Chapter 6: The Purple-Eyed Chongming Bird

"That's Li Tianming, isn't it?"

"This despicable fellow is still alive?"

"You must be out of the loop. Last night, the city lord divorced his mother and stripped him of his position as the heir. In a few days, the city lord will remarry and appoint a new heir."

"His mother and he are old, weak, and sick, truly a stain on the city lord. By the way, who is the new heir?"

"Of course, it's Li Zifeng! He's no worse than Li Tianming was three years ago, and some say he's even better."

For some people in Lihuo City, Li Tianming had lost the only identity that once made them wary of him. So they spoke loudly, without any need to hide their words.

Three years had passed. Mu Qingqing had destroyed his reputation and everything else. Even in the city where he grew up, he was treated like a rat in the street. By now, he had become indifferent to human emotions.

His mother once said that time would reveal the truth about injustice and humiliation. A truly strong heart would not be defeated by rumors and gossip.

Over these three years, everything about him had weakened, except for his inner strength, which had grown unprecedentedly. He could even be grateful for these three years, as they had allowed him to see many things clearly.

He arrived at the Starlight Guild.

Three years ago, he was a guest whom even the guild's president would personally welcome. Now, he couldn't even enter the Starlight Guild and had to queue at the outermost window. Under the scorching sun, it took him half an hour to reach the front.

"With these fifty fire jade, I can make a push for the fourth level tonight." After taking the fire jade, Li Tianming hurried back, knowing that wherever he went, he was the focus of the entire city.

Those disdainful, pitying, and mocking gazes all came from the common people who once looked up to him. Life's ups and downs were indeed harsh.

As he was quickly returning, a sharp, piercing bird cry suddenly echoed through the sky of the bustling street!

Whoosh!

Following the bird cry, a wave of scorching heat swept over him, striking his back. He was unharmed, but the small stalls around him were blown away, causing chaos and people to fall over.

Bang!

The sound of a giant creature landing. Li Tianming turned around and saw a large purple bird landing in the middle of the street. The bird had a wingspan of ten feet and a massive body that could carry many people. Most striking were its eyes, each with two pupils, making a total of four pupils in both eyes. This was the legendary double-pupiled eyes.

Li Tianming knew what the bird was as soon as he heard the cry. This was a famous fifth-stage companion beast of Lihuo City, the Purple-Eyed Chongming Bird. The Chongming Bird was a sacred object of Lihuo City, and this particular Purple-Eyed Chongming Bird was on par with Jin Yu. The owner of this companion beast was Li Tianming's half-brother, Li Yanfeng, the son of another concubine of Li Yanfeng's father, Li Yancang.

"Ah!"

"Mom, it hurts, ouch!"

Li Tianming turned around and saw that when the giant Purple-Eyed Chongming Bird landed, it completely disregarded the crowd on the bustling street. Its massive, burning body knocked over a group of children playing, three of whom hit the wall, their heads bleeding, and one girl's leg was bent, likely broken.

For a moment, the street was filled with the pitiful cries of the children. They were too young to endure such pain, especially the little girl, who would likely have a broken leg for the rest of her life.

But for the high-ranking figures, the suffering of the weak was just a trivial episode. So when the group jumped off the Purple-Eyed Chongming Bird, they didn't even glance at the crying, injured children.

The parents of the children, upon seeing the newcomers, suppressed their anger and hurriedly took their children away. Only the parents of the girl with the broken leg were not there, and she could only cower in a corner, trembling, her mind clouded by pain, her body convulsing like a stray dog.

"Brother, I told you you're a jinx. You had to come here, and now you've caused these children to suffer." A purple-robed youth appeared before Li Tianming. He was very handsome, with clear features and dark purple eyes that were exceptionally beautiful.

He was Li Zifeng. Three years ago, when Li Tianming went to the Yanhuang Academy, Li Zifeng was only thirteen, still a playful age. They hadn't seen each other much in the past three years, and he had grown so much.

Behind him were four or five people, all of whom Li Tianming recognized. They were Li Zifeng's friends, who used to follow him around, asking him to protect them.

The son of the city guard commander, 'Zhao Qing,' the son of the Lihuo Academy's senior master, 'Gao Luan,' the son of a commerce official, 'Chen Qiong'... Their parents formed the upper echelons of Lihuo City.

"Isn't this your doing?" Amid the crowd, Li Tianming remained calm, but a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes when he saw the injured child.

"Brother Tianming, don't shirk responsibility. If you hadn't been wandering around here, I wouldn't have come down to see you, and the child wouldn't have been hurt," Li Zifeng said with a smile.

