The Price of Growth

As Xiao Han returned to Shan Qian Village with his usual haul of prey, he stared blankly at the hellish scene before him.

There was no sign of life left in the mountain village. Severed limbs and ruined walls lay everywhere, while several Magical Beasts still lingered within the village.

The blood-streaked drool dripping from their mouths seemed like the greatest mockery of Xiao Han, a man who had considered himself a top-tier expert at the Dou Ling Peak.

This was meant to be the day Xiao Han left. Though life here had been very easy, he had things he needed to do.

He would have to leave eventually, so he had spent a little more time this time around, hoping to hunt some extra game.

Magical Beasts? How could that be possible? Xiao Han had lived here for half a year and had never once encountered a Magical Beast invasion.

Back then, Xiao Han had even found it strange and asked why there were no Magical Beasts here.

He still vaguely remembered the middle-aged Blacksmith with a face full of whiskers saying gratefully:

"We have the great cultivators of the Yun Lan Sect to thank for that. Every year, the Yun Lan Sect Disciples in the nearby cities send people out to clear away the Magical Beasts in the surrounding area."

After all, although this village was close to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Magical Beasts disliked human habitation. This was not a special place either, and with the Yun Lan Sect Disciples clearing the area regularly, any Magical Beasts that appeared by chance would naturally vanish without a trace.

That was also one of the reasons Xiao Han had been willing to help Yun Shan. The current Yun Lan Sect Disciples, as well as the Yun Lan Sect itself, were still a sect filled with righteous spirit.

Therefore, Xiao Han's first reaction upon seeing the Magical Beast invasion was disbelief.

After killing the few Magical Beasts that had remained behind, Xiao Han began searching everywhere.

Then, after carefully investigating, Xiao Han truly found a few clues.

Beast Attracting Incense—a special incense frequently used by mercenaries in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It was mostly used to lure Magical Beasts away, allowing mercenaries to gather the Medicinal Herbs, treasures, and other items they guarded. It was quite valuable.

It was also a tactic many mercenaries used to plot against their rivals.

When Xiao Han saw the burnt residue of Beast Attracting Incense, a violent aura immediately erupted from his body. Guilt swiftly spread through his heart.

As clever as he was, how could he not realize that Shan Qian Village had suffered an entirely undeserved calamity? This was absolutely connected to the mercenary he had killed.

Although Xiao Han later spent nearly half a month slaughtering every member of that Mercenary Group, the dead would never return.

That time, Xiao Han abandoned his principle of punishing only the chief culprit and left no one alive. He deeply understood that the warning to eradicate evil completely had been bought at an unbearably painful price.

He had never regretted killing that mercenary, but he bitterly hated his own arrogance at the time. The price of his growth had now become over a hundred lives.

Had he been more cautious back then, how could such a tragedy have happened?

He spent another three days burying every body part he could find and erecting gravestones. Standing before the graves, the faces and smiles of those people flashed before his eyes one by one.

"Xiao Lin, you're such a fine young man. When are you going to find a pretty girl and get married?" Auntie had once joked with him during a casual chat.

"Don't worry. When I get married, I'll definitely invite the whole village to drink wedding wine." At the time, Xiao Han had never believed that such a day would come.

Because he knew he would never return here in the future—unless he had already reached the pinnacle of the continent. But by then, this place might already have changed beyond recognition.

"Sigh, today I'll invite all you elder brothers, elder sisters, uncles, and aunties to a cup of wedding wine!" Sitting before the graves, Xiao Han fiercely gulped down a mouthful of wine, the spicy burn raging down his throat.

Then he noticed something. Judging from the traces here, someone seemed to have been cleaning this place all along. Could there have been survivors back then?

Just as Xiao Han was thinking this, a sharp shout interrupted him. "Who are you?"

Following the voice, he saw a slender, frail youth in coarse linen clothes, his face slightly pale.

He carried a large bundle of joss paper and several offerings in his hands, his eyes full of hostility. A strange man in white with such a dejected appearance had suddenly emerged in this wilderness, filling the youth with vigilance.

In truth, if Xiao Han had not been overwhelmed by the scene and unsettled in mind, he would have noticed the lingering traces of offerings the moment he arrived.

But compared to the youth's vigilance and guardedness, Xiao Han was filled with excitement.

His voice choked as he cautiously asked, "Kid, did you come here to pay respects to your relatives?"

The youth shook his head, making Xiao Han feel a wave of disappointment. Then he understood. After all, there had truly been almost no survivors in the village back then. Where would any relatives come from?

"I'm here on behalf of Grandpa Shi to pay respects to his fellow villagers. I'm an orphan, so I have no relatives here." Yet his next words immediately lifted Xiao Han's spirits.

"Then can you take me to see your Grandpa Shi?" Although Xiao Han knew that such a sudden request was inappropriate for a child who was already wary of him, he could not care about that now.

Sure enough, upon hearing Xiao Han's words, the youth's guard, which had eased slightly during their conversation, immediately rose again.

"What do you want with Grandpa Shi?" The youth took a step back as Dou Qi began to erupt from his body. Such a young boy was actually a One-Star Dou Zhe.

Xiao Han revealed an interested expression. "Kid, do you have a master?" The professional habit of the Langya Pavilion Master flared up—whenever he saw talent, he wanted to recruit it.

"A master? No. Grandpa Shi taught me all my cultivation." Seemingly trying to intimidate him, the youth added nervously, "I'm warning you, Grandpa Shi is much stronger than I am. I'm only a Dou Zhe, but he's a powerful Dou Shi.

Y-you'd better not try anything!"

Xiao Han chuckled. Kid, that's not up to you! He stepped forward, grabbed him in one hand, and lifted him up.

Putting on a vicious expression, he said, "Hurry up and tell me, where is your Grandpa Shi?"

The youth still refused to cooperate, punching and kicking Xiao Han. "I knew you weren't a good person! I'll never tell you where Grandpa Shi is."

"Little brat, you think I can't handle you?" Xiao Han ignored him. Judging by the youth's appearance, he knew the boy must live somewhere nearby.

His Soul Strength spread out as he searched for signs of human habitation.

The youth only felt a wave of dizziness before instantly appearing in front of his own home. He was immediately terrified.

"Y-you... how did you know this place? No, how did you get here in an instant?"

This was more than ten li away from the graves.

Hearing the youth's voice, the door was pushed open with a creak.

Then, an old man with one foot in the grave slowly shuffled out. "Xiao Wu, what is it?"

But then, as if he had seen something unimaginable, he began trembling all over. He pointed at Xiao Han, mouth open, yet he was too agitated to speak.

"Y-You... are you Brother Lin?" Seeing Xiao Han's face, which was only slightly more mature than it had been back then, Grandpa Shi was overwhelmed with excitement.

"You are?..." Too much time had passed. Xiao Han could no longer recognize an old acquaintance who had changed so completely.

"Brother Lin, I... cough, cough, cough—" Perhaps he was too excited and speaking too quickly, but Grandpa Shi broke into a violent coughing fit.

Xiao Han did not dare step forward to help. Given the old man's current condition, his Dou Qi would only make him die faster.

At last, after calming himself slightly, the old man said through tear-filled eyes, "I'm Shi Tou, Brother Lin. Don't you remember me?"

"Shi Tou? You're that Shi Tou who kept clamoring to cultivate, with drool still hanging from your mouth?" Xiao Han suddenly understood, remembering the little fellow who had left such a deep impression on him. Only now, he had become an old man on the brink of death.