In the southern part of Black Rock City, Chun Feng arrived at his home, a large, old-fashioned house with a spacious courtyard meant for training. At the front of the property was a small clinic, built by the home's owner, Gu Tianhong, to care for others.
"Little Chun is back early today, huh."
"Did you manage to hunt anything, little Chun?"
"Look at his back, he definitely caught something!"
Passing through the small clinic, Chun Feng was greeted by some of old Gu's patients.
"Hey, everyone. I was lucky enough to catch something for myself and the little ones. And how are you all doing? Sick again?" Chun Feng greeted them with a nod.
"Well... you know how my old back is, always aching," replied na elderly man with a long white beard covering most of his face, rubbing his back as he spoke with a grimace.
"Old man Wang, I've already told you to stop working so hard on the farm. You could have that lazy grandson of yours, Wang Shen, help out. All he does is loaf around. If he put a little more effort into training, he'd already be in the Bone Forging Stage," Chun Feng said with a neutral expression, looking sternly at the old man.
"I've tried getting that useless grandson of mine to work, but his mother spoiled him too much when he was young," the old man replied, scratching his head a bit embarrassed.
Shaking his head in resignation, Chun Feng bid him farewell and stepped into the consultation room to greet old Gu.
"Hey, old man. Hi, Madame Ning."
Inside the consultation room sat na elderly man in long yellow robes. His long white hair was tied in a topknot, and he had a neatly groomed white beard. He exuded a calm and composed presence, though his aura betrayed the fact that he was in the Energy Creation Stage. Still, something about that aura seemed unstable, as if it lacked balance.
He was attending to a beautiful middle-aged woman, who sat quietly waiting for a diagnosis.
She wore a lovely green dress and a white hat, probably to shield herself from the sun. Even though she was in her forties, her features still held traces of the beauty she once had in her youth. Her demeanor was refined, every movement carrying the grace of someone from a noble family.
"Hmm, it's little Chun Feng. How have you been?"
Madame Ning asked with a gentle, sweet voice as she turned to face Chun Feng.
"I've been doing well. Just got back from a hunt," Chun Feng replied with a nod.
"That's good. Qianqian wants to train with you again. She said this time she'll definitely beat you," Madame Ning said with a smile. There was pride in her tone as she mentioned Qianqian's name.
Su Qianqian was the daughter of Madame Ning and a cultivator from another city, Crystal Lake City, located near the Crystal Lake Sect. Her father was a disciple of that sect, currently traveling the world to broaden his horizons.
He and Madame Ning had once fallen in love, but due to various differences, they eventually separated. Still, Qianqian kept her father's surname and regularly received cultivation resources from him.
Su Qianqian and Chun Feng could be considered childhood friends. Every time Madame Ning came for her routine checkups with Gu Tianhong, she would bring Qianqian along. Since the two children were around the same age, they naturally grew close.
As they began cultivating, Su Qianqian saw Chun Feng's talent for combat and began treating him as her greatest rival, challenging him whenever she could. Despite having techniques and abilities gifted to her by her father, she had never once won a sparring match against Chun Feng. His fighting efficiency was simply extraordinary, even though he had only gathered a handful of techniques himself.
Though her techniques were superior in terms of quality, Chun Feng had a deeper harmony with his own, which allowed him to exert even greater power in battle.
"She can come whenever she wants. But tell her the terms are still the same," Chun Feng replied with a playful smile, thinking about Su Qianqian.
"Damn, kid, at this rate you're going to bankrupt me," Madame Ning said with a chuckle in response to Chun Feng.
"Most of her resources come from her father, so you're not going broke anytime soon," Chun Feng joked, flashing a smile at Madame Ning.
"You're right. To be honest, the more resources he sends, the better. Su Qianqian can't even use everything he gives her anyway. And he's not going to miss such a small amount," Madame Ning replied with a shrug as she spoke about her former lover.