Behind him, the young men laughed, their eyes full of mockery.

"Zifeng, you're about to be the heir. You can't keep acting this way, disregarding life. A person with a twisted heart can't rule the city properly," Li Tianming shook his head. He had once taken good care of this younger brother, even pleading for him when he was beaten by his mother, Lady Mo, for being naughty.

In just three years, he had changed so much.

"Brother, you really know how to joke. You're the one who drugged and violated people, and now you're accusing me of having a twisted heart?" Li Zifeng laughed, and his friends joined in, slapping each other's backs and laughing heartily.

After not seeing them for three years, these young brats had grown so bold. He couldn't even remember the days when they followed him around obediently.

How things had changed.

"Is there anything else?" Li Tianming didn't want to deal with them now. Some accounts could wait until the Yanhuang Academy selection, as this younger brother would be his biggest rival then.

"Nothing else, just move aside," Li Zifeng said, finally waving his hand after laughing.

Li Tianming turned around and saw that behind him was the 'Jade Green Tower,' the most famous pleasure house in Lihuo City, known for its beautiful courtesans.

He understood. They weren't here for him; they just wanted to enter the Jade Green Tower.

Li Tianming stepped aside to let them pass.

"These young brats really know how to enjoy themselves. I've never even been to the Jade Green Tower," Li Tianming muttered. He had been focused on cultivation, and both Li Yancang and his mother had strict requirements, so he had been quite disciplined.

He couldn't understand why Li Yancang now ignored Li Zifeng's character, when he had been so strict with him before.

The courtesans of the Jade Green Tower had already come out to welcome them, and the beautiful women escorted Li Zifeng and his group inside, making him look even more charming and elegant in the crowd of beauties.

"Hold on." Li Zifeng turned to look at Li Tianming one last time, condescendingly saying, "Considering how much you protected me and took beatings from Father, I'll call you brother one last time and give you a piece of advice."

"Spit it out," Li Tianming said.

Facing such a younger brother, his feelings were complex. There was no deep hatred, but perhaps a lesson was necessary.

"Just listen. My advice is: get out of Lihuo City. Wherever you go, you're a laughingstock to our family and the entire city. You're a stinking stray dog, do you understand?"

Li Zifeng said this seriously.

"So you're saying our whole family is a pack of stray dogs, and Li Yancang is the biggest one?" Li Tianming laughed.

The boy who once looked up to him with admiration had grown up and had his own thoughts.

"Anyway, just disappear. It's for everyone's good." Li Zifeng didn't want to say more. He put an arm around a courtesan and walked into the Jade Green Tower, the laughter of the women echoing as they entered the world of wine and song, a place of earthly pleasures.

After they left, Li Tianming remained standing there.

Many people had gathered, all looking at him with pity. They truly felt sorry for Li Tianming, but they also added, "A pitiful person must have done something to deserve it!"

Ha ha.

"Li Tianming seems better than Li Zifeng, but from the Yanhuang Academy incident, he's a hypocrite, even worse than Li Zifeng," people concluded.

"He should leave Lihuo City. He's a disgrace to look at," someone said.

Li Tianming ignored them. The Yanhuang Academy selection was approaching, and a smart person would choose the right moment to show the world who he truly was.

He walked over to the girl with the broken leg. Her father had arrived, a thin, dark man whose eyes were red from crying, but he never gave Li Zifeng a hateful look, out of fear.

Instead, when Li Tianming approached, he glared at him fiercely. "It's all your fault, Li Tianming! Get out of here!"

He looked like he wanted to tear Li Tianming apart, but he didn't have the courage.

Li Tianming ignored him, squatting down and gently touching the girl's head. She had lost a lot of blood and was almost unconscious.

"Girl, you know who hurt you, don't you?" Li Tianming said gently.

In her semi-conscious state, she nodded. Adults were often blind, but children's eyes were clear.

For Li Tianming, this was enough. He took out ten fire jade, a fortune for ordinary people, and placed them in the girl's father's hand. "Use this to treat her and set her leg."

The girl's father was stunned. This money would indeed save her from a lifetime of suffering.

"Do you think I'll be grateful to you?" He took the fire jade and said fiercely, but when he looked up, Li Tianming was gone.

"Where did he go? Running away from his crimes?" the girl's father said, trying to sound brave.

The onlookers were also surprised. In the time it took them to blink, Li Tianming had vanished.

Only a powerful beast master could move so quickly.

"Damn!" everyone exclaimed.

Only the girl clenched her fists and shed tears.

...

[New Book Event Phase 1] Question: What is Li Zifeng's mother's surname?

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