"Huh?"
"Uncle, have you gone senile?"
"What is going on?"
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the scene unfolding before them...
Young Master Lin was so stunned he even forgot that a hand was wrapped around his neck. He cried out in astonishnt, completely unable to understand why his uncle, who had always doted on him, would suddenly turn on him.
'Shouldn't he be dealing with Hong Yu right now?'
Young Master Lin was bewildered.
The Four Great Vajras were also bewildered.
'What in the world is happening?'
Hong Yu frowned as well, unable to figure out what this arrogant, nose-in-the-air commander was up to.
Commander Lin, however, rubbed his hands together and looked at Hong Yu with a fawning smile. His words were filled with a desire to please. "Greetings, T-True Disciple Hong!"
Hong Yu was taken aback. "You know ?"
"I am the commander of the Xifeng City Guard Army. I had the honor of witnessing True Disciple Hong's genius during the Cyan Nether Sword Sect's promotion tournant. I've wanted to make your acquaintance ever since but never had the chance."
Commander Lin rubbed his nose, a wry smile on his face. "I truly never imagined that our first eting would be under such circumstances..."
"Uncle, has your brain rusted over? What did you call him? So True Disciple, false disciple?"
Young Master Lin hadn't processed what was happening.
Commander Lin was so angry he was about to curse his nephew's mother. He whipped his head around and spat furiously in Young Master Lin's face, "You prodigal disgrace! This is the winner of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect's recent inner sect promotion tournant, the current First True Disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, Hong Yu! True Disciple Hong!"
"Huh?"
"Holy shit..."
"Damn it, this guy is actually the First True Disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect?"
It wasn't just Young Master Lin and the Four Great Vajras who were stunned; even Little Feng was staring blankly at Hong Yu.
In their minds, Sect disciples were all arrogant figures who thought they were hot stuff. When had there ever been a True Disciple who was not only low-key but also willing to lower his status to help a little beggar?
Young Master Lin felt incredibly wronged.
As for the Four Great Vajras, their legs were trembling. They finally understood what kind of person they had provoked, and they felt like they had screwed themselves over completely.
Commander Lin rubbed his hands together again and said fawningly, "True Disciple Hong, this nephew of mine may be a disappointnt, and he gets into so minor trouble from ti to ti. But at least he doesn't have any malicious intent. Please, True Disciple Hong, give so face and spare him this one ti, will you?"
"No malicious intent?"
Hong Yu snorted coldly. "Ask your precious nephew what this fire was all about before you say that!"
"A fire?"
Commander Lin froze, then looked at Young Master Lin, whose expression had changed drastically. "Speak! What exactly happened?"
Young Master Lin had a mournful look on his face. "Uncle, th-this has nothing to do with ."
"Still lying? Believe it or not, I can just wash my hands of this and hand you over to True Disciple Hong for punishnt." Commander Lin was starting to get truly angry.
Although he doted on Young Master Lin and usually covered for his minor mischief, he would never compromise on matters of principle. If this fire really was connected to Young Master Lin, Commander Lin would absolutely not cover for him and would handle it strictly according to the law.
Young Master Lin shuddered, his face so pale it was drained of all color. He had no choice but to confess. "I-It was their idea. The four of them. They said after they were done with the female beggar, they would set a fire to burn her to death, to tie up all loose ends. And they could also fra Tr-True Disciple Hong..."
"Bastards! All of you are bastards! n! Seize these four scoundrels! Take them back for harsh interrogation, get the full story, and then deal with them according to the law!"
Commander Lin roared in fury, then pointed at Young Master Lin. "You prodigal disgrace, were you involved or not?"
"I... I just watched from the side! I really didn't do anything!"
Young Master Lin said, aggrieved.
Commander Lin looked to Hong Yu.
Hong Yu frowned. A light flashed in his left Cyan Eye, and he saw that although Young Master Lin was panicked, he wasn't lying. Hong Yu said indifferently, "Even if he didn't participate directly, he is still inseparable from this matter. As for how to punish him, you can decide for yourself."
Tossing Young Master Lin back to the commander, Hong Yu turned and walked away.
"You prodigal disgrace! Go ho and reflect on your actions while facing a wall! You're not to take a single step out of your room for half a year! Go and read your books properly!" Commander Lin roared, ordering his subordinates to take Young Master Lin away.
He walked over to Hong Yu's side, feeling apprehensive.
Hong Yu waved his hand. "Have your n withdraw."
"True Disciple Hong, I have arranged a banquet at West Wind Tower tonight. I would like to invite..."
Hong Yu shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I have already left the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, so you don't need to be so courteous with . Alright, just manage your own affairs. You may leave."
"Huh? Yes, yes, of course!"
Commander Lin withdrew, looking dazed.
...
A full nine hours passed. It wasn't until late at night that Little Feng's mother regained consciousness.
But her body was simply too weak. Even with the support of the Rejuvenation Pill's potent dicinal power, she remained extrely frail.
The campfire illuminated her face, revealing a sickly, sallow complexion.
Hong Yu glanced at her. "You're awake?"
"Wh-who are you? Where is Little Feng?"
Little Feng's mother asked.
Hong Yu made a hushing gesture, pointing to the little boy who had fallen asleep beside her. "He was taking care of you the whole ti," he whispered. "He just couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep."
"Mm."
A look of loving pity and self-bla flashed in her eyes. She looked at Hong Yu. "This lowly one is Bai Wanting. Thank you, my young benefactor, for saving my life."
"I am Hong Yu. I'm not much older than Little Feng. If you don't mind, I'll call you Aunt Bai," Hong Yu said with a smile.
"Mm."
Bai Wanting nodded gracefully. She suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a series of soft coughs. When she pulled her hand away, her palm was stained crimson.