Whenever Chun Feng and Su Qianqian trained together, he would make a wager with her for some cultivation resources. That was one of the reasons for his rapid progress. Even though Su Qianqian's cultivation level was usually ahead of his, she couldn't surpass him when it came to technique mastery and combat instinct.
In a way, she had become a source of resources for Chun Feng. But she didn't mind at all, every sparring match helped her improve, whether in terms of technical control or combat awareness.
After giving Madame Ning a smile, Chun Feng turned to the old man, who was busy scribbling a treatment method onto a piece of parchment.
"Hey, old man. What's with the yellow robe? I already told you, yellow is the color of cowards," Chun Feng teased, smirking in a playful tone.
"Oh really? Seems like you forgot that purple is the color of sissies," the old man replied without even looking up, still focused on his writing.
"Still sharp with the comebacks, huh?" Chun Feng said, stroking his chin.
"Even if I were dead, I'd still be faster than you, brat. Now go join the other brats out in the courtyard," Old Gu replied with na indifferent tone, waving Chun Feng off.
Shaking his head with a grin, Chun Feng said goodbye to Madame Ning and made his way to the courtyard where the children usually gathered.
After he left, Madame Ning glanced at Gu Tianhong with na ironic look.
"Are you two always like that, Tianhong?"
"Of course. Is that a problem, Mei'er?" the old man asked, raising his head and looking at Madame Ning with a playful smile on his face.
Seeing the old man's smile, Madame Ning shook her head in helpless resignation.
"You really are two children."
"Hey, I'm just a grandfather having fun with his grandson," Old Gu replied, smiling as he finished writing on the parchment and handed it to Madame Ning.
"You two are quite the pair."
"Yes, but he's always had that bold personality. I still remember when I first met him and the others, he was just a street kid protecting his friends." A nostalgic look appeared in the old man's eyes as he recalled that moment three years ago.
*********
That rainy day, three years ago, he had been on his way home after visiting a critically ill patient. Thinking it best to take a shortcut, he passed through na alley and stumbled upon four children seeking shelter from the rain.
The children were no older than tem or eleven, and the oldest stood in front of the others, holding a wooden stick to shield them from a snarling, aggressive dog that was barking and threatening to attack.
The boy had medium-length hair, messy and matted with grime, stuck to his face from the rain. Yet his eyes were resolute, it was clear this wasn't the first time he had stood in that kind of situation.
He kept the younger children behind him while brandishing the stick like a sword, using it to keep the dog at bay.
Despite the rain and his malnourished state, he radiated na unshakable confidence to the children behind him. And those eyes, when Gu Tianhong's eyes met his, it felt like he had been drawn into something deeper.
Those eyes...
There was something strange about them. Beyond their exotic beauty, one was a sky blue that seemed to pierce the soul, while the other was a shade of violet, pure and deep as na endless ocean.
Irritated, the dog prepared to attack, leaping toward the boy with strange eyes. Its mouth wide open, aiming to bite the boy's neck.
Gu Tianhong was about to step in, but the boy's sudden movement made him stop, freezing in surprise.
"Black Rock Sword Technique!?"
Although this technique wasn't exactly rare, it was considered a basic skill, primarily used by the city guards and one of the first techniques they were required to master. Yet, many of them still failed to fully grasp it.
But in the hands of that strange-eyed boy, that piece of wood seemed almost alive. While the dog was still mid-air, the wooden stick twisted like a serpent, striking the dog in several non-lethal spots and knocking it two meters away.
"Burning Rock Serpent Strike? High mastery? How long has this boy been training this technique?"
Gu Tianhong's eyes widened in disbelief at the scene.
That was na advanced technique used by the city guards, certainly not something a child should be able to perform.
Seeing that the boy had neutralized the threat, Gu Tianhong decided to approach and speak with them.
**************
Old Gu smiled as he remembered that when he tried to talk to them, Chun Feng immediately stood between him and the other children, ready to challenge him to protect the younger ones. Even sensing the gap in strength, he didn't flinch, he stood his ground.
