Attitude

Five days after the news spread.

The reactions from the various powers across the continent finally began to take on an intriguing quality.

The Imperial Royal Family remained silent.

The major noble houses remained silent.

Those aristocrats and celebrities who usually loved to hold forth in public on "justice" and "morality" had suddenly, as if by collective agreement, developed aphasia.

No one stood up to condemn the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

No one stood up to denounce the collateral branch of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

And even fewer dared to mention that seven-year-old child.

It was as if—so long as they did not speak of it—the event simply did not exist.

This silence was more grating than any words could ever be.

The common folk were not stupid.

They saw clearly, and they understood perfectly.

Why did these high-and-mighty masters refuse to speak?

Because they were of the same ilk as the Upper Three Sects.

They were all people who stood at the top, the ones who made the rules and enjoyed the benefits. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could kill in the streets today, they could do the same tomorrow. If the collateral branch of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect could sell out their own kin for glory today, they could do the same the day after.

Who would flip their own table?

Who would voluntarily smash their own rice bowl?

Thus, they remained silent.

Silence was the safest stance, and also the most hypocritical.

—However, silence was just that: silence.

While these noble houses dared not take a public stand, they did not mind pushing a falling person or kicking them while they were down in the shadows, especially when it involved their own interests.

Those houses that held commercial rivalries with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan began to quietly withdraw their cooperation. Those minor sects that had long-standing grievances with the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect took advantage of the public outcry to undermine them and poach their talent from behind the scenes.

—The beneficiaries of the status quo never speak up for the sake of justice.

But if stepping on someone could yield a profit, they would never show mercy.

—Of course, amidst this turbulent undercurrent, there were a few exceptions.

Sunset Forest.

This primeval forest, stretching across the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, was one of the largest habitats for spirit beasts on the continent. With its dense woods and year-round shroud of mist, an ordinary person wouldn't even consider stepping inside; they would have to weigh how many lives they had just to approach the perimeter.

Yet, in a mysterious corner of the forest, there stood an inconspicuous wooden cabin.

The cabin was built beneath an old banyan tree as thick as a dozen men could reach around, surrounded by a wooden fence overgrown with vines. A few pieces of washed laundry hung on the open ground in front of the house, dripping slowly in the afternoon sun.

It looked just like the home of an ordinary hunter.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

A crisp, childish voice shattered the tranquility of the woods.

A little girl of six or seven came stumbling along the forest path, clutching a small rabbit she had picked up somewhere. Her face was smeared with mud and grass, and her short, greenish hair was a tangled mess from snagging on branches.

She kicked open the small gate of the fence and dashed into the house.

Inside, a man sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

His dark green hair fell to his waist, and while his face appeared to be in his forties, the lines at the corners of his eyes and the depths of his pupils suggested something far more ancient than his appearance implied.

He kept his eyes closed, seemingly in deep meditation.

Hearing the commotion, he opened one eye to look at the little girl who had burst in like a whirlwind.

"Yan'er, what is it?"

"Grandpa!" The little girl dropped the rabbit to the floor, pressed both hands against the man's knees, and looked up, her large eyes filled with urgency.

"Have you heard what happened in Heaven Dou City? About that child named Ning Zha! The one about my age!"

The man opened his other eye.

"Where did you hear that?"

"From the peddler in the village nearby! He told it in such detail!" The little girl gestured wildly. "He said he hit a bad guy, and then the bad guy's grandpa brought people to bully him, and his own father even helped the bad guy and stepped on him! And then he—"

At this point, the little girl's voice suddenly dropped.

A layer of mist gathered in her large eyes.

"And then he... died."

The man was silent for a moment.

"Yes, I heard."

"Grandpa, that man named Ning Jing, why is he like that?" The little girl bit her lip, her small face filled with confusion and indignation. "He's Ning Zha's father! Shouldn't a father protect his own child? Why would he hand his own child over to bad people?"

The man's gaze rested on the little girl's face for two seconds.

