Decision Made

After eating the bread, the two lay on the bed. Though they both had a bellyful of things to say, Ye Chen was, after all, a boy. Robin curled herself up tightly with her back to him, her face flushed red with embarrassment, her heart pounding like a startled deer.

Ye Chen said nothing either. What had happened to him was simply too bizarre. Though he usually loved chasing girls, he had no mind for that right now.

"Where are your father and mother?" After an unknown amount of time, Robin was the first to break the silence.

Ye Chen shook his head. "They're both gone." He could think of no better answer.

Robin stared blankly at the boy, feeling a sense of shared sorrow. Compared to Ye Chen, she felt she was luckier, at least she still had her mother.

"I study history. What about you?" The atmosphere was a little heavy, and Robin wanted to lighten it. She did not want Ye Chen to think of sad things.

Robin thought Ye Chen would be thinking about his parents, but in truth, he was thinking about nothing of the sort. He only wanted to figure out why the hell he had come to this world.

Robin had become Ohara's youngest historian at just eight years old. No matter how much hardship she endured, it was still something that made her proud.

"A historian? You study history, right? I'm like you. I do research too." Robin was very pretty, especially those blue-black eyes of hers. Their dark depths were clear and bright, sparkling with a captivating light that instantly lifted Ye Chen's mood.

"Huh? You do research too? That's amazing! What do you study?"

Robin clapped excitedly, gazing at Ye Chen in surprise. Ye Chen lifted his chin smugly and said with a proud grin, "Human body research!"

"Are you a doctor?" Robin frowned in confusion.

"No. Doctors just cut people open and treat illnesses. Boring as hell. How could they have my taste? Forget it, you're still young. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Anyway, what I do is extremely sacred. On a grand scale, it benefits mankind and helps society flourish. On a smaller scale, it entertains others and myself, brings joy to women, and is good for physical and mental health. In short, it's a very noble profession!"

Robin's eyes widened as she listened, and she said with a cheerful laugh, "It sounds like you're really amazing!"

"Of course!" But when Ye Chen thought of his current situation, his face immediately fell. In his previous life, he had worn fine clothes, eaten delicious food, and had more money at home than he could spend. Other than eating, drinking, and having fun, he had never had any other hobbies. But now, he could not do anything at all.

His only reliance was the martial arts manual on him. Ye Chen gritted his teeth, and his gaze suddenly became much firmer. No matter where he was, he believed that as long as his kung fu was good enough, he would definitely live well.

Once Ye Chen decided to do something, he never gave up halfway. Lying in bed, he set himself a goal: he had to master his kung fu as quickly as possible.

Outside, fierce winds raged as torrential rain poured down. Thunder roared and lightning flashed amid the storm. Robin was cold and scared, and before long, her body began to tremble. Ye Chen glanced at her and, without a second thought, pulled her into his arms. Robin struggled a few times, but seeing that Ye Chen made no other move, she gradually stopped. The two thin children leaned on each other, and before long, drifted into sleep.

At first light, Robin opened her eyes early. Turning her head, she froze. "Where's Ye Chen? Why is he gone?"

Robin had always risen early, but this time, Ye Chen had beaten her to it.

"Huff, huff..."

Robin got dressed and climbed out of bed. When she reached the door, before she could step outside, she heard repeated shouts coming from the courtyard. The rain had long since stopped. Ye Chen was running laps in the yard without pause. Who knew how long he had been running? His forehead was covered in sweat. Though he was not running quickly, Robin noticed that every step he took had a steady rhythm. His stride was not messy in the slightest, neither too fast nor too slow, and he looked quite imposing.

"Robin, morning!"

"Morning, Ye Chen. I'm going to the library to read! Want to come with me?" Robin went back inside, picked up a book, and came smiling into the courtyard.

Ye Chen shook his head. "Not today. I'll go when I have time."

Robin smiled and nodded, then happily ran off with the book in her arms. As Ye Chen watched her disappearing back, his eyes reddened with heartache. She did not even have breakfast and was going to study on an empty stomach. Robin really was pitiful.

After warming up, Ye Chen began practicing horse stance in the courtyard. Though all his former skills were gone and he had to start over from scratch, Ye Chen was delighted to discover that he was improving very quickly. Even while running, following the manual's guidance, he quickly grasped the breathing method. Though his stomach was growling with hunger, Ye Chen still persisted in horse stance for an entire hour.

For a martial artist, one's foundation was more important than anything else.

His body was only six years old, after all. Before long, his legs felt as heavy as lead, numb and weak, unable to exert even the slightest strength. Ye Chen bit his lip, his gaze unwavering as he forced himself to endure. Every time he was about to collapse, he would only then take a brief breath and rest for a moment.

After finishing, Ye Chen saw that Robin's aunt's family was still asleep. His stomach growled loudly, so he hurried along the path toward the woods he had visited the night before. He needed to find food, not only for himself but for Robin as well. He would rather die than eat that black, smelly stale bread again. Robin was still growing, so she could not keep eating it either.

Ye Chen had learned from Robin that this was Ohara. At night, nothing could be seen clearly, but in the daytime, everything was plain to see. Just after leaving Robin's home, he spotted a huge tree that nearly covered the sky. This was Ohara's greatest attraction and the symbol of the island. This magical tree was called the "Tree of Knowledge." The island's library was inside it, and the historians worked there as well.

"This tree is truly magnificent. It's almost as big as half the island."

Walking along the town road, Ye Chen could not help but marvel. Though he was dressed strangely and even wore a braid on his head, the islanders only found him odd and showed no hostility. After all, who would regard a six-year-old child as a bad person?

There was a forest on the back side of the island, and few people came here. The woods were thick with lush vegetation, while birdsong drifted constantly through the air. Ye Chen entered the forest and immediately began humming happily. Before long, he dug up some wild vegetables and picked several fruits whose names he did not know. But that still did not satisfy him. He was growing—how could he go without meat?

However, with his current body, he could not catch anything. Even when he found a wild rabbit in the grass, the little thing ran incredibly fast. After a few quick turns, it left Ye Chen far behind.