Feng Xiaotian received permission to leave on the morning of his second week at the academy.
Three days was neither long nor short. Feng Xiaotian did not pack much: a portable Storage Soul Tool containing some dry rations and clean water, along with a few doses of Foundation-Fortifying and Essence-Nurturing Powder his younger brother had given him earlier. After leaving the intermediate academy, Feng Xiaotian headed north. The Heavenly Wind Mountain Range lay north of the intermediate academy. He had previously gone into the mountains with his father and younger brother to hunt Soul Rings, so he was reasonably familiar with the way.
After walking for over two hours, the mountain path gradually grew rugged. Feng Xiaotian did not follow their previous route, instead changing direction and circling toward the western side of the range. Last time, they had traveled through the gorge; this time, he wanted to see what the forest's edge was like.
After another hour of walking, he faintly heard fighting ahead, along with a little girl's cries.
Feng Xiaotian slowed his steps and crept toward the sounds. Beyond a thicket, a small clearing came into view. In the clearing, a Wind-Patterned Python, blue-gray all over, lay coiled with its head raised high, flicking its scarlet tongue. The python was roughly five hundred years old, and wind-attribute Soul Power faintly circulated across its scales.
Opposite the python, a boy was flung away, his back slamming hard against a tree trunk. He could not get up for a long while.
Feng Xiaotian looked at the boy. He was about twelve or thirteen, thin, with slightly prominent cheekbones and rough skin darkened by long exposure to the sun. He wore a gray-brown coarse-cloth tunic, its cuffs worn pale and several patches sewn onto its hem and the knees of his trousers. The stitches were crooked, as though he had sewn them himself. His trouser legs were a little too short, exposing an old scar on his ankle. Everything about him looked like a child who had grown up struggling in a poor household.
Not far behind the boy, a little girl of about four or five huddled behind a rock. She wore a little floral padded jacket. Though its fabric was ordinary too, it was spotlessly clean, its cuffs and collar perfectly neat, without a single crease. Her hair had been woven into two little braids, their ends tied with red cords in tiny bows. The red cords had faded somewhat from washing, but they were still tied tightly, without a single stray hair escaping. Her little face was washed clean as well, in stark contrast to the dust on the boy's face.
Feng Xiaotian glanced at the boy's cuffs and knees, then at the little girl's clean jacket and carefully woven braids. This boy wore patches himself, yet kept the little girl so tidy. She was most likely his younger sister.
The little girl's eyes were red, her small hands clutching the hem of her jacket tightly. Her lips trembled, and though she tried to hold back, she could not stop her tears from falling one after another.
The boy braced his hands against the ground and tried to stand, but as soon as he put strength into his arms, he fell back down. His clothes were torn in several places, and his exposed skin was covered in scrapes and bruises. A bloody welt from the python's lash ran down his left arm from shoulder to wrist, staining a swath of his sleeve red. The little girl could hold back no longer. She ran from behind the rock and threw herself beside him, crying, "Big brother!"
Feng Xiaotian leaned against a tree trunk without stepping out immediately. He watched the boy. He could clearly have run. The Wind-Patterned Python was not fast, and with this boy's build, evading it would not have been difficult. But he had not run. That little girl was behind him. She was most likely his younger sister.
Feng Xiaotian suddenly remembered the moment he had rushed into the awakening room. He had been the same then, with only one thought in his mind: nothing could happen to his younger brother.
The Wind-Patterned Python moved again. Its thick tail swept sideways. The boy pushed the little girl aside and took the blow head-on, his whole body whipped through the air again. He crashed heavily to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Pushed aside, the little girl staggered two steps before finding her footing. Seeing her brother on the ground again, with blood running from his mouth, she trembled all over in fright. She stumbled back and threw herself beside him, crying even harder than before. Her small hands gripped his sleeve so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as though she feared her brother would disappear the moment she let go.
Feng Xiaotian stepped out from behind the tree.
He took a dose of Foundation-Fortifying and Essence-Nurturing Powder from inside his clothes, walked up to the boy, and offered it to him. "Take this. It'll help stabilize your meridians."
The boy raised his head and glanced at Feng Xiaotian. He did not accept it, instead bracing his elbows against the ground to try to get up on his own. He had only pushed himself halfway up when his arms gave way, and he fell back down.
The little girl cried even harder, her small hands gripping the boy's sleeve so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
The boy turned his head and glanced at his sister. Her eyes were red, tears streaming down her cheeks, her lips pouting as she tried and failed to hold them back.
The boy remained silent for two breaths, then reached out to take the medicinal powder from Feng Xiaotian and tipped his head back to swallow it. Warmth rose from his abdomen and spread along his meridians, easing much of the pain in his body. He raised his sleeve and wiped his sister's tears. "I'm fine. Don't cry."
He wiped very gently, afraid the coarse fabric of his cuff would hurt his sister's face.
Watching his movements, Feng Xiaotian's lips shifted slightly.
The boy stood up again. This time, his footing was much steadier. Only then did Feng Xiaotian get a clear look at the object in his hand: a small bronze-colored bell slightly larger than a palm. Faint wind patterns were engraved on its body, which gave off a muted gleam in the sunlight. This was his Martial Soul.
The Wind-Patterned Python lunged again. The boy sidestepped it, and a faint layer of blue-green light lit up the bell in his hand. The wind patterns on its body seemed to come alive, flowing faintly.
