24 Meeting a New Friend

Yu Tian slowly made his way around the house, eventually finding a way outside while avoiding the servants. Something must have definitely happened after the void seed entered his body, and the former god decided to look around for clues.

The first place to check would obviously be near where the former Li residence was.

He grimaced. Even though his condition stabilised, his body was dried up and still required time to recover properly. Yu Tian tried to produce some Qi but nearly fell from the sharp pain internally.

It was a bad idea to try to use anything Qi related, so he gave up on that thought.

"Qiu Xue?" He tentatively called out to his martial spirit inside him.

There wasn't any response, but Yu Tian could still feel her presence internally which made him at ease. It seems that the kitten was still asleep and needed more rest time too.

Thankfully, the path seemed to be free of danger. Yu Tian put a mask over his face as he made his way back to where the Li clan residence used to be.

It might've been his first time in the Shan clan's territory, but the countless footsteps from his other family members and servants made it a easy backtrack. There were also some guards around the area, but Yu Tian was able to move silently and stealthily past them.

He finally arrived at the gravel dirt road. Once he was inside the forests and foliage, it would be much easier for him to walk out in the open. Yu Tian continued to move towards the trees in the distance.

...

The afternoon weather was quiet and calm, with only the soft rustling of leaves and branches surrounding him. His emotions became a lot better while walking through the peaceful scenery, but Yu Tian was still internally shaken from the situation he had awoken to.

His main priority was to become stronger. Only the strong make the rules in this cruel martial world, and he needed to properly focus on cultivation in order to save his mother.

"Li Changpu..." Yu Tian gritted his teeth. The demonic cultivator would pay with his life for what he did.

Of course, his current goal was also to find out hints as to what had happened. Yu Tian didn't want Shan Qian Xue to be scared of him, as he didn't want to lose his friend.

The former god sighed. He was only... Seven years old? There seemed to be so much on his plate already before he could even begin to enjoy his new life.

Many questions about his past seemed unanswered as well. Yu Tian glanced at his right hand and arm but couldn't see or sense anything different.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed when Yu Tian sensed a presence. Ducking behind a tree, he peered over and saw a boy about his age appearing.

On his back was a large amount of firewood that seemed to be weighing heavily on his skinny body. Yu Tian recognized the clothes to be from the Shan clan but they were dirty and worn out, with most of the colour faded from the fabric.

The boy struggled as he took heavy, slow steps that seemed to collapse at any moment. However, in his eyes was a sense of determination that gave Yu Tian a good impression of him.

It was strange though. Why would a Shan clan member, and as young as him, be out here in the forests unsupervised? The former god's right eye glowed and he analyzed the surroundings with enhanced vision, but could find no one else nearby.

Feeling that it was safe, Yu Tian decided to follow his gut feeling and check to see what's going on.

"Hey." The other boy became startled by the call and lost his balance.

The heavy firewood started to crush him as he fell face-first, causing him to gasp for breath. Yu Tian immediately rushed over and lifted them off with a grunt of exertion.

"Sorry." Yu Tian apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-It's okay." The other boy gasped out, holding onto his chest and coughing.

"Here." Yu Tian took out his wineskin that was filled with water. The latter was grateful and began drinking deep, greedy gulps.

Now that they were face-to-face, Yu Tian had a much clearer look at the other boy. He seemed a little malnourished and had faint bruises underneath his robes, but the former god was certain that he was from the Shan clan.

Dark hair and brown eyes, his skin was also tanned and there were already callouses developing on his small hands.

"Thank you." The other boy returned the wineskin after he finished drinking.

"Don't worry about it." Yu Tian smiled. "What's your name? Are you from the Shan clan?"

The other boy hesitated. "My name is Shan Jun. I was from the Shan clan but..."

...

Both boys sat down and Yu Tian listened to his entire story. It seems that Shan Jun's father was a member from another clan, the Chun clan, that had an affair with his mother, who was a side branch family member from the Shan Clan.

