Ashes and hope.

Standing in front of Liang Chen and Yan Ling was a small plot of land that was scorched black. One could see the burnt remains of a few trees and two small buildings, practically only cinders remaining of everything. A small wooden fence had been set up around the entire plot of land, the words 'Lest we forget the sin' carved into a sign that hung at various places on the fence.

He had expected it, Liang Chen had honestly expected that his old home would be gone. He had prepared himself for the burnt remains to have been torn down and the land flattened so that they could build a new house on top. Even this strange scene of his old home being turned into a memorial that would constantly remind the Qing clan what the fate of 'traitors' would be was something he figured might possibly happen.

He expected it, and he made sure to prepare himself for it before he entered the city. But once he actually saw it, witnessed the burned remains of his past, all those preparations turned out to be for naught. Liang Chen's entire body stiffened, his heartbeat skyrocketing as his Qi involuntarily started to seethe and surge.

This was where he had lived, this was where he had made most of his wonderful memories. And now it was all gone, burned to ashes and used as a reminder for others, warning them not to sin or turn against the clan. The fact that his parents were actually innocent only made it worse, it turned this memorial into nothing but a mockery. This place, this warm home where he had spent his childhood, nothing but a mockery, a cold joke.

Liang Chen's expression started to slowly darken, the seething Qi within his body bubbling to the surface, tiny white dots of poison slowly seeping out from his skin. He was angry, he was utterly furious. How dare they do this? After forcing his parents to make the ultimate sacrifice for the clan, they even desecrated their home? How fucking dare they?!

Just as the world in front of Liang Chen's eyes was about to be dyed a mixture of red and black, he felt someone give the back of his head a strong slap. The unexpected pain of the slap instantly brought Liang Chen back to his senses, the poison that had seeped through his skin sinking back into his body. He turned his head slightly, his eyes landing on Yan Ling, who was looking at him with a gaze that was a mixture of concern and scolding. He put on a somewhat forced and weak smile, giving a slight nod of his head.

"Thank you, I'm okay now."

Had she not brought him back to his senses, his fury would have resulted in his poison and lightning being frenziedly spread into the surroundings, acting on his strong emotions. They were in the middle of a city inhabited by countless people, there was no telling how many people he would have ended up killing, how many innocent families would be ruined by his spontaneous act.

Yan Ling gave Liang Chen a deep gaze, only nodding her head after seeing that he truly seemed to have regained his wits. Liang Chen turned his gaze back onto the ruins of his home, his eyes sweeping over the entire plot of land. Slowly, his burning fury started to cool, turning into a deep sadness, a feeling of sorrow and longing that dug into his bones like maggots.

His parents and their warmth was gone and he might never be able to acquire that warmth again. No matter how close he got to others, no matter what they did together, he would never be able to replicate the warmth he had felt here. The only hope he had for rebuilding that warmth was the faint hope that had been given to him by the caravan guard leader he had traveled with just before he first entered the Mystic's Hidden Realm, Yi Huang.

As for that hope, it wasn't even fit to be called hope, it was more fit to be called the desperate dream of a lonely child. Just because he was unable to revive his parents now, there was no telling it would stay the same in the future. Perhaps once he reached a truly supreme level of strength he would be able to revive his parents. That was the frail hope Yi Huang had given Liang Chen, those were the words Liang Chen whispered to himself as he endured the pain he experienced in the Mystic's Hidden Realm.

Liang Chen took a deep breath and stepped forward, easily jumping over the fence that surrounded his burnt down home. He didn't care about the surrounding people that might see him, he could just change his appearance once more using the Heaven Altering Mask.

Yan Ling followed after Liang Chen, quietly walking by his side and providing what warmth she could, waiting for Liang Chen himself to speak up, something he did once they reached a spot located at the left of the ruins.

"I used to live here. The place where we are standing right now used to be the lone bedroom in the house, the place where we all slept. They thought about building a second bed for me, but they had no idea where to place it, so the idea was shelved."

Liang Chen could still see the bedroom when he closed his eyes, the scene perfectly replicated in his mind. The bed was cramped with the three of them, but it was comfortable, it felt safe. Liang Chen walked a few meters to the north, entering the ruins of the smaller building.

"This used to be our bathroom, my parents built it with their own two hands to make sure that we didn't have to use the shared baths and toilets."

Yan Ling swept the area with a quick gaze, but the fire that raged here back then ended up becoming so fierce that nothing was left, only a few pieces of the walls still barely standing. Liang Chen stood still for half a minute before stepping back into the ruins of his house, into the place that used to be the living-room. He crouched down at the center of what used to be the living-room, digging in the ashes and pulling something out.

"This was a knife that my parents gave me shortly before their execution, it was supposed to protect me and keep me safe from harm after they were gone."

He hadn't been able to take the knife with him as he was forced to flee so abruptly, so it had been left here in the house. It was now completely ruined, the blade having nearly fully melted during the fire it had now stiffened into several drop-like formations that were just barely connected thanks to a small piece of metal that was still connected to the handle, which was so burnt it had become charcoal.

Liang Chen placed the knife into his interspatial ring, keeping it safe for the future. He then stood up and took a deep breath with closed eyes, as if he was trying to inhale the ashes and memories of his past. When he opened his eyes again, the sorrow and longing were gone from his eyes, replaced with his usual determination.

He grabbed hold of Yan Ling's hand, dragging her over to a spot located a bit in front of the ruins of his house. He let go of her hand and crouched down again, digging into the ashes and earth with his bare hands as he spoke.

"There used to be several trees here. They weren't planted by my parents, but they made sure to take great care of them. When they bloomed in the summer, it made for a spectacular sight. They were the same type of trees as the ones that grow around your house, so you might be able to somewhat imagine it."

Liang Chen finished digging into the earth, pulling up a small seed that was somewhat burnt but still mostly fine. He held up the seed with his now dirty hands, looking at it with a gentle gaze as he spoke.

"One day I will rebuild the warmth I had here. No matter how strong I must become, no matter how much pain I have to suffer, I will rebuild it. Just like this seed will one day grow into a mighty tree, I will rebuild this warmth and make it so strong that it can never vanish again."

Liang Chen carefully stored the seed into his interspatial ring. This ring was the reward he had earned after completing the second trial in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, it was forged by someone known as Sovereign Blacksmith. The inside of the ring could even hold minor living things like plants and herbs, so it looked like a vast and verdant plain.

Liang Chen used his control over the ring to plant the seed in a secluded spot, speeding up the passage of time inside it. This speeding up of time was not something he did using his own powers, it was one of the functions of the ring, which was explained to him by the phantom of the Sealing God Empyrean when he was given the ring. After planting the seed, he turned his head slightly, looking at Yan Ling.

"If I asked for your help, would you give it to me?"

Liang Chen rarely asked for help, more often than not just doing things on his own. It had been like that ever since his parents were executed and he was forced to survive on his own. To him, asking others for help was something that felt strange and uncomfortable. But when he asked Yan Ling for help in rebuilding his past warmth, it didn't feel strange at all, it simply felt right, almost comfortable.

But at the same time, he also felt worried and nervous. What if she said no? After all, even though they were close friends, she had no obligation to help him with a goal that might be impossible to achieve. If she were to say no, no one could blame her. But all his worries were for naught, as Yan Ling responded with giving him a bright smile, pulling him up from his crouched position and giving the back of his head another slap, a gentler one this time.

"Of course I'll help you, you're my Little Freak after all! But before we even think about any of that, we must finish up the mission we have accepted here. And I might just know a way we could make the mission quite a bit easier."