Hong Yu was startled and frowned. "Aunt Bai, your body..."
"It's an old ailnt, it's nothing."
Bai Wanting smiled faintly and shook her head, her words and gestures as dignified and elegant as those of a well-bred lady. "May I ask where my young benefactor is from? And where are you headed?"
"Aunt Bai, you're too polite. You can just call Little Yu."
Hong Yu smiled and said, "I'm from the Fengyue Kingdom. Right now, I'm planning to go to the capital of the Qin Kingdom, Qin Royal City."
"Oh? You're going to Qin Royal City?"
Bai Wanting's eyes lit up. She opened her mouth as if to say sothing, but then hesitated.
Hong Yu noticed this subtle change and asked, "Aunt Bai, is there sothing you're finding difficult to say? Please, feel free to speak. As long as it's sothing I can do, I will not refuse."
After saying this, even Hong Yu himself was a little surprised.
For so reason, when facing this pitiful mother and son, Little Feng and Bai Wanting, he couldn't help but feel a sense of affinity.
This feeling seed to resonate with sothing deep inside him.
Bai Wanting hesitated for a mont, then gave Little Feng a deep look and sighed softly. "Little Yu, you must have noticed. My body is beyond cure; I don't have many days left. My life has been full of ups and downs, and I've experienced more than my share of hardships, so I don't have much fear when facing death. The only thing I can't let go of is Little Feng..."
"Aunt Bai, are you asking to take care of Little Feng?"
Hong Yu frowned.
He couldn't help but look at the sleeping Little Feng.
In truth...
Hong Yu also felt a certain affinity for Little Feng and was quite fond of the sensible and clever little boy.
However, for one, he had his own business to attend to. For another, a Martial Artist's life was one of wandering, and there was no telling when he might attract enemies and trouble. If Little Feng were to get implicated because of him, how could he have any peace of mind?
Bai Wanting seed to see through his doubts and smiled faintly. "Little Yu, you don't need to worry. I'm not asking you to take care of Little Feng forever. Actually, Little Feng and I also ca from another place, and we were preparing to go to Qin Royal City. It's just that my body couldn't hold out that long, so I had to rest here. I didn't expect that once I lay down, I wouldn't be able to get up again."
Bai Wanting paused, her gentle gaze falling upon Little Feng.
It was filled with deep reluctance and longing.
She took out half of a Jade Pendant from her robes. "Little Yu, you and Little Feng have only t by chance, yet you were willing to stay with him to take care of . You even used a precious Second-Grade Spirit Pill to heal us. Such innocence and kindness are rare in this world. I'm asking you, please, take this Jade Pendant and bring Little Feng to the Beichen Comrce Association in Qin Royal City. When you get there, find a person nad Beichen Celestial Frost. She will arrange everything for Little Feng!"
"Cough... COUGH COUGH!"
Bai Wanting coughed violently, her aura weakening significantly once again. A patch of her clothes over her chest was stained red.
Hong Yu frowned.
He noticed that Bai Wanting's Life Force was rapidly fading away.
'I'm afraid she won't even last until dawn,' he thought. 'She's going to die.'
Hong Yu took a deep breath, accepted the piece of the Jade Pendant, and nodded gravely. "Aunt Bai, please rest assured. I will definitely get Little Feng to the Beichen Comrce Association safely!"
"Mm, with Little Feng in your care, I can be at ease."
Bai Wanting shifted her body closer to Little Feng, letting his head rest on her lap. She gazed at the boy in her arms with a gentle look, not saying a word, just watching him quietly.
Hong Yu felt a sting in his nose as he watched. He turned his back, walked several dozen ters away, and sat down cross-legged in silence.
He left the final monts to the poor mother and son.
The night passed quickly...
The next morning, Hong Yu hadn't slept all night, but he kept his eyes closed the entire ti.
From behind him ca the intermittent sounds of digging earth, tapping, and carving.
It wasn't until noon that Little Feng finally ca to Hong Yu's side. His eyes were red, but he was stubbornly holding back his tears. "Big brother, let's go," he said quietly.
"Do you want to cry?"
Hong Yu turned around and looked at Little Feng.
Little Feng bit his lip and nodded.
Hong Yu asked, "Then why don't you cry?"
Little Feng shook his head. "I can't cry. It would make Mom's heart ache."
Hong Yu's Heart Spirit trembled.
He found it hard to believe that these were the words of a seven or eight-year-old child.
His heart ached for the boy. He ruffled the little one's head and said, "Let's say goodbye to your mom together."
"Mm!"
Bai Wanting was buried beneath the pine tree behind the ruined temple. Little Feng had dug the pit with his hands, covered it with earth with his hands, and carved the tombstone out of a wooden plank with his fingernails. Traces of fresh blood stained the tombstone; the boy's ten fingers were already torn and bleeding.
Hong Yu asked, "Does it hurt?"
'The pain from the fingers is connected to the heart. How could it not hurt?'
But Little Feng shook his head. "It doesn't hurt. This is a gift my mom left ."
Hong Yu took a deep breath, not daring to ask any more questions. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his own tears.
He bowed deeply to Bai Wanting's grave. 'This was a great mother. Even though she fell on hard tis, even though she died young, to be able to raise a child like Little Feng makes her great.' "Aunt Bai, please rest assured. I will take good care of Little Feng!"
"Say goodbye to your mom," Hong Yu said.
Little Feng looked at the small grave mound. He didn't cry or make a fuss, just stubbornly bit his lip. "Mom, when I miss you, I'll rember to look at the stars in the sky."
A large hand holding a small one, Hong Yu led Little Feng away.
Under the bright sun, the shadows of the large and small figures stretched out long behind them...
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