In a certain forest
Three figures appeared to be bandits with a knife within each one of their hands, scars all over their faces, and muscles strong enough to strangle a cow with one arm.
They seemed to be looking for something … or someone.
One of them started saying: “Where are they?”
Another one shouted: “Don’t let me find you, or else you’re dead!!”
“That damned kid with blue eyes!! Why is he so strong when he’s not even a cultivator yet?” asked the last one.
“Yeah … he beat two guys in our gang who are already cultivators. How’s that even possible?”
“Don’t you know that he’s God’s son?”
Once this question was asked, the other two looked at each other, then one of them asked back.
“Which God?”
The one who previously raised the ‘God’ topic only spread his hand and wryly smiled. And the other two came to realization before exclaiming: “That God?”
“Yeah … that God.”
“So, that’s why he’s strong. But even so, he can’t possibly defeat us. But … will it be okay … hunting God’s son? You know … what if he’s back?”
The weakest one of the three warned his mates with a trembling voice, and the word ‘fear’ could already be read from his face.
“Ptooey!! You coward!! That God has been gone for a few years without showing his face even once. Who knows? Maybe he already left for good.”
“It doesn’t matter which God’s son he is … it’s unforgivable stealing Big Boss’s toy”
“Yeah … that outsider shouldn’t be living among us. Didn’t God say that no outsider could come into this city?
“Agreed!!”
Upon reaching the conclusion, they began their search once more.
After a few hours, the bandits found a broken hut amongst the trees. They then entered the hut to investigate.
They used their knife and punch to destroy everything in the place because they did not want to leave any stone unturned. Nevertheless, they could not find what they were looking for. But suddenly …
Ke!! Ke!! Ke!! Ke!!
A cough was heard from the hut’s attic that seemed to only fit a family of mice.
“Found you!!”
One of the bandits roared and threw a punch upwards.
Boom!!
Four seven-to-eight years old kids, three boys and one girl with eyes of different shades, fell down from the attic. They appeared ragged and bruised. Especially the boy with yellow eyes, he was full of injuries, and the cough earlier was from him throwing out his blood.
“Haha … So, here you are!!”
“Come here, you monkey!! We haven’t had enough fun yet!!”
One of the bandits picked Yellow Boy up with one of his hands.
“Put him down or I’ll smash that hand to pieces!!” The boy with blue eyes got up and commanded while pointing his finger at the three bandits.
“Hahaha … with your strength? This place is too cramped. Come out and try.”
The bandit gang left the hut but did not leave. They waited for their challenger to come out and fight them.
Blue Boy looked at another boy who possessed red eyes. “Brother Ying, to the death!! Aaaaargh!!” Following that he charged out while howling his battle cry.
“Aaaaargh!!” Red Boy now also howled out loud and followed his friend out of the hut.
After a few moves, both boys were not looking good. They were taking one hit after another. Although they were strong enough to take down the weakest ones of cultivators, they were still unawakening kids. There was no way they could defeat cultivators with cultivation levels much higher like these bandits.
Also, the Red was not as strong as the Blue, so Blue Boy was taking the damage for him while fighting the bandits. In the end, due to their difference in strength, both boys were getting beaten quite badly.
Nevertheless, the kids could still hold their ground for quite a while. If they were other kids, they would have been killed by a couple of blows from the bandits. This showed how extraordinary they were.
As for Yellow Boy, he was too injured to struggle from the bandit’s hand, let alone put up any fight.
“Hahaha … let me see the mouth that spouted b******* just now!!”
Pah!!
The bandit slapped Blue Boy flying. Blood completely soaked his mouth.
“Brother Feng!!”
Red Boy shouted out in worried.
“You are not getting any better!!”
Bam!!
Another bandit kneed at Red Boy’s stomach until he vomited all the food he ate today.
“Hmph!! We have had enough fun today!! Let’s finish this!!”
The bandits grinned as they took out their knives and were about to perform their execution.
At that moment, a girl with green eyes slowly walked up to them and said: “STOP!!”
The bandit who was holding the Yellow chuckled and asked.
“Hehe … why should we listen to you, little miss?”
The girl, with trembling hands, took out a token from her bag and showed it to them.
The token was made of a refined jade and carved into a peacock shape spreading its feather tails.
The smirks they all were wearing a moment earlier disappeared as quick as a lightning, and what replaced them was a pale complexion as white as a cloud.
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!
Three bandits all knelt down in front of the girl. As it happened, the token was something they would never have the gut to cross. Then, one of the bandits fearfully asked.
“You are City Lord’s daughter!?”