Then, he reached out to pick the leaves and grass clippings from the little girl's hair one by one, his voice flat.

"Yan'er, this is how the world is. It is a place where the weak are prey to the strong, and the words of the powerful are the truth. Those without strength cannot even protect the things they cherish most."

He patted the little girl's head.

"So, what you must do, Yan'er, is strive to become strong. Strong enough that no one can bully you."

The little girl lowered her head, thinking for a moment, before suddenly asking, "Then Grandpa, if I offend someone from the Upper Three Sects in the future, will you hand me over too?"

The man's hand paused for an instant.

"Silly girl." He flicked the little girl's forehead gently. "How could Grandpa ever abandon you?"

The little girl covered her forehead, her eyes still red as she stared at him.

A faint, rare warmth surfaced in the man's eyes, which had been calm for far too long.

"If that day truly comes."

"Grandpa will risk his life to keep you safe."

The little girl pouted and buried her head in the man's chest.

The branches and leaves of the old banyan tree rustled in the wind.

The little rabbit that had been dropped on the ground tilted its head, watched the old man and the little girl, then hopped away out the door.

Heaven Dou City.

Ye Family.

This large residence was situated deep within a quiet alley in the northern district of Heaven Dou City. With its blue bricks and grey tiles, the entrance was orderly—neither ostentatious nor shabby—exuding a subtle, understated foundation.

The name of the Ye Family was known to everyone in Heaven Dou City.

Relying on medical skills that others could hardly reach, they maintained dealings with many powerful and influential figures.

In the back courtyard's flower hall.

A beautiful woman reclined on a chaise longue, flipping through an account book in her hands.

She was in her early thirties, with a bright and imposing appearance, her brows and eyes carrying a hint of shrewd, capable spirit.

"Mom—"

A little girl with long, deep blue hair pushed the door open. Her face was flushed, and she was panting from running, throwing herself into the woman's arms and nearly knocking the account book away.

"Lingling, slow down." The woman calmly protected the account book while wrapping her other arm around the little girl.

"Mom! Why are the people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect so bad?" The little girl looked up, speaking rapidly. "They actually bullied a child about my age like that!"

"But, but—" Her tone shifted, and confusion appeared on her small face. "Didn't we meet people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan before? They were quite polite to me, weren't they? They even complimented me on how pretty I looked."

The woman set down the account book and stroked her daughter's soft long hair.

"That is because we have strength, and they dare not act otherwise."

The little girl tilted her head, only half-understanding.

The woman lifted her onto her lap, her voice softening, yet every word was spoken with clarity.

"Lingling, you must remember one thing. Everyone in this world wears a mask. Whether they are human or ghost beneath that mask cannot be determined by appearance alone."

"Those who are polite to you are not necessarily good people. Those who are fierce to you are not necessarily bad people."

"So, Lingling, you must learn to judge people."

The little girl nodded, then nodded again, looking as if she were listening very earnestly.

Seeing this, the corners of the woman's lips curled upward.

Taking advantage of her daughter's receptive mood, she added nonchalantly.

"Besides, when you grow up and take a husband into our family, you must choose someone with real ability. A man without substance cannot protect anyone when it matters most."

"Mom!" The little girl's face turned beet red. She jumped down from her mother's lap and stomped her feet. "I'm still so young! How can you talk to me about this!"

"Aren't you embarrassed!"

The woman laughed out loud and reached out to pinch her daughter's cheek, only to have her hand swatted away by the little girl.

The little girl ran to the door in a huff, but suddenly stopped and looked back.

"But Mom is right."

Her voice suddenly became a bit more serious.

"In the future, if I'm going to find someone, I'll find someone with backbone, just like Ning Zha."

Having said that, the little girl ran off.

In the reception hall, the woman froze for a moment.

Then, she lowered her head to look at the ledger in her hands, the smile on her lips slowly fading away.

"Spine, is it..."

She murmured to herself, her gaze drifting off into a daze.

"A pity, in this world."

"Those with a spine rarely live very long."