Talking to them wasn't easy. Chun Feng was always suspicious of him. No, it was more than that, he had always been wary of others, a trait born from his days surviving on the streets.
The other kids followed his lead, which made it even harder to approach them. It took a long time for his good intentions to reach them, but once he earned their trust, he was able to take them in.
And that had been the best decision he could've made. Of course, it took some time before he felt comfortable enough to pass down the techniques he had learned in his youth, like "Gale Steps", the sword technique "Blood Petals", his archery method, and his proudest creation, the spear technique "Crystal Edge."
"What's with that stupid look on your face?"
Madame Ning asked, giving Gu Tianhong a puzzled glance.
"Huh? What is it?"
Gu Tianhong replied, confused as he looked back at her.
"I don't know, you just had a really dumb expression for a moment."
"Cough, cough… Let this old man remember the past in peace,"
He muttered, clearing his throat and waving his hand dismissively in na attempt to change the subject.
After that, Madame Ning took her leave, while old Gu continued tending to other patients.
**************
After parting ways with old Gu and Madame Ning, Chun Feng made his way to the courtyard in the central area of the house.
"Yaaa!"
"Take this!"
"As if you could beat me!"
Even before reaching the courtyard, he could already hear the children shouting. Their effort was clear in their voices, and as he finally arrived, he was greeted by the sight of na intense exchange of blows between two boys.
One of them appeared to be around eleven years old, with sharp features and focused black eyes. His thick eyebrows were furrowed with concentration, and his long black hair was tied back into a ponytail. He wore a dark red robe with white trim, and brown pants fastened by white cloth wrapped around his legs, adding stability to what would otherwise be loose-fitting clothing.
He wielded a wooden training spear with impressive skill, defending himself from the strikes of another boy, who held a wooden saber with practiced ease. This second boy also seemed to be around eleven years old, with short cyan hair that gave him na innocent appearance, especially when paired with his large gray eyes.
His thin eyebrows remained calm, but it was clear he was struggling to overcome the advantage granted by the spear's reach.
The two boys were Gu Xiaoming and Qing Yan. Gu Xiaoming was old Gu's biological grandson, the son of his late son, and Qing Yan was one of the orphans under Chun Feng's protection.
A bit farther away, two girls were also training.
One of them was practicing archery, while the other stood calmly, holding a wooden sword and focusing on controlling her breathing.
The girl with the bow appeared to be younger than the boys, around tem years old. She had long black hair that flowed freely, swaying with the gentle breeze that blew through the courtyard.
She wore a green training outfit that was slightly oversized, clearly bought with the intention of fitting her in the future. The outfit was fastened by a white sash, and the quiver on her back gave her a valiant air, though it was softened by her cute appearance.
Swoosh.
As the young girl released the string, the arrow flew from her bow and struck the center of a target nearly twenty meters away.
Her name was Xiao Lian, na orphan Chun Feng had found after reincarnating in this world. He took her under his protection soon after.
Near her was another girl, with beautiful curly red hair that resembled dancing flames. It was tied into a high ponytail. Her skin was smooth and flawless, like a piece of fine jade. Her long lashes fluttered briefly before she opened her eyes, revealing light gray irises brimming with determination.
With a swift movement of her right arm, she slashed the sword in her hand, delivering a series of strikes against the wooden dummy in front of her. Then, controlling her breath once more, she stepped back into a defensive stance.
She was Qing Lingyun, Qing Yan's older sister. Not long after finding Xiao Lian, Chun Feng came across the two siblings who had just fled their aunt's home after suffering mistreatment. He took them in and placed them under his protection as well.
Watching the four children train with such dedication, Chun Feng smiled with satisfaction. After all, having lived on the streets for some time, they understood the value of the opportunity they had been given.
Their arrival had even awakened the competitive spirit that had long lain dormant in Gu Xiaoming.
Looking at them once more, Chun Feng began walking toward the group.