Conspiracies against the City of Starlight and Liu Hui were brewing across the globe, yet Liu Hui had no inclination to concern himself with these plots. His days were consumed by the relentless attention of several women, leaving him utterly devoid of the time or space for independent thought.

"Huihui, when are you finally moving in with me?" Shu Yan asked bashfully.

Before Liu Hui could speak, An Qi interjected, "Liu Hui has his own home; why should he move in with you? I doubt you're even a real woman, showing such shamelessness!"

Hu Xian'er watched the two women bicker with a throbbing headache. Recently, Shu Yan had been showing up at Liu Hui's door every other day, chasing him in circles. Even Hu Xian'er found the situation unbearable but felt utterly helpless against the mysterious Shu Yan. Fortunately, An Qi, suspicious of Shu Yan, also kept close to Liu Hui daily, curbing some of her more outrageous antics.

Liu Hui felt every moment of Shu Yan's relentless pressure was an eternity. At times like these, he thought of Wei Chao, whose numerous women were considered a 'peach blossom fortune,' while his own situation, with too many women, was clearly a 'peach blossom calamity.'

Shu Yan grasped Liu Hui’s hand, her voice sharp with irritation. "Huihui, you must give me a definitive answer today. When exactly are we going to start living together for real?"

With Hu Xian'er and An Qi standing nearby, Liu Hui dared not utter a word. He remained silent, frozen in place.

Suddenly, Shu Yan burst into tears. "You acted so devoted to me before! It was all fake, you were just deceiving me…"

Seeing Shu Yan weep, Liu Hui panicked, preparing to offer comfort, but caught a flicker of triumphant satisfaction playing at the corners of her mouth, shielded only by her hands. Liu Hui sighed, recognizing it as just one of Shu Yan's little tricks, and retracted the hand he was about to extend.

Liu Hui looked at the three women before him, utterly at a loss, feeling a profound weariness settle in his soul. Just then, an idea struck him. He subtly channeled the spiritual energy within his body, forcibly expelling a mouthful of blood, which he then spat out in a large gout before collapsing onto the sofa.

"Ah! Shui Niu, what’s wrong?" Hu Xian'er cried out, rushing to support him, while An Qi and Shu Yan crowded around in a flurry of distress.

Liu Hui feigned weakness. "Xian'er, lately, whenever Shu Yan talks to me like that, my heart races until I feel physically unwell…"

An Qi immediately glared at Shu Yan. "Look what you’ve done! If anything happens to Liu Hui because of you, I will never forgive you."

Shu Yan, seeing Liu Hui in this state, didn't know how to react. Hu Xian'er, however, remained composed. "You two should go home first and let Liu Hui rest properly. You know he works hard enough during the day. Coming home only to face your bombardment easily exhausts him. If this state continues long-term, it will affect his health."

Though An Qi and Shu Yan remained worried, they conceded Hu Xian'er had a point. They chose to leave temporarily, prioritizing Liu Hui's much-needed rest, as his well-being was the last thing any of them wanted to jeopardize.

Once An Qi and Shu Yan were gone, the seemingly sickly Liu Hui instantly stood up, patted his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. "They're finally gone."

Hu Xian'er frowned. "Shui Niu, you were faking it!"

Liu Hui replied helplessly, "What choice did I have? You saw how Shu Yan was acting."

Hu Xian'er countered, "But even if you fool them today, what about tomorrow?"

Liu Hui fell silent. Hu Xian'er looked at him, then considered the reality of having to compete with two other women for him. A wave of sorrow washed over her, and she too dissolved into loud sobs.

"Xian'er, why are you crying too? Okay, okay, be a good girl, stop crying," Liu Hui said, immediately flustered, rushing to console her.

But Liu Hui failed to grasp the depth of Hu Xian'er’s distress. Instead of calming down under his reassurances, she cried even harder.

The next day, a visibly haggard Liu Hui sought out De Sheng, and the two held a private consultation behind closed doors.

"De Sheng, I have a small issue brewing at home, so I need to step out for a while to let things cool down," Liu Hui confided, looking troubled.

"Boss, if you're leaving to avoid trouble, you absolutely must arrange matters concerning the City of Starlight first," De Sheng, the intelligence chief, fully understood the dilemma his boss faced and agreed that an absence was wise for the Boss's well-being.

"Don't worry, I've handled all the work assignments. I won't be seen at the company for a while. We need to stay in contact; if you get any news, notify me immediately." Liu Hui instructed.

De Sheng assured him, "Rest assured, Boss. If anything happens, I will notify you in the shortest time possible."

"Oh, and to avoid attracting outside attention, and to keep those women from finding me, I plan to go alone this time. Don't have any bodyguards follow me," Liu Hui added.

