Xiao Tianqi's Past

Just then, the old man came out from the inner room, having changed into a clean but worn-out garment, thankfully without any holes.

"You two have come in a hurry, so I don't have much to offer you. Please make do with this. I'll go to town early tomorrow morning to exchange it for some rice!"

"Brother, no need for that trouble. We're just asking for lodging for one night and will leave first thing tomorrow morning," Xiao Tianqi waved his hand and said quickly.

"Come on, eat quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold!" the old woman urged from the side.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tianqi didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his bowl to eat.

Seeing this, Lu Feng had no choice but to eat some as well.

It's a simple country dish, without oil or salt, yet it has a unique flavor.

Lu Feng only ate a small half bowl because he could see that the village was poor, and if he ate more, the two elderly people would have to eat less.

"Brother, come on, let me get you another bowl!" the old woman said, extending her hand to Xiao Tianqi.

The food in Xiao Tianqi's bowl was completely gone.

"Thank you so much, sister! Just a small half bowl will do; I can't eat any more!"

Xiao Tianqi shoveled the last bit of food from the bowl into his mouth and handed the bowl to the old woman.

The old woman took the bowl, went inside to add more food, and when she came out again, the bowl was overflowing.

"Big sister! I really can't eat all of this!"

"It's just a little bit, it's not much at all!"

Xiao Tianqi verbally declined, but obediently reached out and took the bowl.

"Young man, is the food not to your liking?" The old woman handed the bowl to Xiao Tianqi, then turned to see Lu Feng put down his chopsticks and asked with concern.

"Don't worry about him, sister. Young people have never gone hungry before! He'll eat when he's really hungry!"

Hearing Xiao Tianqi's words, the old woman seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and the three of them chatted again, one after another.

After finishing their meal, the group sat and chatted for a while before the old man led Lu Feng and his companion to a side room next door.

Inside the room was a bed made of weeds.

"Please make do with this for the night."

"Brother, what are you saying!"

"Didn't you just say there was a leak in the roof? I'll come help you!"

With that, Xiao Tianqi pulled the old man out the door.

He helped the old man repair the roof, move heavy objects, and check the family's accounts...

It took Xiao Tianqi a good half hour to return to his room.

Although Lu Feng was puzzled, he ultimately remained silent.

Early the next morning,

Lu Feng took out one tael of gold from his storage bag.

He hadn't used gold in a long time; this one or two ounces of gold was something he had acquired back in Lin'an City.

"I think..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Tianqi raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Absolutely not! You'll only hurt them if you do that!"

"For them, let alone gold, they hardly ever see silver throughout the year!"

Lu Feng instantly understood what Xiao Tianqi meant.

"Then we..."

"Don't you enjoy hunting monsters? Go check around and see if there are any wild animals. Bring back enough to feed the whole village for a while."

Upon hearing Xiao Tianqi's words, Lu Feng nodded and turned to fly towards the woods outside the village.

A short while later, Lu Feng returned carrying a wild boar weighing over 100 pounds in one hand.

"This... this..."

The two elderly people were so shocked when they saw Lu Feng carrying a large wild boar with one hand that they were speechless.

They never expected that this seemingly thin boy would possess such incredible strength.

"He is a bit stronger," Xiao Tianqi said with a smile.

"You can share this wild boar with the villagers. It's getting late, we should get going."

Upon hearing this, the two elderly people waved their hands repeatedly.

"This won't do! Such a big wild boar must be worth a fortune! Take it back right now!"

"Brother, sister, listen to me." Xiao Tianqi pointed at Lu Feng.

"Look at this kid, does he look like someone who would lack prey? Besides, it's inconvenient for us to travel with a wild boar. Just consider it helping us out and taking care of it for us, okay?"

"This... this..." The two elderly people looked at each other and hesitated.

"Brother, sister, why are you being so polite with me?" Xiao Tianqi said sternly.

"I wasn't being polite with you last night! All this evasion and delaying, are you treating me like an outsider?"

After saying that, he deliberately pretended to be angry.

"No way!" the old man quickly said, "Alright, alright, we'll accept it!"

"Brother, you must come to Bluestone Village again sometime!"

"Must!"

Afterwards, Lu Feng and Xiao Tianqi left the village, and only when they were out of sight of everyone did they leap up and fly away.

Are there any monsters near the village?

After flying a short distance, Xiao Tianqi suddenly asked.

"No. There's no sign of any monsters for miles around, and even wild animals are rare."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tianqi nodded and said nothing more.

The following evening, Xiao Tianqi and Lu Feng also found a village to stay in.

Upon arriving in the village, Xiao Tianqi seemed like a completely different person, helping to fetch water and repair houses.

Early in the morning, he sent Lu Feng to hunt a wild beast, while he himself went from house to house checking for any signs of monsters in the vicinity.

Several times, Lu Feng wanted to ask, but he swallowed the words back.

On the seventh day, seeing Lu Feng's puzzled expression, Xiao Tianqi spoke up:

"Ask anything you want to know."

"Uncle Xiao, these past few days you..."

"Are you asking why I've chosen to stay in mountain villages these past few days instead of going to towns?"

"Not only that, your performance was also..."

Xiao Tianqi was silent for a moment, then looked into the distance and slowly said:

"I lived in a village like this when I was a child. My parents had some rudimentary cultivation. When I was six, my parents were killed by a demon beast... From then on, I survived only by relying on the charity of the villagers, one bite here and one bite there."

"Every time I finish a meal at my neighbor's house, I'll offer to do something for them. Chopping wood, carrying water, repairing the house... I always feel bad if I don't do something."

"At eighteen, I joined the Demon-Slaying Bureau, becoming a Demon Slayer Guard. The day I fought my way back to my village as a Demon Slayer Envoy..."

His voice paused.

"The entire village has been slaughtered by the monsters."

Xiao Tianqi spoke for almost half an hour.

After listening, Lu Feng felt a deep respect for Xiao Tianqi.

Xiao Tianqi was not particularly talented, and his background was even more humble, yet he managed to break through to the Great Grandmaster Perfection and became the Deputy Si Zheng the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau Division.

The blood, sweat, and tears shed in this process are unimaginable.

Moreover, he also carried such a deep-seated blood feud.

Anyone else would probably have already grabbed a knife and gone to fight the monster to the death.

But Xiao Tianqi did not.

In the northern region, from Lin'an Town to the most remote villages, there are Demon-Slaying Guards patrolling and guarding the area from time to time. Lu Feng only now realized that all of this was orchestrated by Xiao Tianqi.

He couldn't save his village.

But he was doing everything in his power to prevent other villages from suffering the same fate.

Five days later, the two finally arrived at the North City Demon-Slaying Bureau.