Chapter 3

The ground was stained red with fresh blood, flowing towards the low-lying areas. At his feet lay the decapitated body of his former junior disciple, his eyes wide open, as if he could not rest in peace.

The man surnamed Tie looked at the head in front of him with a cold expression.

"Hey, Senior Brother, you killed Junior Brother Xi. How are you going to explain this to Master? He is the only descendant of Master in this world!" The man beside him wore a mocking smile.

"Did I kill him? Wasn't it you?" The man surnamed Tie remained expressionless, not even turning his head.

"Ha ha ha." The man laughed loudly: "Senior Brother, don't be angry. I was just joking. Junior Brother Xi was ambushed by people from the Qianyi Sect and met an unfortunate end. We should now think about how to comfort Master when we return to the sect."

"There's no need for you to worry. As the eldest disciple, I have an inescapable responsibility and will confess to Master."

"Senior Brother, don't be too hard on yourself. I don't think Master will blame you too much. The opponent's cultivation far surpasses ours. In such a situation, anyone would find it hard to avoid."

The man surnamed Tie remained silent.

The man continued: "I heard Master gave you a piece of spirit armor. Master's favor towards you truly makes us junior disciples envious."

"If you like it, you can have it." The man surnamed Tie flipped his right hand, and a black, scale-covered armor appeared in his hand, which he threw to the man.

The man caught the armor and smiled: "Thank you, Senior Brother. Let's go! We shouldn't keep Master waiting."

...

The rich feast in the grand mansion, the poor freezing to death on the streets.

The cold wind howled, and snowflakes flew. Pedestrians on the street wrapped themselves in their coats, hunching their shoulders. Occasionally, a few fast horses rushed by. It was almost the New Year, and every household was busy preparing for the holiday.

Small families chopped meat on one side and killed fish on the other, carrying their goods through the snow. Wealthy families rode large horses and led donkeys, moving at a leisurely pace.

"Get out of here, little beggar. Don't stand in front of my shop, or I'll take your life for affecting my business." A man shouted at his own shop.

The boy, who was scolded, hurriedly left. He looked thin and weak, with messy hair and tattered clothes. He dragged his feet, his hands tightly hugging his body, shivering in the snow.

The boy was Tang Ning, the sole survivor of Tangliu Village. From the second day after falling into the valley, his life had undergone a dramatic change.

The mountains were covered with dead bodies, blood, and mutilated corpses.

He had forgotten how he managed to leave the valley, the mountain, and the village.

He did not want to recall, did not dare to recall, but he would dream of that scene every day.

His father, drained of blood and reduced to skin and bones; his mother, with half her neck bitten off; Uncle Liu, with only half his head left; Uncle Tang Wu, Uncle Liu Si, Uncle Liu Liugong...

What had happened?

There were no living creatures in the village. Dogs, chickens, crows, geese, even the three pigs in the pigsty, had been drained of blood, leaving only skin and bones.

His body was cold, hungry, and he wanted to just lie down, close his eyes, and never open them again, as if it were all just a dream.

But something inside him kept supporting him. He wanted to know what had happened.

After walking for a long time, he lifted his head and saw a luxurious restaurant in front of him. Laughter and angry shouts could be heard from inside.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked inside.

"What are you doing here? This is not a place for you." Before he could take a step, two large men at the door pushed him away, the force making him tumble.

"I, I want something, my, my sister is sick." He got up, lowered his head, and spoke timidly.

"Get lost." One of the men kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying. "If you dare to come in again, I'll beat you to death, you dirty beggar. Don't you know what kind of place this is?"

He clutched his stomach, rolled a few times, and struggled to get up.

"Still not leaving?" The man kicked him again, sending him flying a couple of yards, unable to move.

"If you dare to come in again, I'll beat you to death." The man said menacingly.

After a long time, he slowly got up, supporting himself with his hands, and walked forward, hunched over. After a while, he met a man carrying a pole.

From a distance, Tang Ning could smell the aroma of scallion pancakes. His throat involuntarily moved as they passed each other.

"Hey, are those scallion pancakes? Give me a few." A voice called out from behind.

"Sure thing!" The man carrying the pole replied.

"I can smell it from far away. Give me five." The person walked over quickly.

The man put down the pole, lifted the cloth, and took out five pancakes, handing them to the person. Tang Ning's eyes darted over, and his hand reached out, grabbing several pancakes and running away.

"Hey, stop!" The man shouted and chased after him. He ran as fast as he could but was soon caught and pinned to the ground.

"You damn beggar, stealing my pancakes." The man tried to take the pancakes from his arms, but Tang Ning lay on the ground, hugging them tightly.

The man couldn't do anything, so he stood up and started punching and kicking him, cursing all the while. Tang Ning held on tightly, refusing to let go.

After a while, the man stopped: "Forget it, if I beat you to death, I'll be in trouble. Consider yourself lucky."