De Sheng considered this. "Boss, the City of Starlight is perfectly secure right now. You should be safe traveling alone."

"If my family comes looking for me, tell them I've gone to a secure, undisclosed location and won't be back for some time," Liu Hui instructed.

De Sheng confirmed, "I understand, Boss, I will tell them exactly that."

Liu Hui had been so cornered by the three women that he had resorted to running away. De Sheng, hearing his boss mention 'avoiding trouble,' mistakenly assumed Liu Hui was merely hiding somewhere within the City of Starlight, unaware that Liu Hui intended to abandon the City of Starlight entirely and flee into the outside world.

After making all arrangements, Liu Hui went to a secluded spot, donned a magic mask to alter his appearance, boarded a massive ocean freighter, and left the City of Starlight.

Liu Hui’s new identity was that of an ordinary crew member on this freighter. Once detached from the City of Starlight, all his responsibilities vanished, and he felt an overwhelming lightness, as free and unrestrained as a dragon returning to the water.

He realized that since obtaining the Planar Trading Device, his life had been consumed entirely by the effort to establish the City of Starlight, essentially losing sight of his own value. It was only upon leaving the very source of that responsibility that he felt such exhilarating relief and ease. Though disguised as a common sailor, he rediscovered simple joys of life he had long overlooked.

The ocean freighter sailed southeast from the City of Starlight, its final destination being Argentina in South America. After a wondrous journey as a sailor, the freighter finally reached its terminus: Río Grande, the southernmost city in South America.

Upon arrival, Liu Hui quietly disembarked, setting foot on land in the city closest to the Antarctic continent. In his plan, if he intended to disappear for a period, this remote southern outpost was his ideal choice.

Liu Hui had prepared meticulously before arriving in Río Grande. Using a passport issued by the City of Starlight, he settled into a residence here. Then, he retrieved the electric vehicle he had stored in his dimensional space, affixed a fake license plate, and began leisurely exploring this exotic, southernmost metropolis.

The electric car had been custom-made for him by automotive companies. From the outside, it looked indistinguishable from any other electric vehicle, but within, it was a different world. Not only was the chassis bulletproof, but the interior was also outfitted with a host of advanced technological devices.

Liu Hui had left the City of Starlight; his heart was temporarily free of burdens. He began a life of relaxed, carefree travel, finally fulfilling an early dream of wandering the globe.

Driving south from Río Grande, the landscape grew increasingly desolate; often, he wouldn't see a single soul for tens of kilometers. Yet, precisely because of the sparse population, the natural environment remained pristine. The stunning scenery filled Liu Hui with peace and refreshment.

One day, Liu Hui drove his electric vehicle to a secluded stretch of coastline. The ocean here was an intense blue, the water crystal clear, and the adjacent beach covered in exceptionally fine sand, untainted by litter or the grime of human civilization.

Seeing this beach brought Liu Hui joy. He parked the car and walked onto the sand, absorbing the tranquility. In that moment, his mind quieted completely, as if he had returned to the embrace of Mother Nature. To fully immerse himself in the quietude of the wild, he even removed the magic mask he constantly wore, reverting to his true face.

Completely absorbed in the beauty of nature, Liu Hui wandered much farther than intended. When he rounded a bend, he spotted a small child playing further down the beach, building something with a plastic bucket and shovel.

Curiosity piqued, Liu Hui slowly approached. The child playing was a boy, perhaps five or six years old, with distinctly Asian features: a chubby face and large, adorable eyes.

Upon seeing the little boy, perhaps because he himself had no children, or for other unknown reasons, Liu Hui felt an immediate fondness for him.

Liu Hui stepped closer and spoke in Spanish, "Hello, little friend, why are you playing here all alone? Where are your parents?"

The small boy paused his activity, looked back at Liu Hui, and replied, "My grandpa went to get something; he'll be back soon to get me."

The little boy then studied Liu Hui closely and asked in Mandarin, "Uncle, are you from Huaxia?"

Liu Hui responded in Mandarin, "You call me Uncle? I suppose I count as a Huaxia person!"

The little boy became excited. "Then Uncle, have you been to the Great Wall?"

Liu Hui paused, admitting with a touch of shame, "Well, no, I haven't had the chance yet."

The little boy sighed. "My grandpa told me the Great Wall is the most magnificent structure in all of Huaxia, but I've asked many people, and none of them have seen the real Great Wall."

Liu Hui looked down and realized the structure the boy was building on the sand was indeed a model of the Great Wall, though, lacking a true reference, it looked rather crude.

Liu Hui squatted down on the sand. "Hello, little friend. Are you also from Huaxia? What is your name?"

The little boy replied, "Uncle, my name is Xiao Bao. My mother told me I am from Huaxia."