However, as it was a taboo relationship and his mother got pregnant, both she and Shan Jun were excommunicated from the family once he was born. Normally the situation wouldn't have been this major, but she was already supposed to be engaged to the son of a high ranking elder from a different clan than Chun Jun's father.

"This is certainly quite familar." Yu Tian mused about his mother and himself.

Unfortunately for Shan Jun's case, it only got worse from there. His father apparently wanted nothing to do with them both after she became pregnant, and became engaged to another woman from a different clan.

Distressed, Shan Jun's mother became mentally unsound and took her frustrations out on him. She believed that everything happened was because of Chun Jun, which is why he is frequently beaten.

Not only that, but sometimes even the children from the clan would come into the forest just to terrorise and bully him.

Yu Tian sighed, feeling sorry for Shan Jun. The other boy was forced to mature early, having to learn how to survive and take care of himself. The former god also learned that he was 9 years old this year.

His mother neglected both herself and him, only paying attention to Shan Jun when she broke into her fits of rage to abuse her son. Shan Jun had done everything he could to keep himself and her alive, leaving most of whatever he managed to forage or obtain for her.

"Wait. I don't know why I am telling you all about this." Shan Jun wiped away at his teary eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry to be bothering you with my troubles."

Yu Tian softened, putting a hand on his thin shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Looking over Shan Jun again, Yu Tian contemplated for a moment of silence before reaching into his knapsack and brought out his rations. It wasn't much, just some steamed buns he managed to steal from the Shan clan's kitchen on his way out.

Shan Jun's eyes widened as he stared at the steamed buns, beginning to drool. He stopped himself, shaking his head and doing his best to wave the food away.

"Just take them." Yu Tian smiled and forcefully stuffed the food into Shan Jun's hands.

The other boy had good character and morals, so the former god thought about how he could try to help him. "Do you know how to cultivate?"

Shan Jun shook his head. "Not really. I tried imitating the others but my cultivation is only at a level 4 Qi Novice. Are you also a cultivator?"

Yu Tian nodded, stretching a hand out to demonstrate his Qi but froze mid-action. He was still recovering, and trying to forcefully produce any Qi would only cause him severe pain.

"I am, but I got injured and now I can't use any Qi currently." Yu Tian sighed sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I believe you." Shan Jun nodded confidently, causing Yu Tian to chuckle. The other boy still seemed to believe the good in others after all that he's been through.

"Why are you out here by yourself though?" The other boy asked.

Yu Tian didn't really know how to explain his situation as it was complicated. He knew that if he said the actual reasoning, it would be very weird and somewhat convoluted. "I need to go back to my clan and check something. It was destroyed because a demonic cultivator attacked."

Shan Jun's eyes widened. "A demonic cultivator? Didn't the Holy Qilin Empire outlaw and exterminate all of them?"

"Yeah, but there's still some hiding out there and remaining." Yu Tian nodded. "Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yu... Li Yu Tian."

"The Li clan is also one of the 4 major clans in Stardust City." Shan Jun nodded, recognizing the name. "It feels like this demonic cultivator had something against your clan if he attacked. Were the people moving into the clan house your Li family?"

Yu Tian nodded in confirmation. "Yeah... He also hurt my mother. Our entire clan has become refugees now as well."

Shan Jun immediately felt a chilly presence surround the other boy, causing him to inadvertently to take a step back. Yu Tian's dark eyes grew cold with fury while his face hardened. "I'll make sure that he pays for what he did to her."

Shaking his head to clear his emotions, Yu Tian turned back to Shan Jun. The other boy also seemed to have talent in cultivation, but the former god wasn't completely sure.

When he has a chance, he could try to steal some manuals with Shan Qian Xue's help for Shan Jun. He also wondered if the little tomboy knew about the other boy's existence.

He would try to teach some cultivation basics, but his current mission still took priority.

"I'll come back here to look for you, Shan Jun." Yu Tian clasped hands with the older boy. "Make sure to take care of yourself."