Picking Up a Child

That afternoon, Lin Feng was still sitting behind the consultation desk reading medical texts. The clinic was still empty, but he was in no hurry. He had originally planned to arrange for a couple of plants to spread his reputation as a "Divine Doctor," but what had happened with Zhao Kang and Zhao Tai yesterday had worked out by accident and saved him the trouble. Now, he only needed to wait for the brothers to help spread his name afterward. The Spider Venom in Zhao Kang's body had not originally been particularly difficult to cure, but he had been poisoned for too long and treatment had been delayed. Given his condition at the time, few people could have saved him. His title as a "Divine Doctor" was well on its way.

A little after three, a child dressed in coarse, tattered clothing ran in from outside. He rushed into the hall, dropped to his knees before Lin Feng, and slammed his head against the floor. "I beg Young Lord to save my life. I am willing to repay you with my death."

The sight left Lin Feng completely stunned. What was this? Why had someone come begging for help and offering to repay him with his life? It was only the second day of business. What the hell had shown up? Nothing was going according to plan; it was all accidents.

Lin Feng looked at the child before him. Everything else about him seemed normal, but his arms were exceptionally thick and long, and his palms were correspondingly huge. They were unlike those of an ordinary person, more like the gibbon arms he had seen on television in his previous life. Lin Feng recalled a joke from his past life: Liu Bei had naturally long arms. After Zhao Yun fought a bloody battle on Changban Slope and rescued A Dou, he handed the child to Liu Bei with both hands. Taking the child, Liu Bei sighed, "For this little brat, I nearly lost one of my great generals. What use are you?" With that, he made to throw the child to the ground to comfort Zhao Yun. But because his arms were too long, he simply set A Dou on the ground the moment he stretched them out... The scene became extremely awkward. This child was probably much the same.

Lin Feng mentally slapped himself. The boy had a physical defect, yet he was standing here thinking of jokes about it. That was rather cruel.

Lin Feng said, "Get up first. What do you mean by asking me to save your life? You don't look sick to me."

The child did not rise. He merely straightened his kneeling posture. "My name is Gou Wa. My home is Grass Temple Village on the border of Heaven Dou. I was frail from birth, and the elders said a cheap name would make me easier to raise, so that became my nickname. My parents planned to give me a proper name when I awakened my martial soul at six. When I was three, my parents went up the mountain to gather firewood and died in the jaws of soul beasts. I became an orphan and was adopted by Granny Cai, who had no children in the village. When I was four, I found a fruit on the mountain and ate it. Afterward, my arms started growing thicker and longer. The villagers all said I had become a monster and drove me out. Granny Cai wanted to keep me, but the villagers refused. She was too old to stop them. So I searched for food in the woods and on the mountain by myself. Last year, when the adults from Spirit Hall came to the village to awaken the children's martial souls, the villagers said I was a monster and would not let me enter. I had no chance to awaken mine. Later, I was captured and sold to Heaven Dou City, where I fought low-level soul beasts in an underground Beast Fighting Arena for people's entertainment. A few days ago, a soul beast in the underground Beast Fighting Arena suddenly went berserk, its strength surging greatly. The arena could not suppress it in time, causing chaos, and I took the opportunity to escape."

Lin Feng said, "Then why did you come here? And why do you think that if you came here, I would save you?"

Gou Wa said, "In the Beast Fighting Arena, I overheard many Heaven Dou City nobles talking. They said Lord Lin was aloof and looked down on other nobles, refusing to associate with them. If his cultivation had not been decent, he would have been killed long ago. I also heard that Lord Lin was one of the few nobles who did not oppress commoners. So I thought that in all of Heaven Dou City, only Lord Lin's residence could offer me a slim chance at survival. A few days ago, I heard in the Beast Fighting Arena that Young Master Lin had opened a clinic across from the Great Soul Arena, so I came looking.

"The Beast Fighting Arena has been hunting the slaves who escaped. Sooner or later, I will be captured and taken back. If I am taken back, I will die anyway—either beaten to death by the Beast Fighting Arena's people or killed in the jaws of a soul beast. Since death is death, I only wanted to make one final effort and see whether I might have a chance to live."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Raise your head and look at me." The moment Gou Wa raised his head, Lin Feng activated the Soul Shifting Great Method. Gou Wa's gaze became unfocused as he entered a dazed state.

Lin Feng asked, "Was anything you just said a lie?"

Gou Wa spoke slowly but firmly. "No. Everything I said was true."

Lin Feng asked, "What did you intend to do by seeking out Lin Manor?"