He did not rush to attack, instead moving around the Wind-Patterned Python. Leaning against the tree trunk, Feng Xiaotian saw everything clearly. This boy had good combat instincts; he knew when to dodge and when to wait. Those earlier knockdowns had not been because he lacked ability, but because his stamina had given out.
The Wind-Patterned Python missed a lunge, its movements briefly faltering. Seizing the opening, the boy gripped the bell with both hands and poured all his Soul Power into it. The blue-green light on the bell abruptly surged as he smashed it hard into the python's vital spot seven inches below its head.
After a dull impact, the Wind-Patterned Python's body convulsed violently several times, then crashed to the ground.
A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the python's corpse.
The boy stood where he was, his chest heaving, the bell still tightly clenched in his hand. He turned to look behind the rock. The little girl was still crouching there, her small hands gripping the rock's edge, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on him. The boy gave her a nod. Tears instantly welled from her eyes, but this time, she was smiling as she cried.
Only then did the boy turn around and sit cross-legged, reaching out to touch the Soul Ring. The yellow ring of light became a streak that surged into his body. His face instantly turned pale, veins bulging on his forehead, his clenched teeth grinding audibly.
Feng Xiaotian did not leave, standing nearby to guard him.
Two hours later, the boy opened his eyes. A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet. His first Soul Ring, five hundred and sixty years old, was complete.
The boy stood up, looking down at his hands, then at the bell he held. Then he turned to look behind the rock. The little girl was still crouching there, her small hands gripping the rock's edge, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on him. The boy gave her a nod. Tears instantly welled from her eyes, but this time, she was smiling as she cried.
Only then did the boy turn around and nod to Feng Xiaotian. "Thank you."
"What's your name?"
"Shi Yan."
Feng Xiaotian glanced at the little girl behind the rock. She poked half her head out, her two braids hanging over her shoulders, the red cords at their ends swaying slightly. She gave Feng Xiaotian a timid glance, then ducked back again.
"Your younger sister?"
"Yes. Xiao Ling."
Feng Xiaotian asked Shi Yan why he had brought his sister alone into the Heavenly Wind Mountain Range to hunt a Soul Ring. Shi Yan fell silent for a while, then gave a brief account. His father had run away after getting into debt, and his mother had died early, leaving only him and his sister at home. When the creditors came knocking, he had fled with his sister. He had no other path. Only by becoming a Soul Master could he gain the ability to repay the debt and protect his sister.
After hearing him out, Feng Xiaotian asked no further questions.
The two spent another day together. Feng Xiaotian found that Shi Yan said little but was dependable in what he did. After they hunted a wild rabbit and roasted it to eat, Shi Yan first tore off the best meat for his sister, gnawing on the bones himself. Xiao Ling took the meat, lowered her head to take a small bite, then held it up to her brother's mouth.
"Big brother, I can't finish it."
Shi Yan glanced at the piece of meat with only one small bite taken from it and did not accept it. "If you can't finish it, save it for when you're hungry."
Xiao Ling pursed her lips and raised the meat a little higher. "You eat."
Shi Yan remained silent for two breaths, then tore off a small strip and put it in his mouth. Only then did Xiao Ling lower her head and continue eating in little bites. Shi Yan watched her and waited a while longer, making certain she really had enough to eat before going back to gnawing on the bones in his hands.
When they camped out that night, Shi Yan took off his outer garment and covered his sister with it, sleeping seated against a tree trunk himself. After Xiao Ling fell asleep, her braids loosened a little. By the moonlight, Shi Yan gently rebraided her hair with his fingers, moving very slowly for fear of tugging and hurting her. When he finished, he tightened the red cords at the ends of her braids, then gave them a tug to make sure they would not come loose.
Feng Xiaotian kept his eyes closed and heard it all.
The next morning, Xiao Ling's braids were perfectly neat, the red cords tied tightly in pretty bows. She looked down at them herself, touched her braids, then lifted her face and smiled at Shi Yan. Shi Yan did not smile, but there was a little light in his eyes.
Feng Xiaotian asked Shi Yan whether he would like to return to Godwind Academy with him.
Shi Yan fell silent for a while. "Can my sister come too?"
"The academy has accommodations for family members. You can bring her." Feng Xiaotian paused, then added, "The academy rewards outstanding students. Successfully defending the arena, placing near the top in assessments, bringing back valuable things from training trips-all of those earn prize money. If you stay and cultivate diligently, you can repay the debt yourself."
Shi Yan raised his head and looked at Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian continued, "As a boy, you'll face plenty of difficulties looking after your sister. There are female instructors at the academy who can help with Xiao Ling's daily care. Once she's old enough, if she awakens a Martial Soul, she'll have a chance to enroll too."
Shi Yan remained silent for several breaths. He turned his head and glanced at Xiao Ling, who had fallen asleep on his back. Her braids hung over his shoulders, their red cords swaying faintly.
Shi Yan turned back and nodded solemnly. "I'll go back with you."
On the way back, Xiao Ling fell asleep on Shi Yan's back. Shi Yan walked very steadily, afraid of jostling her awake. Her two braids hung over his shoulders, the red cords at their ends swaying gently with his steps. Walking beside him, Feng Xiaotian suddenly chuckled.
Shi Yan turned to look at him. Feng Xiaotian shook his head. "Nothing. I just thought you and I are quite alike."
Shi Yan did not understand, but he did not ask further. Xiao Ling shifted on his back and mumbled something in her sleep. Shi Yan patted her gently and continued forward.
Feng Xiaotian looked at the road ahead. Three days, and he was bringing back someone, along with a younger sister. This trip had been worth it.