Just as the boy was about to breathe his last, Yu Tianheng pushed the door open and entered.
At the sight of a stranger, all the children in the dilapidated house, including the little girl, looked at Yu Tianheng warily.
Yu Tianheng said, "Don't be nervous. I won't hurt you."
"Now, I can tell you two things. First, he's going to die soon." Yu Tianheng pointed at the boy lying on the ground.
"Second, I can save him."
The other children looked bewildered upon hearing this, but the girl was the quickest to react. She dropped to her knees before Yu Tianheng with a thud. "Please, sir, save my brother! I'm willing to be your ox or your horse to repay you!"
"All right!" Yu Tianheng strode forward, crouched down, and examined the boy's injuries.
The boy was covered in wounds, his internal organs were ruptured, and all four limbs had fractures of varying severity. It was a miracle he had made it back alive; he had only a single breath left.
Injuries this severe were extremely difficult to treat. Only a support-type Soul Master skilled in healing could cure him.
Unfortunately, Yu Tianheng's Martial Soul was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a Power Attack System Beast Martial Soul. It possessed tremendous combat power, but was of no use in saving people.
Fortunately, Yu Tianheng had come prepared. He reached into his robes and produced a pill, and a fresh, refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately filled the room.
The pill was called a Rejuvenation Pill, a top-grade, mid-tier pill that could quickly repair injuries. Yu Tianheng had exchanged 50 Heavenly Mandate Points for it through the system.
Yu Tianheng quickly fed the pill to the boy. As it went down his throat, a miraculous change followed. The boy's face, once pale as paper, regained a little color at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his features, previously twisted in pain, gradually relaxed. The bleeding from his wounds stopped instantly, his broken bones and torn sinews began to mend, and his damaged skin rapidly repaired itself.
Within moments, the boy's injuries had mostly healed.
He slowly opened his eyes, and the first person he saw was Yu Tianheng. His eyes flew wide, his face full of disbelief. Wasn't this the rich young master from before?
Back then, he had targeted Yu Tianheng, hoping to steal some money from him to spend, only to be caught red-handed. He had thought he would be beaten, but to his surprise, Yu Tianheng had let him off.
This time, he had been badly beaten after a failed theft, and it seemed Yu Tianheng had saved him.
But why?
Questions filled the boy's mind, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"What's your name?" Yu Tianheng asked first.
"I... my name is Mu Qing," the boy replied.
"All right, Mu Qing, listen carefully. You were on the brink of death this time, and I saved you, but I'm no saint. I can't help you for nothing, so you'll need to repay me."
"But not now. We'll talk after you've fully recovered. For now, get some rest." With that, Yu Tianheng turned and left, disappearing into the night.
The next day.
After a night's rest, Mu Qing looked quite well, showing no sign of his severe injuries, though the greater reason was the pill Yu Tianheng had given him.
Before long, Yu Tianheng arrived as promised.
The moment he saw Yu Tianheng, Mu Qing immediately knelt. "Thank you, sir, for saving my life. I'll always remember this kindness. If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word, but please don't involve my younger brothers and sisters!"
Surprised, Yu Tianheng nodded. "You're willing to shoulder responsibility. But don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position."
"If I'm not mistaken, you're an ordinary person. You didn't succeed in awakening a Martial Soul, did you?" Yu Tianheng asked.
Mu Qing nodded, his expression dimming. "That's right. An esteemed Soul Master from Spirit Hall once came to my village and conducted a Martial Soul Awakening ceremony for the children. Unfortunately, not one of us succeeded."
"Afterward, a band of robbers came to the village. They burned, killed, and plundered, committing every evil imaginable. All the adults in the village died, and only a few of us children escaped. We wanted to report it to the authorities and avenge the villagers, but those important people couldn't be bothered. With no other choice, we came to Heaven Dou Imperial City, hoping someone would stand up for us. But because of who we were, we couldn't even meet those powerful people. Even if we had, they most likely wouldn't have wasted their time on a group of commoners like us."
"After that, my sister and I took the children who had escaped with us to the slums outside Heaven Dou City. To survive, I had no choice but to try stealing. I didn't want to, but there was no other way. If I didn't do it, we couldn't stay alive."
After hearing Mu Qing's account, Yu Tianheng couldn't help shaking his head inwardly. These people really have had it rough. If they hadn't met me, they'd most likely have died miserably before long. At best, they'd have eked out a miserable existence.
After a moment's silence, Yu Tianheng looked at Mu Qing. "I can give you a chance-a chance to become stronger, a chance to rise above the rest. Are you willing to accept it?"
Mu Qing gave a bitter laugh. "Sir, I want to become stronger too. I want to rise above the rest and give my younger brothers and sisters a life without worrying about food or drink. But I don't have a Martial Soul. I can only be an ordinary person for the rest of my life."
Yu Tianheng shook his head. "Who says you can't become an expert without a Martial Soul?"
"Young man, have you ever heard of the Martial Dao?"
"The Martial Dao? What's that?" Mu Qing looked puzzled. He had never heard the term in his life.
"The Martial Dao is a path of cultivation. Those who cultivate it are called martial artists. Unlike Soul Masters who cultivate Martial Souls, the path of the Martial Dao places greater emphasis on oneself and has fewer restrictions. Anyone can cultivate the Martial Dao, unlike Soul Masters, who must first successfully awaken a Martial Soul."
Seeing that Mu Qing still looked completely lost, Yu Tianheng took him to the mountain behind the slums.
After walking for a while, the two came to a large tree.
Yu Tianheng said, "Open your eyes wide and watch what the Martial Dao is."
With that, Yu Tianheng took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently. Then he raised his right hand and clenched his five fingers into a fist, his gaze fixed firmly on the sturdy tree ahead. Its trunk was so thick that it would take two people to encircle it with their arms, and its lush branches and leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
With a low shout, he drove his right fist forward, the wind howling around it as it struck with the force of a thunderbolt. The punch seemed to tear through the air, producing a piercing whistle.
In an instant, his fist slammed into the trunk, and an earthshaking crash rang out.
The tree first shook violently, then began to split at the point of impact. Countless cracks spread rapidly across it like a spiderweb.
In the blink of an eye, the stout trunk broke in two with a crash, wood splinters flying from the break in all directions. With its support gone, the upper half of the trunk slowly toppled to one side with a rustle, crashing to the ground and kicking up a great cloud of dust.