Liu Hui laughed. "Haha, so your name is Xiao Bao! You truly are as cute as a treasure! By the way... Xiao Bao, do you live nearby?"

Xiao Bao said, "Yes! We live just behind that patch of trees. We have a very large ranch with many dairy cows!"

Liu Hui smiled. "Xiao Bao, why would your family let you play out here all by yourself? It’s very dangerous for such a little boy to play outside alone."

Hearing this, Xiao Bao’s expression grew somber. After a moment, he said, "My mother is sick and has to lie in bed all day. My grandpa hasn't been feeling well lately either, Grandma has to manage the farm, and Elder Wan has bad legs. So, I spend most of my time playing alone."

Liu Hui asked curiously, "Xiao Bao, what about your father? Why doesn't he play with you?"

Xiao Bao's eyes dimmed further. "My mother told me my father went far away when I was very small, and he’ll come back when Xiao Bao grows up."

Liu Hui felt a pang of sadness. From Xiao Bao’s words, he suspected the boy’s father was likely dead, and his mother was telling him a comforting lie.

Xiao Bao continued, "My grandpa told me Huaxia has an old saying: 'He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man.' So, Xiao Bao thinks if he sees the Great Wall, he’ll be a true man, and then he’ll be grown up, and his daddy will come back to visit! Because I miss my dad very much."

"But no matter how I build it, this Great Wall doesn't look anything like the one in the pictures."

Only then did Liu Hui understand why Xiao Bao was so obsessed with the Great Wall—it was tied to his longing for his father. Liu Hui smiled. "Xiao Bao, Uncle hasn't seen the Great Wall either, but I know how to build one! How about Uncle helps you build a real Great Wall right here?"

Xiao Bao immediately cheered up, leaping up and clapping his hands, crying happily, "That's wonderful, Uncle is helping Xiao Bao build the Great Wall! Once Xiao Bao sees the Great Wall, he'll be a real man, and my daddy will come back to visit me!"

Watching the delighted Xiao Bao, Liu Hui felt a strange regret for the boy's fate, but he quickly composed himself and began focusing on using the tools to construct the Great Wall in the sand.

Liu Hui was physically strong, and soon built a Great Wall five meters long and half a meter high. In terms of sheer presence, it bore no resemblance to the Great Wall back in China.

Xiao Bao stared blankly at the structure before him, murmuring, "Uncle, is this the real Great Wall?"

Liu Hui laughed. "Xiao Bao, this is what the Great Wall looks like. But to see the actual Great Wall, you’ll have to wait until you return to Huaxia."

Xiao Bao exclaimed excitedly, "I've seen the Great Wall now, so I am a man, and I'm grown up! So my daddy will come back to see me now, right?"

Liu Hui looked at the happy child, knowing inwardly that this particular wish was unlikely to come true. Just as he was about to offer some gentle comfort, a voice called out from the nearby woods: "Xiao Bao, where are you?"

Xiao Bao stood up and called out happily, "Grandpa, I’m here! I finished building the Great Wall, and this Uncle said I’m a man now…"

An elderly man emerged from the trees by the beach, walking with a slight cough. He looked at Xiao Bao and chuckled. "Xiao Bao, you’re telling tales again. This spot is deserted; hardly anyone comes here. Where is this 'Uncle'?"

Xiao Bao blinked, then turned around, but Liu Hui was nowhere in sight. He insisted, "Grandpa, but I really saw an Uncle just now, and we were talking! Why did he suddenly disappear?"

The old man paused, looked down at the sand-built Great Wall, and murmured, "Xiao Bao couldn't have built a structure like this by himself. Did someone really help you?" But scanning the surroundings, he found nothing.

As Xiao Bao continued looking for Liu Hui, the old man said, "Xiao Bao, it’s getting late. Let’s head back! Your mother will worry."

Xiao Bao, being a sensible child, nodded. "Okay, let's go back now. I don't want Mom to worry."

The old man took Xiao Bao's small hand, and they started back towards the trees. Xiao Bao kept looking over his shoulder, trying to spot the Uncle who had helped him build the Wall.

The old man and child slowly entered the woods, but the figure of Liu Hui suddenly reappeared on the sand. Liu Hui was trembling violently, muttering, "I’m not dreaming, I’m not dreaming, this is impossible…"

When Liu Hui saw the old man who had come to collect Xiao Bao, he recognized him as someone who had vanished long ago: Liang Bo. Though he had no idea why Liang Bo was here, he knew he had finally found the trail of Liang Bo’s family.

What complicated matters for Liu Hui was that Xiao Bao had called Liang Bo 'Grandpa.' Since Liang Bo only had one daughter, Liang Jingyue, was it possible that this boy, Xiao Bao, was Liang Jingyue's son?