Gou Wa said, "I wanted to borrow Lord Lin's power to preserve my life, then find an opportunity to take revenge on the Human Traffickers and the Beast Fighting Arena."

Lin Feng asked, "How do you intend to take revenge?"

Gou Wa said, "I want to ask Lord Lin for the favor of awakening my martial soul. If I awaken a useful martial soul, I will cultivate diligently and then take revenge. If I cannot cultivate, I will work hard for Lord Lin. One day, after rendering meritorious service, I will ask Lord Lin to send someone to help me take revenge."

Lin Feng asked, "You think Lord Lin has the strength to destroy the Beast Fighting Arena? You should know that the power behind the Beast Fighting Arena is not something a mere lord can handle."

Gou Wa said, "Those nobles said that Lord Lin and his wife are both geniuses, and that both of them may have a chance to break through to become Titled Douluo in the future. Young Master Lin is also a genius. The Lin Family may become a family with three Douluo. With the Lin Family's strength, even the imperial family will have to watch the Lin Family's expression."

Lin Feng snickered inwardly. The imperial family watching the Lin Family's expression? Whose expression did the Heaven Dou imperial family not have to watch? In such a vast Heaven Dou Empire, there was only one Titled Douluo, and he was merely a guest official. He had no idea how they had managed to hold onto the throne.

Lin Feng asked, "You want the Lin Family's protection, even revenge. What can you offer in return?"

Gou Wa said, "I have only this one life. If Lord Lin can help me, then this life belongs to the Lin Family. I can serve as an ox, a horse, a pig, or a dog. If the Lin Family needs it, I am willing to swear upon my bloodline that my descendants will serve the Lin Family as their masters for generation after generation."

Lin Feng had not expected the hatred buried in this child's heart to run so deep. He must have suffered inhuman torment in the Beast Fighting Arena. Lin Feng considered whether he should keep the child. He had some guesses about the boy, and keeping him would not be a problem. With Lin Lan and Hua Jieyu's current strength as two Spirit Saints combined with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Beast Fighting Arena would not offend the Lin Family over one child. It was simply that Lin Feng had yet to decide on his own path ahead, so he was unsure whether there was any need to keep him.

With Lin Feng's Spiritual Power, under the Soul Shifting Great Method, the child could not utter a single lie. In the end, Lin Feng decided to keep him. They could discuss the future when it came. Some things could be prepared in advance; it never hurt to be prepared. Even if they proved unnecessary in the future, there would be no loss.

Before releasing the Soul Shifting Great Method, Lin Feng planted a suggestion deep within his subconscious: "After you awaken, you will remember that you told Young Master Lin everything about your past. Young Master Lin agreed to save your life and take you into the Lin Family. From this day onward, you are Young Master Lin's attendant. You will obey Young Master Lin's every order and never dare harbor the slightest thought of betrayal for the rest of your life." With this suggestion in his mind, no matter how far things went in the future, as long as his Spiritual Power did not exceed Lin Feng's by more than double, he would never betray Lin Feng. After saying this, Lin Feng released the Soul Shifting Great Method. Gou Wa kowtowed to him once more. "Gou Wa thanks Young Master Lin for his Life-saving Grace. From now on, Young Master Lin is Gou Wa's master, and Gou Wa will remain loyal to Young Master forever."

Lin Feng said, "All right, get up. Follow me from now on. You can call me Young Master, just like Lin An does. And don't call yourself Gou Wa anymore. Do you know your surname? Give yourself a name."

Gou Wa said, "I was still young when my parents died, so I do not know their names. I do not know what I should be called either. I now belong to Young Master. Please bestow a name upon me."

Lin Feng said, "What do you mean, you belong to me? That sounds strange. Fine, then take my surname. From now on, you will be called Lin Jian. Be a sword in this young master's hand." He mocked himself inwardly. Hah, he had actually said the classic line from novels where the protagonist rescues a fiercely loyal subordinate. Not bad. That was a decent bit of posturing.

Lin Jian said, "Thank you, Young Master, for bestowing this name."

As they spoke, several figures who looked like guards entered the clinic. They walked into the hall, and the leader clasped his fists toward Lin Feng in greeting. "Greetings, Young Master Lin. I am a guard from the Beast Fighting Arena."

Lin Feng said, "What brings you here? Does someone need treatment?"

The guard captain said, "Young Master jests. None of us are ill. Some slaves escaped from the Beast Fighting Arena, and someone saw one of them run here. We came to take that slave back. It is the one behind you."