The girl quietly nodded.
“We’re sorry!! Please have mercy.”
The gang began to kowtow and apologized to the girl. They did not fear the so-called God because this God was no longer here. However, the City Lord was still present and ruling the city. Offending his daughter was the same as committing suicide.
“Go back and tell that bad bald guy … don’t ever come in front of us again!!” said Green Girl.
“Yes … Yes.” The bandits all left before the rest of the boys even had the chance to say anything to them.
Once the youths got together, the blue eyes boy sternly reprimanded the girl.
“Yue’er, I said don’t use the token. How can we prove ourselves with that?”
“B-but you all were … Wuaaaaah!!”
Not knowing what to say, the girl cried out loud.
“Brother Feng, you’re making her cry again” teased the red eyes boy.
“What? Ah … Yue’er, I didn’t mean it. Sorry … and thank you for saving us.”
The blue eyes boy quickly consoled her, while the girl had stopped crying, she was still sobbing a little.
Blue Boy turned to the Yellow and asked.
“Are you alright, Brother Sun?”
“Ke ke ke … I’m okay” answered Yellow Boy with his weak voice.
“We should take him to your place, Sister Mei” suggested Red Boy.
“I agree … but let’s take a rest first.”
Blue Boy agreed and suggested. Following that they all reentered the hut to rest.
A while later, Blue Boy started speaking.
“I have a proposal, do you guys want to hear?”
The rest jerked their heads up and nodded.
“From today onwards, let us all become sworn brothers and sister!!”
The Red and Yellow exchanged glances and nodded, but the Green Girl was hesitating.
“What’s wrong, Yue’er? Don’t wanna have me as Big Bro?” joked Blue Boy.
“Who would wanna call you Big Bro?”
“Why not? I’m this strong already even before awakening!!”
Yellow Boy interjected: “I have no objection to this proposal.”
And Red Boy followed: “Me too.”
“Well …?” Blue Boy asked as he looked at the girl.
“Fine!!”
“Haha, good!! … Then, let’s swear our brotherhood on the will to protect.” Blue Boy proposed another suggestion which confused the group.
The Yellow asked: “What’s the will to protect?”
Blue Boy smiled then proudly replied: “It’s something my father used to say to me before he left.”
///FLASHBACK///
On top of the cliff, facing a vast ocean. Two figures, one big, one small, stood side by side.
Blue Boy, a few years back, said: “Someday, Father!! I will protect this city and everyone in it with my own strength!! Just like you, I will shut all bad guys up only by speaking!!”
Blue Boy’s father heartily laughed. His face was full of happiness as he stroked his child’s head.
“Hahaha. It’s good to hear that you have such ambition. But remember one thing, Tian’er.”
“What is it, Father?” asked the boy.
“A will to protect!!” replied his father.
“A will to protect?”
The boy’s father looked at the ocean. His eyes profoundly flashed as he started explaining.
“That’s right. It is true that you cannot protect anyone if you are weak.”
“But whether you are weak or strong depends on your ‘will to protect’.”
“As long as your ‘will to protect’ stays strong, you will never see your loved ones die.”
“However, the moment you give up your ‘will to protect’ to … whatever, maybe fear, or maybe greed.”
“Right then, you will lose … everything you hold dear or even yourself … as a result of your lack of will.”
He then turned to his son and looked into his eyes.
“So Tian’er, always stay strong!!”
“Uphold your ‘will to protect’ … and protect everyone you love with your life on the line.”
The boy answered without hesitation: “Yes, Father!! I will!!”
Seeing his son’s firm resolve, he smiled and looked back upon the ocean as he softly mumbled: “It’s good as long as you understand.”
///BACK TO NOW///
The three listened to the story with glittering eyes.
Because of the feat the blue-eyed boy’s father had done for the city, everyone in it knew and regarded him as a God. And that was no exception for every child within the city. Every story about this God was like a legend that they would proudly retell to their friends over and over again.
“Well …?” Blue Boy asked again.
The rest nodded in unison. They went out of the hut and lined up kneeling facing the sky.
Blue Boy started shouting.
“Let Heaven be the witness as I, Feng Luotian, will be taking Ying Lizhua, Sun Wuji, and Mei Yue’er as my brothers and sister today.”
“For as long as I live, I will uphold my will to protect. Neither fear nor greed, or even death can shake this will!!”
“I will never let these brothers and sister of mine have their last breaths before me!!”
“If I renege on this oath, may Heaven condemn me to be the worst pitiful being in the universe!!”
The rest followed the suit and took the oath as they roared their heart out.