Tang Ning listened to the man's footsteps fade away before slowly getting up. He took out the scallion pancakes from his arms, which were still intact and warm.

At that moment, he felt intense pain all over his body, and his forehead burned. He endured the pain and walked quickly forward.

After a while, he came to a dilapidated temple. Inside, about a dozen people lay on the ground, all in tattered clothes.

Tang Ning walked straight to a corner where a little girl, equally messy and dirty, lay, her eyes fixed on the temple entrance.

Her lifeless eyes brightened when she saw him.

"Ruru, look, we have food." Tang Ning took out the scallion pancakes, helped her sit up, and fed her a piece.

The girl took a bite, and Tang Ning tore off another piece and fed it to her, then gave her a sip of water from a wooden ladle.

After feeding her, Tang Ning started eating himself. They had been begging on the road for three months since leaving the village.

As winter approached, the weather became colder.

A few days ago, Ruru's body finally gave in to illness. If things continued like this, she might not survive the winter.

On the road, Tang Ning had seen many people suffering from hunger and cold, many of whom never opened their eyes again.

The two of them had managed to survive this long, possibly because they had grown up eating from the Immortal Valley, making their bodies slightly stronger than ordinary people.

The six scallion pancakes were quickly finished. They hadn't eaten for two days, and these pancakes slightly alleviated their hunger.

Tang Ning held Ruru in his arms, using his body to keep her warm. Nearby, a woman was sobbing softly.

He turned his head and saw a woman facing away from them, hugging a bundle, her body trembling.

The woman had come to this place with them, all of them begging on the road. She had a child, about two or three years old, who had fallen ill a few days ago.

Her sobs were not loud, but Tang Ning could feel the silent sorrow and despair. From her sobs, he deduced that her child had passed away.

Perhaps out of empathy, or a sense of shared suffering, Tang Ning also shed tears. Today, it was that child; tomorrow, it could be him. But if he died, his mother would be heartbroken. If he died, who would care?

Ruru, huddled in his arms, saw his tears and raised her small hand to wipe them away.

Tang Ning looked at her weak appearance, feeling even more afraid, fearing the day she might not open her eyes again, leaving him alone.

The dozen or so people in the temple were all old, weak, sick, or disabled. Most of them he had seen before, all of them begging on the road to this place. Originally, there were over thirty people, but only a dozen or so had made it here due to various reasons.

This place was called Nansha County. People came here because the governor was known to be a good and benevolent man, governing with integrity and wisdom. Under his rule, the people of Nansha County lived in peace and prosperity.

In such a world, this place was undoubtedly a beacon of hope for the homeless.

They had been here for about ten days. There was a kind man surnamed Xu who provided porridge and food every morning, but the snow had stopped the charity for the past two days.

Tang Ning held Ruru tightly. He had a destination in mind, but he hadn't found it yet. He had asked many people along the way, but no one knew where it was, and many had never even heard of it.

But he knew he had to go there, to Luoyun Mountain Range.

Only by going there could he find out what had happened to his village, and only by going there could he possibly seek revenge.

The massacre of the entire village in one night, and the strange and tragic bodies, were not something ordinary people could do. Only the legendary immortals had such power.

As night fell and darkness descended, the temple was quiet. The hardships and suffering had numbed the people here, and they were far from the warmth and joy of ordinary families. There was no laughter or anger, only the woman's soft sobs.

The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, Tang Ning opened his eyes, gently disentangled Ruru's arms from around his body, and got up.

The weather seemed better today, the snow had stopped, but the cold was more intense. The days after a heavy snowfall were always particularly cold. He hugged his thin body and walked forward.

He didn't know if Mr. Xu would provide porridge today. It was around the hour of Mao (5-7 AM). Although Mr. Xu's family provided porridge at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) every day, he needed to arrive early to queue, or he might not get any.

After walking for about four or five li, he reached Mr. Xu's charity point and sat down in a corner. The corner was relatively warmer and could shield him from the cold wind.

There were already a dozen people waiting, all in tattered clothes, huddled in their spots.

Time passed, and more people arrived, quickly increasing to a hundred or two.

"Here they come, here they come." A voice called out, and the crowd began to form a long queue.

Seven or eight men in yellow clothes walked up, carrying large wooden buckets. They climbed onto a platform, set down their tools, and began organizing. The people below watched eagerly.

After a while, one of the men on the platform spoke: "Alright, everyone, form a queue, one by one. No pushing or fighting, everyone will get a share. We are from the Xu family, and we come here every day at this time."

Tang Ning followed the queue, moving forward slowly. After everyone in front of him had received their porridge, he extended his wooden ladle with his right hand.

The man serving the porridge filled a bowl and poured it into his ladle. Tang Ning then took out another wooden ladle with his left hand.

The man serving the porridge looked at him.

"I, I have a sister." Tang Ning said, lowering his head.

The man filled another ladle for him.

"Thank you, sir." Tang Ning said and left the queue.