at what I'm wearing," Li Huan replied with a deadpan look.

He only had a sweater on top of a short-sleeve shirt and long pants, which was definitely not enough for the freezing weather.

If it weren't for the enhanced physical resilience granted by his ancient martial arts training and sheer willpower, he probably would have collapsed from the cold long ago.

"I'm really sorry." The girl apologized once more. "If it weren't for me taking your sweater... I'll give it back to you now."

"No, keep it on until we get to your home, little miss," Li Huan said with a casual wave. "My body is a lot stronger than yours. If I had been the one to fall down that slope, I wouldn't have gotten injured at all."

He then grinned, as if thinking of something amusing. "If it were me sliding down, I'd probably turn it into a fun human sledding experience."

The girl imagined Li Huan lying in the snow, sliding down the slope while making strange noises all the way down, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"You laughed!"

Hearing Li Huan's comment, the girl quickly stifled her laughter and apologized again, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine. It's good to laugh more often."

The two continued chatting and laughing as they made their way through the snowy forest.

Not even the blanket of snow could silence their laughter as they moved forward.

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