Sister Chen Wan'er

Sitting on the bus, Chen Mo thought of how he would soon see his little sister, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

Chen Mo's younger sister, Chen Wan'er, had just turned five. But because she had been born prematurely during the Beast Tide five years ago, she was frail and often ill. She had always been kept at home and never sent to kindergarten.

Usually, their father, Chen Mingyuan, went out to work while their mother, Lin Fang, stayed home to watch her. Only now that Chen Wan'er was a little older and could stay home by herself had Lin Fang finally been freed up.

Chen Wan'er had always needed someone watching over her because her body was so delicate that the slightest carelessness would leave her with a cold or fever.

Even a little exercise would make her gasp for breath and break out in cold sweat. Sometimes, her limbs would convulse, and she would suffer high-fever seizures.

Their parents simply could not rest easy sending her to kindergarten in such a condition.

Now that she was five and exceptionally sensible, avoiding any strenuous activity, her condition had improved greatly.

Still, she had to return to the hospital for checkups every month.

The High Martial World had developed for a thousand years, and many illnesses could now be cured. There was even a way to treat Chen Wan'er's condition, in which her foundation had been damaged by premature birth.

When she had been born, the doctor had told Chen Mo's parents about it—but they had no money.

A single medicinal pill to heal and restore one's foundation cost ten million. And that was not all; they would also need to spend fifty million to one hundred million to hire a Great Martial Master to help her absorb the pill's medicinal power.

Only then could she be completely cured.

If she went untreated, Chen Wan'er would not live past eight.

To their family, that figure was simply astronomical. Even if all three of them worked for a hundred years, they would never scrape together that much money.

In this High Martial World, most ordinary people earned only a few thousand a month. Very few made more than ten thousand.

Chen Mo's father, Chen Mingyuan, earned only eight thousand a month.

That was already considered quite high.

Many people earned merely three to five thousand.

Martial artists, however, were different. Going beyond the city once to hunt Fierce Beasts, they could easily earn over ten thousand in a single day. If they got lucky and found good medicinal herbs, they could make tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Not only that, once they registered with the Martial Artist Guild, everyone received subsidies!

The Martial Artist Guild was the official organization through which the Great Xia Nation managed martial artists. Once someone became a martial artist, they had to register with the Martial Artist Guild. Only after receiving the Guild's recognition could they be considered a true martial artist.

Those who failed to register by the deadline would not receive subsidies and would even be arrested by the Martial Artist Guild.

But the reality was that Chen Mo's entire family were ordinary people, able only to toil like cattle and horses.

Therefore, Chen Wan'er's condition could only be maintained with medicine.

When Chen Mo had learned of this, he had trained desperately, wanting to become a martial artist so he could earn money quickly.

Martial artists and ordinary people were people from two entirely different worlds!

That was why everyone here longed to become a martial artist.

Becoming a martial artist meant crossing the class divide.

Even if they did not leave the city, martial artists received subsidies. They could also take on bounty missions within the city. All in all, martial artists had countless ways to make money.

But now that Chen Mo's Dantian had been crippled, he could no longer become a martial artist, and there was no longer any possibility of curing his sister's illness.

He had come to terms with it because of the System Panel, but his parents knew nothing of it. In their hearts, they remained utterly despairing.

Chen Mo sensed his parents' emotions. Though they hid them whenever they faced him, he could still feel them.

Unable to afford treatment for their daughter and forced to watch her await death—how could they not despair?

Chen Mo did not know how to comfort his parents either. After all, there was no way he could explain the System Panel.

Even if he told them, they would not believe him.

They would only think Chen Mo was hallucinating or that something had gone wrong with his mind.

The Dantian was the foundation of a martial artist. That was universally acknowledged common sense.

Only when Chen Mo became stronger—stronger even than martial artists—would his parents believe him.

Only when they saw Chen Mo's strength with their own eyes would they believe.

But right now, Chen Mo was still weak.

At that moment, Chen Mo desired strength more than ever.

"I will definitely become strong! I will definitely cure my sister!"

"And the person who crippled my Dantian—I will never let him go! If I do not avenge this, I am unworthy to be a son!"

Chen Mo hardened his heart. Next, he needed to raise his strength as quickly as possible and become strong as soon as he could.

Chen Mo reined in his emotions and began training his Spiritual Power.

Sitting beside him, Chen Mingyuan and Lin Fang never took their eyes off Chen Mo.

Suddenly, the two noticed Chen Mo's brow tightly furrowed and a pained expression on his face. They hurriedly asked, "Little Mo, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine." Chen Mo smiled.

The Spiritual Power on the System Panel had already reached 99.7. He only needed to train three more times to reach 100.

Even with his head throbbing in agony, Chen Mo was happy.

"It's fine as long as you're okay!"

Lin Fang carefully studied her son's expression. Only when she saw nothing unusual did she finally relax.

Before they knew it, the bus arrived at the stop, only a few dozen meters from their residential complex.

The Chen family got off with their things and walked home.

Along the way, whenever they ran into familiar faces, they exchanged greetings.

Since they lived in the same complex, Chen Mo would come downstairs to practice Stance Training on weekends or after dinner in the evenings, so he knew quite a few people.

Garden District, Building 3, Unit 502—this was Chen Mo's home.

Inside the apartment.

Five-year-old Chen Wan'er was absorbed in a book in the living room. The moment she heard the door open, she immediately looked toward the entrance.

When she saw Chen Mo and their parents, joy flooded her face. She snapped the book shut, casually set it on the coffee table, sprang to her feet, threw open her arms, and scampered toward them.

"Dad, Mom, Brother!"

"Slow down! Don't run so fast!"

Chen Mo, who had entered first, spoke as he quickened his pace. Taking three steps in two, he reached Chen Wan'er and scooped her up in one arm.

At five years old, Chen Wan'er was tiny. He could lift her with one hand, and she weighed less than fifty pounds.

She was far too thin, even smaller than children her age.

Seeing that his sister's breathing was a little hurried, a flicker of worry passed through his heart. He immediately used Spiritual Perception to check her, and only relaxed when he found that her condition had not worsened.

He casually scraped her little nose, saying irritably, "Your brother's already home. Why were you running so fast? Look at you—you're out of breath already."

Chen Wan'er seemed not to hear the reproach in Chen Mo's words. With a giggle, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Brother, I missed you!"

After Father Chen and Mother Chen came in, they began tidying up, not disturbing Chen Mo and Chen Wan'er.

"I missed you too!"

Chen Mo carried Chen Wan'er to the living room sofa, adjusted her into a more comfortable position, then asked with a smile, "Wan'er, tell your brother—were you scared staying home alone?"

A smile bloomed on Chen Wan'er's face. Her big round eyes blinked at Chen Mo as both hands played with his fingers. Hearing his question, she hurriedly replied, "Not scared! Wan'er is very brave. Even when I'm home alone, I obediently read books."

"But I missed you so much, Brother. Now you've finally come back."

Looking at his well-behaved, sensible little sister, Chen Mo's heart ached. She should have been growing up happily, going to kindergarten and playing with other children.

But now, she could only stay at home.

That damned Beast Tide!